ComplaintsforJoseph Toyota of Cincinnati Inc

• Initial Complaint

  04/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I placed a refundable $1000 “hold” on a ****** van that was incoming. This was placed on 2/20/24 via credit card. We decided to not take the van on 3/23/24. I was then told I had to wait for the ****** van to sell to be refunded the money. We waited, it sold early April. Now, I have had repeated unanswered texts, calls, requests to managers and still no return of my money. The salesman Dominique S*******, messaged me “I’ll check on it Monday” but once Monday came ignored my calls and texts and emails. Please assist if able. I have been nothing but kind for fear of them not returning the money, but am beyond frustrated and asked for his manager who also said he would check and call me back but hasn’t. I do have a copy of the receipt of my payment, as below. If you need to see prior texts and emails/dates sent etc I have that as well. Thanks

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  A $1000.00 refund was processed by us on 4/26/24 at 9:56am authorization number ******. Customer should have received. I would advise the consumer to check with their credit card provider to see if it has posted or is pending.

  Mark S****

  Customer response

  05/01/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Thank you for your help. Unfortunately a major communication issue and they didn’t want to communicate since I was no longer purchasing with them.
  

  Regards,
  
  ******* ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  After many people warning me against taking my car to the Joseph Toyota Dealership on Colerain Ave Cincinnati Ohio, I went ahead and transferred it there it appeared that there weren’t many mechanics that work on the specific car that I have. When I picked the car up there were damages to my vehicle that were not present before I took it to the dealership. My AC was damaged by the dealership (code ***** courtesy of ******* Auto). My fuel pump was damaged because there are gas fumes in my car when I drive it now. My car’s ability to read gas due to the signal sender is worse than before. I was disgusted when Bob the mechanic that admitted to me (he made a 50K mistake on another customer-I have the recording) manager demanded 1600 dollars from me. I was even more disgusted when I tried to resolve the issues with engagement department which only served to cover up what the dealerships does (###-###-####). I am currently waiting to hear what Joseph Toyota GM Sandra P. if she will resolve this. I have conveyed that I am uncomfortable having Joseph Toyota look at my car because I am afraid that they are going to damage it more just to make more money. I told her I want ***** Toyota to fix the damaged they caused with a 1600. dollar credit. She so far has told me to take the car back Joseph Toyota which I have refused. My experience at this dealership has been cringingly horrible. The star above represents 1600. negative star points. Damages: • AC • Fuel Pump / Signal Sender • Crack in plastic shell around oil lid. • Screws missing in bumper • Cap missing on pipe ( alarmed of this discovery I went to Autozone to get the missing part). • 1600. Resolution: I want a 1618. Refund or a credit to be used at ***** Toyota in ******* Ohio. I want a credit for an AC inspection at least and or the total damages of Code ***** to be repaired by ***** Toyota added to the refund. Under no circumstances am I to return car to dealership that damaged my car! ...........

  Business response

  09/18/2023

  ******** **** is the third owner of the 2011 Toyota Prius, which had 93,175 miles recorded on the odometer on the date of purchase, March 1, 2023, from a Toyota dealership in ******* ****. At the time it was towed to Joseph Toyota of Cincinnati’s Service Department, the odometer read 107,941 miles with no record of any authorized Toyota dealership examining the Prius during the intervening 14,766 miles. In fact, there is no record of any ******-reporting service center having serviced this vehicle.
  *** **** stated, the check engine light and the hybrid warning message had come on, and that the vehicle had lost power. Service was unable to start the car and, thus, unable to verify what systems were functioning prior to the loss of power. Service then determined the cause of power loss: Engine failed to start because it had been four (4) quarts overfilled with engine oil which then filled the intake manifold with oil. Further, the spark plugs were completely fouled out from excessive oil. However, even after steps were taken to clean out the excess oil and replace it with the recommended amount, the vehicle still would not start.
  Further inspection revealed the fuel tank was completely void of fuel. The sending unit had a short in it and was not sending correct information to the fuel gauge. Service replaced the fuel pump sending unit, added fuel to the vehicle, reinstalled the fuel pump, and confirmed the Prius started and was running properly at that time. Only then, did Service discover that the air-conditioning did not turn on, and made the customer aware of the issue.
  The vehicle arrived totally inoperable and left functional, at least as much as it was prior to losing power. Any fuel smell detected inside the vehicle resulted from having to remove the backseat to access the fuel pump and the ascending unit. This is a common occurrence. *** **** was advised by Sandra, the Customer Relations Manager, to return to Service to have the smell remedied, if it did not dissipate after a few days. *** **** declined, stating he was “traumatized by his experience” and continued to phone Sandra for advice about what to do next. When Sandra was unavailable, *** **** called the dealership’s receptionist, asking why Sandra refused to take his calls, making untoward comments, and stating he would come to the dealership to speak with her.
  In closing, Joseph Toyota of Cincinnati restored functionality to *** ****** ***** which then allowed other inoperable systems to be identified. Any damaged or missing parts were damaged or missing prior to arrival. *** **** paid for the services the dealership completed.

  Customer response

  09/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  

  I don't accept this response. My air conditioner was working perfectly fine before I brought it to Joseph Toyota. The code for the bad air conditioning was not present before through out the history of having the car. It appeared during the  Joseph Toyota work 

  Yes the car has some history, however the mechanic manager is trying to pass the buck on that alone. Absolving his negligently run department. Unfortunately for him there are codes. The codes that were present before and codes that were present during JT's horrible work ( the codes found by ******* Company). 

  Unfortunately  I have the recording of him admitting that his department has made a 50K mistake on someone else's car. To me anyone reading this, this admission establishes a not so good history for the company. The codes for bad ac were not present before I brought it in to JT.  

  Furthermore.. there was no gas fumes present in the car  before either.  It's  the 18th of September. The gas fumes are still present. 

  In addition to that, a Kentucky's mechanic's cold read of the car said the cause of the gas fumes might be a clogged catalytic converter ( I'm not sure why the manifold was cleaned and not the catalytic converter  - unless that was another trick to prolong the repair process to make more money).

  Furthermore, I have requested to have the parts such as the fuel signal sender and spark plugs   to see if they were damaged. Those requests have been refused. This causes me to be more suspicious of the company. For all I know those parts could have been fine. --- I guess we will never know. How convenient for Joseph Toyota. 

  I have a scheduled inspection coming up in a few days to see what was fondled with and if there is any evidence of faulty installations on the car. 

  We will all know the truth after that inspection no matter how much the JT company tries to blame the victim like a common grifter.

   

  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ****
  

  Business response

  09/20/2023

  We would be glad to review any documentation from another  shop  such as ******* to verify the previous condition of his car before arrival here. To my knowledge we have never seen anything to substantiate his statements nor did I see anything attached to his response. He is welcome to bring his car back and we will investigate the gasoline smell no strings attached.

  MS

• Initial Complaint

  06/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The date was 5/22/2023, amount paid 297.00. See what was need for the car, 90,000-mile checkup. They said it will cost 148.00 of which would be deducted from any work done. I told them that I have new brakes and rotors all around. No work was done! They, Joseph Toyota, charge for what they called J# 1: Recommend new brake pads front and rear with Toyota OEM brake pads because the one I have on are aftermarket. I told I’ll keep the ones i have since they are still good. They charge $127.50. J#2 Multi inspection, floor mats, no work done $0.00. J#3 4-wheel alignment. They did this of which said might need to be done. I also mention the last time I was in that they were align the steering so that it was parallel to ground. It was still slightly lower on the left. They did do that. I spoke with them on that day before I left with no resolve. I call the corporate office and filed a complaint. They had the dealer, Joseph Toyota, call me and I spoke with a manager for “complaints” she said she would forward it to another manager. I have not had any response. Advisor Kyle M**, Customer # ******* invoice date 5/22/2023, invoice **********, Tag# ****. My car is a **** ****** ******* *E.

  Business response

  06/10/2023

  The charges were 2 separate items. $127.50 was a diagnostic charge for brakes and grinding. $129.99 was for a 4 wheel alignment which we did do* *** ***** did sign the estimate and authorization for the diagnostics and approved the alignment afterwards. I have attached a copy with his signature. Not really sure why he doesn't want to pay for what he asked for. We are willing to refund the $127.50 diagnostic charge to settle this matter with the understanding should he ever choose to come back we do not offer free diagnostic work.

  Mark S**** 

  General Manager

  Customer response

  06/16/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  I will never do business with them again.
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I’m writing to express my disappointment at the service we’ve received since buying our **** ****** ****** hybrid last week at Joseph Toyota of Cincinnati. After the purchase we found several defects with the car that lead us to believe that the “Toyota Certified” inspection either wasn’t completed or was falsified, and potentially the ****** report as well. Specifically: - The passenger’s side of the car has been repainted. The only reason we know that is after purchase we went to Valu Guard to have the car coated and the owner noticed it. He described is as a mid-level repaint, not a top-quality one, though he could not tell WHY the car had been repainted. But the moment he saw the car he noticed it and pointed it out. It wasn’t difficult for him to see. (and now, of course, we can’t “unsee” it.) o Was the car in an accident, even a minor one? If so, it would show on the ****** unless that report was falsified. o Was the car “keyed” at some point, which required the repaint? - The integrated maps/navigation do not work (again, this car is a 2019, so it’s not that old.) No one at the dealership has been able to help us with that, and the ******ing we’ve been doing so far has been to no avail. We'd like this fixed. - There is a large section of the undercarriage of the vehicle that is hanging down off the car. While it’s going to be replaced, how does a vehicle get the “Toyota Certified” acknowledgement with such an issue? - The window tinting on the rear drivers side door was damaged when the sticker was taken off the car. (I noticed it when I came to test drive it.) The window is going to be retinted, but it’s highly unlikely it will match the other windows. The dealership refuses to retint all the windows so they match, and again we only have to do this because someone on the lot wasn’t careful when he/she removed the sticker. We'd like all four windows retinted so that match! Thank you, **** and ******** *******

  Business response

  07/19/2022

  I will address the concerns one by one.

  1- A car can be repainted or have collision repair and still pass certification if it is repaired to OEM standard. With that being said brand new cars from every brand are sold with paint work before they ever get to the dealer due to transit damage or damage in a holding lot and a dealer has no idea that paint was repaired. We have no idea why the car would have paint work or if even had paint work. A cleanup guy stating his opinion is not the same as a trained paint technician inspecting it. If anyone can falsify a ****** report I am sure ****** would love to know about it. That is a ludicrous accusation.

  2-The integrated maps is ***** Car Play. If you plug an ****** into the USB port the navigation works off the ****** map.

  3- The under carriage was fine at the time of purchase. We would gladly inspect and repair if warrantable and not road damage after the purchase.

  4- The customer requested we tint all the windows a different darker color. We offered to tint the one in question and if it can't be matched we would re tint at a legal color.

  At this point my offer is to simply return the car by 8pm 7/20/22 and we will cancel the deal and refund 100% of his trade in allowance.

  Mark S****

• Initial Complaint

  06/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I leased a new car from dealership 12/18/2022. 2 months later at about 1,500 I noticed a bulge on one of the tires. I went back to the dealership, hoping to resolve issue by having the tire replaced.The dealership basically said that I probably hit a pot hole and it was not their problem. Whether it was a dealer warranty or a tire company warranty, I expected better service. Believe me I've shared this experience with my 7,000 social media followers and with never shop at this place. I am a 22 year old registered nurse and will buy many more new cars in my life time. Imagine this as my first new car buying experience. Now I just find out I have to start running all over town to find a ******** dealership to resolve this on my own..KUDOS Joseph Toyota....

  Business response

  06/27/2022

  I am not sure who *** *** spoke to. I do not have any formal record like a repair order regarding her issue. If she would like to come in to our service department an have us open a repair order we would be glad to do so. A tire bulge on a low mileage tire is most likely a broken belt from some sort of road hazard like a pot hole. If that is the case it should be covered by her auto insurance. We are not the ultimate say on what is or isn't warrantable however, so we would be glad to submit a claim to the tire distributor on her behalf for their determination. 

  Mark S****

• Initial Complaint

  11/16/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a **** ***** from Joseph Toyota in June, 2020 The vehicle was sold with remote start function active At no time and in no way, either verbally or in writing, was any information communicated to me that this was not a permanently installed option on this vehicle At no time or in no way, either verbally or in writing, was any information communicated to me that I would be required to pay an ongoing fee in order to access this function Now, over a year later, Toyota tells me that the only way to access the remote start function on my vehicle is to pay an $80.00 per year subscription fee. This is not acceptable. I believe that I was deceived. I believe that I am due access to the remote start function I was sold on the vehicle. Any expectation that I should be required to pay for this access is unacceptable.

  Business response

  11/27/2021

  *** ****** has also opened a duplicate complaint with the **** ******** ******* ******. I have attached our response to the ** and that response is the same for your office. I do request you close the misguided complaint and we will continue to work with the **. The dealer has no control, nor do they profit from any subscription services the manufactures offer. At the very least, this complaint should be re-assigned to Toyota Motor Sales, USA in Plano, Tx.

  Mark S****

  General Manager

  Customer response

  11/30/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.

  
  

  Joseph Toyota did not address my complaint. their response states that the subscription service was clearly stated on the window sticker, so I am bound by that...the problem is, while it may have been on the car when it was new, it was NOT on the vehicle when purchased as a used car

  
  

  My claim remains that I was sold a vehicle INCLUDING remote start, and now am being told that I must pay for unwanted safety and remote services subscription package in order to retain the remote start. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******
  

  Business response

  12/23/2021

  Any further conversation regarding this matter we will be doing through the **** ******** ******* ****** where he has also filed a complaint. We will not be addressing this any further through two different venues. The car works exactly as it should, and we followed all advertising laws. The dealer has no control over how the manufacture administers any type of a connected service which is exactly what this is. In reality there is absolutely no legitimate complaint here, just someone seeking something for free that they are not entitled to. We made him a good  faith offer to pay for 1 year of subscription. He refused. Stated he did not want any subscription. The feature simply will not ever work without it, and nobody including Toyota Manufacturing USA can change that. If the BBB would like any further conversation please do so through our attorney *** ******* of ****** ****** **** Law. He is copied on this response.

  Business response

  12/28/2021

  The car was a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle not a new car transaction. The appropriate FTC Buyers Guide was affixed to the car. The window label did not even list remote start as an option, subscription based or otherwise. The label did accurately list all of the INCUDED equipment and accessories. In essence the car was not advertised as having remote start. It is remote start capable with a subscription through Toyota not the dealer. The salesman in an effort of goodwill pointed out the remote start capability to the customer. There was no benefit for the salesman to do this. The salesperson and the dealership receive no compensation of any kind when a customer subscribes these type of services with the manufacturer. The salesperson was trying to be as thorough as possible. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Mark S****

  General Manager

  Customer response

  01/05/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, reasons for rejection are included below.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

  reponse clearly reflects my complaint. Nothing was on the sticker about remote start. In negotiations, I said that if you install remote start, we have a deal…sales manager demonstrated that remote start was on the vehicle, and we made the deal. At no time and in no way, either in writing or verbally, was anything even hinted that this was a subscription service. The sales manager was saying whatever he could to make a sale!  And this time it caught up to him.

*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. ↩