AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway - Service Center

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Don't hesitate to call us if you ever need anything. Be safe on the road!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, thank you for taking the time to leave us feedback. Our General Manager would like to help turn your experience around. If you're willing, please contact our GM at (713) 489-2097 to discuss what we can do to help.

twrecdaw responded

My email is twecdaw@gmail.com. For the purpose of researching my experiences with AutoNation Toyota on the Gulf Freeway, my name is Deiedre Wright. I have sent a 5 page (single spaced word document) complaint to the link: customer.relations@autonation.com. I did not have the correct fax number to the corporate office thus it was emailed as an attachment. I received confirmation that my information was received. I then created a complaint on this site of dealerrater.com which seemed to have stirred a response. The phone number that you reference for the GM is not familiar. If it is for the GM at the Gulf Freeway location, I have left a message for him with his secretary to no avail. It is now approximately 2 weeks without a response. There is no communication with those who matter. Even the GM Mike Child was not interested in my plight. Below is the complaint in its entirety: Memorandum August 22, 2021 To: Michael Jackson, CEO AutoNation Cc: customerrelations@AutoNation.com Cc: Michael Child General Manager, AutoNation Toyota (Gulf Frwy) From: Deiedre Wright Re: 1998 Toyota Camry Le/4cyl (Original owner) I own a 1998 Toyota Camry LE, 4cyl. It was bought as a new vehicle in September, 1998. For many years I have brought my vehicle to the dealership for all of the maintenance. Consideration was given due to the fact that it is a product of Toyota and should be repaired by a representative of the manufacturer. Additionally: I trusted that Toyota would stand behind its product in repairs and maintenance. Further, if an issue arises with the vehicle, it would definitely be rectified without question. Additionally, as a courtesy, I have always been given a loaner to prevent an inconvenience while without my vehicle. I greatly appreciated it!!! Russ and others exuded the pride and respect with which Toyota demands for its customers. He did not disappoint. I was always apprised of any costs for repair/maintenance through text or phone call. I never had to guess. Whenever my vehicle was taken in for service, prior to my vehicle being driven into the bay, my seat(s), steering wheel, carpet and gear shift was covered. Often I saw the driver with gloves. My car has a very light interior (tan/beige). Under the new regime, I have gotten my vehicle back with greasy smudge on my carpet and seats. Someone sat on the passenger side of my vehicle and damaged my terry cloth seat cover with some kind of blue liquid. This time there were food crumbs around my gear shift. They have been very disrespectful of me and my vehicle. I sent photos to Marily with NO response from her. I take care of my car and have done so since my purchase of this car as a new vehicle in September 1998. I don’t eat in my car and no one else is allowed to do so. When Russ was manager, not only was my vehicle spotless upon its return but it had been sanitized. The rapport with him and Nick was exceptional. I felt as if I had real friends in the business. Prior to Russ’ arrival my favorite Service Advisor was Kevin Stringfellow (retired). My fiasco began near or about Mother’s day 2021 (during this time of the year). My nephew called me because he noticed that there was a leak on the driveway where my car had been parked. As am aside he is an eagle eyed fellow. Once I was apprised of the situation, I got a clean piece of cardboard to discern that the leak was NOT condensation. The next day I backed my car out far enough to reveal the cardboard placed underneath the vehicle. It was an oily substance of unknown origin. I contacted Russ and requested a suggestion of a person to contact for service. He recommended Marily Perez. Initially, the relationship was ok. It was evident that her knowledge of mechanics was wholly lacking. That was of no concern in the beginning. If you don’t have the knowledge, one should consult someone who does. This is where the calamity of errors begins. Lately, it seems that nothing as it should when I have had to bring my car back no less than 4 times for the same issue that should have been addressed. It is always something that they have overlooked and said ultimately that it was repaired. The same issue is defined as “my car was still leaking”. Each time I was told that it was always a different substance but they always claimed that it had definitely been repaired and it should not leak again. Marily continually said that the people working on my car were master mechanics which means nothing. Their acumen was demonstrated by their lack of knowledge in pinpointing the problem and fixing it. On average my car has been at the dealership’s service department two-weeks. This last occurrence lasted for 37 days….and I’m not done. When the car was parked in the service area I noticed that something was hanging on the left front side. I told Marily and she claimed to have seen nothing, When it was brought back to me, the hanging was no longer apparent. It may have happened the many times they may have placed the car on the lift. When I drove my car to the feeder, I noticed that my “check engine” light came on. I immediately drove back. The issue was minimized by Marily stating “oh it’s probably nothing they can fix it in a couple of minutes”. I told her to put me back in the loaner…she would not. I was there for another hour and 10-15 minutes. I was sitting outside in the area where cars come in for service. While I was sitting there, I saw two people in my car. I got nervous because my purse was on the passenger seat. Marily had lied and said that she was taking it directly in to the garage. She had not. Notwithstanding the fact that this time and no other time has any service person protected my vehicle. Again, Marily made an excuse as to why there was a person in my passenger seat. She made no sense. Her comment in part was that they work for Toyota and they “don’t steal”. There is a huge sign that states no responsibility for lost or stolen items. Marily minimized the issue as told to her by one of the “master mechanics” as being nothing other than the fact that moisture was in “the line”!! Really???!! Why did they not complete the job before I picked up my car? I have never seen that kind of notice on my dash but the “master mechanic” made it a first for me. I texted her after I left for the final time of this episodic nightmare that when I make a hard right, there is grinding or some kind of stressful sound coming from under the front right side of my vehicle. I got no response. I actually texted her my concern to her prior to 5pm. The exact time of the text was 4:49pm on Saturday, August 20, 2021. Why is Marily continually covering up for ineptness??? It makes no sense. She exudes a personality that is unacceptable. If she has no idea she needs to say so and stop making up answers that are false. Her training as a service advisor was evidently lacking or she needs to repeat the course. At one point she was sitting next to a guy who was identified to me as David. When I brought my car in this last time one of the first things he said was that “this was nothing that we did”. That statement was problematic for me. I did not respond. I don’t understand!! These people don’t car and are very careless. They have no work ethic/no pride in what they do. If the situation was reversed, it would not happen. On one visit I came in because Marily was purportedly giving me a peace offering of a new master key for my vehicle. She texted and said that the key was ready for pick up. When I got there it was not!!! I was there two hours because she claimed that the guy needed the correct code for my car. They had had my car about two weeks at this point. I believe that she thinks that because of my age that I am gullible. I assure you that I am not. I have continually was conscious of my comportment and remained calm for the most part until this last incident. Prior to getting my vehicle, I was texted by Marily that my vehicle was ready for pickup. I responded by saying that she was to ensure that my car was cleaned and that it was in working order as it should be. I further requested sanitization because I did not know how many people had been inside my vehicle. Marily did not respond. I also requested that when I pick up my car that I want a detailed report/receipt of the work done on the car and an oil and filter change with Synthetic oil. Additionally, I asked for the cost of the oil and filter change. She again did not respond. I was surprised with a $95 tab when I got ready to leave. She also provided me with an incorrect receipt which stated that the “customer requested a “ multi-point” inspection”. That was not true. I requested nothing of the sort. My car was brought in because the leaking had still not been resolved. I guess that verbiage was an attempt to “CYA”. Marily responds when it is convenient for her. If she had told me that it would be $95 for an oil and filter change, I would have declined. In contrast, when Russ and Nick were there, anytime work was done I was quoted the cost of the service and at that point I could accept, reject or request a modification. There were never any last minute surprises. The blatant misrepresentation of what “the customer requested” belies credulity. It was a blatant lie. I’m losing faith in AutoNation Toyota on the Gulf Freeway. There is no way that I should have had to bring vehicle back for what they should have done several visit prior. I was told that it was repaired but it was not. It continued to leak. I was then told that it was actually from a different spot than was repaired the last time. I was also given a list of items that should be addressed in the future but were not expeditious at the time. This leak that was purportedly from a different area was not one of them. Apparently, while my car was on premises for almost one-month the residual leak was never detected. That’s a problem for me. Technically, it would appear that those who were involved in the repair of my vehicle did nothing and/or the effectiveness of their labor was nil. Within the past year and one-half, I have actually spent enough money on my vehicle to purchase another vehicle. I care for things that I spend my hard earned money for and to have this kind of service to me is unforgivable. If I did not care, I would not have had my vehicle painted after all other maintenance and care was done. As long as my vehicle is maintained correctly, there is really no reason to purchase another. Even though the mileage is high at over 300,000 miles, if I drove my vehicle as much as some people, I would have more that the stated. I have taken pride in my vehicle and entrusted it to the people who made it and the company who sold it. I can find no justification for the same leak not to have been fixed. All of the money that I have spent will create a great hardship on me if I have to buy another. I am on a fixed income and the purpose of continuing the upkeep on this one is to avoid a monthly car note that I cannot afford unless I give up many other living expenses. I also have a text string between myself and Maily Perez showing her non-responsiveness. I have also kept all receipts/reports/summarizations. I have appreciated that through the years that I have had good service and that I was always provided with a loaner in order not to inconvenience me at a time that my care is being serviced. This experience has been untenable and to have so many negative issues with the same people and nothing changes is unconscionable. It is as if the good is overshadowed by the bad when it should be the opposite where people learn from their mistakes. I’m not sure why there was a refusal to provide me with as requested comprehensive report and as a former investigator for a state agency in Texas, it seems as if there is a cover up of something. I’m not sure why or what. I do not have a good feeling about any of this. I have been blessed to have an excellent memory for details which made me successful as an investigator. Customer frustration should never be a tenant of customer experience. I am also a licensed Real Estate broker since 1981. If I treated my clients the way that I have been treated, I would have no income, referrals or clients. On today, August 23, 2021, I just received a notification that AutoNation Toyota charged my credit card ending in 3212 was charged for an amount that was not authorized of $44.25. I was there yesterday…if there were charges due I should have been appraised of the situation. Again, this is not acceptable. As of this moment the charge has been declined for the aforementioned amount because it was done without notification. They were never authorized to keep my credit card on file for any reason. That is never my practice. Nonetheless this card is one that I rarely use for any reason. Additionally, on August 23, 2021, I left a message for Mike Child with Connie asking that he return my call, As of August 24, 2021, Marily is still being nonresponsive by sending texts that are not addressing the issue. As a Behavioral Scientist, people who do that are practicing avoidance. It is easier not to speak with someone when communicate through texting. She is not responding to the questions that I have asked her and making a lot of excuses. As of August, at the very bare minimum, David offered to ensure that my car would be cleaned on my appointment date of September 2, 2021 at 1pm along with offering some sort of free service which at this point the specific offering is unknown. He has also agreed to investigate the issue with the now existing right turn that was noisy which manifested itself upon driving home from the dealership. It had not existed prior to this incident. You may contact me please contact me at 713-818-3396. P.S. The latest thing as of September 2, 2021, I was told by a purportedly Master Mechanic that the noise that I was hearing was because my struts were bad and needed to be replaced. The fact is that I had all struts replaced December 2019. Mileage driven from that time to this is under 2,000 miles. After sending proof to David that the struts were indeed replaced, I heard nothing further from him from then to now. I'm not quite sure what is now happening with this dealership on the Gulf Freeway since some of the most valued people have now gone but it is a horrible mess. I pray that the necessary changes are made and that there is a great improvement in this dealership. I'm just puzzled at this point.

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, we're happy to hear you had such a positive experience with our team! If you have any further questions, please give us a call. We're always happy to help! Have a great day!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, we are deeply disappointed by your experience at AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway. Please call our General Manager at (713) 489-2097 for ways we can work towards resolving these issues. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Take care!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hello, our Staff is dedicated to providing all our guests with outstanding customer service and quality work you can trust! Thank you so much for being one of our valued guests and we look forward to your next visit! Take care!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hello, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. Don't hesitate to call us if you ever need anything. Be safe on the road!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, we are very happy to have provided you with such a positive experience! As one of our valued customers, we want to sincerely thank you for your business and we hope to see you here again down the road!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hello, thank you for your kind review; we are happy to pass along your comments to the team here at AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway! Don't hesitate to call us if you ever need anything. Be safe on the road!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hi, we regret your experience with us here, but are glad you brought this to our attention. If you'd like, please contact our General Manager at (713) 489-2097. We'd appreciate the chance to make your experience a positive one. We hope to hear from you soon. Take care!

AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway responded

Hello, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. If you have any further questions, please give us a call. We're always happy to help!