Heritage Toyota

by Todd on 05/16/2021

I walked into Heritage Toyota with low expectations. I learned that caring about their customers, and their staff, are not just words for them; and that low pressure is there way of doing business. Both entrances to their sales floor had tables in the walking path with hand sanitizer and free masks. The room and layout were such that I never felt crowded, though there were several other customers. At no point did I see any staff lower their masks. My sales rep Casey was both professional and casual in a way that put my considerable nerves at ease. I got no-nonsense help in which everything was explained to my satisfaction, with perfect patience (not the easiest accomplishment). My paperwork/ money guy Patrick had the same pleasant, no-nonsense approach. Much appreciated, because by the time I reached him my head was spinning. At one point each of them (separately) used the phrase "Just presenting information, the decision's are all yours." Both times it was said with a tone that helped settle my nerves. Because this came from two people (in completely separate interactions) I have to believe that "no pressure" is some sort of policy there. In the end I walked out of there the proud owner of exactly the car I (and my family) needed for approximately $2,000 less than the Edmunds fair market value. Advice, remember: 1- One person's bad experience with one rep, on one day does not a whole company make. 2-They wish it took less time and paperwork too.

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by Chaz on 04/14/2021

Dear fellow automotive consumers, On April 12, 2021, I was assisting my sister in her potential vehicle purchase. We decided to stop by Heritage Toyota located at 1620 Shelburne Rd, South Burlington, VT, 05403. Upon arrival, we had specifically expressed our sole intention of test driving a 4runner. We never once stated that we are purchasing a vehicle today, only to test drive. A sales representative by the name of Daniel Pasco, did his usual sales pitch and asked if we were considering a trade-in. My sister said that since we are here, let us get an appraisal for her Nissan Altima. Mr. Pasco (who periodically kept pulling his mask down, well past his nostrils – a blatant disobedience to Governor Scott’s COVID-19 mask mandate and disregard to the customers’ safety and well-being) asked to see my sister’s driver’s license. Mr. Pasco whipped out his personal phone and snapped a photo of my sister’s license. I immediately inquired about it. Mr. Pasco stated that he did indeed take a photo with his personal phone but tells me that it was uploaded to their data recording software only. This did not sit well with me because there are absolutely no safeguard measures in place, should a security breach occur in the future on Mr. Pasco’s personal phone. He claims that it is not. However, I must ask, “what proof can Mr. Pasco or Heritage Toyota, unequivocally provide to us?” This is a stressful memory that we will forever, haunt us for the rest of our lives. Mr. Pasco also asked, “Do you know who the auto loan was from?” I had replied, “Wells Fargo, sir” and nothing else. Upon returning from the test drive, Mr. Pasco presented us with a printout documentation (which I have in my possession still as proof) that contained all of my sister’s personal information as well as her financial information on the Nissan Altima such as: duration of the auto loan, monthly payments, remaining payoff balance, date of loan, payments received up to now, etc. Mr. Pasco claimed that he used a website called, “RouteOne” which works with many banks. Mr. Pasco simply inputted the VIN from the Altima and was able to pull my sister’s entire auto loan information including her personal information. My sister has never purchased a vehicle from Heritage Toyota ever. She has never explicitly given both verbal and/or written permission for him to pull her financial records. The Altima was purchased from Freedom Nissan. Heritage Toyota has no formal nor legal rights to access such private information. This was all done behind our backs as we were test driving the 4runner. I stated to Mr. Pasco, “Sir, you went behind our backs without our permission nor knowledge. Shouldn’t you be able to offer us a fair market value price for our trade-in without illegally searching up the information behind our backs.” Mr. Pasco’s response was, “oh, uh, ummm, like yeah, we can but we need to know how much you still owe on the vehicle.” As a reminder, we clearly stated to Mr. Pasco that we only want to test drive the 4runner, no sale today. If you are as confused as I am, then perhaps I am not going insane. Immediately, we terminated the interaction and politely asked to take our keys and leave. Fellow consumers, a random third party (Heritage Toyota) was able to access private and personal information from whom they had no pre-existing relationship with. The actions of Heritage Toyota were unprofessional/unsafe (disobedience to COVID-19 mask mandate), irresponsible (allowing employees to capture customers’ driver’s license using their personal phones), profit-oriented (presented us with a payoff quote upon returning from test drive when we clearly stated we only want to test drive), and despicable (went behind our backs to obtain personal and private financial information). If there were a way to lose consumer trust and confidence just like that, Heritage Toyota is the leader in the industry. We walked away feeling as if our rights and privacies were violated, as if they were non-existent. All the best, Chaz

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by CollFam2018 on 07/25/2018

Our initial contact with Derek was in November 2017, when we began looking for a new vehicle. Having had the same car for 11 years, it was difficult to make a decision on something new, and whether we wanted to lease or buy, so the search was delayed for several months. When we decided months later to go with a Toyota, we reached back out to Derek as he had been very easy to deal with when he gave us the test drive in November. Derek picked right up where we had left off, and after some phone calls and emails collecting information back and forth, I went back in for another drive of the RAV4. Derek was always pleasant and honest, and his youthful humor and energy made the process easier than expected. He never lost his cool when I was having a hard time making decisions and patiently went over my options and assured me we would get what I needed. I finally (!) drove off the lot in a new, leased, RAV4. I would highly recommend Derek Blood! He even called last month to wish my husband a happy birthday. Little things matter.

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by nbnewfie on 10/18/2017

I went to Heritage Toyota and salesman Chuck Heingartner on a co-workers recommendation. I hadn't had a new vehicle in over 13 years and wasn't sure about financing or what type of vehicle I could get. After speaking with Chuck I test drove a new Rav4 and decided to apply for financing. He got me an excellent deal. I never thought I could get a new vehicle, but between Chuck and Jim Lash in financing, they made it happen. Very courteous and straightforward. If you're looking for a salesman who will listen and do his very best for you in an honest and sincere way, I highly recommend Chuck. Probably the best experience I've ever had at a car dealership. I can't say enough about both Chuck and Jim. Ray B.

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by JenniferC on 09/11/2017

We started our search for a sienna shortly before our second daughter was born. Our rav4 was just too small for our growing family. We started off at other dealerships closer to home, but found their customer service to be less than stellar. One a whim I decided to tell my husband that when i got out of work we would take the hour+ drive up to heritage as a last ditch effort to find our new car. I had called and spoke with Marc Halliday before leaving. When we arrived Marc had vehicles ready for us to test drive, he answered all of our questions (even the silly ones) with professionalism. We chose a beautiful 2016 sienna to talk price about. Marc worked with us to find a trade in value we accepted and a price on the sienna we felt was more than fair. I loved my experience at heritage and I loved working with Marc!

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by Shugaru on 08/14/2017

Chuck Heingartner helped us find the perfect family hauler and was very considerate of our budget, our time, and our needs. He went above and beyond all expectations and turned what I assumed would be a very stressful experience into a truly exciting and enjoyable time. Chuck and the crew even saved my daughter's 6th birthday party by unlocking my car to retrieve the party supplies! My wife and I couldn't be happier with the experience and the outcome and will always appreciate what Chuck and the crew at Heritage did for us.

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by maureeni1 on 08/12/2017

Laz could not have been more accommodating to us. Every question we had was happily answered. I had a specific used car in mind and he made sure it was ready and in perfect shape. He undoubtedly makes more on a new car but he still gave us top service. He was a pleasure to work with.

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by Garthwalkervt on 07/29/2017

This is our second purchase from Heritage, making the move from another local Toyota dealership where the salesperson was less than competent and professional. Chuck is by far the epitemy of professional - his service approach is above expectation and his knowledge of the vehicle lineup is impeccable. Furthermore, Chucks after sale service is second to none.

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by Ginavt18 on 07/28/2017

Heritage Toyota is a real class act. My first interaction was with Nick McCarthy and he was amazing and patient. He sent me links of available Rav4's and we spent a good deal of time on the phone explaining options, so there were no surprises when it came to price, and answering my numerous questions. I was currently leasing a car from a competitor and Nick contacted that dealership and obtained all of that lease information so Chuck had it when I came in. He even had the car that I was interested in ready for me to test drive as soon as I arrived for my appointment. Chuck was so professional. He went over all of the options on the vehicle and was very helpful. Jim never tried to pressure us into anything. We were extremely impressed by him and the entre team. This is my first Toyota, but it will not be my last. Thank you Nick, Chuck and Jim for making this transaction so seamless.

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by mmdennis on 07/08/2017

The experience at Heritage Toyota was the best I could possibly ask for when buying my first car, all because of the help my family and I received from Chuck Heingartner. His expertise regarding Rav4's was impressive in itself, however what I was most impressed with was his complete honesty and transparency when making the sale. When I realized the time needed to finish the sale would unfortunately overlap with a work meeting, Chuck was as helpful and flexible as possible. Not only did he allow me to pause the sale and go to my meeting, but he actually picked me up from the meeting, and brought me back to the dealership! That level of service is certainly very rare, and greatly appreciated. Travis was also very helpful when finalizing the sale, and was able to explain all paperwork to me in a way that I could understand, which was also much appreciated as someone who's never bought a car before. After a long day, the help of the two of them made me feel totally comfortable with the lease of my first car. Thanks Chuck and Travis!

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by Mom2ktpx2 on 06/20/2017

I purchased a new Highlander from Heritage Toyota last October and Josh was the salesperson that I worked with. Josh and the whole team went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of and comfortable with the deal. It was a great learning experience for my 18 year old son that I brought along. I really appreciate all the care and time that Josh and the team put into making sure this was the right deal for me. I will definitely be back when the family needs a new car.

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by nopenopenope on 06/18/2017

My wife and I purchased a Highlander from this dealership and had a really good experience overall. I had already done my homework on pricing by emailing a bunch of dealerships before ever stepping foot in one. I think this probably made the whole process easier, however, my salesman Zack was not pushy at all and just really easy to deal with and knowledgable about the vehicles. My only criticism really, is that I think this dealership needs to modernize their approach to car selling. As a millennial, I don't think the car buying process needs to be something that takes several hours, because most of the waiting seems unnecessary and pointless. I have dealt with purchasing vehicles online before and the experience was entirely different and more modern. Mainly I think that this dealership needs to rework their finance department. Their finance department tries to upsell you items on the back-end and honestly, that experience just felt like a giant waste of my time and felt like my time was not being valued.

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by Sheila19 on 04/13/2017

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Shawn as he helped me narrow down the choices I had for a safe, economical and sporty car. I bought a Prius Prime and I couldn't be happier. Shawn is an excellent listener and efficient. He was great pre-sale and has been very responsive post sale. He's your guy!

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by Quonnie on 04/12/2017

We had a terrific car-buying experience with JT and the rest of the Heritage crew (sales manager and finance manager were terrific). The process was smooth, no pressure, and straightforward.

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by Jwoods45 on 03/12/2017

The representatives of this dealership are professional in there actions and presentation. They also listen to your needs rather then blow them off such as another dealership that I will not mention. The big thing that I appreciated was Chuck Heingartner finding a truck that would fit my needs well managing the budget I was on. I might not of got the truck I wanted, but Chuck made sure that I got the second best for my needs. Another one of there representatives name Beth Grady helped me find out the best options to add on to my truck that would prevent high costs down the road that could be presented and also to was professional in the way that she treated me. Beth Grady and Chuck Heingartner both treated me like a person and not a sale which is the biggest part of the car buying experience.

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by ljennings on 12/10/2016

Our family and neighbors have always come to Heritage when we're looking to buy a car. I came in and was greeted at the door by one of the sales staff, offering coffee and tea. After a few minutes we talked to Chuck, a sales rep we've gone to many times before. He was very knowledgable and a great Guy! Chuck helped me choose a car that I love. I will definitely be going back in the future. Thanks for all you do Heritage!

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by glamoureux on 03/28/2015

From beginning to end, Heritage couldn't have ruined this experience more. I test drove a car, got it priced up and came back a week later to purchase the car. During the process I noticed some discrepincies in the contract. If it wasn't for the difference of having a different interior color I wouldn't have notice it before signing the contract. After pointing out the discrepancy they told me that the other car was more money because it had more features like the moon roof and a better sound system. I told them we had already had a deal on the car and they just changed the car on me- I wanted the same car that I test drove for the price that we negotiated. After some time and speaking to the sales manager they agreed to sell me the car I test drove (the more expensive car) for the price we had originally negotiated. I signed the papers and thought I was done. 10 days later, I get a phone call saying I have the wrong car and to come back and switch. They were trying to say that I bought the lesser expensive car and they accidentally gave me the wrong car key. They had the VIN number of the lesser expensive car on the sales paperwork. This meant that I technically didn't own the car that I was driving. It also meant that I had just spent the last week and a few days driving a car that was not insured or registered. The car that I registered and insured with the VIN they put on the paperwork was sitting on the lot. I called the salesman that I worked with and he admitted that they screwed up (I had this recorded because I was having such an issue at this point). I then had to talk to the general manager again who insisted that I come down and switch cars. I explained the whole process to him and he said that I had him over a barrel and that if I was a good person I would come switch cars. I insisted that I would not be switching cars and that I was driving the car that I had agreed to purchas from them. His reply: Come down here, we'll sign the new paperwork and we'll be done with you. We'll be done with you??? What kind of service is that. Well at least I had other reputable toyota dealers to go to for my service. That would have been sufficient, except I realized a few days later that I had left a very important document in the car when I traded it in- a folder containing my father's original last will and testament. He just died a couple weeks prior to this. I called Heritage numerous times as well as the salesman. First I got a few texts back from the salesman saying that he had the day off, or that he was busy, but he'd check on it soon. More than a week later I was told that it was brought to an auto auction and they no longer had it. IF they had gotten right to it they may have still had the car in their lot. I suspect that they blew me off because they were not pleased with the new car purchase. They now won't take my calls, nor will they tell me where the car has gone. I have had absolutely no returns to my calls from either the salesman, the sales manager or the general manager about this. ALL I WANT IS TO TRACK DOWN MY FATHER'S WILL! Im glad that I know other Toyota Dealers or else I would never buy another Toyota. Heritage Toyota has forever lost my business and I will NEVER suggest them to anyone- even my worst enemy.

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by vintagemartin on 07/03/2014

When the price tags on new cars started to soar above the $20,000.00 mark, I decided to "save-up" and purchase good used cars and pray the yearly repair bills would be less than a new car payment. I had fairly good luck over the years but the last car I purchased, a 99.5 Jetta, was fairly expensive to purchase and very expensive to maintain. When I did the math, I realized.... I could be buying or leasing a car for this money! So I searched the internet for local dealers and started making phone calls. When I called Heritage Toyota I was providentially connected to Rob P. He had the quiet confidence to help me shop for the perfect car to match my needs and budget. It was as though my quest became his. Together, we determined that leasing a Scion XD would solve my problem without leaving me penniless. Everything added up and made sense. A payment that beat the repairs I had been making on my Jetta, two years of free maintenance, great gas mileage, and enough room to transport my "live concert" sound system from gig to gig. Rob was literally willing to go the extra mile with me. He helped me deliver my Jetta to the Good News Garage in Burlington's North End and get me back to Heritage Toyota where he filled my Scion's tank with gas for my trip back home. I have been involved with "new" car purchases for myself and various family members since the mid 60's and the first thing on the to-do list was always to fill the tank with gas before you got too far from the dealership. In fact, some salesmen would even remind you to do so to prevent you from getting stranded. Yes!.... When it comes time to look for another vehicle I will be calling Rob. Respectfully submitted by, Peter Guihan

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by ZaraW on 04/14/2014

Tonja helped me find exactly what I was looking for when I came to Heritage in December. She listened to my needs and helped me find exactly what I was looking for within my budget. I ended up with a great used 2009 Toyota Matrix. I would absolutely purchase another vehicle from Tonja at Toyota again.

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by shanac157 on 02/12/2014

My overall experience was very good, until I found out that I was deceived about some of the options in my toyota tacoma. I was told that I would be able to utilize the weather and traffic apps in my 2014 tacoma, but it turns out these apps don't work in VT. There is no external temperature gauge, so I have no idea what the temp is outside. Not only was I told that I would have these apps available to me, but I also was not told that there is no outside temp gauge. Besides that, my experience was great and if not for that, I would have written a very good review.

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by mattncolleen on 12/01/2013

Caitlin was great! She was very attentive. Heritage had the vehicle I was looking to purchase (a used Odyssey) and she had me come in to look at it, when it was convenient for me even though she was not working that day. I was able to look at that car as well as a few other cars for comparisons. I never felt pressured toward a new Toyota or a used car, or that I should "make a purchase today!" or any other tricks. She was pleasant and professional and I have recommended her and Heritage to other friends who are looking to buy a car.

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