Gettel Toyota of Charlotte County

My name is Richard Melendez I have this dealership a 100% trust on any deal that I made this is my 4th car in this family oriented dealership specially to Junior and the sales manager and the girl at finance trust on any deal that I made this is my 4th car in this family oriented dealership specially to Junior and the sales manager and the girl at finance dept More

I went in with big HOPE and little possibilities. I had already Had left to dealerships. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to stop at Toyota. Bob & Bridget were very attentive and worked until I I knew that I cou already Had left to dealerships. I thought it wouldn’t hurt to stop at Toyota. Bob & Bridget were very attentive and worked until I I knew that I could afford my payments and was happy with my automobile. More

They try to pile on unneeded services I live in this area only part time and recently scheduled a 30K routine maintenance for my 2017 Prius on the Gettel website for the Gettel location in I live in this area only part time and recently scheduled a 30K routine maintenance for my 2017 Prius on the Gettel website for the Gettel location in Punta Gorda. The Gettel website lists all the maintenance items required for my vehicle’s 30K mileage interval and gave me an estimate of a little less than $150 for the synthetic oil and filter change, engine air filter replacement, cabin air filter replacement, tire rotation and the other standard system checks for the 30K maintenance. It’s been my experience that that is typical of what a dealership charges for that combination of services. When I arrived at the dealership, John Trembley, the service writer asked me what I was there for and I replied I was there for a 30K maintenance. He proceeded to take the VIN and then checked the tire tread depths. He asked if the vehicle was driven in dusty conditions, I replied that it was not. As he was filling out the paperwork on the computer I noticed that the service total appeared to be over $500. I asked what the total amount for the service would be, he confirmed that it was over $500. When I told him that must be a mistake and that the website estimate I was given was about $150, he replied that that wasn’t the “official Toyota website”. I told him that the website I was referring to was the Gettel Toyota website and asked what the $500 plus cost included. He started to detail all the services that were included including fuel injector cleaning service, disinfecting the AC ductwork, when I interrupted him and told that those were not required services for my vehicle’s mileage. He then asked what I wanted done and I told him oil and filter change, tire rotation and engine air filter replacement. The total then came to a little over $140, closer to the original estimate of $150, although it did not include the cabin air filter replacement. He also asked me if I wanted the car washed. A car wash or coupon for the dealer’s drive thru car wash is normally included with service at dealers in the area where I live, but my instincts told me this would be an extra charge at Gettel so I declined. A short time later Mr. Trembley appeared with my cabin air filter and said it should be replaced. I again declined. More than an hour and a half later my vehicle was finished. As I was waiting to pay Mr. Trembley asked how I would be paying. When I replied “by credit card” he said that there would be a 3% service charge for use of a credit card. My experience at Gettel leads me to wonder how many unsuspecting customers, especially women and older citizens, are routinely over charged for services their vehicles do not require. I strongly recommend that if you decide to use Gettel for routine maintenance on your Toyota or other vehicle that you review your owner’s manual for the required maintenance items for your vehicle and mileage and have an idea what the cost of those items should be. In my case I would have been charged nearly $400 more than I should have for services that were not required. You also should be aware that a carwash is an extra charge and credit card use adds a 3% service charge. In hindsight, the service writer immediately checking tire tread depth indicates that anything close to nominal remaining tread depth on my tires would have led to pressure to purchase a new set of tires. On the plus side for Gettel, they did accept my request to use their $15 off online coupon for the oil and filter change. More