Phillips Toyota Leesburg beware of this dealership under new GM

[Bellavita]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

[dewilson58]

Waiting on Paul Harvey.

[Bass56]

Lmao

[VApeople]

They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales?


That is the way I would handle sales. The first person with the money gets the car.

We bought a RAV4 from Phillips a couple years ago and it was a very enjoyable experience. We saw the car, made an offer, they accepted, we wrote a check, and drove the new car home.

[mrf6969]

Boom!!

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

For a dealership to tell a person not to come back is , Well I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE REST OF THE STORY

[Marathon Man]

I love it. "He was rude to me." Uh, are you sure that he was the rude one?

[Garywt]

Something happened here but seems it was not good either way. Anyway the thing that sticks out the most is who in their right mind would pay $35,000 for a Prius.

[golfing eagles]

"Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota"

Judging by the letter the GM sent to a customer of 13 years, all I can say is res ipsa loquitur. (the thing speaks for itself). But just in case the OP thinks this means that the dealership was rude, well, think again.

PS: Some one who is upset over Japanese whaling wants to own a Prius-----gee, what a surprise!

[vintageogauge]

Not a big deal, there are lots of Toyota dealers but next time be careful what you say and your tone when you say it. I had a very similar thing happen to me at the Chevy dealer on 44 in Wildwood. Went to see a car that was supposed to be in stock and it was not even delivered to them yet. I simply left and asked them to call me when it arrives which they did but I had already bought a different car elsewhere.

[Fredster]

Having had many experiences dealing with car dealerships over many decades I can honestly say that I recall only one, or possibly two good experiences!
In my opinion their negative reputation is well earned!
God bless you all!

[bobdeb]

Waiting on Paul Harvey.


And now for the rest of the story...

Priceless. Lol

[bobdeb]

You just can't make this stuff up...������

[Topspinmo]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone


Dealerships bait and switch all the time. I have NO sympathy for any dealership. They are there to please me not the other way around.

[dewilson58]

They are there to please me not the other way around.

Aren't we all!!!:1rotfl:

[Topspinmo]

Aren't we all!!!:1rotfl:


Yes, I glad you finely can around:coolsmiley:

[Mortal1]

YUP...BAIT and SWITCH. Notify the BBB and make a formal complaint. Might not do anything, but you never know. Hit all the social media platforms. It those platforms can fool millions and cause folks to think like a lemming then it couldn't hurt.

[dewilson58]

Yes, I glad you finely can around:coolsmiley:

:bigbow:

[JohnN]

Car dealers are awful, they're out to take every dollar possible out of your pocket.
It's to be expected and no big surprise.

I had a bad experience at Philips Toyota some years back, I won't go there again.
But, life is short and I'd suggest you just get over it. I hope the rant made you feel better

[dewilson58]

A lot of dealerships have tried "firm pricing"......they discount the sticker and say no negotiations. Customers don't like it. Customer still want to play the games.

No one to blame but the customers................that B U.

:popcorn:

:popcorn:

:popcorn:

[retiredguy123]

Research and knowledge about the true value of the car and being extremely polite and honest with the dealer will get you the best price. They hate that. Most car dealers are not honest and they want to prey on your emotions and get you excited, so that you will stoop to their level and play their games. You will never win that way. But, I am really mystified as to why the general manager would send such a negative letter to the OP. I think it was a mistake regardless of what the OP may have said.

[Stu from NYC]

Very strange.

[Gpsma]

Can we all say...ENTITLED

[peachpit]

The only truly unique car is a used car. There are never any two alike. New cars are all alike. This is not a rare new Corvette, this is a run of the mill Toyota. Go to Sam's Club, True Car, BJ's, Costco and get a price, go to the the dealership and trade cars. This is not rocket science.

[Number 10 GI]

Research and knowledge about the true value of the car and being extremely polite and honest with the dealer will get you the best price. They hate that. Most car dealers are not honest and they want to prey on your emotions and get you excited, so that you will stoop to their level and play their games. You will never win that way. But, I am really mystified as to why the general manager would send such a negative letter to the OP. I think it was a mistake regardless of what the OP may have said.

You only heard one side of the story. For the manager to tell a long time customer to never come back again says a whole lot about what happened. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.

[jswirs]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

I had something a bit similar happen at Ocala Ford / Lincoln, on the service side. The service was complete but no one told us, so we sat there for oven an hour, while the car sat in the "completed " area. Yes, we ask about it and were told it would be done ASAP. Finally after an hour I walked outside and saw the vehicle waiting there for us, with completed service.
We complained to the manager who promised nothing like this would ever happen again, but the repair they did was not complete, so, back to the dealership.
Bottom line, I wrote a letter to the owner, and that really got results. I find writing a letter is so much better than a phone call, and I mean a "snail mail" letter, not e mail.
Just my experience.

[MandoMan]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

I think you over-reacted on this. Mistakes happen. It’s annoying that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing, but it happens all the time. For example, in real estate here at The Villages, I’m sure it’s very common for a sales agreement to be signed an hour before an advertised open house that is then cancelled. (Oh, wait, I did that a year ago when I bought my house here.)

And before you rush to the Ford dealer to buy a Mustang instead of a Prius, let me tell you about my girlfriend taking her Ford F-250 to the Ford dealer for an oil change and finding out three hours later that it hadn’t yet been taken in for the service. (That one was comped.) Then they needed to install new weatherstripping on a door, and they ordered the wrong piece—which was installed! The torn piece was pinned together! It will be replaced tomorrow. She’s annoyed, but she’s not saying she’ll never buy another Ford.

There are some annoyances that don’t deserve people trying to damage a business’s reputation or get a person fired. Things go wrong on occasion.

[tvbound]

PS: Some one who is upset over Japanese whaling wants to own a Prius-----gee, what a surprise!Sadly, nasty and denigrating comments like this - are not a surprise.

What is whaling and why's it controversial? - CBBC Newsround (/newsround/46715160)

"It was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - a group whose job it is to look after whale conservation - after some species became almost extinct."

[golfing eagles]

Sadly, nasty and denigrating comments like this - are not a surprise.

What is whaling and why's it controversial? - CBBC Newsround (/newsround/46715160)

"It was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - a group whose job it is to look after whale conservation - after some species became almost extinct."

I prefer to think of it as a truism

[GOLFER54]

Getting the ‘Run Around ‘ by any business today is unacceptable. The days where the ‘ Customer is always right ‘ is long gone. The response from the dealership is proof. I think if you or anyone else sees a car on-line that interests them, call the dealership and have them verify that it is definitely in stock, make a specific appointment with a salesman there, get his name, then before you leave your house, call and verify that that person is available within the time you both agreed on. For myself, I only buy Chevy’s.

[Petersweeney]

I’m a Chevy guy too - my dad always said it was the poor man’s Cadillac -
BTW I have my first oil change scheduled next week at autonation... I’ll be sure to let everyone know how it went.....

[J1ceasar]

Well obviously you haven't shopped in a car in about 7 years but that's how just about every dealership works. Whether or not they knew the car was available they want you to come in the door to talk to you and make a deal on the spot. It's pretty obvious you both had heated words when you went to the dealer. But if you can't get upset about one whole hour of your time I would hate to be your servicer when you need to bring the car in for a tune-up or a brake job. I can tell you pretty much from experience that most dealerships take one to two days to actually take inventory off their website, and even if you do call Joe shimo salesperson doesn't know what Mr Smith's salesperson knows about the car that was just sold. I would suggest in the future there are three places to go just to make this a positive comment. Carvana CarMax and Vroom. All three websites have at least 10 to 20,000 cars on them they all say whether the cars are being sold or have deposits pending and you all get three to seven days to try your car and return. Big caution flag here they will keep your money and insist on you buying another car off their website carvana has a two-car try policy and then you must keep the third car. I don't know about the other two but I will tell you that if you do any or you search whatsoever you will see that these three sites gave you an average of $2,000 off of dealer prices without any hassle of negotiation and also knowing exactly what you going to pay as they do not have a $699 to $999 dealer fee and other fake fees.

I know you wrote the letter to get it off your chest so to speak but these are multi-million dollar businesses that do very well without your business selling probably 1,000 cars used and new every single month

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Yes, car dealerships take advantage of women in particular, one happen to my wife as well, and I have similar reactions about the dealership, however, I also know that taking the higher road always results in better outcomes and feels better, unless I am entitled. But the Villages in retirement does create a bubble belief environment from both age and reduced awareness of the larger, quicker non retired environment we all came from while working. . .

Vehicle assembly lines have been shut down or at reduced capacity for semi conductor shortages, which means that car supply is dwindling, and people have been buying at a much quicker pace, like houses, and its going to get worse before it gets better. Now, that isn't an excuse for rude behavior, but just brings to the forefront that we are in a very upside down economic world right now, and so these type of issues will persist.

I bought a used F250 diesel for camper towing and working around the house, now that my commuting days are over, and I bought it on line at the asking price, because of the very, very limited supply of exactly for what i was looking. So we bought without regard to haggling, as its a seller's market. . . and that was in December. Car sales have been getting more difficult since.

Awareness of the economic environment outside the retirement bubble happens to everyone, same with my dad as he got farther into retirement. But taking the higher road with politeness usually results in a better and unexpected outcome, if you are willing to control your emotions. Political emails will definitely not help the situations, but is a cowardly way to harass an individual.

[Villages Kahuna]

If Phillips sells “40-60 cars a day” they would have the most sales of any dealership of any brand in America, by a wide margin. That would make them the largest car dealer in the world They’re a good-sized dealership, but certainly not that big!

So not only did you experience bad customer service you were also lied to.

I was also lied to at Plaza Lincoln a few years ago, after being a loyal customer for many years. The sales manager should have known that I had knowledge that he was lying. I immediately told him that in the U.S. we have to wait four years to deal with lying politicians, but lying car dealers can be dealt with immediately. I told them to remove my name from all their mailing lists and walked out the front door, never to return.

[noslices1]

Bought a CH-R from DeLuca in Ocala @ $3K less than what Phillips wanted.

[Girlcopper]

For a dealership to tell a person not to come back is , Well I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE REST OF THE STORY
Exactly. Ive had bad experiences at dealerships and other businesses and have gotten extremely annoyed with my time being wasted BUT I have never had any business ban me from ever entering their place again. There is way more to this story. Regardless of how lousy a service is, you have the option of taking your business elsewhere. Obviously the OP was rude and received rude treatment in return. Yes, the customer is always right but no business has to tolerate a rude attitude. No, I wasnt there and no, I dont know the real story but being banned from a business speaks volumes

[OhioBuckeye]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

Yea, I kinda was thinking there’s always 2 sides to every story. All you had to do is if they didn’t have what you wanted you could of very politely left. Also I’m partial to Fords but some people aren’t but if your not don’t go there.

[mike1946]

Some years ago I part exchanged and old-ish Buick Le Sabre for a used Rendezvous at this dealership ...I quite enjoyed the experience and the people were quite fun and professional ... I drove away in my new-ish Rendezvous quite happy and I still have it (albeit laid up in my garage as I can't travel to the USA due to Covid ( I'm a Brit )) I would be happy to use them again to buy something very sexy to take back to the UK !!

[JMintzer]

Getting the ‘Run Around ‘ by any business today is unacceptable. The days where the ‘ Customer is always right ‘ is long gone. The response from the dealership is proof. I think if you or anyone else sees a car on-line that interests them, call the dealership and have them verify that it is definitely in stock, make a specific appointment with a salesman there, get his name, then before you leave your house, call and verify that that person is available within the time you both agreed on. For myself, I only buy Chevy’s.

A good friend of mine, from whom I bought all of my music gear for 20 years, told me horror stories about some customers.

He credo was, "The customer is always right... Except when they're wrong!"... ;)

He finally had to ban a certain customer from ordering expensive guitars, having them delivered and returning them, a week later, over and over again.

He would sell them anything they had in stock, but no more "special orders".

The customer went ballistic, insisting that he's take his business elsewhere, only to find he was also banned from two of the other dealers who were major sellers of that particular brand of guitar...

Word gets around about bad customers, just as it does about bad dealers...

[Hape2Bhr]

:welcome: I wonder if the OP refused to wear a mask? chilout

[ribil]

Sounds like you’re a bit of a looney.

[Waltdisney4life]

I’d love to hear their side you’re not even worth $35,000 of aggravation you must’ve been pretty rude yourself!

[kappy]

I had a bad experience at both Jenkins of Leesburg and Jenkins of Ocala. I had a very favorable experience at Hyundai of Central Florida in Clermont. I called to get a quote on leasing my fifth Hyundai since 2012. I received a quote from Wendy; went down that afternoon and drove away with my 2020 Hyundai Sonata. They claim that they do not charge a dealers fee and they do not haggle on price. Having leased 4 Hyundai Sonatas previously, two in NJ where dealers do not charge dealers fees like most Florida dealers, I believe I got my vehicle at a fair price.

[bobdeb]

Yes, there are two sides to every story. And the truth is somewhere in the middle.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

1. The customer is NOT always right. Y'all got to just get that right the heck out of your heads, and that phrase needs to be stricken from sales manuals worldwide. In fact, not everyone who comes into the business is a customer at all. The ones who steal and then try to "return without receipt" - they're not a customer, and the business has no obligation by law or by store policy to be nice to them. What you observe as an actual customer, with the staff's treatment of what you THINK is a customer, might be something else entirely going on.
2. In this case, it sounds like the OP went in there with a sense of entitlement. There was no guarantee that the car would be available to that person. They didn't put down a deposit to hold it until they could see it. There were no promises made. It doesn't MATTER if the website didn't get updated within seconds of the sale. It doesn't MATTER that the company didn't call the prospective buyer to inform him another offer had come in. If you call a supermarket to find out if they have Eggland Best eggs, large white, the regular type, and they say "yes we have four dozen" and you go in 2 hours later and there's none on the shelves, do you rant and rave and whine about how the supermarket manager should have called you personally to tell you they were about to sell their last dozen of that type? If you do, then have another Xanax. Your current dose is way too low.

[PennBF]

I also had a bad experience at Phillips! I won't get into detail about it other than being told something that was not true in order to convince me to buy. I ended up leaving with no fuss, going to another dealer of a different make and model of car and buying with cash. In reading the Dealer's response to this customer it only makes me glad that I didn't buy a car there and then face his wrath during maintenance/warranty activities. There is no justification for ever treating a customer in this way. There is a famous food Market up north in Conn. which was featured on 60 Minutes quite a while ago. It had 2 rules for all of it's employee's. Rule 1, "the customer is always right" Rule 2, Refer to rule 1 !!:ho:

[DAVES]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone


We only see one side of every story. That experience where you drive to see a car and are told it was just sold is unfortunately common. Is a scam-perhaps. When, they have you there they will of course try to sell you something else.

That general manager, I do not know him but basic business skills you should never send something like that in writing. If, you tell someone off on the phone you can claim
they misunderstood what you said.

I was amused that Ford was mentioned. I had a Ford Taurus when they had many transmission issues. At 30,000 miles the transmission failed and they put in a rebuilt
one at n/c. That one failed after about 20,000. Oh they charged me about 100,000 to tell me what I told them on the way in-the transmission is no good. They wanted me to pay like 2,000 to have them replace it yet again. I had a GM credit card at the time. Some kind of deal where you would earn credit against buying a GM car. I loudly paid that repair bill with my GM card. The fool behind the counter asked me if I was attempting to tell him something. My reply loud and clear in front of his packed with customers repair section was, no I am not trying to tell you something-you have been told. My two most recent cars have been GM and I have been happy with them both.

I no longer drive nearly as much as I used to. There is a shortage of new cars. With the rise in gas prices as happened before, I will bet you can get a great deal on a used car that does not get particularly good gas mileage. No my car is not a big GM. I have a Chevy Malibu 31-32 mpg on the highway.

[Topspinmo]

I think you over-reacted on this. Mistakes happen. It’s annoying that the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing, but it happens all the time. For example, in real estate here at The Villages, I’m sure it’s very common for a sales agreement to be signed an hour before an advertised open house that is then cancelled. (Oh, wait, I did that a year ago when I bought my house here.)

And before you rush to the Ford dealer to buy a Mustang instead of a Prius, let me tell you about my girlfriend taking her Ford F-250 to the Ford dealer for an oil change and finding out three hours later that it hadn’t yet been taken in for the service. (That one was comped.) Then they needed to install new weatherstripping on a door, and they ordered the wrong piece—which was installed! The torn piece was pinned together! It will be replaced tomorrow. She’s annoyed, but she’s not saying she’ll never buy another Ford.

There are some annoyances that don’t deserve people trying to damage a business’s reputation or get a person fired. Things go wrong on occasion.


I got several horror stories at several brand of dealerships. Ford, Chevy, Honda, Dodge and yes the famed brand Toyota. Usually it not the brands, but level of training and putting customers first. experienced this at large city dealerships. Small town dealerships are usually much better. But, majority went away with mom and pop stores.

I’ve had several fords and chevy’s only once was Ford was repaired by dealer for recall, it wasn’t broke till they recalled it, after that fuel pump when out ever 10,000 miles. Chevy was horrendous in 80’s, 90’s and early 2000’s Only problem I ever had with Honda or Toyota was servicing.

Few people actually follow up on servicing. How hard is it to pull dip stick and check level or look spots after you move you’re car? I willing to guess that more than half servicing at dealerships are above the dipstick full mark.

If you find good dealership IMO that’s rare, but if you don’t follow up on work you never know.

[Marty94]

My husband and I went to the same dealership in January after seeing the car we wanted on their website. We were required to have an appointment and did so. We called about 30 minutes before leaving to confirm the car was still there and available. When we arrived, the manager met my husband and said they did not have that car on the lot, but tried to offer him a sports car instead. My husband was polite and we left. It wasn’t necessarily a waste of time. It simply eliminated that car dealership as one we wanted to do business with. This happened a few more times with other dealerships in the area. Their objective was to get us to their lot and attempt to sell us something from their inventory.

Dealerships must be somewhat successful as many play this game, but there are also those that do not. In the future, I would take the high road. Vote with your feet like we did.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I also had a bad experience at Phillips! I won't get into detail about it other than being told something that was not true in order to convince me to buy. I ended up leaving with no fuss, going to another dealer of a different make and model of car and buying with cash. In reading the Dealer's response to this customer it only makes me glad that I didn't buy a car there and then face his wrath during maintenance/warranty activities. There is no justification for ever treating a customer in this way. There is a famous food Market up north in Conn. which was featured on 60 Minutes quite a while ago. It had 2 rules for all of it's employee's. Rule 1, "the customer is always right" Rule 2, Refer to rule 1 !!:ho:

The customer is not always right. Whether they want people to believe the hype about that catch phrase or not. Customers are customers. Some of them will lie, cheat, and steal in order to get something for nothing. They will demand that you give them a free item because the store has to give it to them if the price rung up is not the price marked on the shelf. But the security camera catches them red-handed switching tags on the shelf.

The customer does NOT have the right to put their puppy in the shopping cart and claim it's a service animal. The rules for service animals are: 4 on the floor (all 4 paws must be on the ground at all times), 6' NON-retractable leash, and the dog isn't allowed to sniff at the products or the other customers. If the customer insists otherwise, then the customer is WRONG.

The customer does NOT have the right to walk around the supermarket barefoot and shirtless. The customer who does that is WRONG.

The customer who cuts in front of a line because he only has 3 things, and proceeds to complain that the cashier is an idiot for not accepting their gas card for payment, in a supermarket, is WRONG.

The customer who complains that the cashier questioned an expired coupon from a different store, just because the customer knows that the manager will give her the discount if she yells loudly enough, is WRONG.

It is that "customer is always right" nonsense that causes people to become Karens and Chads. Because too long, in too many places where employees have to deal with them, the management has insisted that these people should be treated with dignity and respect that they haven't earned.

In StuVille, my store's policy would be "treat the customer like family. You don't have to like your family. You might even have a fight with family. You WILL roll your eyes at the crazy drunken uncle with the lampshade on his head at weddings and funerals. You WILL take the keys away from that uncle, and you WILL kick him out of the party if he starts dumping the punch bowl on Sissy's head. But if he comes in sober the next time and just wants to be remembered kindly, and treats the employees with that same kindness he expects, then give him that kindness."

[Spalumbos62]

Can we all say...ENTITLED

Entitled! ???? Who, the customer? You're crazy....yes we heard the story and maybe there was some nastiness said to the dealership, which by the way, I would of been all over that. Other than that..poopoo on them...I would NEVER go back ! Lots of other dealers to go to.
You really need to mail all these post to them,so they can see all the possible customers they lost!

[PugMom]

all i can do is offer some advice. find a dealership & work with ONE person only--all the time. i use plaza lincoln, & if my gal has a day off or isnt in, i wait until another day when she is. she knows everything about lincoln like the back of her hand, & in turn -she knows what i expect on each visit. be friendly-mistakes can happen, it's how they deal with it that counts. life is too short to be upset over things like this, and yeah, i'm waiting on paul harvey:icon_wink:

[Larchap49]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

Kudos to you Tony for kicking one of the one percenters to the curb. After 20 years as a service manager I know how the business has changed and how many people misuse social media to squeeze businesses these days. I find it a shame how bad customers get their way and end up with better treatment than the good customer because they have figured out that squeeking on social media puts pressure on a business that relies heavily on survey results to give them what they don't deserve. Knowing the car business and the pressure for good surveys I can only assume these customers were way over the line to elicit that response from you.

[CFrance]

I had something a bit similar happen at Ocala Ford / Lincoln, on the service side. The service was complete but no one told us, so we sat there for oven an hour, while the car sat in the "completed " area. Yes, we ask about it and were told it would be done ASAP. Finally after an hour I walked outside and saw the vehicle waiting there for us, with completed service.
We complained to the manager who promised nothing like this would ever happen again, but the repair they did was not complete, so, back to the dealership.
Bottom line, I wrote a letter to the owner, and that really got results. I find writing a letter is so much better than a phone call, and I mean a "snail mail" letter, not e mail.
Just my experience.
Except for one thing: Don't be a jerk in your letter.

[CFrance]

My husband went to look at his beloved Magnum 16 years ago. He walked into the dealership, read the month's sales-by-associate report on the whiteboard through an office window, and asked for the sales associate with the least amount of sales. He was very polite in refusing the price due to it having a sun roof he would never use. After several polite back-and-forths, they took the price of the sun roof off, and he bought the car.

As they say, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

The Magnum has 200,000 miles on it, and DH is now extremely polite to Bobby at Accu-Tech. Frequently.

[Larchap49]

YUP...BAIT and SWITCH. Notify the BBB and make a formal complaint. Might not do anything, but you never know. Hit all the social media platforms. It those platforms can fool millions and cause folks to think like a lemming then it couldn't hurt.

Sounds like you are one of those who use social media to get what you don’t really deserve. To get that response from a business that relies so heavily on customer surveys not only for ratings but for discounts and give backs from the factory that customer had to be so far out of line the next step was probably going to be a call to the police. Been there and lived it. The down side and misuse of social media to get what is not deserved is rampant.

[Sportsguy1]

Buying a car from a dealership can be a miserable experience for sure. But the thing that stands out to me is you said to Al ‘we are coming to look at the car’....you didn’t say ‘we will buy it, or hold the car until we get there in an hour or let me PayPal you $500 to hold the car until we get there’....you said you were coming to ‘look’ at it. A car dealership is in the business to sell cars. If someone walks in the door 2 hours before you get there and buys that car that is the way it goes. Car salesman get paid to sell cars so when they have a chance to sell it they are going to. What’s the old saying...a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’! Well they had a buyer in hand with two in their car headed their way but they didn’t know if you were coming for sure or coming to buy for sure so they took the sure thing. They are a business trying to make sales so can’t really blame them.

[Sailohio]

Tony Viero
Phillips Toyota
8629 US HWY 441
Leesburg, FL 34788
April 11, 2021
Dear Mr. Viero,
My husband and I have been a client of this dealership since 2008. I currently own a 2013 Prius and was looking to upgrade I searched online and found a limited at your dealership. Soon a man named Al called and told me all about it, he emailed a price to me and we made an appointment to come into the dealership to look at the car.
We were in the middle of yard work stopped took a shower and went 30 minutes’ drive to the dealership. Asked for Al, he had assigned a salesperson to us the man said he would look for him.
We waited.
We waited and then I finally called Al and said, “Al I came here to look at the Prius and there is no one to help me. “by then I was outside looking at cars, my husband was out in the parking lot. A couple sales guys came up, but I said Al had hooked us up with a salesperson, still no one.
Finally, the “manager” came out and said this guy could help me, I said great we came to look at the 2021 Prius Limited. Ok he will get the keys. They both walked into the building.
They came out a few minutes later and said the car was sold 2 hours ago.
Really?
Is this the way you handle sales? Not only was the “manager” rude, telling me you sell 40-60 cars a day and that they cannot keep track of what they sell. “Yeah, we are human we make mistakes” he told us sarcastically. I told him that he should have a system to tell Al in internet sales so we would not have made the trip. Over an hour of wasted time.
He asked us if we wanted to drive a new Prius because they are all the same and I could order the car.
Seriously do you think I would ever spend $35,000 at your dealership after this fiasco?
I called to complain to Al, oh he was really sorry about that, but it was still in his system as available. You have some serious problems when one hand does not know what the other is doing. Al said the sales department and he make hundreds of calls a day. Obviously not one to each other.
I am the client; I am not even sure if I want to get my car serviced there after this kind of treatment. I really like the new Mustang Mach E. maybe I will give a Ford Dealership a try. Wonder if they know what they have in inventory.
Your commercials make you look like you are on life support, with this kind of treatment it is no wonder.
I would suggest if you hired people in sales that they have more people skills then what we witnessed on Saturday.
Sincerely
Nancy Jordan Blackmore

Cc: Brandon J Phillips
12550 Castlemain Tr
Orlando, Fl 32828
Takeshi Uchiyamada
Toyota Motor North America
6565 Headquarters Drive
Plano, Texas 75024

General Manager Reply 4/11/21

Hello Nancy,

I am overly aware of your visit to our dealership as it will be the very last one. The way you and your husband spoke too and treated several employees is abhorrent.

Let me be extremely clear. You are not welcome at our dealership for anything for any reason ever again.

We also have nothing to do with Japanese whaling so stop sending us emails in regards to such matters.

Sincerely,

Tony Viero
General Manager
Phillips Toyota

Sent from my iPhone

As an unbiased reader who would never, ever buy a Prius, I agree with Tony. You were rude, unreasonable and quick to pass judgement. If I were Tony, I would ask you to never return as well. You remind me of the liberal young people who go out of their way to be offended. Please do not move to my neighborhood.

[Stu from NYC]

Buying a car from a dealership can be a miserable experience for sure. But the thing that stands out to me is you said to Al ‘we are coming to look at the car’....you didn’t say ‘we will buy it, or hold the car until we get there in an hour or let me PayPal you $500 to hold the car until we get there’....you said you were coming to ‘look’ at it. A car dealership is in the business to sell cars. If someone walks in the door 2 hours before you get there and buys that car that is the way it goes. Car salesman get paid to sell cars so when they have a chance to sell it they are going to. What’s the old saying...a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush’! Well they had a buyer in hand with two in their car headed their way but they didn’t know if you were coming for sure or coming to buy for sure so they took the sure thing. They are a business trying to make sales so can’t really blame them.

Very well said think you nailed it.

[nevjudbaker]

Don't buy a mustang. FORD Fix & repair Daily. We had a mustang big mistake. Toyota & Honda are excellent cars. Did you know that AL being online probably worked from home or not at the dealership? He should have called the dealership to make sure the car was available to drive & buy. Then given your name & told them you were on your way to see the car. He would have found at time the car had been sold. It was his error especially after he said it happens. If the car was sold 2 hours before it probably hadn't had time to be deleted from the inventory on the computer.
The salesman at the Toyota dealership didn't know what had happened & were trying to find out. I know how frustrated & upset you would have been but taking it out on people not knowing the situation with AL were just trying to help. It was AL you should have been angry with. Therefore management was defending his salesman. Management should have apologized to you & stated the online salesman don't coordinate with the dealership as they should have which would have saved you a trip to the dealership. Then he should have said "As I explained our personal had no idea what had happened therefore they were guite upset getting your verbal abuse & answered you accordingly. After he should have apologized for the mishap & offered you a free oil change or something.
In today's world customer service is very limited. In our day they knew how to appease an irrate customer. Today everyone working feels they are doing you a favor for working & we should be honored even if they no nothing ir can't help you.

[PennBF]

My In-Laws owned a number of Jewelry stores and I would spend some Saturday's at one visiting my Brother In Law. One day a women came in to complain that an earring my brother in law had fixed for her for free had a little "glue" on it and her husband felt he should replace it with a new set of earrings? My brother in law showed me the "glue" and it was the size of a point on a needle and he told her he could just just remove the glue. She was insistent that he give her a new set of earrings. He asked her if she was going to be in the Mall for awhile and she said yes. He asked her to give him a few minutes and could she come back, she said yes. She came back, he gave her the earring back in a little bag, told her he had returned it to its state when she first brought it in and could she leave her name and address as he would rather not have her return to his store. There were no insults or raised voices just a simple solution to a problem customer. :popcorn:

[badfog02554@gmail.com]

Lol
There’s always two sides to the story I’m betting that the note from the general manager more realistically represents the actuality of what happened

[stebooo]

Ho in there right mind would buy a prius?

[Lil GTO]

Well here are some facts.

All dealerships are not the same

Having been a V.P. At 3 dealerships and being in the sales force before.

Most systems will not remove a stock number from the system until a financed deal is completed in the back office.

Then after business close that day the system sees the sale and updates the inventory in the official inventory.

This is important as these official sales are tracked by the manufacturer and the floor plan holder so these sku’s can be relieved from the national search engines in the dealer network as well as from the floor plan for monthly payments on the unit.

Some dealerships have the latest software linked from their factory inventory system to their internet sites. In that case it might be updated on the web site the next day but usually not until mid day.

If they’re not linked then it up to the internet manager to update the online vehicles available.

So the sales person could’ve looked in the inventory and the vehicle shown available until the next day even if a deal was in process on the vehicle but not completed.

Next time ask to be linked with the sales person that will be with you start to finish.

Make a firm appointment to visit the dealership. Have them put their hands on the keys and put them in their key lock up in their office.

Then confirm that there are no pending deals on the vehicle and have them put their hands and eyes on it as well.

Take down the stock number so you know you’re looking at the same vehicle you’re interested in.

When the keys are charged out of the main key cabinet the sales person has 24 hours to return them unless the vehicle is in for service or updates.

As long as they have the keys and confirmed no deals in the system and you arrive when you said you would you should be good to go.

After 24 hours the sales person has to return those keys to the main locker and call you if you haven’t shown up to let you know that they’re going back.

If he doesn’t return the keys and the vehicle has no deal or deposit on it nor is it in service he will be docked $20.00 per day that they’re out of lock up.

The problem here is most people think that they know how a dealership operates but in reality would be very surprised to see all that has to happen daily to keep it in order.

You wanna talk buying cars contact me here.

38 years as Dan the car man now retired and moving to our villa in TV in June.

Peace out.

[Jean G]

Wow! The GM response (even if factually accurate) confirms this complaint.
I sold cars. Never An excuse for a GM to do this privately yet it is even public.

[Mac1996]

My question is did you really complain about Japanese whaling?like Toyota has anything to do with that. I would’ve told you to pound sand too

[golfing eagles]

Ho in there right mind would buy a prius?

Be careful-----I posted the same thing on page 2 and was called "nasty and denigrating". Obviously by a person who thinks they are saving the planet by buying a Prius.

BTW, ever notice that when someone is driving 50 in the far left lane of an interstate, or making a parking turn, or sleeping at a green light they are ALWAYS driving a Prius???

[Stu from NYC]

Well here are some facts.

All dealerships are not the same

Having been a V.P. At 3 dealerships and being in the sales force before.

Most systems will not remove a stock number from the system until a financed deal is completed in the back office.

Then after business close that day the system sees the sale and updates the inventory in the official inventory.

This is important as these official sales are tracked by the manufacturer and the floor plan holder so these sku’s can be relieved from the national search engines in the dealer network as well as from the floor plan for monthly payments on the unit.

Some dealerships have the latest software linked from their factory inventory system to their internet sites. In that case it might be updated on the web site the next day but usually not until mid day.

If they’re not linked then it up to the internet manager to update the online vehicles available.

So the sales person could’ve looked in the inventory and the vehicle shown available until the next day even if a deal was in process on the vehicle but not completed.

Next time ask to be linked with the sales person that will be with you start to finish.

Make a firm appointment to visit the dealership. Have them put their hands on the keys and put them in their key lock up in their office.

Then confirm that there are no pending deals on the vehicle and have them put their hands and eyes on it as well.

Take down the stock number so you know you’re looking at the same vehicle you’re interested in.

When the keys are charged out of the main key cabinet the sales person has 24 hours to return them unless the vehicle is in for service or updates.

As long as they have the keys and confirmed no deals in the system and you arrive when you said you would you should be good to go.

After 24 hours the sales person has to return those keys to the main locker and call you if you haven’t shown up to let you know that they’re going back.

If he doesn’t return the keys and the vehicle has no deal or deposit on it nor is it in service he will be docked $20.00 per day that they’re out of lock up.

The problem here is most people think that they know how a dealership operates but in reality would be very surprised to see all that has to happen daily to keep it in order.

You wanna talk buying cars contact me here.

38 years as Dan the car man now retired and moving to our villa in TV in June.

Peace out.

Thank you for your expertise and might very well take you up on it in near future.

[Aloha1]

Wow! The GM response (even if factually accurate) confirms this complaint.
I sold cars. Never An excuse for a GM to do this privately yet it is even public.

The GM's reply was private to the OP. It was the OP who made it public. And it certainly is OK if a "customer" comes in and berates the staff.

[Aloha1]

Be careful-----I posted the same thing on page 2 and was called "nasty and denigrating". Obviously by a person who thinks they are saving the planet by buying a Prius.

BTW, ever notice that when someone is driving 50 in the far left lane of an interstate, or making a parking turn, or sleeping at a green light they are ALWAYS driving a Prius???

Or a Subaru.

[Stu from NYC]

The GM's reply was private to the OP. It was the OP who made it public. And it certainly is OK if a "customer" comes in and berates the staff.

Bet the GM is sorry he wrote that letter now.

[tvbound]

In response to a couple of earlier posts, it seems a sense of insecurity is exposed when someone tries to judge others by the type of vehicle they drive. It's been my experience, that the same insecurity, or need to feel superior, often arises when they choose their own vehicle to own (or lease). As for the brands dissed earlier, obviously their opinion - is not shared by everyone.

‘Consumer Reports’ Ranks Top 10 Vehicles for 2021 (https://www.aarp.org/auto/car-buying/info-2021/consumer-reports-top-vehicles.html)

[golfing eagles]

In response to a couple of earlier posts, it seems a sense of insecurity is exposed when someone tries to judge others by the type of vehicle they drive. It's been my experience, that the same insecurity, or need to feel superior, often arises when they choose their own vehicle to own (or lease). As for the brands dissed earlier, obviously their opinion - is not shared by everyone.

‘Consumer Reports’ Ranks Top 10 Vehicles for 2021 (https://www.aarp.org/auto/car-buying/info-2021/consumer-reports-top-vehicles.html)

You missed the point----it's not the car, it's the driver:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[rustyp]

In response to a couple of earlier posts, it seems a sense of insecurity is exposed when someone tries to judge others by the type of vehicle they drive. It's been my experience, that the same insecurity, or need to feel superior, often arises when they choose their own vehicle to own (or lease). As for the brands dissed earlier, obviously their opinion - is not shared by everyone.

‘Consumer Reports’ Ranks Top 10 Vehicles for 2021 (https://www.aarp.org/auto/car-buying/info-2021/consumer-reports-top-vehicles.html)

Similar to an Ivy VS a stretch Lantana ? They still perform the same function.

[CFrance]

As an unbiased reader who would never, ever buy a Prius, I agree with Tony. You were rude, unreasonable and quick to pass judgement. If I were Tony, I would ask you to never return as well. You remind me of the liberal young people who go out of their way to be offended. Please do not move to my neighborhood.
Oh, funny... reminded me of an entitled retired person.


Retired older people buy Priuses in order to save on fuel.

[Gpsma]

My question is did you really complain about Japanese whaling?like Toyota has anything to do with that. I would’ve told you to pound sand too

Do a google search on the OPs name. You will realize why she sends complaints to a japanese company. Pretty sad

[tvbound]

You missed the point----it's not the car, it's the driver

Sorry, but YOU missed the point. It's not the vehicle, nor the driver.

It's those who want to instantly judge and denigrate others, based on the type of vehicle they drive.


As to the OP of the thread, as many have pointed out, we probably don't have the entire story of your behavior. Having said that however, the return letter from the manager was way out of line and I personally will take that into account, should we choose to purchase a vehicle sometime after we move there - so at least thanks for that.

[tvbound]

Similar to an Ivy VS a stretch Lantana ? They still perform the same function.

Not having all home models memorized, I'm not really sure of your point/comparison. If it is for the owner of one model to brag about their choice, while trying to denigrate or put-down the person who lives in the other model - then yes, the analogy is appropriate.

[golfing eagles]

Sorry, but YOU missed the point. It's not the vehicle, nor the driver.

It's those who want to instantly judge and denigrate others, based on the type of vehicle they drive.


As to the OP of the thread, as many have pointed out, we probably don't have the entire story of your behavior. Having said that however, the return letter from the manager was way out of line and I personally will take that into account, should we choose to purchase a vehicle sometime after we move there - so at least thanks for that.

Actually, the letter from the GM was right on point. An employer has the obligation to protect his employees from rude and abusive customers. Having had 50 employees prior to retirement, I had to send out maybe 10-20 of these letters over the years, stating that the "customer" may never return. Usually it involved some sort of sexual harassment, occasionally a hygiene issue, but often abuse of the staff.

And BTW, it's not judging the person by the car they drive, it's judging the driver by THE WAY that they drive. They just happen to be driving Priuses. I'd say the same thing if it were a Rolls Royce or Ferrari.

[Albany]

I had exactly the same experience at Phillips Toyota. The internet guy set me up an appointment to drive a Rav4 hybrid and when I got there after much asking around,The car was not on the lot nor did they seem to know I was coming. They said the car was still in the process of being delivered, who knows where it really was. I felt that it was absolutely a deliberate waste of my time, and the internet staff are, I believe, instructed to get the person in the door no matter what. I did buy a new car, but it is not a Toyota.

By the way, a fully loaded Toyota Prius Prime is worth every dime of $35,000. In case you didn't know, you get a huge tax CREDIT.

[Topspinmo]

Sadly, nasty and denigrating comments like this - are not a surprise.

What is whaling and why's it controversial? - CBBC Newsround (/newsround/46715160)

"It was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - a group whose job it is to look after whale conservation - after some species became almost extinct."

China also are the ones that vacuuming the oceans of fish. Another 10 years the Pacific Ocean will be as dead as the Dead Sea.

[tvbound]

By the way, a fully loaded Toyota Prius Prime is worth every dime of $35,000. In case you didn't know, you get a huge tax CREDIT.

While I don't own (nor have ever owned) a Prius, my masculinity or worth as a person certainly wouldn't be threatened by owning or driving one. The flip side of that insecurity coin, are those guys (almost always a guy) who buy a pickup truck, when the bed is only rarely needed or used and the guy would be better off renting one from Home Depot for those rare occasions one is needed. Having raced many years ago, my pleasure these days is in the actual act of driving - and rowing my own. A lack of roads where the most enjoyment can be had doing such, is the one big drawback I've seen about moving to TV. Oh well, nothing is perfect.

[tvbound]

China also are the ones that vacuuming the oceans of fish. Another 10 years the Pacific Ocean will be as dead as the Dead Sea.

You are correct. While there has been a lot of criticism of it, particularly by the commercial fishing contingent (naturally), the recent Netflix documentary called "Seaspiracy" is pretty eye-opening - and more than a little depressing.

https://www.netflix.com/title/81014008

[Joe V.]

Do a google search on the OPs name. You will realize why she sends complaints to a japanese company. Pretty sad

Yep. Totally explains everything. Thanks.

[bobdeb]

Actually, the letter from the GM was right on point. An employer has the obligation to protect his employees from rude and abusive customers. Having had 50 employees prior to retirement, I had to send out maybe 10-20 of these letters over the years, stating that the "customer" may never return. Usually it involved some sort of sexual harassment, occasionally a hygiene issue, but often abuse of the staff.

And BTW, it's not judging the person by the car they drive, it's judging the driver by THE WAY that they drive. They just happen to be driving Priuses. I'd say the same thing if it were a Rolls Royce or Ferrari.

I'm going to second this post. This had to be absolutely extraordinary circumstance to draft and send this letter. I'm guessing the GM has scored big points with his employees.

Treat your employees well and they will do well by the customers.