One Letter

Dixie Toyota
5500-E Dixie Road
Mississauga, ON  L4W 4N3

I would like to notify you of how bad experience I had with Dixie Toyota’s Parts and Service.  I bought my used 2003 Toyota Sienna in the beginning of this year and did Safety and Emission test at this place.  Ever since I have been going there.  Three times I went there because the engine light was on.  1st time they reset it – charging me $109.  Second time they put a new part – I paid that too.  Third time they reset again – charging me $109 again.  This is where I did all my oil changes.  Lastly, I did my oil change and engine light check 5 days ago, and yesterday, my van wasn’t starting.  It starts if you give accelerator, but then it stops when you take it off.  We called CAA to boost, but the guy was quickly figured it out it wasn’t the battery, but gas line had some problem.  I had to tow to some local mechanic – paying the $30 for extra KMs to CAA.  Local mechanic said, the gas line was pinched when they changed the filter – paying $80.  I had to take off leave from work, so much hassle – all because I thought Toyota Dealer’s service would be in excellent quality.

On top of this, my wiper blade was half ripped and the tire pressure was not enough.  Come on, I thought they check these things when they do Oil Change at dealerships.  What happened to their “courtesy check” and some 17 or 20 point checks?

When I fist did the Safety and Emission test at this place, they said it is a must I should change the front suspension and I did.  Guess what, they did not do wheel alignment.   I consulted a local mechanic and another Toyota dealer and both said it is a must if you change front suspension.  Then I took my van another day spending my time and did wheel alignment – paying of course.

I’m never ever going back to that dealer again.  I’m loosing my confidence in Toyota altogether as Toyota mechanics weren’t able to do a simple oil change properly and couldn’t able to figure out why the engine light was on. I wonder, Toyota does any routine check of their mechanics and dealer’s Parts and Service department.

This is the letter I submitted to Toyota.  I also sent this in email to: [email protected], [email protected]

This letter was read by [email protected]

Thu 12/20/2012 1:42 PM

This letter was read by [email protected]

Thu 12/20/2012 4:48 PM

I also received a reply from Toyota as follows:

Thank you for your e-mail.

We are sorry to learn of your recent experience at Dixie Toyota. We can certainly appreciate your disappointment and assure you that Toyota’s ultimate goal is to provide a positive experience to all our customers throughout the entire cycle of ownership.

As the Canadian distributor, we always appreciate receiving customer
feedback, even when it cannot be positive. Situations such as you
described are not taken lightly, as customer service and handling skills are very important to both Toyota Canada and to our dealerships. Every effort is being made to provide each valued Toyota owner with the ultimate service experience and we certainly do not wish to lose any of our valued customers.

One of the major elements in gauging our success in this area is evaluating customer feedback via letters, email and telephone calls, and taking appropriate action as necessary, including reporting to other departments
to refine or improve our processes. A copy of your letter and our
response has been forwarded to the appropriate departments within Toyota Canada.

We kindly suggest addressing your concerns directly with the Service Manager, Michal McDonald, at your dealership. We have every confidence that the management of Dixie Toyota will handle this matter in a professional and equitable manner.

As the VIN you have provided – VINNUMBER is not listed in your name in our database, we kindly ask that you provide us with your full address and telephone number so we can update our records and send you any necessary notifications.

Again, we apologize for this unfortunate experience and thank you for giving us this opportunity to comment. Although we cannot change the events which have taken place, we are hoping that this explanation and apology will help restore your faith in Toyota and our services.

Sincerely,

John Ross
Customer Interaction Centre
Toyota Canada Inc.

For this I replied back:

[MY HOUSE ADDRESS INFO]

I did talk with the Service Consultant about my 3 times engine light service, and he was like it could be every time there is a different parts problem.  I told him all three times it shows the same P code and he was like no the code does not mean only one part – one code could mean many problems.

Anyhow, thanks for getting back to me.  Hopefully, another customer does not get bad experience from a Toyota’s Parts & Service department.

And Toyota’s reply:

Thank you for your recent correspondence.

Please be advised that we have amended our records to reflect the information you have provided.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

John Ross
Customer Interaction Centre
Toyota Canada Inc.

Later in the afternoon, I got call from Dixie Toyota.  He left a voice message on my work phone giving his name as Michal.  I called back and left him a voice message with my cell number and waiting for him to call back today.

I got an email from Mike McDonald on Fri 12/28/2012 1:44pm, and I’m waiting for his call after his vacation.

Hi NAME,

I am out of the office until Jan 02/2013. I know that we have each other messages and I would like to discuss this situation with you when I return next week, if that is satisfactory for you.

Please send me the best number that I can to reach you if it is not MY-CELL-PHONE-NUMBER or verify this number.

Thank you and have a great new year.

Sincerely.

Mike McDonald

I am still waiting for the Dixie Toyota Dealer’s call and no communication as of now Jan 21, 2013.

Finally, Mr. McDonald called on Jan 28, 2013.

He said, he couldn’t find me in their system. He said, I wrote 2002 Toyota Sienna in the email [correct is 2003]. I didn’t check while he was on the phone, but later I checked and I correctly wrote 2003 Toyota Sienna in the email. He also mentioned that he doesn’t have my cell phone number. I was quick to say, he in fact sent me an email [see above] with my cell phone number. He still insisted to give me the phone number on profile. I said, I never give out any other number other than my cell. I asked him to check again. At last, he was able to find me in their system. These things are really nothing, but this affects the credibility and seriousness of the person about the issue.

Anyhow, he asked what has had happened. I explained the whole story from the beginning – long story short – he offered to inspect my vehicle for free. At first, I accepted this offer. After few minutes, I called and asked him if he can bear the cost of fixing the engine light issue, replacing any part. He declined. So I rejected his offer of free inspection. I told him, they inspected my van three (3) times. If their mechanics couldn’t figure it out in 3 times, its going to be the same in 4th time also. Besides, I would have to pay for any parts they recommend to change.  I would rather go to my new mechanic and check with fresh set of eyes.