Toyota of Lompoc

by chefstephen on 11/25/2015

[non-permissible content removed] everyone at this dealership is not to be trusted. I recently purchased a 2016 Tacoma from Lompoc Toyota, and while I love the truck it was the worst car buying experience ever. It started in August when I when I began searching for a new work truck to replace my 92 toyota pickup. After looking at Toyotas website I was contacted by Lompoc Toyota, they seemed nice and helpful and since there the closet dealership to me I drove over to talk about ordering my new truck. I am picky about my vehicles and I know considering the Tacoma’s popularity ordering a vehicle would be the only way to get what I wanted. I 4x4 access cab with the I4 and a 5speed transmission. So on to the first problem in the process of buying my truck, David the salesman who contacted me after building my truck on Toyotas website; meet me with a smile as I stepped onto the lot. He was slightly discouraged by my non willingness to even consider one of the Tacoma’s on the lot but I insisted I wanted what I wanted and nothing less would be acceptable. Once he realized he wouldn’t be earning the commission that day but I was serious about ordering a custom truck he took me into the office to discuss what I wanted. I explained this would be a work vehicle and I wanted as base of a vehicle I could get, the color was not important seeing as he only gave me 3 choices, gray white and silver, any of which would do. To me the important thing was 4x4 4cylinder 5speed access cab. He rattled off the list of options and 1 by 1 I said no to everything then he said well you have to order the access cab with the convince package if you want seat in the back. This sounded strange to me and should have thrown up a red flag, but David was nice and patient so I believed him. Mistake 1 this was a complete bold face lie as I learned later on from Toyota of Santa Maria. So I put down $1000 dollars to order my vehicle which would take at least a month and a half to get as the 2016 weren’t set to begin production for 3 more weeks, but I was fine with that I had my trusty old 92 pickup to keep me working. So a month passes as I eagerly await my trucks arrival, I contact David to see if he has any word on whether or not my truck would be in that month, he told me he would find out in 2 weeks if the truck would come in the first shipment of 2016’s or if I’d have to wait another month for the second shipment. I told him no rush just keep me in the loop so I can put my 92 up for sale once we have and arrival date. No problem David told me, so 2 weeks pass and I drive by the dealership on my way to a job and see a 2016 Tacoma on the lot so I decide on my way home later that day to drop in and see if they knew when my truck would be in. David was not there but the sales manager Ted Kemmet told me David was supposed to call me earlier that day, which he had not (or if he had he hadn’t left me a message) and let me know my truck didn’t come in but they had arranged to trade a vehicle with another local dealership who had gotten the model truck I ordered so my truck would in fact be there in about 2 weeks. Fast forward a week and a half, I receive a text from David stating my truck was on the lot and ready for me to come pickup. I replied and told him I could rush out of work a little early to make it to the dealership before close, but he replied and said he was off work for the day and in class. I told him I could go into work early the next day to be off just in time to make it to the dealership before closing otherwise he’d have to wait until I got back from a trip I was leaving on the following day. He said he would make arrangements for him and the finance person to stay late and take care of things for me before I left town. So the next day I got up early and rushed off to a long day at work finishing up projects before I left on vacation. I finished up just in time to get to the dealership 20 minutes before closing, only to find David busy helping another customer. The sales manager Ted came out of the office and said why don’t you take the truck for a spin I’m sure David will be finished soon. I told Ted I’d rather start the credit app because I needed to get home to pack for my trip, he said sure and commented that I looked exhausted as we walked into the office. I explained it had been a long week getting ready to go on vacation. I finished the credit app and David was still busy so I told Ted that my wife and I were going to take the truck for a spin while he drew up the paperwork. When we pulled back into the dealership David was done with the other customers and waiting in the office. We said hello and sat down, he then handed me the contract to review. I asked him why the payment amount was nearly $50 a month more than he had quoted me when I ordered the vehicle even though they had secured me an APR .6% lower than he estimated at the time of order. Turns out it was because of the $2100 extended warranty they had added to the contract without so much as asking if I was interested in it, once I was provided documentation on the warranty I decided to purchases it. (Second red flag I didn’t pay attention too, shady sales tactics) So I signed the contract and signed a check and the deal was done and I drove home happy. So the next day I leave on my trip. A week later I arrive home while sitting at AAA with my insurance agent I read over the window sticker carefully for the first time (it had been folded up and put in the glove box of the truck by the sales man with my owner’s manuals) and I’m shocked to see that there are $889 worth of options installed on the truck I had refused at the time I ordered the truck. As well as a standard equipment option listed on the window sticker that was not installed on the truck. I finished getting the truck insured and went home and first thing sat down and wrote an email to Larry Buchannon the dealerships customer service manager to ask him why I was not informed that the truck they had acquired for me had almost $1000 dollars’ worth of added features I had declined when ordering and why neither the sales manager or the sales person took the time to say the truck we got you isn’t exactly what you ordered it has… But Larry never bothered to answer my email, so next I text David the salesman with the same question, again no response, and I’m starting to get rather upset. Not only did I fall for a bait and switch by [non-permissible content removed] now they won’t contact me even though the truck they sold me even though it was missing an option the window sticker stated it had. So after another day without response from the customer service rep or the salesman I emailed the sales manager Ted. He’s response came fast and simple as if he was waiting to hear from me. He simply said it was not there job to tell me the truck wasn’t the exactly what I had ordered and I should have looked at the window sticker closer before signing the contract. Completely ignoring my major complaint that the truck was missing an option I had paid for. It took a number of emails for him to finally address the missing option and he stated the inaccurate window sticker was not their fault or responsibility, and I had to take it up with the Toyota USA, and he would do nothing else to assist me.

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