tl;dr
I had an extremely negative experience working - hknipp
tl;dr
I had an extremely negative experience working with sales at Toyota of Slidell. I would not recommend this dealership to anyone due to the lack of transparency and dishonesty throughout the process.
Full Story
I reached out inquiring about a 2022 Rav-4 Hybrid. I spoke with a salesperson via text, explaining I had a baby at home and could not come in. She said that she could discuss vehicle information and pricing via text. I asked if they had an LE. I was told no, they had two SEs and an XLE that would be available in three weeks. I asked for the final price for the XLE and then the “out the door” price with all taxes and fees included. I was told the fees would total $3,759.15. I countered the "out the door" price with a lower price and was told that my price range would be better suited for an LE. Having originally asked for an LE, I asked if they had one. I was told they could order a blue one that would be ready in 3 weeks (the same timeline for the XLE – yet that was never mentioned to me when I was specifically inquiring about an LE!). This is where I should have walked away, as it was clear here that this dealership was not interested in being transparent. By this time, it was Friday evening and I decided to take a break for a few days.
On Monday, I texted back asking for the final price for the LE. First, they told me they did not have one available. I sent them the screenshot saying they could get me one in three weeks from our conversation on Friday and then they told me they did have one available after all, but in white. I did not care at all about color, which I told them several times. I asked the price and “out the door” price for the LE. I was told the taxes and fees would total $3,790. This $30 more than the fees for the XLE. The LE was about $3,000 cheaper and the fees should have been less, not more, as taxes would been less. When I asked why the fees were $30 more, the salesperson vehemently claimed that I was incorrect (I was not – I recalculated many, many times). The manager then started calling my phone and both insisted I needed to come in. Clearly, they did not want to keep putting these things in writing where I could easily double-check their math and keep a record of their own quotes.
Eventually, the salesperson told me that this price included “state fees/documentation” that was never mentioned in the “out of door” price for the XLE. I offered to pay for the asking price of the car, the relevant taxes, plus only the fees I was originally told about and was told no. The difference was only $378.25. They stated they could not lower the price because they were unable to “negotiate with the state of Louisiana.” I pointed out that the $425 doc fee was not to the state of Louisiana and they said it was their “notary service changes” and “non-negotiable.” Clearly, they were willing to lose my business rather than admit they had randomly increased the fees when I inquired about the LE. It is really sad to think I would have a car and they would have had a sale if they would have just budged on this $30 in the beginning when I first pointed out the discrepancy in charges. However, by continually doubling down on the discrepancy and pulling out more hidden fees, they lost my business forever.
At this point, I was fed up and walked away from the deal. It was never about the price difference; it was about the dishonest business practices that lacked transparency. If they were willing to be so manipulative this early in the process, I had no faith that they would not try to insert more hidden fees as I progressed through the process. I refuse to invest my time and money into a shady business. If you want to work with an honest, upfront dealership, this is NOT the place to go. I would be happy to pay another dealership MORE money for the same car if I was treated with respect and honesty.
Read More