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Ernie Palmer's Westside Toyota ripoff bait and switch Jacksonville Florida
This took place two years ago, I did not know your website existed at that time.
We fell for the old thing of "$5000 minimum trade - push, pull, or drag it in - financing guaranteed." We traded a non-operating 1987 Ford Bronco II in on a 2000 Mitzubishi Galant. The financing went through a company called AutoCredit of Florida (Owned by the same group that owns Mike Shad Ford). Everything was going well and a week later the salesman called and said we had to return the Mitz. because there had been a problem with the previous owner's credit (they had traded for a new Toyota, supposedly) and the dealership had to return the trade-in.
We were told that the dealer would furnish us a rental car (no cost to us) until a 'suitable' replacement could be located. Two weeks later we were notified that we had to return the rental and take a 1997 Mazada 626 for the same money and the same payments as the Mitz. When we told them to return the Bronco II and cancel the deal we were told that they had already wholesaled it and they would not give us the value of the Bronco II. We were stuck - we had to have a car (we both work and hours are different) we live an hour's drive from the dealership and had to make several trips.
When I spoke to the GM and the Salesmanager I got no satisfaction. I finally spoke to "the owner's son, Mike Palmer, and received a very unfriendly reception and was told in no uncertain terms that we were going to take the Mazda or be walking. He HAD to have the rental back and would send the law after us if we did not cooperate.
We even contacted the local television consumer advocate and got no results (Ernie Palmer is a BIG advertiser on the local television stations.)
Thanks for the chance to let people know to watch out for Ernie Palmer Toyota in Jacksonville, FL.
J. w.
Sanderson, Florida
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Charlene
Vienna,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Toyota INTIMIDATION
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, October 10, 2004
Thank you, poster, for this account. It verifies one thing in particular. Toyota will use intimidation of the press through the allocation of its advertising dollars. Toyota will CONTROL what is being said about it through legal threats, too. Toyota will continue to attempt to be above reproach. For many Toyota owners, this brings up a question of business ethics.
You may or may not know, but in the case of TOYOTA ENGINE OIL SLUDGE, Toyota is controlling what is being said about it by controlling its advertising dollars. On a well-known car site, Toyota has effectively STOPPED all Toyota owner postings about engine oil sludge by getting the site to ban all such discussion. How does it do this? Well, according to a significant number of Toyota owners, it does so by controlling how much advertising money is submits to this site.
Oh, don't get me wrong, Toyota is not admitting to doing this. Why, it isn't even admitting to sending out any number of SPIN DOCTORS whose sole purpose is to interfere with Toyota owner dialogue online either. Nonetheless, the Toyota owners have seen the light. They know the extent to which a company will go to CONTROL what is being said about it PUBLICLY!
Oh, no.....to the contrary.....Toyota is saying that it is open to owner complaints...that will take action when needed. Hmmmmm.....then I wonder why over 500 owners have already come forward to state publicly that they have major engine trouble and a stonewalling company?!? Doesn't make logical sense, does it?
Toyota, in my opinion, is WELL AWARE of what the Toyota owners are saying about it. I believe it is actively working to CONTROL Toyota owner complaints online. I also firmly believe that Toyota would rather spend more money doing this than actually addressing and resolving widespread and major problems in its vehicles!
I am FAR FROM ALONE in my belief. After networking for over four years now with hundreds (to numerous to count actually) of Toyota and Lexus owners, I will tell you that most do not trust Toyota. Most are appalled by Toyota's actions in the engine oil sludge case among others (pulling to one side problem, brake problem, emission-component failure problem, transmission problem, etc.).
Apparently, Toyota is free to make any public statements about itself that it wants whether they are true or not. In addition, it can effectively control what we, the owners, say in return by simply controlling the "purse strings" attached to the public forms of communication. OH! WHAT A FEELING!!