Carver Toyota of Columbus — Local services in Taylorsville

To whom it may concern. I want to voice my disappointment in a situation that my mom (Ann Kinderman) – a long time customer of Carver Toyota- and I had over the past year.

Back in January 2024, my mom brought her 2019 Toyota Sienna in for service and asked about getting the drivers side mirror replace because she had damaged it. She never had to deal with any car repairs before because my dad always took care of all those things – he passed away December 2023. One of the team members in the service department looked up the part, told her the cost (in hindsight it was WAY less than the correct price of the part) but said it was back ordered. My mom was under the impression that an order had been placed for the mirror. She called about it numerous times inquiring – only to be told it was on back order. I brought my car in for service (2016 Camry) several times and also inquired about the mirror at those times. It was a driving hazard not having side mirror especially since we take a lot of road trips. I was also told it “was on back order”. My mom passed away January 2024. After that, I again called to inquire about the mirror ONLY THEN to find out it was NEVER ORDERED. I was so angry. Had she been told we specifically had to place an order in the Parts department, she would have done that. That way we could have been put on the “waiting list” so that when Toyota distributed the parts to those dealerships that needed them, we could have gotten one! It was then that I ordered one and made an appointment for 1/23/25 to have the mirror put on.

1/23/25 I arrived for my appointment, waited 90 minutes, only to be told that the mirror that was ordered was the WRONG ONE! It was at that time I ordered the correct one – also more costly – and was put on the “waiting list” to get one. Constantly told that it was on backorder with no receive date available.

When I inquired at another dealership in Illinois on February 19th, 2025 (I happen to have a friend that works there) he could not believe I was still waiting for a mirror after all these months. It was the wonderful person at that Parts department in Illinois that found a mirror for the Sienna in a different color, ordered it, got it covered to match the van and mailed it to me for all for $50 cheaper than what I had paid Carver.

I just don’t understand how, after my mom and I inquiring monthly (sometimes more often) by phone or in person (when we would come in for servicing both our vehicles) that we were NEVER told that the mirror was not on order and that we would have to do that. My mom was 78, had just lost the love of her life – the person who took care of all of these things – and for 12 months of inquiring was NEVER told that “oh – you need to ORDER the mirror so we can get you on the waiting list since it is on back order”. NEVER ONCE were we even offered some other sort of option – like getting a different color and getting it painted – or even leaving it a different color. All we wanted...

I had a disappointing experience. I liked the customer service representative and she was very friendly. However, I wish that she had been more knowledgeable. In addition to a lube & oil change with a tire rotation, she recommended a coolant replacement, which I agreed to. I told her that I needed to get back to work before lunch, but she assured me that the work could be completed by 11 or 11:30 am (I had brought my truck in for service before 8 am). A little after 9 am, the technician also recommended that I replace the front brake pads and rotors. I was hesitant to agree to this, but she assured me that the work would just add an extra hour. They were extremely busy, so I started to get nervous at about 11:30 am. I told her that I needed to teach a class at 1:30 pm and that I needed to make some copies for my students. She let me use the office copier, so that saved me some time. However, I didn't get my truck back until 12:30 pm. The service manager then informed me that there had been an "accident" and that someone backed my truck into another vehicle, causing some dents in my bumper. They said that they would replace my bumper free of charge, but that I would need to schedule another visit after they ordered the part to replace my bumper! On top of that, I was in a hurry and realized I would need to skip lunch. I started to leave, but when I tried to pull out onto the highway, I hit my brake pedal and the pedal went almost to the floor! I had trouble getting my truck stopped! I turned around and took my truck back to the service center. The service manager told me that I would need to leave my truck there, since he suspected that there was air in my brake lines! The customer service representative offered to let me have a loaner vehicle, which I quickly agreed to. They later sent someone to bring my truck back to my work and get the loaner vehicle. After I got home from work, I noticed that the service technician had left off the on-board diagnostic II (OBD II) cover in my cupholder and didn't even put an oil service sticker on my windshield! I also thought that my bill was fairly exorbitant for the service that I received. What a day! I even tried to call the dealership later that day before they closed. I had a good conversation with a woman who assured me that her manager would contact me before they closed, or the next day (a Saturday). Her manager never did attempt to contact me. Overall, I was extremely disappointed with my experience at...

I made my first visit to Carver Toyota and my first purchase from them today, and I could not be more satisfied!

While I have been planning to get a new car and doing some research to prepare, I definitely did not wake up today planning to buy. However, circumstances deemed that today was in fact the day I had to. I live in Indianapolis but chose to take a chance on driving down to Columbus because, throughout my prep work, Carver consistently had the vehicles I was most interested in and the prices I was most willing to pay. So, I called ahead to make sure the vehicle I saw online was still available and spoke with Shea. He was super friendly and reassuring. When I arrived at the dealership later in the afternoon, he greeted me and remembered not just the phone call but my name too. He had even pulled the car I wanted up front.

In a matter of moments, I was in the car taking it for a test drive. It was a very laid back experience and I didn’t feel any kind of pressure or apprehension. Even when we transitioned to the business end of the deal, Shea remained very friendly and kept me at ease. Every step of the way, he kept me up to date and was very transparent about the process. As only my second time purchasing a vehicle, this was greatly appreciated.

I also want to shout out to Mike in finance. Too often the finance people get left out of reviews. But, to me, the finance folks can often make or break a pleasant sale experience. Mike was also very transparent and easy going. He presented several options for financing and packages but he did not try to force me to pick the most expensive option and was willing to talk through it all with me. Ultimately, I landed on a middlegound. I got more than I anticipated but not so much that it was blowing my budget. Truthfully, I was very surprised by the perks Toyota offers for so little money.

All told, the process too about 2 and a half hours. Not bad at all. I never felt bored or out of the loop. It was overall a very engaging experience.

I left the lot with a Toyota Highlander Hybrid I absolutely love and they even accepted my trade in that I thought for sure they were going to direct me to take to the junk yard. Thanks so much for a great experience, Shea and Mike! You’ll be seeing me and my husband soon to get...