Toyota Escondido — Local services in Escondido

On Wednesday, April 2nd, I went to Toyota of Escondido with the intention of purchasing a car. They were the first Toyota dealership I visited, and my overall experience was not good. The sales people I interacted seemed friendly, but that’s just sales people being sales people. Friendly, but deceptive, opportunistic, and honestly, engaging in fraudulent practices.

Going into this dealership, I knew what car I wanted down to the trim, color, and accessories/packages. I knew around how much it would cost with taxes and fees included. I did my research of which matching cars were in stock at the various dealerships, which were in transit, and which were in building phase.

First, they had trouble finding me the car I wanted at any phase. They told me I would have to settle with letting go of either the trim, color, or certain accessories; I couldn’t have all 3 (not true).

Second, they left no room for negotiation, their sticker prices are surcharged when other Toyota dealerships in my area are not, and they added other mysterious miscellaneous charges during the closing process. They were firm on their prices even though their sticker prices were $2-4k more than other dealerships for nearly identical cars. And the out the door price they gave me was $6-8k more than other dealerships. They wouldn’t let me take home the price breakdown or even let me look at it for an adequate amount of time before pressuring me to make a decision. I’m assuming they added other charges they didn’t want me to see.

Third, they used the tariffs as an excuse to pressure people to buy now, telling me the next shipment of cars are going have the increased sticker prices. They also, used that as an excuse to not budge on their prices. Normally, I would accept this excuse, but Toyota specifically said they would not raise prices due to the tariffs. So they were straight up lying to get people to buy their overpriced cars.

Lastly, I came in with my own financing. I specifically told this to each person I worked with and that I did not want my credit pulled. The first lady said it would only be a soft inquiry, which I would have been agreeable to. But this was a lie. The second guy told me a hard inquiry was mandatory. I told him I still did not want my credit pulled, and he pressured me to sign the consent for a hard inquiry, citing security reasons and that it was mandatory if I wanted to buy a car, which was not true. They used my credit to see if they could offer me a better interest rate. They had me sign that form under false pretenses, which is not only lying, it’s fraudulent. I tried to get them to rescind the inquiry (it’s possible), but no reply. They’re lucky I don’t have enough money to bring a civil suit, otherwise I’d sue.

There were many other little things that pissed me off, but these were the main things.

I understand sales tactics and all dealerships use them, but to continually push despite being told no numerous times and using straight up lies and fraud to try to make the sale and have people use their financing doesn’t sit right with me.

I’ve had better experiences with Toyota of Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Poway, Kearny Mesa, and a few others not in San Diego County.

I will no longer do business with this dealership; not even for maintenance on my new or old Toyota vehicles. And, I firmly do not recommend this Toyota Dealership. Certainly not to my friends...

Title: Extremely Disappointing Service Experience at Toyota of Escondido

I recently visited Toyota of Escondido with the intention of getting an oil change and having my brakes replaced. Unfortunately, my experience at the dealership left much to be desired, and I feel compelled to share my disappointment.

Upon arriving, I was greeted by Mae, who was friendly and attentive. I explained my service needs to her, and she promptly fetched my previous service advisor, Chris. However, from the moment Chris approached me, his attitude was far from accommodating.

Chris expressed surprise at seeing me again for the same issue, which immediately made me feel unwelcome. I reiterated my request for an oil change, explaining that I had waited 10,000 miles to get it done instead of the recommended 5,000 miles per my previous visits to the dealership. Additionally, I expressed concerns about the persistent squeaking of my brakes and my desire to have them replaced for safety reasons.

To my disappointment, Chris outright refused my request and instead pushed for a diagnostic check. This response was not only unhelpful but also dismissive of my concerns. As a customer, I expected to be listened to and have my service needs addressed, but Chris seemed more interested in deflecting my requests rather than providing a satisfactory solution.

After an hour or so of waiting, I received a call from Chris, informing me about the results of the brake inspection. To my surprise, he stated that the brakes were still "good" and did not require replacement. His suggestion to turn my music up if the squeaking bothered me was both unprofessional and dismissive of my legitimate safety concerns.

Furthermore, Chris informed me that the technician had discovered a leak in my water pump that needed immediate replacement. He assured me that he would send a text message to authorize the repair, which would take an additional couple of hours. At this point, I was already expecting a total wait time of around 5 hours for an oil change and brake replacement.

To my dismay, I ended up spending a total of 8 hours waiting at the dealership for a simple oil change and water pump replacement. Throughout this extended waiting period, Chris failed to provide me with any updates on the progress of the repairs. It was only after I made two phone calls to inquire about the status that he finally returned my calls and provided minimal information.

The lack of communication and transparency from Chris was incredibly frustrating and added to the overall disappointment of my service experience. As a customer, I should have been kept informed about the status of my vehicle and the reasons behind the extended wait time. Unfortunately, it seemed that Chris had little regard for my time and convenience.

In conclusion, not only did I endure an excessive wait time for routine maintenance, but I also had to contend with a dismissive attitude towards my concerns and a lack of communication from Chris. This experience at Toyota of Escondido fell short of the expectations I had for a reputable dealership. I sincerely hope that the management takes note of these issues and implements measures to improve their service quality, customer communication, and...

I am certainly not qualified to claim this, but Sid at the Toyota of Escondido wins not one, but two awards... at least in my book!

The first award is for The Most Non Pushy Car Salesman Ever! I was on a hot hunt for a 2014 Toyota Yaris, all the while taking a Street Law class at a local community college. Instead of Sid trying to wheel and deal me, I ended up hounding Sid with questions, as to which he had an answer to most of them, and pointed me in the right direction for the questions he didn't have an immediate answer. When I pulled up to the used car lot with a red 2014 Toyota Yaris with 250,000 miles on it, I think Sid became very aware that he did not need to "sell" me the similar car on his lot, but the car was going to sell itself. My old red Yaris was one very long advertisement for the next Yaris... with 200,000 miles shaved off of its lifespan! Sid also gave me a long leash with the car, and allowed me to test drive the Yaris by myself, while Sid was appraising my old red Yaris. I was flattered by this good, old-fashioned trust exercise.

The second award Sid deserves is The Most Honest Used Car Salesman Ever! What an oxymoron! An "honest used car salesman" is such an impossibility! Well, look no further. I found one! What an endangered species of human being! My three previous situations with Toyota dealerships over my used car purchases were very uncomfortable and unsettling, riddled with aggressive sales people, who some apparently couldn't do basic math to calculate a legit total for the prospective car. Sid talked straight up from the very beginning to the very end of our initial survey and test drive of the Yaris, to the final mound of paperwork of the car. His closer, Lee, was honest and a clear communicator as well. Sid also treated my parents with immense respect, which meant a lot to me. Sid gave me a great deal of space to direct the conversation, and he was so straight up with all his answers that I lost any wind to haggle with him the price of this Toyota Yaris! Especially when he offered me $1500 to trade in my old, 250,000 mile red Yaris! Furthermore, the offer for the car was lower than most Yarises on the market, so I really felt like I had no will to bargain.

In all of my used car dealings, this was the first time I visited a Toyota dealership without a sinking feeling in my gut, sensing that I was going to get royally screwed. Instead, Sid treated me and my whims with patience; and he made this huge life decision with me and my family a very smooth and pleasant experience. Totally unheard of for a used car dealership!

Sid blessed my new used Yaris with good juju,  which helps me feel safe and happy driving on the road with a much younger version of my trusty red Yaris! A big thank you to Sid and supporting staff at the Toyota of Escondido for helping me embark upon the next leg of my journey on the road... with a...