Incompetent NorCal dealer trade

I was supposed to pick up a new Tacoma today that was a dealer trade. I gave my local dealer a $500 deposit last week. I called yesterday and the salesman said the vehicle had been delivered and was in their physical possession. It turns out not only was that not the case, but the other dealer didn't even have it ready to deliver today, despite a week's notice. So this truck is supposedly still at this other dealer and will be delivered soon. I gave the local dealer one more week to get me the truck. Once this is settled, I'd like to complain directly to a higher authority in the Toyota sales organization, not just the local customer service rep who calls and asks about the buying experience. I'm wondering if anyone on this forum knows a good place in the Toyota organization to complain to. Is this kind of incompetence normal at Toyota dealers? Thanks in advance.

 

Dealer trades don't always go the way you want as a dealer. First, the two dealers need to agree on the sale-no small feat. Then, they need to figure out when the vehicle will get picked up by the freight company-again, if yours is the only one on the schedule or they cannot get enough cars going in the same direction, the driver might not pick it up.

Not sure why sales would tell you it's here when it's not-unless they were told it was.

I'd say why not bring it up with your salesperson. Complaining isn't gonna get much done

 

If I ma ask, which dealer?

 

I did call the salesman and he just assumed everything went correctly with the trade without actually checking. He claims the other dealer screwed up some paperwork and couldn't release the truck when a driver showed up to take it. I didn't tell him how pissed I am with him, because I don't like yelling at people, it is usually not useful in my opinion. I'd rather just calmly tell some someone further up the food chain, because I think people are more disturbed by their boss getting irritated at them. But whatever, I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas.

 

I'd rather not say, between the various dealers I'm not sure who is at fault. But there seems to be a high degree of incompetence through all three of the NorCal Toyota dealers I have dealt with. I'm wondering how these guys makes any sales at all.

 

Just tell it's north of Modesto...please?

 

Not Modesto. But one of the dealers is Central Valley, two are Bay.

 

After another week of continued incompetence, I found out Thursday evening that the other dealer had just sold the Tacoma to someone else. 12 days after I put down my deposit for a specific vehicle VIN.

The two dealerships are: Walnut Creek (the one I visited), and Merced.

Astonishingly, according to the story I was told, after the dealerships realized the initial paperwork screwup on Friday of the first week, the Walnut Creek dealer trade guy didn't put in a renewed request until Tuesday evening of the second week. And by early Thursday of the second week, the Merced dealership had made a sale. What also pisses me off is the salesman in Walnut Creek told me on the first week that the Merced dealer knew this particular truck was being traded, they just forgot some paperwork step. And manual transmission TRD OR in quicksand color are "unusual" in their own words, so it should have been memorable as something that was being traded away, whatever the paperwork status. My idiot salesman in Walnut Creek had this "laa-dee-daa" attitude, never checking that the trade had been done, even after the first screwup where he said he "chewed out" the Merced dealership. He also told me that the sales manager in Merced didn't care when he called the second time after the vehicle was sold. So clearly the Merced dealership is so low they don't even care when they screw other Toyota dealers.

I'm going to call the Walnut Creek customer relations manager, who wasn't in when I last visited the dealership, to see if I can get a Toyota corporate customer relations phone number to call. I hope I'm not wrong, but I don't think making customers wait 12 days from putting down a deposit for a dealer trade, only to sell the vehicle to someone else, is the kind of business they want their dealers making.

 

I was gonna say if there's a hold up it's probably because the dealer with the truck is wanting to sell it instead.

But you found out.

I have people at Hansel in Petaluma and Freeman in Santa Rosa. If you're interested, shoot me a PM. I only deal with one sales person, who I can vouch for. Otherwise both contacts are sales managers - I don't talk to sales people normally, I go right over them to the next tier.

 

It sounds to me like your sales person in Walnut Creek screwed up by not getting the paperwork done and is now in CYA mode and blaming Merced for his screw up.

So. what are you going to do now?

 

Ha! Typical dealer move. They always want that deposit down just to keep you as a customer. Get your deposit back and start the search again.

Chances are there was never any paperwork between dealers.

Good luck on finding your next vehicle. Remember you have all the leverage on negotiations. Seems like you are a cool headed reasonable person.

Toyota probably not going to have much to say since you were buying a used vehicle. I would say just work with the dealer on finding your next truck and don't put a good faith deposit down. Have dealer do a vin search on stock that might fit your criteria.

 

Sorry that you fell victim to a dealership's incompetence. If you're willing to make a trip to the south bay, I too have a contact that I personally only deal with for Toyota sales. If he doesn't have a particular vehicle on his lot, he'll find it for you. PM me if you'd like the details.

 

asuchemist, it was a new vehicle. I'm hoping maybe Toyota corporate will drop Walnut Creek and Merced's priority in delivery of vehicles from the factory, or cause them some other kind of grief, even just a little. Also I did get my deposit back from them, yesterday.

Thanks everyone for the offers on info of known reliable dealers and salesman. But the ones mentioned aren't that close, and I'm not going to have time to look for a new vehicle right away. I'm also kind of burned out from this experience.

 

The next time you're up for a search, call the dealership of your choice, and specifically ask to deal with a sales or finance manager. They are likely to help you more than a regular sales associate and more inclined to close a deal. Wishing you the best of luck in your search.

 

Looking at Yelp reviews, it seems the dealerships actively respond. Seems like the dealers care about them. I'm thinking about dropping a one-star review on Merced Toyota and saying, "Sales rep so-and-so from Walnut Creek said that this dealer screwed up processing the dealer trade paperwork, and then acted like they 'couldn't hear me on the phone' when sales rep so-and-so called to complain".

The Walnut Creek Toyota was actually good in giving me a good deal quickly, up until the follow-up on the dealer trade paperwork. But from there they were totally half-assed.

 

Why didn't you just go to the other dealer to buy?

 

Nothings says hand in your man card like Yelping.

 

Too far, not enough time.

 

I've never used Yelp before, but I don't get how it's "handing in my man card".

 

Because Yelp is a passive activity for cowards who lack the courage to talk to people face to face. Sure the salesman lied about the truck being delivered, but you're willing to incinerate what might be your servicing dealer because of this? I would see if you can get a hold of someone higher than you floor manager and talk to them like an adult as to what the hold up is. If someone thought Yelp was a good contact point at this stage of the deal I'd write them off as a child.