High River Toyota - Why you shouldn't buy a vehicle there

[screw_loose]

I'm going to start this off by saying everything in this thread is FACT and nothing has been made up to the contrary. I am simply posting this in hopes anybody else on beyond won't get screwd over by them. Keeping this as straight forward as possible so their lawyers have no right to harass Rage.

My Wife and I purchased a Toyota Rav4 from High River Toyota at the end of August 2010. Everything went extremely perfect and smooth. Shawn Bhanji (sales manager) was great to deal with. He provided us all the actual car cost information which was cheaper than the dealerships in Calgary.

After a test drive and signing off on the vehicle we wanted we had to talk to their business manager Jasper Schraa where they go over the smaller details and try to up sell you on everything.

We passed on just about everything but agreed to purchase the 3M Protectent and a rubber cargo liner for the back of the vehicle as we have dogs that we normally put back their when we are travelling.

We signed the final purchase agreement on August 31, 2010. We were told at that time that the cargo liner we had ordered was back ordered and that they didn't know when they would get them. The business manager informed me they would be shipping this directly to us.

We were happy with how things went less the up sell on everything. They really hope people are generally uneducated when it comes to a lot of their products and attempt to sell you products that are easily double the cost of going elsewhere. To me it felt like they were treating me like I knew nothing.

So months pass and no cargo liner. I attempt to call them multiple times as the months pass. Each time I call in I'm told that they'll call me back or that they can't find any record of my purchase with them. So I get no answer. I was also directed to different people each time I called and was often transferred to somebody else. They never do call us back at all, not once.

We finally get fed up and I call another number we find for their customer service manager, Gary Tierney. He was the first person to call us back regarding the issue but also tries to tell us that they've already installed the liner and they owe us nothing.

I told him that we had our sales order showing it was back ordered. He tells me that they have an internal toyota document showing the 3M liner and cargo liner being installed. It's something we had never seen and was also something that was apparently prepared prior to us signing the final purchase agreement where again we were told it's back ordered.

My Question:

Why would the High River Toyota Business Manager write on the final sales order that the item is "back ordered" if it was installed.

I've called numerous other Toyota dealerships in Calgary and this item is frequently back ordered. Again it makes the most sense that it was back ordered and not installed

I simply wanted the amount we paid for the cargo liner refunded. I don't think this is asking too much. I mean we never received the product and you'd think a $200 item on a $30,000 purchase would be something minimal. Especially when we paid cash for the entire purchase.

So basically today I'm offered a service credit for $129. Basically a credit for oil. For those of you who aren't aware it's a great place to buy a car as you'll get a deal however driving upwards of 80-100km's for an oil change is a little unpractical. Apparently they don't agree and think it's a fair offer.

The points I made to them.

1) High River Toyota never installed the item we paid for nor did you deliver it to us.
2) High River Toyota ignored multiple phone calls in attempt to rectify the situation.
3) High River Toyota basically called us liars when we inform them it was never delivered or installed. They are still confident that it was despite the fact they have documents to the contrary.
4) wasted hours of my time by forcing me to drive down to their dealership and back to show them a document they already had.


Point blank, besides the sales staff the rest of the experience was nothing but a complete nightmare.

The windshield that came with our car must have been the cheapest windshield Toyota could find as it will chip/crack if anything hits it. Seriously less than a year driving and we have 3 major cracks across the windshield and well over 20 little chips that we can count.

I'm just posting this as a warning to fellow beyonders to be careful regarding any vehicle purchase with them. If it shows anything, they are unwilling to do anything even when a simple mistake is on their end and over something as simple as a $200 item.

I offered them the chance at a refund prior to posting any negative reviews. They declined and informed us we should contact the better business bureau. I to intend on doing that even though I don't think it will accomplish very much. I am quite confident though that by posting this several people on here will not purchase a vehicle from High River Toyota. They may offer you a better price than what you may find in Calgary but if they do the same up sell and then don't deliver items you purchase you are simply better off buying in Calgary.

[gretz]

Yep, High River Toyota is garbage...

Took my Track EF there for an alignment (slight shake in the wheel at higher speeds...) > When I went to pick it up, they informed me that they could not do the alignment as the steering rack had too much play. I told them to just give me my keys and i'll take it somewhere else, followed by them telling me my car is too unsafe to release and showed me the $2200 invoice for the parts I needed (lol)...

Told them to go f'k themselves, they wrote me a $55 bill for pulling it in / looking at it, and made me sign a waiver before I left...

Got 2 new front tires, bam, problem was fixed...

Very dishonest from my experience...

[screw_loose]

Well in my case they don't seem to see how frustrating it is. We Paid them nearly $30,000 in CASH for the vehicle. To have something this simple create a problem and them not being willing to refund the money I think would frustrate many people. Especially when it's taken months to get a clear answer.

What I really don't understand is how High River Toyota can offer us an in store credit but not offer us a refund. I mean it's virtually the same thing except the are attempting to FORCE us to use their services when we have no interest in doing so.

To me it's a clear admission they did make a mistake. I think just about anybody would think the same.

[A2VR6]

I dont take my vehicle to High River since its way too far but I had a good experience with them as far as sales.

They agreed to sell me my Tacoma for a fair bit less then what the city dealerships were willing to do. I had to fight ALOT for them to drop the "theft protection fee" or whatever it was. They wanted to charge me a few hundred to etch all the windows with some number that can be traced if the truck was stolen. I flatly told them I dont want that and I dont want to pay for it. In the end I managed to get it dropped. I managed to negotiate a dealer installed Blu-logic hands free system in the deal and they had to order it in. That took about a week and a half and when it did come in, they sent someone to my door to pick the truck up and drive it there and back for the install.

Sucks to hear about your situation tho. I agree with you on the Toyota windshields... In a year I have this huge crack all the way across and a ton of chips from rocks/hail.

[screw_loose]

Every dealership has good and bad right. But to screw around and piss off a paying customer over $200 on a $30,000 purchase?

They did the same thing on us. Tried to up sell us on everything and of course everything wanted to do was roughly double what it would cost to have it done elsewhere.

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm currently shopping for a car and I will scratch High River Toyota off my list. Dishonest dealerships really bother me.

My parents are also looking at Rav 4's and Venza's. I'll make sure they do not go there either.

[Darkane]

Does the carpet in the back have to be cut in anyway to secure the cargo liner?

If so take the vehicle back and show them nothing's been installed.

Otherwise, paying cash for a 30k vehicle is no different than financing or leasing.

Dealer doesn't give a shit and you don't deserve special treatment for paying cash.

What you SHOULD do is go to the parts dept. and ask for a record of all the cargo liners sent out to customers that month of purchase.

Cross examine that none are your address and deal with them again.

[screw_loose]

I don't see how that does me any good. They already have one fake document stating they installed the liner. The liner itself is a rubberized material that simply slides over the carpet in the back. It's to protect the carpet when you put things back there like groceries, dogs, etc.

On the phone their customer relations manager went as far to tell me, "we either installed it or we had somebody deliver it to your home". At first it was certainly installed but then wait, if it wasn't installed them I'm sure one of our staff delivered it.

All I'm telling people is I had a hassle over a simple $200 item that they clearly screwd up on. They can't even provide me with a cargo liner as they are still on back order. Other dealerships in Calgary tell me a similar story. The cargo lines are constantly on back order.

As for Cash deals, they most certainly do prefer them over financing. Do you know how many deals they have fall through due to financing? Cash is guaranteed.

[G-ZUS]

In B4 HR Toyota

[CapnCrunch]

Its sad that they're willing to call a customer a liar over something that probably has a cost of $50.

[Maybelater]

Shitty deal OP, good luck with a possible resolution.

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by screw_loose
Shawn Bhanji (sales manager)

I had to do a double take on that.

[G-ZUS]

Did you lose your cool at them? yell or swear at them?

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Shitty situation op. Sometimes I think about buying a new car but it's shit like this that makes me decide not to.

[E46..sTyLez]

Yeah I figured out the hard way that customer service stops as soon as you sign on the dotted line. They promise you the world until they have your money.
I find the exception to be high end luxury manufacturers, like BMW. I had no idea how good their service really was until I had my first problem with Centaur Subaru. I mean I had problems with BMW now and then but they eventually did the right thing. Not the case with Centaur...or High River toyota apparently

[screw_loose]

They basically just didn't care. More a less it was basically we are right, we can't be wrong and we won't give you a refund. They don't even have the product in stock to give us either.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez
Yeah I figured out the hard way that customer service stops as soon as you sign on the dotted line. They promise you the world until they have your money.
I find the exception to be high end luxury manufacturers, like BMW. I had no idea how good their service really was until I had my first problem with Centaur Subaru. I mean I had problems with BMW now and then but they eventually did the right thing. Not the case with Centaur...or High River toyota apparently

Have you tried Calgary Subaru? I refuse to go to Centaur, always no problems at Calgary Subaru, nice guys who work there and if you get to know them they will give you deals on parts sometimes :)

[kvg]

Does High River Toyota own any other dealers(to avoid)?

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by E46..sTyLez
Yeah I figured out the hard way that customer service stops as soon as you sign on the dotted line. They promise you the world until they have your money.
I find the exception to be high end luxury manufacturers, like BMW. I had no idea how good their service really was until I had my first problem with Centaur Subaru. I mean I had problems with BMW now and then but they eventually did the right thing. Not the case with Centaur...or High River toyota apparently

I agree, Audi and BMW have gone out of their way for me multiple times. I have zero complaints with the higher end dealerships I've dealt with.



Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


Have you tried Calgary Subaru? I refuse to go to Centaur, always no problems at Calgary Subaru, nice guys who work there and if you get to know them they will give you deals on parts sometimes :)

My only experiences at Calgary Subaru have been bad. I was very interested in an STi they had, and they wouldn't let me drive it more than around the block and in 1st gear. I was with my Dad too, so I certainly didn't come across as a "test pilot". I came out of there having no clue what the car I drove across the city to see was like. Another time I was there looking at a WRX and the salesperson had to look up if it had a turbocharger or not :facepalm:.

[dirtsniffer]

have you called amvic yet?

they need to have your signature showing you received the part..

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt


I agree, Audi and BMW have gone out of their way for me multiple times. I have zero complaints with the higher end dealerships I've dealt with.




My only experiences at Calgary Subaru have been bad. I was very interested in an STi they had, and they wouldn't let me drive it more than around the block and in 1st gear. I was with my Dad too, so I certainly didn't come across as a "test pilot". I came out of there having no clue what the car I drove across the city to see was like. Another time I was there looking at a WRX and the salesperson had to look up if it had a turbocharger or not :facepalm:.

I was talking parts and service, i've never dealt with sales, and I rarely meet a knowledgeable sales person.

[bignerd]

Is the in-store credit they are offering you the same value as the liner? If so take it and order another one.

Do you a copy of their so called "work order" showing installation? Try and see which tech installed it...

Kind of hard to win when the dealership starts to create false paperwork to prove you wrong. Have you called Toyota Canada? Not sure they will care either.

[Sentry]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


I was talking parts and service, i've never dealt with sales, and I rarely meet a knowledgeable sales person.
Yeah sales dicks don't know anything. It's pretty universal.

[No_Cash]

That sucks that they screwed you out of a $200 piece, and argued so stubbornly that they were not at fault. I have learned the same way to not take possession of a car before it has everything on it/done to it that was agreed upon. I haven't dealt with High River but have dealt with a Calgary dealer that they have some form of relationship with. Anyways I had great experiences both times.

[screw_loose]

No they have no signature saying we received the part. All they have is a blank work order which says they installed the 3M film and then installed the cargo liner. There is no signature on it, not even any tech or anything else that had initialed it. It's almost like they just created it.

The thing with the credit they are offering is it isn't what we paid for. We paid $199 for the liner. They are offering $129 in service credit. Even if we wanted to pick up the liner it's still back ordered.

I do plan on calling AMVIC to see if they can do anything. As i told the dealership it's the principle and not the value here. The sales manager owned up and said hey if we made a mistake I'll make it right. He was trying to offer me gas cards since he apparently can't do anything else.

In short if they treat a customer like this over just $200 is it worth dealing with them to buy a new vehicle? I'd hate to see the problems you'd run into if you ever had to take the vehicle in for warranty service.

[SilverStreak]

Write a letter to Toyota Canada and watch how fast High River will contact you. Even better tweet directly to Toyota Canada's account and they will jump on it quick.

If you get the round around by the dealer, go to the parent and things change quick.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo


I was talking parts and service, i've never dealt with sales, and I rarely meet a knowledgeable sales person.

Yeah It's been years since I've met a salesperson who knew anything at all about the vehicle beyond power locks, power windows, etc. I literally cannot believe the clowns they have selling cars these days. You would think BASIC car knowledge, or even knowing the details of the cars you're selling would be a hiring requirement, but it clearly is not. The answer to any question that cannot be answered by looking at their stock sheet either is replied to with an outright lie, some made up BS, or an "I'll look into that for you".

[jonnycat]

^ so ridiculous. I took a Charger R/T out for spin. After 1 hour of research on the car, I was far more knowledgeable than the salesman. Basically he knew it was a 2011 and was probably the new style. He didn't even know how much hp it had, he guessed around "300". :banghead:

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by jonnycat
^ so ridiculous. I took a Charger R/T out for spin. After 1 hour of research on the car, I was far more knowledgeable than the salesman. Basically he knew it was a 2011 and was probably the new style. He didn't even know how much hp it had, he guessed around "300". :banghead:

Yup, I was actually going to start a thread on salespeople as of late. Your experience doesn't surprise me in the least. I don't recall them being this bad in the past, but it seems literally anyone can get a car sales job these days. Since I am shopping for a new car currently, I have been dealing with a ton of them. EVERY SINGLE ONE has seriously been 100% clueless about their own product. I constantly correct them as they try and rattle off complete BS about the car while they are showing it to me. 5 min of internet research usually gives triple the knowledge of any salesman I've dealt with. Then they have the balls to try and pressure you into a sale on a car the two of you know nothing about. Every salesperson I've dealt with recently has been a warm body, and nothing more. Makes me wonder what the dealership requirements are for these people.

A guy at the Acura dealer argued with me trying to convince me that TSX's are turbocharged.

You would think that salespeople are required to know the basics about the vehicle, year to year changes when a new model is recently released, engine size/power basics, option packages, etc. Every single one I've encountered knew NOTHING except what was written on the stock sheet (year, price, KM). The LAST thing I want to do is give these idiots my money after dealing with them. I feel like I am handing them free money (commission) after doing their job for them.

Speaks volumes about the dealerships IMO when they will literally hire any clown that walks in off the streets and asks for a sales job, having zero car knowledge and zero interest in cars.

[Guillermo]

Originally posted by Mitsu3000gt
it seems literally anyone can get a car sales job these days.

it seems like that because it's true! anyone can get a job as a car salesman. it's not the type of thing that requires any real education or training. :rofl:

[HighRiverToyota]

In response to screw_loose’s original post about his negative experience here at High River Toyota, there are a few facts that screw_loose has not addressed, which we feel needs to be cleared up. It’s important that both sides of the story are out in the open. We wanted to post a reply to his review earlier, though we had to wait for our account activation with beyond.ca.

First and foremost, we were not contacted by the client until 6 months after the purchase of the vehicle, in which case we felt that there was absolutely no reason to argue over a cargo liner, thus the client was offered another one. The client refused to take another cargo liner and requested cash compensation, in which we agreed to. Subsequently, the customer demanded $200 for compensation, when he only paid $129 (this accessory is listed on Toyota.ca for $136). After the client declined $129 cash compensation, he began to swear and insult our staff here at the dealership, which is completely uncalled for and absolutely unacceptable. At this point, we refused to deal with or negotiate with the client as we unquestionably do not deserve this kind of negative treatment.

Even after the undeserved negative review of High River Toyota online here on this forum, we will still offer $129 cash compensation, provided that we receive a written apology from the client, to our staff members that had been treated in a vulgar and disrespectful manner.

High River Toyota

[msommers]

Originally posted by screw_loose
I'm going to start this off by saying everything in this thread is FACT and nothing has been made up to the contrary. I am simply posting this in hopes anybody else on beyond won't get screwd over by them. Keeping this as straight forward as possible so their lawyers have no right to harass Rage.

My Wife and I purchased a Toyota Rav4 from High River Toyota at the end of August 2010. Everything went extremely perfect and smooth. Shawn Bhanji (sales manager) was great to deal with. He provided us all the actual car cost information which was cheaper than the dealerships in Calgary.

After a test drive and signing off on the vehicle we wanted we had to talk to their business manager Jasper Schraa where they go over the smaller details and try to up sell you on everything.

We passed on just about everything but agreed to purchase the 3M Protectent and a rubber cargo liner for the back of the vehicle as we have dogs that we normally put back their when we are travelling.

We signed the final purchase agreement on August 31, 2010. We were told at that time that the cargo liner we had ordered was back ordered and that they didn't know when they would get them. The business manager informed me they would be shipping this directly to us.

We were happy with how things went less the up sell on everything. They really hope people are generally uneducated when it comes to a lot of their products and attempt to sell you products that are easily double the cost of going elsewhere. To me it felt like they were treating me like I knew nothing.

So months pass and no cargo liner. I attempt to call them multiple times as the months pass. Each time I call in I'm told that they'll call me back or that they can't find any record of my purchase with them. So I get no answer. I was also directed to different people each time I called and was often transferred to somebody else. They never do call us back at all, not once.

We finally get fed up and I call another number we find for their customer service manager, Gary Tierney. He was the first person to call us back regarding the issue but also tries to tell us that they've already installed the liner and they owe us nothing.

I told him that we had our sales order showing it was back ordered. He tells me that they have an internal toyota document showing the 3M liner and cargo liner being installed. It's something we had never seen and was also something that was apparently prepared prior to us signing the final purchase agreement where again we were told it's back ordered.

My Question:

Why would the High River Toyota Business Manager write on the final sales order that the item is "back ordered" if it was installed.

I've called numerous other Toyota dealerships in Calgary and this item is frequently back ordered. Again it makes the most sense that it was back ordered and not installed

I simply wanted the amount we paid for the cargo liner refunded. I don't think this is asking too much. I mean we never received the product and you'd think a $200 item on a $30,000 purchase would be something minimal. Especially when we paid cash for the entire purchase.

So basically today I'm offered a service credit for $129. Basically a credit for oil. For those of you who aren't aware it's a great place to buy a car as you'll get a deal however driving upwards of 80-100km's for an oil change is a little unpractical. Apparently they don't agree and think it's a fair offer.

The points I made to them.

1) High River Toyota never installed the item we paid for nor did you deliver it to us.
2) High River Toyota ignored multiple phone calls in attempt to rectify the situation.
3) High River Toyota basically called us liars when we inform them it was never delivered or installed. They are still confident that it was despite the fact they have documents to the contrary.
4) wasted hours of my time by forcing me to drive down to their dealership and back to show them a document they already had.


Point blank, besides the sales staff the rest of the experience was nothing but a complete nightmare.

The windshield that came with our car must have been the cheapest windshield Toyota could find as it will chip/crack if anything hits it. Seriously less than a year driving and we have 3 major cracks across the windshield and well over 20 little chips that we can count.

I'm just posting this as a warning to fellow beyonders to be careful regarding any vehicle purchase with them. If it shows anything, they are unwilling to do anything even when a simple mistake is on their end and over something as simple as a $200 item.

I offered them the chance at a refund prior to posting any negative reviews. They declined and informed us we should contact the better business bureau. I to intend on doing that even though I don't think it will accomplish very much. I am quite confident though that by posting this several people on here will not purchase a vehicle from High River Toyota. They may offer you a better price than what you may find in Calgary but if they do the same up sell and then don't deliver items you purchase you are simply better off buying in Calgary.


Originally posted by HighRiverToyota
In response to screw_loose’s original post about his negative experience here at High River Toyota, there are a few facts that screw_loose has not addressed, which we feel needs to be cleared up. It’s important that both sides of the story are out in the open. We wanted to post a reply to his review earlier, though we had to wait for our account activation with beyond.ca.

First and foremost, we were not contacted by the client until 6 months after the purchase of the vehicle, in which case we felt that there was absolutely no reason to argue over a cargo liner, thus the client was offered another one. The client refused to take another cargo liner and requested cash compensation, in which we agreed to. Subsequently, the customer demanded $200 for compensation, when he only paid $129 (this accessory is listed on Toyota.ca for $136). After the client declined $129 cash compensation, he began to swear and insult our staff here at the dealership, which is completely uncalled for and absolutely unacceptable. At this point, we refused to deal with or negotiate with the client as we unquestionably do not deserve this kind of negative treatment.

Even after the undeserved negative review of High River Toyota online here on this forum, we will still offer $129 cash compensation, provided that we receive a written apology from the client, to our staff members that had been treated in a vulgar and disrespectful manner.

High River Toyota

WTF. The only thing these stories have in common are a cargo liner.

[kvg]

I have to say these are totally different stories for sure. That being said I work in sales and I cancel invoices and refuse service to ANYONE that rude and/or verbally abusive to me or other staff members. Sounds like you can just go pick up the cargo liner now unless you want cash:dunno:

[cream]

Sounds like a legit reply from High River Toyota. But it only addresses OP's attitude towards the staff and the $ amount for the cargo liner. Although it's uncalled for, if OP's story is true, anyone would lose their patience after calling back numerous times, no reply, being transferred and etc.

[G-ZUS]

Originally posted by msommers




WTF. The only thing these stories have in common are a cargo liner.

3 sides to every story my friend

[kvg]

^agreed

[HighRiverToyota]

Originally posted by msommers




WTF. The only thing these stories have in common are a cargo liner.

EXACTLY

[HighRiverToyota]

In fact, we even offered to drop off the cargo liner to him at his home. He doesn't even have to come down.

[Weapon_R]

Ship it to his home and keep the receipt? Easiest way to show it was sent out.

[CapnCrunch]

Lol, where did this guy go?