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My issues directly relate to knowledge of product, honesty, and integrity or lack there of.
A co worker purchased 2 vehicles from this dealership around the first couple of weeks in august. While purchasing his vehicles he mentioned to his sales person that I was in the market for an FJ cruiser. A day or so later I spoke with Noah Caballero on the phone about my trade in. I informed him I need to trade my ‘04 Sequoia in for around $27,000 to purchase an FJ Cruiser. Noah assured me that due to the opening of the new dealership he would be able to offer more for used vehicles to build up the used car lot. His exact words were “I know we can get you what you want for your vehicle or very close to it” and “that should not be a problem”. He also stated that he “would not waste my time”. I decide to take his word for it. I then drove 1 hour and 20 minutes from Arlington to try and purchase a new FJ and a Camry or Corolla. I arrived at the dealership at 10am and met with Ruben Barrera. He was a nice guy but was clueless about the vehicles I wanted to purchase. During the test drive, my wife answered the questions I asked of Ruben by looking at the owner’s manual, the only thing Ruben could tell me is “I don’t know”. After the test drive my wife and I sat down with Noah to talk financing and available options. Noah then told me he would only be able to offer $23,000 on my trade in. That was not anywhere near the $27,000 he so convincingly stated he could get me. I was disappointed but was still willing to purchase the vehicle. On the previous night I built the FJ I wanted on the Toyota web site. I handed the printout to Noah and stated this is the vehicle I would like to purchase or order. Noah stated that he had one just like it but that it was a thousand dollars more. He stated that the only difference was the one on the lot had an upgraded security system. That was fine with me so I decided to purchase the FJ off the lot. On my way home I notice that the FJ was missing a few things on the FJ I wanted. Once I arrived at home I realized it was a totally different vehicle. I was disappointed in myself for not noticing the differences before leaving the dealership. You have to understand that I spent 8 hours in the dealership and was only in the vehicle for a few minutes. I think that this would also qualify for the more than the "Five Minute Purchase" policy listed on the web site. First the next morning I called Ruben and stated that I wanted to bring the vehicle back and order the options I wanted. An hour later I drove back to the dealership and called Ruben to tell him I had arrived. When the sales manager arrived he told me he doesn’t have to return the vehicle but would allow me to trade it in for one off the lot or order one. This was not long after Ruben stated I would not be able to order one. I told Noah that ordering one will be fine. After handing him the printout of the FJ I wanted to order, Noah went inside to place the order. 30 minutes later he came back wanting me to sign the paperwork for a more expensive FJ than the one I wanted to order. I told him that was not the same vehicle and I was not going to sign anything. Exactly how hard is it to look at a piece of paper and match the packages. This occurred one more time and after two attempts at ordering the correct option packages the correct car was ordered. Noah stated that the vehicle would take 2 to 3 weeks to arrive. Two weeks later I called Ruben to find out the status of the FJ and he stated he would call me back. A few days later I once again called Ruben and he stated that the vehicle was “in port” and it should be at the dealership any day. Ruben told me to call him in a few days to see if it had arrived. On Thursday I called Ruben and he stated that someone made a mistake and the FJ I ordered was not on the last shipment it would be another 2 to 3 weeks. I asked to speak with Noah due to the value of my trade in. I was worried that the extended length of time would lower the value of my Sequoia. Noah assured me that the trade in would not be a problem and “if I have to eat $500 I would” “I give you my word”. I told him that I appreciated that and I would call back in a few weeks. On Wednesday of the following week Ruben called me and stated my car was in. I asked him if it was the exact one I ordered and he said he made sure it was the one I ordered. I then left work and drove 1 ½ hours in traffic to pick up the vehicle. Shortly after I arrived Ruben stated that the vehicle had a few extra options on it and that I would be responsible for an additional cost. I was confused how a vehicle I specifically ordered had different options on it when it arrived. Ruben stated that the car was a “dealer trade and not the one I ordered”. He stated they didn’t want me to wait for another 3 weeks and did all they could to get another dealer to trade for the silver FJ. The difference between the one I ordered and the one at the dealership was $1164.00. After several minutes of arguing back and forth I agreed to pay $28,900 for the FJ to be done with this process. I then met Joseph Zacharie who went over the numbers with me. I knew I was in for another fight when he showed the price of the vehicle to be $29,000 not $28,900. I overlooked that for a moment when I noticed that the trade in was $22,500 not the $23,000 Noah assured me that he would give me. I told Joseph the short version of this story and he went into Noah’s office and when he came back stated that Noah would not admit to giving me his word. Joseph told me he would honor the $23000 and we moved along with the process. I once again over looked the $100 difference in the price of the vehicle. A few days later I was looking over the sticker from the vehicle and noticed the dealer name and address on the bottom of the form. The dealer name was Pat Lobb and the address was 3350 S. Central Expwy McKinney, TX 75070. This was odd to me that the vehicle sticker didn’t have another dealers name and address. After all, Ruben stated on several occasions the car was a dealer trade. In fact the car was not a dealer trade and now I am fed up with all the lies. I am asking for the $330.00 extra I paid for the vehicle I didn’t order and for spending 8 hours in your dealership my first payment is $419.93 bringing the total to $749.93. All the other lies I have no explanation for, miscommunication, misinformation, or just human error. This is not a misunderstanding, it is bait and switch.
Thank you for your time,
Rob
Arlington, Texas 76016
