Complaint Review: Findlay Toyota

My son and I purchased our very first foreign vehicle with Toyota on 05/26/10 at the Findlay Toyota located on 7733 Eastgate Road Henderson, NV 89011. We traded in our black on black T top sports car for a 4 Runner. Our family has always purchased American cars all our lives. Although we are very happy with the quality of the Toyota manufacturing of our first import vehicle, we are not amused or impressed with the way the sales man by the name of Dwayne Lare treated my son and me regarding the sales transactions. Since the purchases of the first 4 Runner, then having to exchanging it the next day for the actual color and moon roof feature that we had asked for during the first encounter Dwayne Lare has been calling up asking for referrals from our family and friends. We dont want him calling us nor do we planned on helping this smooth talking thief with any leads or future sales from our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
 
We drove on the lot asking for a black on black SUV with a sunroof/moon roof to replace our black on black T top Firebird that we would be trading in for. The sales man used high pressured sales manipulations to get us to purchases a SUV with gold exterior and tan interior 4 Runner with out a moon roof. We even told him to call us when he has a dark on dark SUV with a moon roof, but instead of giving us back the keys to our car, he insisted on looking at the ones on the lot the last hour before of the dealership closed that night. The next day when we checked out the Findlay Toyota website we discovered that there was a dark gray with dark interior 4 Runner with a moon roof on the lot that very night as well. This vehicle had 10 thousand more miles than the purchased 4 Runner. This gray SUV was not 4 wheel drive with all the deluxe features like snow tractions, side air bags, and even those minor features like lighted vanity mirrors and ect. However it was the color we wanted, so we contacted the Sales Manager and complained to Mr. Tony Tabaku whom told us to bring it in right away for an exchanged.
 
When we arrived  the next afternoon we were approaches by the sales man Dwayne Lare who told us that the dark gray 4 Runner would require a $500 cash down payment and the payments would jump from $350 to $425 dollars a month over 6 and a half year contract. I told him that this gray color SUV was the description that we asked for and he (Dwayne) pressured us into buying a more expensive SUV the prior night without showing us our preferred SUV that was just a few vehicles down the parking lot. Dwayne then goes on to telling us a story about how a customer of his purchased a Lexus 350 that had only 4 cylinders and they brought it back the next day to trade it in for a 6 cylinder Lexus costing them several thousand dollars more. I told this deceptive man that our preferred 4 Runner has 10 thousand more miles. It doesnt include 4 wheel drive, doesnt have the fancy snow traction, no side air bags so shouldnt there be a price reduction of $2000 like the price on the window says compared to the one we just purchased from you.
 
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He just got up and said that he is in the middle of a sale with another customer and has to go now. I stopped him as he got up and informed him of the Buy Back Guarantee that Findaly Toyota has on their website where I discovered the actual SUV that I wanted. Dwayne said to me that once we signed that contract that night before, we are stuck with it and Findlay Toyota is not required to exchange or trade in that vehicle. As he quickly walked away, Dwayne could see with his very own eyes that my mother and I were very distraught and upset with this matter. He clamed he had another sale going on, but we only seen him walk out the front door. Minutes later he comes in the front door. I have very good parameter vision and he was not on his cell phone when entering, but then Dwayne quickly pulls out his cell phone as he creeps closer to my mother and I and he starts acting like he is talking on his phone in a heated conversations (I have very good hearing too). He pulls away the phone and tells us that he is on the phone with 3 higher up managers and they agreed to wave the $500 cash payment and lower the monthly payments to $375. I told him again how the gray SUV has none of the 4 wheel drive snow traction features and it has many more miles. He proceeds to tell me that it is a deluxe model. I told him how come the gold SUV has 4 wheel drive, Side Airbags, and Push Buttons, but the gray SUV with 10 thousand more miles has plastic covers (caps/lids) where all of the switches and buttons should be, if it was a deluxe model as he claims. This too would have all those features. I then knew that this corrupt little man was trying to box me and my mother into a corner, just to get more money out of us. The first night I felt like we were being taken advantage of by this master manipulator as a mother and son batch of customers walking in this lot. Now Im feeling that I was being taking advantage of again for the 2nd time because Dwayne knew that the prior night that I wanted a black on black vehicle to replace the one I was trading in. When we returned to the Findlay sales floor, Dwayne knew that we would probably resign a new contract verses being stuck with a vehicle that doesnt have darker exterior and interior.
 
Dwayne then comes back a few minutes later, this time coming from the opposite direction and once again he picks up his cell phone just a few feet from our table and acts like he is in a heated conversation. What Dwayne didnt expect was that I moved chairs so I could now see where he walked to, as well as came back from. He was no where near the higher up managers whom are behind glass offices, nor even the Sales Manager counter booth where Mr. Tony Tabaku was sitting at as he was talking to other sales men. This time Dwayne Laur says to my mother and I that he was able to get the monthly payment down to $360 a month but is only able to take $1000 dollars off the window sticker price. The first SUV sale had $2000 dollars off of the sticker price. Naturally I complained about that cruel offer. Dwayne then proceeds to tell us that he didnt get very much at the auction for my low mileage cherryed out back on black Firebird. Therefore Findlay Toyota now needs to get more money for the desired gray SUV that we wanted. I then start to look at the Sales Manager Mr. Tony Tabaku. The car sales man Dwayne picked up on that right away and stops me as Im about to get up. Dwayne tells me right in front of my face that Mr. Tabaku is the type of man that doesnt like to be irritated & bothered and would more than likely tell me go away if I dont like this deal. Then Dwayne tells my mother to take a few minutes to think about this and make a decision while he talks to his other customer. Then he disappears again to the back room.
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We still didnt see any other customers as he excuses himself quickly. We ended up taking the deal for more money a month and less money off of the sticker price. We ended up getting pressured hard & forceful by some financial rep that was introduced to us by Dwayne whom told us that he worked with this guy before at another dealership. This guy kept pushing very very hard for that extended warranty that we already declined the prior night with that gold colored SUV. I even told him that Dwayne told us what he said that he was covering the taxes, DMV license registration fees, and even the extra special warranty. Which was not true because we where actually paying the taxes, licenses plates fees. As far as the extra special warranty that was the only the automatic warranty that Toyota provides with all there used vehicles that are less than 100000 miles.
 
Once we signed the 2nd contract for the preferred darker colored SUV, this financial rep quickly left the glass office. We looked for Dwayne and he was no were to be found. A rooky sales man by the name of Brady Dolan came into the office and said hurry up; your new car is out back. On the way home me and my mother talked about how we felt like we were being taking advantage of and rail roaded with this major financial adventure. We both felt like we were already financially up side down before even getting our investment home. I talked to our family, friends, co-workers, and apartment complex neighbors and they all said that we got taken advantage of from this local dealership. One of my Moms friends whom was a car salesman from a large dealership, he had told us that there is no way in hell that a dealership would have an auction the very next day for my trade in, nor would that scamming sneaky salesman know or have knowledge of how much my car sold for by a wholesaler. He would not even know the percentage and profits when everything was said and done with, nor would it be his responsibility to make the customer pay for such a so-called loss. This former sales man told my mom and me that we should have called Dwaynes bluff and waked out to the back lot and look for my Firebird. I know for a fact that it would still have be parked out in back of Findlay Toyotas parking lot!!!  Im regretting not getting up to talk to Mr. Tony Tabaku despite what Dwayne said about him calling off any exchanges. Tony was the one that told me to come back for an exchange. I feel like such a sucker now. Instead of being proud of my new vehicle when getting into it, now every time I see it I feel like we got screw for the next six plus years. We were planning on trading in our Ford Thunderbird with 150000 miles, but now we are very hesitant about trading it in to your Toyota Company. We could always go back to the American Ford Company after getting treated like this.
 
Minutes after driving out of Findaly Toyota, we noticed that the key ring only had keys and no car alarm. We tried to contact Dwayne, but only got his grunt gofer Brady. He told us that the alarms would be here when we come back for the license plates next week. The following week we drove back to the other side of Vegas and got the metal plates but no alarms were there for us. Dwaynes partner in crime told us to come back again next week to the Service Department and they would program 2 new remotes for our new SUV. That next week on my day off from working a grave yard shift job, I drove into the service department at the appointed time (normally when Im sleeping) just to find that I was expected to pay for the alarms. The service manager called for the sales man Dwayne. I pre-informed the Service Manager that Dwayne is a snake and Im sure that this would be another problem for me.                                                                       

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Sure enough Dwayne comes up and starts to argue with me about the expense. I told this a*hole right up to his face that You and this Dealership made a bunch of money from me and my mom for a SUV that had 10 thousand more miles, no 4 wheel drive, No snow traction, and No side airbags. You can certainly afford to pay for the dam car alarms that are missing. Then Dwayne starts to argue about how much it would cost for Toyota to give me a key ring car alarm with a price of $500. I once had a Ford Mustang that had the alarms stolen and it only costs me $200. Then I turn to the Service Manager and asked him, what is your actual retail cost for these alarms and he told us around $200. Once again Dwayne had lied to my face. Then Dwayne tells me that he will call the former owner of the gray 4 Runner and ask them if they can bring back the alarms and I could come back next week. Then I get into another argument with Dwayne while the other customers were watching us fight. I told him if they hadnt brought back the alarms during the many weeks that this gray SUV has been sitting on this lot, then another 2 weeks since I had owned this SUV and showing off my new car to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers with them all saying the same thing Didnt your new car come with alarms. I told Dwayne that they are not coming back nor am I coming back again to this side of town next week. Dwayne then excuses himself as he tells me he will find there phone number and call them right now with an ETA. As Dwayne walks away, the Service Manager calls on the phone to someone and says I have a customer that is being jerked around here by Dwayne. A second later he puts down the phone and says to me Your alarms will be ready in apx. 20 minutes, please have a seat and I will personally tell you when your car is done. I could still see Dwayne walking up to the glass office as this was all happening. Dwayne later comes up to me and tells me that he personally pulled some strings and he got the alarms for me at his expense. What a freaking dishonest lair that this despicable so-called human being is. Do your salesmen get a bonus or larger commission for this behavior???
 I may possibly purchase another Toyota? However I will probably never ever purchase another Toyota from Findlay Toyota due to the way I was treated by Dwayne Curtis Lare. The $10 more a month over 6 years comes to $700 plus dollars, and the only $1000 less off my current Toyota totals a $1700 minimum that Dwayne & Findlay Toyota took from me and my kindhearted mother whom put this sale in her name. As you can see from the 2 enclosed contracts, the first vehicle had $2000 less off. Did Dwayne get commissions for 2 car deals by using me like this??? Please tell him to stop calling us asking for referrals. Did Mr. Tony Tabaku know this was happing to me and my mother? I hope that Mr. Brady Dolan didnt learn and duplicate any of these cruel and dishonest business behaviors from Dwayne to do to others. Enclosed are copies of the 2 contracts.

UP DATE:

Since the time our family purchased our 1st Toyota and then a day later exchanged it with the vehicle that we original asked for during a horrible and financially expensive experience with a deceptive & dishonest sales man and possibly a corrupt sales manager as well whom may have been working together. We now have reached our 2 year anniversary from the time of the first car payments.
 
During that time of the sneaky transaction(s) and behaviors from the Findlay Toyota Dealership in Henderson Nevada, our family had contacted the Toyota Corporation with a 4 page detailed letter informing the upper management about that particular local dealership of their suspicious actions and behaviors.
 
Im very disappointed with the Toyota Corporation that they didnt take total control of this serious matter themselves but instead turned the complaint back to the hands of the local dealership that included the 2 (two) sales contracts within two day of each other. That should have raised some red flags of fishy business dealing, even without reading the 4 (four) page story of our unfortunate adventures with this crocked local dealership.
 
What ended up happening 2 years ago when your company gave the complaint letter back to the very thieves themselves was just an unsympithic phone call by a so-called customer relations person. She first told us that this salesman named Dwayne Lare was no longer with this dealership. We suspect that this was just a deception to avoid us attempting to show up at the dealership in person. The PBX operator was confused a few days later when I called and asked about Dwaynes where abouts. All the questions in the complaint letter were not answer or even explained, for example was the Sales Manager TonyTabaku aware that the salesman was using manipulating dishonest sales tactics when Tony himself told me to bring it back the SUV the next day to the Dwayne.
 
She just told my mother that if we were not happy with the 1st and 2nd contracts, then we should have not signed the papers.   Now that was very difficult to do when during the first night, the sales man took our keys and didnt give them back, then he drove and hide our trade in car somewhere in the back of the lot while we were test driving the 1st purchased vehicle. When we got back to the lot we were escorted directly into the Finance Managers office. After that moment Dwayne and Tony were no were to be seen nor were our keys to our car. Enclosed is the original complaint letter along with the 2 purchased contracts. To this day our family still doesnt know if that nasty salesman got 2 commission sales credits off of our single vehicle purchased ??
 
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Now re-read the original complaint letter this time word for word so that your company can view what is happing with your dealerships through the eyes of an unsuspecting customer whom drives onto the lot then afterwards the victims takes the time to write up a four page letter that was basically asking the upper management for help. Our family feels betrayed by this sleazy dealership and also the higher up corporation. Im reminded of this every month when I write out the higher prices (second contract) car payment !!
 
I apparently couldnt get help from your corporation to make right to the consumer from the damages that your lying salesman had done to us, but I as a consumer do have the power to inform and educate the other local citizens of Las Vegas and southern Nevada about the dealing of this local dealership. I work as a cashier in a locals casino that also caters to the tourist gamblers of Vegas that come here for both business and vacations. For the last 2 years of writing out a monthly check for an inflated 2nd contracted that our family got rail roaded into signing. I have been telling the story of what happened to us at Findlay Toyota every chance I have gotten during these years. I still have over 3 more years of monthly reminders of how we were treated. Upside down even before leaving.
 I dont know how much this snake of a salesman and possibly Tony too made from me and my mother, but Im sure that I have informed more than enough people to take away that 1st and 2nd sales commissions and probably even the price of the vehicle as well. Now only if Dwayne and Tony could see the facial expressions of the people that read and hear about my Findlay Toyota nightmare adventure. This was my first foreign car purchase, and probably my last not because of the vehicle itself that I actually enjoy driving, but because of the dealing of this Toyota dealership. Does the name CarMax worry your corporations repeat and future business?