Our son Keaton, or KP, turns 30 this calendar year, so you'd be correct in guessing that we should be well past swooping in to alleviate his woes and angst, but we've sadly learned that old habits die hard when he encountered some pretty shady and slimy business practices with his local Toyota dealership.
First, some background information ...
His first car was a 2008 Honda Fit, a gloriously economical yet sturdy workhorse that went through almost any weather, took little sips of gas at a time, and had loads of available space for his various projects. As with a lot of mechanics, he kept it working but didn't waste minutes on the minutia, but it never disappointed him.
Fast forward the years and he's engaged, bought a house with her, and learned how to do a plethora of Bungalow Bill jobs as he reno's the ridiculous patches made by previous owners. He's learned how to make hardwood stairs, replace windows and doors, install all manner of appliances, frame, drywall, tile, plumb ... all thanks to YouTube University and his future FIL! Not too shabby for a kid who grew up in a house with two-thumbed parents who jury-rigged their way through 30 plus years of home ownership.
As a consequence of dozens of trips to Home Depot and the like, KP decided that the Ol' Fit needed an upgrade to a more contractor style vehicle ... a pick up. The search was intense but yielded a suitable match to all of his wishes in the form of a used Chevy Colorado, a trade-in at his local Toyota dealership. The negotiations began, decision was made, the paperwork signed, the deposit paid, and final steps were the tweaks required to get it certified.
All that was left was to wait ... and wait ... and wait. Oh, how prophetic!
A month went by and there still no truck. Weekly inquiries about progress were greeted with excuses, shoulder shrugs, and the occasional chirp of crickets, all while they sat on his $2000 deposit. I have to be honest in sharing that our boy can sometimes be impatient, doesn't tolerate stupidity well, and responds abruptly when he feels wronged.
Can't imagine where he learned that, says I with a sheepish grin.
All of this inaction prompted some detective work, efforts that revealed the truck had a "check engine" issue which Toyota addressed by dropping it at his local Chev dealership for some assistance because, as you should recall, the sale was contingent on the truck being certified. The snooping uncovered that not only were there potentially large issues in play like timing chains and camshafts, but incredibly, the green slip listed our son as the owner, a HUGE issue since they were driving it around the city from dealership to dealership, meaning that any legal issues would fall in his lap, not theirs. The Chev dealership was aghast because the ownership cannot be transferred unless the truck was safetied, and that meant someone was not truthful to the Ministry when transferring.
A trip to the Ministry also confirmed that all of this was true. Shit said she and the fight was on!
Conversations with the Toyota salesman and his direct boss were frustrating, inconsistent, and infuriating, conversations that were recorded (as per Canadian law) in the event that satisfaction was not met and further "negotiating" was necessary. By now, the calendar had continued to flip and he was 2 months into it. All efforts on KP's part to escalate up the food chain were met with stonewalling and ignoring, the temperature of his blood rising to a boiling point. I've paraphrased the back and forth quite a bit to save space, but suffice it to say he felt caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place", resulting in a number of phone calls to us as venting opportunities lest his head come clean off his shoulders. He was adamant that some form of compensation for his trouble and disappointment was the lynch pin of the deal.
As a curious twist of fate, a letter arrived at his house from the Ministry claiming that they had erred and the ownership should not have been transferred. When has any of us been on the receiving end of any Ministry fessing up about a error? The validity of the letter was definitely a question.
The culminating moment happened recently when the dealership communicated that the truck was finally ready for pick up. The calendar revealed that it was just 2 days shy of 3 months. To add insult to injury, when he arrived at the dealership with money order in hand, he was informed by a different manager that the people he had been dealing with were not available and no notes about compensation were left. Kudos to my son for not taking his 3 month battle out on the this new-to-him manager.
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that the conversation was animated and unsatisfactory, the truck was left sitting in the parking lot, and our boy was livid.
Cue the calvary bugle and the DOD (Dear Old Dad) who jumped in with a call to a chum in Guelph to see if there existed a foot in the door with the GM of the local Toyota dealership, a person whom seemed to be avoiding any communication. While no connection existed, my buddy said he had a former student who was a long time sales leader with the local GM dealership, and he offered to connect them to see if some inside info could be garnered for next steps. When the conversation happened the very next day, it was revealed that this particular dealership was known by locals as a place to be wary of, and that the best piece of advice to offer was to take ownership of the truck on the premise that even though the negotiations were not over, at least with the ownership part of the deal would be done, and there wouldn't be any new surprises.
The Truck now sits proudly in his driveway, repairs to a number of items performed, making it a really good deal considering the low KM's.
The fall out of the run-around, shadiness, fibbing, and revolting business practices are yet to be negotiated, but in a stroke of civility, the dealership covered the cost of 3 months insurance, a small price to pay for being such cretins. It even came with a set of snow tires!
How will it all play out in the end? Who knows, but if you're in the market for a vehicle, his experience would steer you away from dealing with the Toyota folks in Guelph.
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