ComplaintsforSmithtown Toyota

• Initial Complaint

  01/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello, Thank you for taking your time and reading this letter and my concerns. On 12/19/2023 I purchased a new 2023 Toyota ****** from Smithtown Toyota located at *************************************************** Since this was a new vehicle purchase it should be a vehicle that is new. However upon arrival of the vehicle, there was 125 miles driven on the vehicle and I have not been reimbursed anything for the miles driven on the vehicle. It is implied and expected that a new vehicle is new without any excessive use, at best a few miles while being moved around the lot. This is absolutely unacceptable and everyone I reached out to at Smithtown Toyota were not able to resolve my issue. I am looking to get this resolved with a replacement of the vehicle that is actually new and not a 125 miles driven vehicle disguised as a new truck. This is absolutely a bait and switch, and theft of the consumer trust and protection. Thank you for all of your help and understanding in this matter and reaching a resolution.

  Business response

  01/05/2024

  ************************ purchased this particular 2023 Tacoma to replace another 2023 Tacoma that he purchased in November, which was in an accident and deemed a total loss. He requested as close to an exact match of his previous vehicle as possible. Since we had nothing similar on our lot, we had to locate a vehicle from another dealership in ***********. ************************ was made aware that the vehicle would be coming from out of state and was given the out of state dealer's information. The mileage is largely from the drive from *********** to New ************* warranties and maintenance plans begin on the date of delivery and at the mileage recorded on delivery. Since the vehicle had 125 miles on it when it was registered, the vehicle's warranty and maintenance plan will start at 125 miles rather than 0 miles, so there will be no loss of mileage. While we are certainly sorry to hear of **************************** dissatisfaction, we are unable to take back the vehicle that he has been driving since 12/19 and replace it with a different vehicle that has less than 125 miles on it.

  Customer response

  01/11/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  Please note, there is no issue with the vehicle being procured from out of state dealership. The issue is the vehicle being driven the unnecessary miles and wear and tear added to the vehicle at my expense. There is know certain way to grantee that no damage was done to the vehicles drivetrain or engine. 

  With such uncertainty there is no way the factory warranty is sufficient to cover any potential damage caused by the excessive miles driven instead of being delivered by a car transportation vehicle on a trailer as 100% of all dealerships and manufacturers deliver vehicles to their final destination. This is a reckless act and abuse of personal property which could have resulted in a wreck, damage to the vehicle and other damage that could have been avoided.

  I request appropriate action to ensure the ***** y of my vehicle with either a refund, exchange or an extended warranty to cover the potential damage that can not be avoided. 

  I look forward to hearing about the resolutions you have available to rectify this avoidable issue that resulted from negligence of the dealership and the lack of respect for personal property. 

   

  *************************************

  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Toyota 4runner 2016 was experiencing issues that while put in drive the * was not showing up on the instrument panel.This caused a 4 low light to blink on dash aswell. I took it to toyota at smithtown on 5/02/2023. The had it checked and fixed and told me they replaced the Nuetral Safety Switch. All gears show up fine on dash. However, new issues occurred such as when i put the car in *rive, the car will not move for 3-5 seconds. There will be a jerk to the car and then it moves. This happens randomly. As of 6/02/2023, the car could not twice. Battery was replaced with new 5 months ago, only way to start the vehicle was to move the car from nuetral, to drive to reverse back to park in order to turn on the car. I took the car back to toyota and they stated they could not duplicate the problem. They have given me computer data regarding the switch is working fine. The delay and car not starting is happening when the nuetral safety switch was changed. The toyota dealership tells me they cannot duplicate the problem therefor they cannot troubleshoot. I do have video proof of the car not moving on 3 separate videos and that has not proved it to them. The delays happens random at maybe 2-3 times a day on a movement from parked to drive 3-5 times. My complain is that my car cannot be fixed until i show them proof meanwhile they have had it twice so far and cannot duplicate the problem. I have a faulty car when the they did the repair and are not giving me any options and saying they cannot do anything when i tell them exactly what issues im getting. There is no fix for these issues. I just want my car fixed but there is no solution to my issue says toyota from smithtown

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  ************** brought his 4Runner in on 5/2/23 to have a concern checked. The dashboard shift indicator light would not display the shift position and the technician found that the neutral safety switch needed to be replaced. The technician completed the repair and found no further issues. ************** returned on 5/11 and said that when he shifts the vehicle into drive, it does not move and this concern is intermittent. The technician drove his vehicle multiple times and could not duplicate this concern. ************** came in again on 6/3 and stated that there is a delay when shifting into reverse. He left the vehicle at our repair facility for the full day so that we would have time to diagnose the issue. The Service Manager ************************* made several attempts to duplicate this concern and was unable to do so. ************** was also unable to demonstrate the concern for our staff. ****************** did a systems health check on the vehicle and there were no problems found on the health check. The health check shows that the neutral safety switch is working and communicating properly with the vehicle, and we provided the health check printout to **************. We understand that intermittent concerns can be frustrating and we certainly do not doubt that ************** is experiencing the concern outlined in his complaint. However, we are unable to recommend an appropriate repair without first identifying the concern. Furthermore, we are unable to get warranty repair authorization for coverage through **************' extended warranty for a vehicle that is operating as designed each time our staff inspects it. Based on **************' description of the issue, it seems like a mechanical problem and if that is the case, it will occur more frequently over time. ****************** recommended that ************** call us if the issue persists so that he can demonstrate it for us. We would be happy to complete any necessary repairs once the concern is present when the vehicle is in our care.

  Customer response

  06/06/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

  I will take my vehicle to another toyota dealership to diagnose the issue. 

   

  
  *****************************
  
  
  
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  When I arrived at Toyota, I was told to to go to another building even though my appointment was there. I was treated very rudely when I returned. The check in employee was very hostile and made me uncomfortable, I think his name was *****. He was slamming his clipboard in front of me and talking rudely to me. The advisor they assigned to me, ***************************** was also rude and not attentive to my concerns. I was made to wait one hour, even though I had an appointment and had just been sent unnecessarily back and forth between two buildings, and was made to wait one hour because the entire staff went on lunch at the same time. When they returned they were still rude towards me, the check in attendant slammed my keys down. ***** was not listening to me while I was trying to explain about my endurance warranty. I left the car overnight, they never called my endurance plan and then lied to me when they said it wouldnt be covered for the charges. When I asked ***** who she spoke to at endurance, she didnt have an answer for me or a name or a confirmation number. When I called endurance, they were closed the same day that she said she called so I knew she was lying, and she even told me I could call them myself. This was also untrue because had anyone at Toyota spoken to endurance on either Friday or Saturday I would have been notified.I feel as a business, toyota had rude customer service, and was deceitful in what I was told regarding my coverage. I had my parents pick up my car for me and the check in attendant was also rude to my father and made him sit and wait which was unnecessary for a pick up. ***** was also rude to my father. I would like to be reimbursed for the 170 dollar diagnostic fee that I was charged. There was no way in **** I was keeping my car there to be worked on after the way I was treated and after they tried to get over on me and charge me **** dollars. I ended up taking my car elsewhere, and I was covered and my endurance plan picked it up.

  Business response

  09/12/2022

  After careful investigation, we have determined that *** ********** was given a correct diagnosis of his concern and was billed correctly for the work that was done.  Since the customer felt that we did not open a claim with the third party extended warranty company, I contacted the warranty company personally on 9/6 for clarification.  The extended warranty representative that I spoke with was able to access the details of the claim that the Service Advisor ***** made on behalf of the customer, which confirms that the claim was created.  According to the warranty company, ***** called them on Friday, 9/2 and started claim # **********.  The exhaust pipe, radiator hose and throttle body service were all denied by the warranty company because they were not covered components.  ******* change was the only portion of the claim that was approved.  This particular extended warranty was not purchased at Smithtown Toyota; we are not affiliated with the warranty company in any way and cannot make determinations regarding coverage.  The customer is welcome to call them directly using the claim number provided in this response if he would like any additional information about this claim.  Regarding the diagnostic fee, the charge of $159 + tax was documented on the work order which was authorized by the customer on 9/2 prior to any work being done on the vehicle.  Since the recommended repairs were not covered by the extended warranty and the customer declined to pay for the repairs out-of-pocket, no further work was done and we require the diagnostic charge be paid in full as agreed on the work order.  While we are very sorry to hear of *** ************ dissatisfaction with the customer service he received at our dealership, we are confident that the technician diagnosed the vehicle properly and the Service Advisor submitted the warranty claim properly.  We will not be issuing a refund at this time.  
  
  

  Customer response

  09/13/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because: 

  The work for my car was well under the **** dollars that Toyota quoted. And because endurance was closed at the time ***** said she spoke to someone, she had no claim number or name of individual at the time I asked her. So she gave me inaccurate information regarding my warranty. The reason they were able to pick up the oil change is because it can be done automatically over the phone without speaking to someone, you are given that option. I have a bill of repairs from the shop I brought it to, costing me only 500 dollars, significantly less than the **** dollars that Toyota wanted me to pay out of pocket!!  I am not satisfied with their response because they wasted my time, stressed me out, stressed my father out who is older with health problems and Im disgusted at how both of us were treated by the check in employee.  I also find it disgusting that in their response, Toyota issued no apology in regards to the poor treatment I received. Had they been honest from the beginning and handled the situation better, then maybe they would have received my business.  I seriously believe their employees require training in customer service, at least now I know to never recommend Smithtown Toyota to anyone!

   

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• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I went to purchase a car from smithtown Toyota. The vehicle cash purchase agreement total which I have in writing was *********. The interest rate offered by Toyota was 1.9%. I told them I would put ****** down as a down payment. *** our salesman came back to us after talking to his managers and said that those numbers worked out to 541 dollars a month for 72 months. Based on that we agreed to purchase the vehicle. The next day when I went back to purchase the vehicle, the finance person **** told us that it was 545 a month not 541, and that if we got the tire protection insurance added, the cost would only go up 1 dollar to 546. So we agreed based on thinking that **** and *** were both telling us the truth. I went home and looked at our contract and worked out the numbers my self using a car payment calculator online and realized that we were lied to. Based on the original numbers, my payment should of been 529 a month not 541 or 545. In addition the tire protection was not a dollar more a month, but 12 dollars more a month for a grand total of 875. I wrote to Toyota financial service and canceled it, but as of yet I still have nothing in writing showing that it was canceled. My concern besides my own possible loss of money, is that smithtown Toyota is aloud to continuely lie and mislead customers and show them false numbers and then throw in over priced and unneeded services to make the bottom line equal out and be more profitable for them.

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  There appears to have been a misunderstanding regarding the Tire and Wheel Protection plan at the time of sale.  While there are a few different Tire and Wheel plan options depending on the level of coverage selected and the term selected, none of the plans cost $1 per month.  The attached Tire and Wheel Protection plan contract that ****************** signed on 1/31/22 lists a price of $875, which is the correct price for this particular Tire and Wheel plan.  If ****************** was given any price other than $875 for the plan at any point, I sincerely apologize for the miscommunication.  I am glad to hear that Toyota ********* Services was able to cancel the plan as requested by ******************, and any record of the plan cancellation must be requested from Toyota ********* Services directly.
  

  Customer response

  02/24/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ********, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:There was no miscommunication. My wife and son all heard the same thing. We were told that the tire protection plan cost an additional dollar a month to our payment plan. We were outright lied to. The dealership has made no attempt to correct such behavior by their sales team and continue to blame the victim for their deception. People need to be made aware of dealerships that engage in this type of practice.

   

  
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*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩