Toyota of Lancaster

I love to leave positive and helpful reviews whenever possible. I thought that would be the case with Toyota of Lancaster after we were able to negotiate the car we wanted to the fair price we were willi possible. I thought that would be the case with Toyota of Lancaster after we were able to negotiate the car we wanted to the fair price we were willing to pay. I completely expected to deal with scummy sales people which was absolutely the case, but since it was anticipated, we were able to go in knowing exactly which car we wanted and what we were willing to pay. When they didn’t accept our offer initially, I told them we would keep looking and let them know if we found anything else. They responded and accepted our offer. Great! Or so I thought. First, the car was not cleaned well at all. We had had the car for about a month when I went to clean it myself and found an old, half eaten McDonalds hamburger, a kids bracelet, and legal summons/other mail from the previous owner in the third row, which we had not yet used. Next, the sales process took FOREVER. We were literally there all day, in the middle of the week, just to process paperwork. We paid cash for the car so there was no loan paperwork required. On top of that, when asked who the car would be registered under we specifically said both myself and my husband, but when the paperwork came back it was only my husband. We were literally sitting there for at least two hours waiting for the registration papers, and when they messed up we would have had to wait another two+ hours to have that issue resolved. These are not good service practices. Last, and probably the biggest issue we faced, was that the car came with no front license plate bracket installed. We were given a bracket and told, and I quote, “here is a bracket for the front license plate, in case your state requires it.” I wish I had thought about that statement more because we had just moved to California, purchased the car from a California dealer and registered the car in California. Toyota of Lancaster KNEW that the state we registered our car in (California) requires a front license plate, but chose not to offer to install said license plate cover. We were staying with family temporarily in Lancaster when we purchased the car, and soon there after moved out of the area. I later received a ticket for not having a front license plate, unaware that one was needed (my fault, not Toyota of Lancaster’s). I have been trying to get this resolved for MONTHS, with no one ever returning my calls. I have been given the run around with who to talk to (first the service department, then the gentleman who sold us the car, then the service department again, then sales again, then the service department’s manager, then the sales department manager...). I was finally told that Toyota of Lancaster would resolve the issue if we drove out there to have the bracket installed. I called ahead of time and scheduled an appointment, loaded my kids and my very pregnant self in the car and we made the 2+ hour drive to Lancaster to have this issue resolved, only to find that they had closed because of snow and not called me to inform me that they were closing and would need to reschedule my appointment. Obviously they cannot control the snow and I don’t fault them for that. They do, however, control their appointment schedules and could have called. The woman I spoke with in the service department was very kind and assured me that they would resolve the issue, specifically that I would be able to have the work done at a Toyota dealer closer to me and that Toyota of Lancaster would cover the cost. Fast forward several weeks and MANY unreturned calls later and Michael, the sales manager, tells me that there is no way for him to pay another dealer to have them do the work (doubtful). He said I can drive the 2+ hours to Lancaster again to have the issue resolved, and agreed that the bracket absolutely should have been installed before we purchased the car. I’m still confused as to why it wasn’t even offered in the first place. I was told by one woman (during the many run around calls I had to make), “well, not everyone wants a front license plate put on their car.” It doesn’t matter if they WANT it, ITS THE LAW and should at least be offered. When looking for a car, we specifically purchased from a dealer thinking that we would get a better, cleaner car, despite the higher cost. That was not the case with Toyota of Lancaster. The car was disgusting, though not noticeably at first (hello gross leftover fast food). There were plastic knobs and other pieces hidden under the seats and in less noticeable places, and when I asked what they were for or where they came from, no one knew. The mats they put in the car are clearly not meant for a vehicle of its size; they are way too small, don’t stay in place or cover enough of the floor to even be justified in there. The key battery died within two months of owning the car, and they only provided one key. When we requested a second, the sales manager said they would have to pay for it from their own funds and refused to do so. Well, yeah, that’s why we just paid them cash for the car. They clearly have the money and are not willing to spend it because we already gave them ours. I expected greedy, scummy sales people and that’s exactly what I got (namely in the manager, Michael). I thought I was prepared for it, but I’ve learned my lesson and we won’t be purchasing a used car from a dealer, especially Toyota of Lancaster, again. THE POSITIVE, because I really don’t like being so negative. When I took the car back two days after purchasing to ask about all of the plastic pieces and knobs we found hiding, I also noticed that a seat belt was twisted and we couldn’t get it back in place on our own despite several tries. While no one could help with the knobs, etc., they did fix the seat belt and the gentleman I worked with in the service department was very friendly and helpful. Also, as mentioned before I was able to negotiate the price down more than 10%, which we felt was fair but in hind sight they were probably ready to dump the car they sold us and we probably could have gotten an even better deal. Hindsight’s 20/20, right? Final words — steer clear of Toyota of Lancaster. More

Took to long for The service.the staff was not friendly.i like the service before this new changes.weird set up.not happy at all like the service before this new changes.weird set up.not happy at all More