Elmore Toyota- SoCal- Please avoid!

[HB 4X4]

Thank you to everyone who gave their support and input. I didn't expect this to receive so much traffic so I am going to go ahead and let Yelp do the talking for me.

My intent was to save a few people from going through the same stress that I had to go through, and I think I have accomplished that.

Elmore Toyota (Westminster, CA) has two separate Yelp accounts- my guess is that their reviews were so poor that they created a second to start fresh.

As of now, their reviews average 2.5/5 stars, so I will let the reviews speak for themselves.

Thanks again everyone!

Regards,
Josh

 

[Joker]

Sorry to hear about your problems but if you are considering a lawsuit I would stop posting about them unless you Lawyer advises is ok. Don’t want to give them any ammo on a potential counter suite for libel/slander.

 

[keezer37]

There are a lot of bad actors out there. The internet is a wonderful tool to weed them out. These businesses are people's livelihoods however so make sure you are dealing with absolutes with posting comments. Not to insinuate you are not.

If I have to take my vehicle in, I try to take it to a place where I can see it being worked on. Yeah, I know, these places are few and far between. I'll go so far as to just walk out into the service area until I get the "Sir, you can't be back here." comment. Not necessarily to see my vehicle, but to look around and to look at the ratio of vehicles sitting there on racks/hoods open with no one working on them to actual work being done. A lot of maintenance never gets done. Taking your vehicle in for it's XX,000 mile service is useless in my opinion. One of the biggest wastes of money there is. It is for people who don't even know how to open their hood.

Check to verify work has been done. I've seen vehicles that were taken in for regular maintenance that have not been touched since rolling of the factory floor. Air filters that look like they've been used in a shop vac. Oil that looks like it was just pulled out of the ground. Oil filters with years of crud on them. You don't have to be a detective to figure it out.

When you are sure, post up on Yelp. Just keep it real.

 

[Dave Bennett]

Great post Keezer, I totally agree.

 

[mep1811]

be sure to report them to the Better Buisness Bureau

 

[bullcrew]

I had a big long post typed out but I understand your frustration with the lack of service, I do think the pics and complaint about the tragedy of swirl marks falls a little shy of mass destruction.

 

[BIGdaddy]

severely damaging my truck.

I'd like to see the pics of this.../\... when you get a chance. thanks!

 

[David Harris]

Great post Keezer, I totally agree.

x2

 

[HB 4X4]

Thanks guys- I kept my post as factual as possible, even adding that they partially paid me back. I am done dealing with them so there are no lawyers involved. My intent was merely to share my experience with other Toyota owners as it would be worth it to me even if I could only save one person from a headache. We all work hard for our rigs and we don't need people damaging our property and treating us with disrespect.

As for the swirls, they were far worse in the sun. My entire truck looked like a giant hologram. For some, it may not be a big deal. For me, it is unacceptable to completely disregard my specification to not touch the paint- then damage it because of an inexperienced technician with a high speed buffer, most likely on the highest setting possible. I work hard to maintain my paint as best as I can, especially with the abuse I put it through on the trails. All of which is amplified by the fact that this was about the 10th time they had it in their care, trying to correct previous mistakes and damages. Each time they touched one problem, they caused another. It was a massive snowball effect.

 

[BIGdaddy]

OH, I see. My bad, Re-read your post. Damage was to the finish and certain front clip parts like the grille. I was thinking that was "in addition" to something else. Gotcha...

I've got family up in that area, so thanks for the heads up.

 

[Mc Taco]

Thanks for the post Josh. I think Elmore is a little far away for me to take my truck to, but will definitely pass on the info to others that are closer.

BTW the "Josh, chill out" line is enough for me to want to steer clear of these unprofessional clowns.

 

[ETAV8R]

I have had experience with most of the Toyota dealerships in the are.
Elmore:
Bought my first pickup, 1990 XtraCab, had subsequent service back then and parts shopping here and here.

Garden Grove:
Service for quite a while with my 90 pickup due to the service rep having moved to GG from Elmore

South Coast:
Purchased 1999 Tacoma, again this was due to the fleet salesperson moving from Elmore. Bought some parts and had some service performed there too.

Power (Irvine)
Scion tC purchase and service.

Huntington Beach
Most recent Tacoma purchase and some parts and service.

For more than 20 years I have had experiences, good and bad, at all of the dealerships (stealerships) and when I can avoid them I will. I've had parts people sell me the wrong part at Huntington and then have it corrected at Elmore. Most of my service is done at Gustafson Brothers which my family has been going to since 1981. For the most part they do right by me. I do have friends and aquaintances which have also had poor service/sales dealings with Elmore and I wouldn't go there first for any reason. Sorry to hear they really screwed your paint. That is unexcusable. Just pathetic.

 

[TreadonmenoT]

write/call corporate

 

[HB 4X4]

write/call corporate

I did, but was informed there was nothing they could do. Each dealership is considered its own business. They can take note of the situation but are powerless in resolving disputes or refunds.

 

[HumphreyBear]

Is the email trail complete, you seem to have edited your responses? It seems unfair to the company in question to post what appears to be a modified or abbreviated form of the discussion then call it verbatim.