Someone Please Help With SET & Local Dealer Nightmare!

[sanityassassinv2]

Does anyone have an inside contact with someone in Customer Relations at SET? I have issues that I have tried to resolve with Toyota and my local dealer to no avail. I have been trying to speak to someone at SET for over a week now—whenever I call they transfer me to someone's voicemail (Jill Rheinhart, I think) and I never get a call back.

Although I love my car (and all the other Toyota's I have purchased in the past), the recent delivery of my 2008 Yaris Liftback has left a sour taste in my mouth. Here is the laundry list of my recent bad experience.

When I approached the dealership a few months ago with interest in purchasing a Yaris, they tried to get a $500 deposit for a "special order" from me. After some talking I found out that there was really no such thing, they said they could only make a request to receive a car after it comes into port. At this point, I told them that if they can find a car I am interested in, I will give them a deposit.

About a month later, the salesman called me with a car he found. I came in, signed the paperwork, gave him the money, and was told that the car would be transported from the other dealer the next day. The next day when I arrived at the dealer, I was informed that the car had been sold to someone else even though I was told the car was mine and I had signed the paperwork for having the car transferred to my dealer.

They kept my deposit and another month went by. I ended up researching incoming vehicles myself and gave the dealer the VIN # of the car I wanted—the only factory option installed on the car were the fog lights. I specified some additional SET options I wanted installed on the car (interior lights, stereo, splashguards, mats, exhaust tip, and electrochromic mirror) and received an email from the dealer confirming these options and the price. The day the vehicle was to arrive, I signed all the paperwork, finalized the loan, had a temporary registration, but guess what??? The car DID NOT show up!

A week later, the car finally did arrive--with a large dent in the driver's door no less. I was told that they would fix the dent for me during the week and do "whatever it takes to make me happy." Since my truck was in the shop (someone crashed into my truck a few days prior) I went ahead and accepted the car under the condition that they would fix the problem.

I scheduled an appointment for them to fix the door, and took my Yaris home. The next morning, during my long commute to work, I discovered the following problems: the interior lights installed were white and orange interior (not the blue ones I ordered), the stereo installed was a crappy Audiovox/Advent Stereo (which didn't work properly—audio from CD was unlistenable, illumination didn't work properly, and it wasn't the Toyota Stereo I ordered--not to mention they charged be $400 for this $50 sub-standard radio) the center armrest was loose and damaged, there was no exhaust tip installed, and the dome light switch was broken. Needless to say, I was not happy!

A few days later, I brought the vehicle back to the dealer for them to fix the dent. The dent was pulled and the result was satisfactory to me but it was not perfect—if you look closely you can still see a small dent in the door. With regard to the radio, the customer service manager had the service department look at the radio and they confirmed that the unit was broken. The manager said they would order me another stereo and I told him, "No way, this is not the unit I ordered and I am not going to pay $400 for a piece of s*!t Wal-Mart stereo."

According to the manager, the reason my car was delayed at port was because they ran out of the radio I had ordered and installed this one instead (without my approval.) I told the manager that this type/quality of non-functioning radio was unacceptable to me and that I would put my own unit in. I requested a refund for the broken unit and was told by the manager this “was not an option.” Prior to this, the manager had been cordial but his tone began to change after discussing the radio.

He had the service department look at my other issues and obviously told them I was a “troublesome customer.” When the car came back from the service department the paperwork said my complaints were “interior lights don’t work and center console is installed at wrong angle.” The mechanic’s comments were: “interior lights functional and center console angle is not adjustable and is built into the car per Toyota design specifications.” When I read this I was furious—I grabbed the service manager and told him to look at broken center armrest. I explained to him that I am not some dumbass customer complaining about “everything”, I am a mechanic with 16 years experience and know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. When I explained to him that I was complaining about the armrest (loose, not fully secured, with broken plastic around the bottom of it which secures it to the center console), he noticed that the armrest was indeed damaged—he ordered a new armrest and a new dome light assembly (which was also broken as I stated.) With regards to the interior lights, he said that would be something I would have to take up with the customer service manager.

When I spoke to my salesman he told me that he would make everything right and that I would be receiving a phone call from the customer service manager. Here it is two months later—and the issues are still not resolved. In order to make this right the following needs to happen: I need a refund for $399 for the Audiovox radio (I will surrender the unit back to the dealer or SET), and I need the correct interior light kit given to me (I will be more than happy to install this myself as I am done dealing with Harrelson Toyota in Rock Hill, SC).

This experience has been one of the most frustrating things I have ever dealt with in my life. In this country, when a person purchases a new vehicle, it is a given that the vehicle should be 100% when it is received by the customer—if not, then the dealer should “make things right.” As you can see, this has not happened. The dealer will not work with me and if SET is unwilling to correct this issue then I guess we will be off to small claims court. Should that occur, I will also be requesting that my driver’s side door is replaced due to the dent the car received while in SET’s possession (this will entail also have to cover the cost of re-tinting the driver’s side window, installing in-channel vent-visors, and installing a replacement Alpine speaker.)

One final point—I will soon be purchasing a new car for my wife. We have been looking at Toyotas and Scions but with all that has happened with the purchase of my last vehicle, we are considering other makes as well—although we really like the Toyota brand, we don’t want to deal with any more headaches like this.

[Mikeb Yaris]

Can't help you with SET, but I would not work with this dealer on your next purchase. Drive thirty miles to the next dealer and have another go.

I got some nasty run around at one dealer so I took a walk to the next dealer who transferred the car I wanted from the original. I know they don't care about my measly little purchase, but I got a huge bang out of it. :)

Like mileage, dealer quality and service may vary widely.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

i do see valid points in your statement but what is SET??? i can't believe they would try and pass off an audiovox radio instead of a toyota.......

[sanityassassinv2]

i do see valid points in your statement but what is SET??? i can't believe they would try and pass off an audiovox radio instead of a toyota.......

SET = Southeastern Toyota Distributors, the nation's largest Toyota distributor which receives vehicles from Japan and distributes them to dealers across the Southeastern United States. They are the ones that install the options such as radios, lights, and other accessories before being shipped to the dealer.

[sanityassassinv2]

UPDATE:

The lady from SET called back and basically said there was nothing she could do and referred me to the national Toyota office. Ironically, I already dealt with them two months ago and they said there was nothing that they could do--same goes for the dealership (who also said that there was nothing that could do.)

This is f*!king ridiculous! No one will accept accountability so I guess my only option is to file suit in small claims court…something I know nothing about and have never done. This is a matter of principle here and I am pissed off on so many levels right now. F*!k the f*!king f*!kers!

:moon:

[TheRealEnth]

woah... i feel your anger... but what do the hackers have to do with anything? lol.. f*!k the companies that won't take accountability.. atleast hackers leave accountability.

[Bob_VT]

Every Toyota dealer is PRIVATELY owned. Your dealing is with the privately owned franchise.

Contact Toyota Customer Service. Ask for the Region Reps telephone number and request he contact you.

Ask the dealer to arrange a meeting with the Toyota Service Rep for the region so you can go over the problems as a group.

You have a warranty that IS honored at all toyota dealers..... I would strongly suggest you consider using another dealer.

Call your local BBB and register a written complaint.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

UPDATE:

The lady from SET called back and basically said there was nothing she could do and referred me to the national Toyota office. Ironically, I already dealt with them two months ago and they said there was nothing that they could do--same goes for the dealership (who also said that there was nothing that could do.)

This is f*!king ridiculous! No one will accept accountability so I guess my only option is to file suit in small claims court…something I know nothing about and have never done. This is a matter of principle here and I am pissed off on so many levels right now. F*!k the f*!king f*!kers!

:moon:
first of all SET is really just the port where PRE-ordered accessories(when you sit down with salesaman) are installed. they DO NOT install AFTERMARKET items such as your audiovox radio and orange/white lights(possible amber). PLUS for you to think or even be told that its their fault is crazy........
i suggest you contact 1-800-331-4331 and tell them you problem. make sure you have dealer's information such as name and address.

[TheSilkySmooth]

I would love to sit in showroom and remove the correct crappy toyota radio (with sony guts) from any car and put in your car while parked in the #1 customer spot. If someone puts a hand on you, I like to kick him as hard as you can in growing area.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

I would love to sit in showroom and remove the correct crappy toyota radio (with sony guts)
or ALPINE or PIONEER.....

[sanityassassinv2]

first of all SET is really just the port where PRE-ordered accessories(when you sit down with salesaman) are installed. they DO NOT install AFTERMARKET items such as your audiovox radio and orange/white lights(possible amber). PLUS for you to think or even be told that its their fault is crazy........


I hope I’m not coming off as a complete jerk but you are completely wrong! The options I am referring to were installed by SET, hence they reason they are listed on my sticker as “distributor installed options” (not factory or dealer installed options.) As you can see from the sticker below, they did in fact install the stereo and lights in question. If you don’t believe the sticker, you can visit their website and “build a car” yourself where you will see that these are their options installed at SET. The Audiovox radio is option RA2 and the lights are IL1.

While I am not saying it is wholly SET’s fault (the dealer shares blame as well), it is certainly not my fault. Unfortunately, as you suggested, I have already contacted 1-800-331-4331—that was the first thing I did almost two months ago. Their answer: they could do nothing and that was up to SET or my dealer to make things right. Now maybe you are seeing my frustration?

Here are the photos from SET’s website (http://www.setbuyatoyota.com/ (http://www.setbuyatoyota.com/)) of the options I ordered compared to what I received. By the way, the way options work is this: certain options are built into the car at the factory (fog lights and rear defrosters are examples of this.) The Yaris also ships from the factory with an “audio prep package” which basically includes the wiring and speakers to support a radio install. In the case of SET, the vehicle comes into port at Jacksonville, FL and is processed—at this point distributor options are installed such as radios, interior lights, mats, etc. These distributor options can also be purchased by a dealer for dealer install (which might be where your confusion lays.) If you still don’t believe me, here is the phone number for SET Distributor Installed Options (1-800-301-6859.) If you STILL don't believe me, I was at the dealer when the car came off of the truck from SET with all of these options--the dealer did not install anything.

Now that we have established that I know what the f*ck I am talking about, I return the thread to anyone that has any “useful” suggestions about how to deal with this problem. :respekt:

[sanityassassinv2]

Every Toyota dealer is PRIVATELY owned. Your dealing is with the privately owned franchise.

Contact Toyota Customer Service. Ask for the Region Reps telephone number and request he contact you.

Ask the dealer to arrange a meeting with the Toyota Service Rep for the region so you can go over the problems as a group.

You have a warranty that IS honored at all toyota dealers..... I would strongly suggest you consider using another dealer.

Call your local BBB and register a written complaint.

Bob, thanks for the advice...this is exactly how I am going to proceed for now.

[sanityassassinv2]

I would love to sit in showroom and remove the correct crappy toyota radio (with sony guts) from any car and put in your car while parked in the #1 customer spot. If someone puts a hand on you, I like to kick him as hard as you can in growing area.

I'mreally happy with the Clarion I have installed with IPOD control and XM...I'm not happy that I have a $400 piece of shit radio on my shelf that isn't worth the plastic it's made with.

I love this radio:

[b_hickman11]

Your first mistake was signing a contract on a car(or anything for that matter) that you have not seen in person yet. Signing anything before seeing what you will be getting is completely stupid. I did a preference order for my 08 Sedan and I had to put a $500 deposit to process the order. I didn't have to sign anything nor did the dealership ask me to. They just gave me a print out of my order. When a couple of weeks they called me with a VIN and 2 weeks later it came in. The first thing we did when I got to the dealership was to check out the car, inside and out, to make sure it is what I wanted and that everything was in working order. Your dealership was wrong if they ask you to sign something but even if you they did, you should have refused. Also when you went to pick up the car, you should have left it there and not accept it. By you driving the car off the lot, it meant that you were satisfied even if you pointed a few things out. And about SET. If they are like GST, which I think is bigger than SET, then they are a private dist. and they are really not even part of the Toyota co. They are just a wholesale dist. that does business with dealerships, not consumers. So thats probably why they are not responding to you.

[ROCKLAND TOYOTA]

GOOD LUCK with your problem:laugh: as i am signing off. i can't subject myself to another VPCORPS and endless pages of toyota bashing. if you called the toyota number and they blew you off then good for you.......

[sanityassassinv2]

Your first mistake was signing a contract on a car(or anything for that matter) that you have not seen in person yet. Signing anything before seeing what you will be getting is completely stupid. I did a preference order for my 08 Sedan and I had to put a $500 deposit to process the order. I didn't have to sign anything nor did the dealership ask me to. They just gave me a print out of my order. When a couple of weeks they called me with a VIN and 2 weeks later it came in. The first thing we did when I got to the dealership was to check out the car, inside and out, to make sure it is what I wanted and that everything was in working order. Your dealership was wrong if they ask you to sign something but even if you they did, you should have refused. Also when you went to pick up the car, you should have left it there and not accept it. By you driving the car off the lot, it meant that you were satisfied even if you pointed a few things out. And about SET. If they are like GST, which I think is bigger than SET, then they are a private dist. and they are really not even part of the Toyota co. They are just a wholesale dist. that does business with dealerships, not consumers. So thats probably why they are not responding to you.

You’re absolutely right B, and normally I would not let something like this happen but there was some very extenuating circumstances that transpired which made me do what I did:

1.) My loan approval was good for two months and there were only a couple of days left on it when I signed the paperwork—the loan rate that I had locked in would have been lost.
2.) I had just been involved in an accident; someone “merged” into my lane without seeing me and obliterated the right side of my truck which was out of commission. I was still awaiting the other parties’ insurance company to provide me a rental car and couldn’t really afford the additional expense of covering it out of pocket because my wife had been laid off for the last four months.
3.) I stupidly had faith that the person I was dealing with was honorable and would do the right thing. Unfortunately, they totally screwed me over and took advantage of my predicament.
4.) The only problem I noticed when I drove the car off the lot was the dent—everything else was discovered in the wee hours of the morning (when it is dark) on my way to work.

Yeah, I guess I am somewhat of a dumbass for letting this happen and actually taking a man at his word, but I can’t change what happened—I can only deal in the “now.”

As far as SET goes, I did finally get a response from them today but everyone is playing the "blame game." The dealership says it's SET's fault and to talk to them, SET says it's the dealers fault, Toyota says it's either SET or the dealer and there is nothing they can do.

[b_hickman11]

Also you might want to see what company your dealer uses to transport it's new cars/trucks from the dist. to the dealership. Maybe you could contact them and see what they have to say about it. Just tell them your car was dented and that SET said it wasn't them and your dealer said it was like that on the transporter. Might be a dead end but it's worth a try.

[sanityassassinv2]

GOOD LUCK with your problem:laugh: as i am signing off. i can't subject myself to another VPCORPS and endless pages of toyota bashing. if you called the toyota number and they blew you off then good for you.......

Dude, I love my car, and my Toyota Tacoma...not bashing at all. If you think that I was treated fairly then that is your opinion--I don't feel the same.

I have only been on the board for a few months--in that time I have learned alot, made some friends, and hopefully helped a person or two. Sorry if I came off a little harsh--I'm just getting tired of being treated like a dumbass.

With me, if I don't know something or am unsure of something, then I will ask questions or I will state something along the line of: "I'm not sure but it might be like this..." On the other hand, if I say something IS a certain way, you can be damned sure it is.

[sanityassassinv2]

Also you might want to see what company your dealer uses to transport it's new cars/trucks from the dist. to the dealership. Maybe you could contact them and see what they have to say about it. Just tell them your car was dented and that SET said it wasn't them and your dealer said it was like that on the transporter. Might be a dead end but it's worth a try.

SET railheads it's vehicles to locations around the Southeast...from that point on STS (Southeast Transportation Systems--a wholly owned subsidiary of SET which is in turn owned by JM Family Enterprises, Inc.) trucks the vehicles to the dealers.

[Phaeton]

You could just take the car back and tell them to cancel your loan.

[sanityassassinv2]

You could just take the car back and tell them to cancel your loan.

Naw, I love my baby and everything I have done to her. I'm only seeking a mere $400 bucks and the correct light kit from these guys, you would think it would be good business sense for them to "do the right thing" here; If they don't, they simply won't be getting my business for the car I am purchasing in a few months (was planning on it being an Scion XD, but now not so sure) which would most assuredly be worth more than $400.

If I do go with the XD, I may buy it in Tennessee when I visit my family for Christmas. Since I am a mechanic for a major airline, I fly for free. I can drive the XD home and feel comfortable in the knowledge that neither Harrelson Toyota nor SET got my business. Will my one little act hurt the bottom line for either of these companies, no, of course not. But when no one stands up for themselves and for what is right it paves the way for everyone else to get screwed over.

[gid]

GOOD LUCK with your problem:laugh: as i am signing off. i can't subject myself to another VPCORPS and endless pages of toyota bashing. if you called the toyota number and they blew you off then good for you.......
geesh , give the guy a break . We've had bad relations with many TOYOTA dealerships as well . Don't feel like going into all the :bs: details that we've encountered with TOYOTA personnel in all departments over the years . Not everyone remembers or expects to have to go over a new vehicle with a magnifying glass . We learned our lesson long ago with a '92 EAGLE Summit ( Mirage ) that had been in a hail storm and were not told so by that dealer :mad: . You had to look at it in ceratain light and angle to see them which came by accident . Went back and expressed our disappointment with them and blew right over their heads , could have cared less . Therefore , live and learn .

[Forrest]

It is unfortunate, but there are auto dealers out there that are not customer friendly after a person purchases their car. If I were you, I would go to a different dealer and see if you can get better service.
A friend of mine had bought a new jeep and there was one problem after another and no satisfaction from the dealer. He put a big lemon decal on the door and and words that said, 'bought at (dealerships name) and drove up and down in front of the dealership.
After a few weeks, the took the jeep back and gave him a new one.

[elmo]

here you go, these folks make a car buying easy and stand behind what they sell

http://www.jimbarkleytoyota.com/

fuckin hackers all my post are gone :(

[sanityassassinv2]

Well, it appears that someone from SET is reading this thread. I got a call from a manager at SET today (even though they told me yesterday that it was out of their hands.) He is going "to look into the issues for me," so I guess I will wait and see what happens.

[ozmdd]

Its too bad that you were not treated fairly, but you really set yourself up for problems when you started signing things sight-unseen, then compounded matters by accepting the vehicle in any condition other than the way you wanted it. I hope everyone can learn a lesson from this: don't say "yes" unless you mean it. Unfortunately, it sounds like your "squeaky wheel" approach is about your only recourse. I am certain that you'd be challenged to win in court, since you did accept delivery. The only exception is if you have a detailed "make ready" or "we owe" form explicitly stating what must be done. The second you let them know the loan time was limited, they owned you. Hope karma pays them back. Caveat emptor.

[sanityassassinv2]

Its too bad that you were not treated fairly, but you really set yourself up for problems when you started signing things sight-unseen, then compounded matters by accepting the vehicle in any condition other than the way you wanted it. I hope everyone can learn a lesson from this: don't say "yes" unless you mean it. Unfortunately, it sounds like your "squeaky wheel" approach is about your only recourse. I am certain that you'd be challenged to win in court, since you did accept delivery. The only exception is if you have a detailed "make ready" or "we owe" form explicitly stating what must be done. The second you let them know the loan time was limited, they owned you. Hope karma pays them back. Caveat emptor.

Yeah, we already established that I am a dumbass for taking them at their word. I guess I was a bit naive in dealing with civilians--the last several years of my life were spent as a SGT in the US Army where loyalty and accountability were something more than "words."

[ddongbap]

Yeah, we already established that I am a dumbass for taking them at their word. I guess I was a bit naive in dealing with civilians--the last several years of my life were spent as a SGT in the US Army where loyalty and accountability were something more than "words."

Welcome to corporate America.

[Bob_VT]

Yeah, we already established that I am a dumbass for taking them at their word. I guess I was a bit naive in dealing with civilians--the last several years of my life were spent as a SGT in the US Army where loyalty and accountability were something more than "words."

Hooah.


Retired NCO.

[Eds09ToY]

hey bro. sorry to hear the trouble you're going through. just picked up my o9 5 dr liftback from Scott Clark ToyotaCity in Charlotte, NC.
Went there cause my mom got her Rav4 from them. they are quite alright. even though u can't help but feel like u got ripped off when u walk out of the dealership.
i did ask for a spoiler to get installed and for a scratch to get fixed. which hadn't gotten done until i called today. so they asked which spoiler i wanted and they would fixed the scratch when i took the car in. so they are pretty alright guys.

U should definitely fight until u get what u asked for.. its only fair. you're paying for the car.. ok.

i'm a noob to this site and hope to get a lot of ideas of stuff to do to my Yaris. i'll post pics of my Yaris too.. :P see u guys around..

[eric81]

I say sue em and sue em good. They lied to you, withheld your money, and then gave you less-than-what you paid for. Then they didn't correct problems they said they would. And they SHOULD have given you money off for the damaged door. They didn't, did they? Pictures and documents are needed, as well as pone records. Just calls to and from Toyota highlighted are all you need. Also, it will help to see if you can find prices for the parts they DID install, so you can get a good idea of price difference for an idea of how much to sue them for. Also, ask a lawyer to look over your case first, just to make sure you will be ready. Don't pay for him/ her to be there or do it for you. Most lawyers will do this for free or very, very cheap. (I wouldn't pay more than $100) It is legal advice, so they can write it all off. I do recommend the Toyota dealerships in Tacoma. They are good. Not so much in Olympia though.

[Callisto]

I say sue em and sue em good. They lied to you, withheld your money, and then gave you less-than-what you paid for. Then they didn't correct problems they said they would. And they SHOULD have given you money off for the damaged door. They didn't, did they? Pictures and documents are needed, as well as pone records. Just calls to and from Toyota highlighted are all you need. Also, it will help to see if you can find prices for the parts they DID install, so you can get a good idea of price difference for an idea of how much to sue them for. Also, ask a lawyer to look over your case first, just to make sure you will be ready. Don't pay for him/ her to be there or do it for you. Most lawyers will do this for free or very, very cheap. (I wouldn't pay more than $100) It is legal advice, so they can write it all off. I do recommend the Toyota dealerships in Tacoma. They are good. Not so much in Olympia though.

If you go the legal route, make sure you get a free chat with the lawyer to figure out what damages, if any, you can seek. It is entirely possible that any legal action (even just the consultation) would cost more than the recoverable damages, especially if something goes wrong and you get saddled with the other guy's legal costs.

If you have money to burn, and want to make a point, go for it. If not, then you may be in the large group of people with a meritorious claim that it just doesn't pay to pursue.

Good Luck

[eric81]

Note: a counseltation is a meeting to decide wether or not it would be worth the time and effort to do something. So basically you just repeated what I said. Good job.