Complaint Review: TOYOTA of North Hollywood - North Hollywood California

LONG REPORT, BUT PLEASE READ, SO YOU DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE WHEN BUYING A CAR, IT COULD PREVENT YOU FROM MAKING A BIG MISTAKE.

I am very disappointed of the extremely deceptive practices and techniques, specially what they did to me.  I hope this report helps other consumers avoid making the same mistake.

Last thursday I went to test drive the Toyota Prius II, test drove one, and decided to go ahead with the credit screening background. The first red flag, the sales person DANNY RAMIREZ, tried so hard to get me into the LEASE, when I was obviously asking for a purhase, He pushed, and pushed for the LEASE instead.  It was almost getting anoyning. I should have just walked off at this time.

Before I was officially approved we went to the second floor to "Pick" a model, I was shown a model with the Sticker Price of $25,400 or $25,600...Sorry, My picture memory is not clear on that part, but i said to myself, not bad, its the second model of the PRIUS and the rims looks good. DANNY RAMIREZ, asked me to turn on the car on so he could see the MILEAGE...It clearly showed ODO 172, I clearly remember that because the display almost look like a OOO 172....Making the D in the middle almost look like as "O", but then I realized it meant ODO for ODOMETER.

I came down to the sales floor where the negotiations were to start, and if you have purchased a car from a dealership you can relate to how they can treat you, "Like Family" they say, I hardly believe they treat family like they treat their clients, but that's another story....After, a few back and forths that including them upping up my trade in value for about $1,000 from what the originaly offered, lowering the payment and the interest rate. We came to an agreement.

Then we started with the paperwork, I signed a few disclosure forms, then they pushed for the WARRANTY, ok, I saw that coming....The finance guy "Played" with the interest rate, in order to offer me the WARRANTY and keep the lowest payment. Ok, as you know the commissions on these WARRANTIES are in the30%'s, hence their insisted and make you feel like it was a good decision. Ok, I went ahead with the warranty..

I was waiting for the WITHE and YELLOW legal forms of the contract after I had already signed some ELECTRONIC forms on a SIGNATURE PAD, but after a few signatures the finance guy told me I was done, gave me some forms and advised me the vehicle was waiting for me. I took the forms, glanced at them....and then just came to see my NEW CAR. My advise, dont let your exictement cloud your judgement.

Before the car was actually DELIVERED to me, DANNY gave me a checklist, this was before the negotiations of the car, Yep!!! Another RED flag. But, of course I checked everything was ok.

The car was parked in front waiting for me, I did notice the RIMS lookes different, I checked the rims, tried to make sense of it, but then I tried to convince myself I had not payed attention to the tires when I picked the car, when I looked at the car that was my picked I saw it had rims. But it was late at night,  at this point I really had no motive to have any type os suspicion, you know I was treated like family, remember.

I took the car home, the next morning I went to work, made some errands and going back home I saw something really ODD, it was the ODO reading...it showed 88 MILES...I was in shock, but nonetheless, waited to get home to check. To my surprise, the Sales Contract said the car had 172 MILES when I purchased it, Why in the worl would it have the 88 Miles?

Came home and checked all the paperwork, IN THE BACK OF one of the forms I signed I saw the PURCHASE PRICE of the vehicle, it was $25,630.....I checked the WINDOW Sticker left in the car and saw $25,630.....Now, at this point I was in shock....And started to put all things togheter.  I checked the car, and double checked all the car....the PRIUS is MODEL II, the Sticker price or MSRP at TOYOTA's web site is $25,765....Start price, and the vehicle I had in possesion did not have any OPTIONS or ACCESSORIES other that, the carpets and cargo mat priced at $225. This was my WOW MOMENT!!!

I texted DANNY RAMIREZ, the sales guy, and just asked him if he was going to be there the next morning, told him I was going to be there, without giving other specifics, I only told him, "I think you may have an idea" as the reason I was going to be there.

Got to TOYOTA of NORTH HOLLYWOoD, but before that, he called me to tell me he was running late, and that he had asked his manager about the mileage the day before and that the manager told him that when he saw the odometer he was acually looking at the MILES TO EMPTY reading...Remember, at this point I hadnt really mentioned the REAL reason I was coming down to the dealership.

I told him, that I was giving them the benefit of the doubt but I strongly believed the had SWITCHED the car that I had originally picked with a lower TRIM vehicle....To make up for the $1,000 that they offered on top of the original offer made on my trade in. He denied my  suspision, I then met with CARY, whom I had closed the deal. Who also denied they were capable of doing something like that.

He asked me for the contract, I told him that I had intentionally left it hom, just in case it was removed from me and I was left without any paperwork. I asked him to just re-print the contract from their system, he said they had a PAPERLESS system, and no PAPER copies are kept. At this point, I felt patronized, I work in the insurance industry, and know that any paperless system, actually allows you to PRINT any document if you desired. He asked me to go back home for it.

My suspicions were starting to be confirmed, He asked DANNY RAMIREZ to go back to the car with me and checked the ODOMETER, jokenly stating "I need a witness"...SO we went down and verified, at this point the mileage had gone up to 102, my daily commute is about 62+ miles, hence my need for a HYBRID.  I told CARY of TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD than, my intention was to resolve my concern, I mentioned that I knew things can go wrong when operating a company that big as TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD.

He stood his ground, denying that they could switched a vehicle after it was viewed by the client. I gave him my facts, he mentioned that my FACTS were merely an ASSUMPTION of what I believed, not the the REAL facts.

I was not able to work wit him on a possible cause or solution for the problem, I believe the vehicle that I saw, was in fact the PRIUS III not the PRIUS II that I was delivered. WHy was the ODOMETER less than 100 when I had clearly seen it at 172? Hey, Its easy to ger persuaded since all new cars look alike.

MY RECOMMENDATION: To anyone buying a car, new or used, always ask what the actual PURCHASE PRICE of the vehicle it is, and when you SEE the car or PICK one car from the dealer and before you go back to the sales room.....WRITE DOWN THE VIN NUMBER AND MAKE A CHECK LIST.

THE PURCHASE price of MY CAR is over $1,000 of the MSRP, from TOYOTA's official website. How did this happened? Simple, I saw a car on the lot, liked the price, but then GOT a LOWER TRIMMED vehicle at delivery instead of the model I had seen.  Sure, If you want a good deal, go to TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD, where you pay $1,000 over MSRP.

Believe me, I love the PRIUS, and I dont think I mind paying MSRP, considering the facts but I do not approve this delar of TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD, showing me a PRIUS III at $26,000+ and deliver me a PRIUS II with an MSRP of $24,000 (From TOYOTA's OFFICIAL WEBSITE).

MY SOLUTION: Deliver the car that I saw, Adjust the Price of the car I was deliver or Rescind the contract, the later being the legal solution, but I really want to keep my car. I do not want to return it. But this is UNFAIR business practice by TOYOTA OF NORTH HOLLYWOOD.

DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!