Hello all

My husband and I just bought a used Venza on Sat April 7 2013. We purposely sought out a Toyota dealership to make this purchase as Toyota always advertise purchase from a Toyota dealership.
On the 11th we picked up our vehicle and my husband noticed that it only had snow tires on it. We mention this to our sales Representative and informed him we were not aware of this on the Sat. Before singing off and handing over our $6000.00 down payment we had him document this on our purchase agreement. My husband was instructed to contact the sales manager of the used car department the following day.
This is where this whole process took a nose dive. The sales manager in my opinion was completely unprofessional. His comment to my husband was and I quote.... Buyer beware ! What??? He went on to inform my husband that he checked with your other owned Toyota lots and they all told him he was not obligated to provided all season tires on any vehicle they sell. My husband pointed out to him that no where in the vehicle specs did it mention snow tires nor when we were handed the 1 year full warranty on tires did it mention snow tires and as previously said we clearly stated on the night of making our deposit that the purchase was dependent on all seasons tires. Thank goodness we had our sales representative document this because as the manager so clearly and harshly pointed out this was the only reason why there were going to replace the snow tires with all seasons. Ironically on the day of purchase our sales man made a point of asking us to refer friends and family. Hmmm!! so far its not looking to good....Buyer beware

Kim Moors

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Winter tires
  

  Thank you for taking the time to provide your comments. When you purchased your Venza they had winter tires on them as the those were the tires on the vehicle when we purchased them. If we had purchased all season tires, the price of your vehicle would have been higher. As this is a used vehicle the specifications you are referring to are based on the individual vehicle. To reinforce this point, I would explain that we do not indicate the number of stone chips on the hood of each used vehicle (if there are any).
  
  The one year tire AND rim hazard warranty on your vehicle covers any tires and rims you choose to put on the vehicle. That means if you have both all season and winter tires for the vehicle, both would be covered. This was provided to you at no charge. It is one of the benefits of purchasing a used vehicle from our store.
  
  What this comes down to is a miscommunication or lack of communication by your sales representative, which is very unfortunate.
  
  Upper James Toyota is a family owned and operated business and we are very active in our community. Our reputation means everything to me (and all of our team members). I assure you we will make things right. You will receive a call early next week from our General Manager, Tony Palumbo. I hope you will feel things are taken care of to your satisfaction and consider taking another moment to provide your feedback again on this site.
  
  Thank you for choosing Upper James Toyota.
  
  We live to serve.
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  VP Operations
  ipinassi@parkwaymotors.ca

• By:	KIMMOORS2009

  Snow tires
  

  I appreciate your quick response but I am getting the feeling that you missed my point.
  
  First let me re-state that the issue was with your Sales Managers response. The BUYER BEWARE comment does not leave one with a warm fuzzy feeling....24hrs had not even passed since purchasing our vehicle.
  
  Secondly we selected the car on a Saturday and your Sales manager acknowledged that a walk around was not preformed.
  
  Our sales man was very professional but I am getting the impression that he's being targeted. Again let me state it was the attitude and response of the SALES MANAGER that made this purchasing process unpleasant.
  
  We selected a Toyota dealership because we wanted peace of mind....not a buyer's beware philosophy. Toyota it's self advertises this
  
  "A Toyota Certified Used Vehicle is, first and foremost, a Toyota. From a meticulous 127-point inspection to a free tank of gas, a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle will provide you with unrivaled peace of mind and years of satisfaction."
  
  My husband and I do respect the fact that you will be replacing the snow tires...but again we did get this in writing prior to making a total deposit and although it has been a cold spring we did not purchase this vehicle in the winter.
  
  Over the past several days I have contacted several other Toyota dealerships in the G.T.A and so far all have stated that "all seasons" are standard practice and in the event that they were not included the costumer would be informed up front!!!! Especially considering it is no longer the winter.
  
  We are not being unreasonable and we don't expect brand new tires, just a decent set of all seasons that are certifiable in exchange for the snow tires. My suggestion is that instead of your manager taking a CONFRONTATIONAL,BUYER BEWARE approach he should have discussed this matter in a way that was respectful towards the customer.
  
  Regards
  Kim Moors
  
  And for the record paint chips although not pretty will not effect a vehicles safety or performance when driving in the summer.....snow tires will!!!!
  
  
  

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Thank you
  

  Mrs. Moors,
  
  Thank you for taking the time to further explain your position. You are right, I did misunderstand the primary concern of your original post. I am sorry for my misunderstanding. By the end of the day today, you should hear from our General Manager who will reach out to you in order to make things right. I do hope this provides satisfactory resolution and put us back on the road of being able to earn your trust.
  
  I also want to apologize for the reaction you indicated you received from our Used Vehicle Sales Manager. While I can't account for his reaction to your concern, I can state with certainty that his client satisfaction scores are often very high so I do hope you'll give us another chance.
  
  Do feel free to reach out to me personally, should you require any further assistance as we're a family owned and operated dealership and I take great pride ensuring client satisfaction.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  VP Operations
  ipinassi@parkwaymotors.ca

• By:

  TPALUMBO

  T. PALUMBO
  

  I am pleased that as of April 15, 2013 we were able to satisfy the Moors by offering a set of all season tires in exchange for the snows.
  A thank you to the Moors for their patience and we hope we have earned a repeat customer.
  
  Tony Palumbo
  General Manager

I bought a 2012 Highlander, 2 months later my wipers (front and back)don't wipe good anymore and their making streaks on the glass. So I called service and they told me they will replace it for me free on my first oil change, now finally when I go for the oil change at Upper James Toyota. And I told them about my wipers not wiping good and that their making streaks and after they changed the one wiper they charged me $17.83! And I thought it was free because it was a new car. Also if I were to buy a wiper at Walmart they would let me exchange or refund my purchase so much for good service when you spend $50.000 on a brand new Toyota Highlander.

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Give us a chance
  

  Dear unhappy,
  
  Upper James Toyota is a family owned and operated dealership. For this reaons, I'm writing to you personally and encourage you to contact me, Ilya Pinassi, General Manager and VP Operations, through our switchboard at 905-387-9287. This will allow us to discuss your concern.
  
  I don't know when you purchased your vehicle, but it is not uncommon for people to experience streaking from their blades shortly after the first frost. This is because many of us pull the blades up as we hurry to get our kids off to school or rush to work. Pulling the blades off the wikndshield before they've had a chance to warm can result in tearing.
  
  If someone told you we would take care of replacement blades at no charge to you, I'm happy to honour that after we speak. As for WalMart, they don't exchange blades that have been on a vehicle and they are not family owned and operated. Your experience matters to me and to our team.
  
  Please allow me to make things right and give me a ring.
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  VP Operations
  Upper James Toyota
  

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Give us a chance
  

  Dear unhappy,
  
  Upper James Toyota is a family owned and operated dealership. For this reaons, I'm writing to you personally and encourage you to contact me, Ilya Pinassi, General Manager and VP Operations, through our switchboard at 905-387-9287. This will allow us to discuss your concern.
  
  I don't know when you purchased your vehicle, but it is not uncommon for people to experience streaking from their blades shortly after the first frost. This is because many of us pull the blades up as we hurry to get our kids off to school or rush to work. Pulling the blades off the wikndshield before they've had a chance to warm can result in tearing.
  
  If someone told you we would take care of replacement blades at no charge to you, I'm happy to honour that after we speak. As for WalMart, they don't exchange blades that have been on a vehicle and they are not family owned and operated. Your experience matters to me and to our team.
  
  Please allow me to make things right and give me a ring.
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  VP Operations
  Upper James Toyota
  

What a nice experience I had during my recent purchase in this dealer!, that's why I would like to say "Thank You" to all the team's members at Upper James Toyota who helped me during this process, especially Ryan Hymers. In a very receptive manner he recognized my interests, and He was very cooperative and polite throughout the entire process. I encourage all interested parties who are looking for a car to visit this dealer. And I will return there to service my car in the future. Those people are amazing, keep going guys!!!

We had great service at Upper James Toyota. We have been loyal Heffner Toyota customers and found what we were looking for at Upper James. The service was fantastic and our sales rep was very personable and great at providing us with the information we needed. Will definitely do business there again.

After going to a number of dealesrs(Ford, Honda Hynd) and getting very little help to buy a new car I went to Toyota on up James.
the people bend over backwards to help me get a new car.
It was really fun and smooth and I drove off in a new car.
How easy is that

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Thank you
  

  Stevenok - Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your positive feedback. Please remember that we're here to help you with the servicing of your vehicle as well. We are here to serve so don't hesitate to give us a ring with any questions or concerns.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  VP Operations

My husband and I were in the market for a used SUV and had visited quite a few dealerships. After a week of narrowing down our choices we decided to visit the Upper James Toyota Used Car Department and view their inventory of used SUVs. We were met outside by Jason Mladen who caught me off guard. I was prepared for the typical sales approach but he was very easy to talk to, courteous and genuinely friendly.

We spoke briefly about what our requirements were and he selected the vehicle that in his opinion best suited our needs. While out on our test drive, my husband and I agreed that his choice was perfect.

A few days later we picked up our new RAV4!! Our experience at this dealership was smooth and easy! We would definitely refer Jason Mladen and Upper James Toyota to our friends and family!!

I took my 2010 Rav4 to U.James Toyota because my navigation/stereo system quit working. All but the parts dept girl treated me poorly, insinuating that I had caused the problem. Was told they would call me later that day but finally called me 2 weeks later & told me that my nav disc caused the problem, & quoted me $900 for a new system. During the 2 weeks, I had already visited Ancaster Toyota who diagnosed a faulty disc, ordered me a new one & problem was solved quite quickly.

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Thanks for the comments, but I think there was a misunderstanding
  

  Hi, this note is from Ilya Pinassi, VP Operations.
  
  We remember your case well as the Rav4 which you had purchased from an independant used car lot had a NAV disc which was not an official Toyota disc. For this reason we were uncomfortable trying to make a fradulent warranty claim on your behalf. In the end, we were willing to purchase the disc for you, but you didn't return our calls.
  
  I hope you will give us another chance and let us try to make things right. Thank you for sharing your comments.
  
  And remember, you're always able to contact me directly to discuss any concerns you may have. You can reach me at 905-387-9287. I hope you enjoy your Rav4!

• By:

  DMR

  Please get your facts straight
  

  Return your calls? I only received one call from your facility & that was 3 weeks after I'd been in, even tho your service manager promised me a call the very next day. When I finally did get a call, not from him by the way, I was told my disc had corrupted my system & my only option was to replace the entire system for $900 plus labor. I was not asking anyone to make a "fraudulent warranty claim on my behalf", I simply came to Upper James toyota for help, which I clearly did not receive. I still have the same system & its working perfectly, thanks to Ancaster Toyota

Went there for an oil change and ended up with a $475 bill for a brake job on a 3 year old corolla with less than 5,000 kms. Independent mechanic said it was a money grab. Work was done that did not need to be done and the customer was told it had to be done.

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Let Me Makes Things Right!
  

  Dear Unhappyupjms
  
  I would be happy to review the repair order with you and our service manager to make sure the work that was called for on your vehicle was correct and needed. I'm the General Manager of Upper James Toyota, Ilya Pinassi. Call me at 905-387-9287.

• By:	UNHAPPYUPJMS

  I have already spoken to you and you failed to resolve the matter.

Bad customer service. Brought my vehicle in 3 times and they told me the problem was fixed but my Corolla kept dying on me. The one good thing I can say is that the GM is the only person who seems to have a good head on his shoulders. He was very respectful towards my concerns but everyone else was very rude.

• By:

  ILYA

  What can I do?
  

  I'm not sure who this is, but we would love the opprotunity to make things right. In order to do so, I ask you to call Ilya Pinassi at 905-387-9287.

Had awesome experiences with the Service Dept ever since my first car from Upper James Toyota in 2003. Parking can sometimes be tight, but I noticed on my last trip they opened up parking on the North side of the building. The people have always been friendly and I've never had a complaint about the work on our vehicles. My wife and I would never take our vehicle anywhere else.

• By:

  IPINASSI

  Thank you! Thank you!
  

  Dear Non-Member,
  
  Thank you for your kind words. Hope the increased parking has made things more convenient for you and I hope you continue to enjoy Upper James Toyota.
  

Definitely not a place to visit to purchase a new car! I first purchased a 2008 Matrix in 2007 and they over charged me for tinted windows (don't ever pay more than $499!!!) and they "increased" the price on my extended warranty plan! Was not a great deal!
Furthermore, my 2008 Matrix broke down on the highway almost causing a major accident! After having it towed in to the service department- I was informed "we can't reproduce the problem" (they even expected ME to pay for the rental car that they put me up in!). That same night of having my "problem-free" car returned to me- it broke down AGAIN! and I was almost involved in another accident. I brought it back to Upper James Service Department-they stated they fixed it, but the problems were still on-going! It wasn't until I brought it to another dealership that I discovered that Upper James did nothing to fix it and left my safety at risk! The General Manager needs a lesson or two in how to treat his customers! Two thumbs down!!! It's worth it, both financially and for safety reasons to visit another Toyota dealership!

• By:

  ILYA

  At Least Two Sides to Every Experience
  

  Upper James Toyota is a family owned and operated business that takes pride in our ability to provide exemplary customer service. I take issue with a nameless posting providing little specifics, but that is not the reason for my comments.
  
  I invite the individual who posted the review above to contact me directly so I may be better appraised of what happened. Let me make things right.
  
  Ilya Pinassi
  General Manager
  Family Member
  Upper James Toyota

• By:

  JENNIFER

  seems like good customer service to me..