It might help to involve the regional Lexus representative. My neighbor had a transmission issue on a Volvo that the local dealer refused to remedy. They involved the factory Volvo representative and got the tranny repaired under the warranty!
dealer ruined wood trim
- Thread starter lexs470
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I'm pretty sure that Lexus would really be put off by dealerships such as this, and am really surprised they don't do anything about it. Lexus has always prided itself on quality and customer service, and things like this tarnish that reputation.
Our local Lex dealership (also sell Mercedes, Porsche, and Jag) does all but give you a foot massage when you go in.
Our local Lex dealership (also sell Mercedes, Porsche, and Jag) does all but give you a foot massage when you go in.
If the dealer removed all 4 wheels and tires and gave your rig back, would you drop the issue? Either way they took $1800 from you, and they owe it to you to fix it.
I really need to see a pic of the damage before I can get all riled up. 
The real outrage is that the replacement parts are $1800 and that is Lexus' fault not the dealer. I've dealt with too many customers to not have some sympathy for the dealer's service rep.
The real outrage is that the replacement parts are $1800 and that is Lexus' fault not the dealer. I've dealt with too many customers to not have some sympathy for the dealer's service rep.
lexs470 said:
oh right! I can see it already when you get there the next time after being rolled over... Techs start laughing and see what practical joke they could play on you this time around...
- Thread starter
- #27
i agree. it's a no win situation. given what the GM has already said, I would leave the yelling and screaming as the last resort. At the moment, I have been asked to come and pick up the vehicle.
I do have before pictures but can't prove that the pictures were taken right before the work done as the pics are atleast 3 or 4 months old.
with that said, as it has been pointed out, lexus service at the moment is no better than toyota service. I spoke to the lexus regional manager as well. His comment, as I can't prove it, there's not much he can do as it is between me and the dealership ! so much for lexus customer satisfaction. !
I do have before pictures but can't prove that the pictures were taken right before the work done as the pics are atleast 3 or 4 months old.
with that said, as it has been pointed out, lexus service at the moment is no better than toyota service. I spoke to the lexus regional manager as well. His comment, as I can't prove it, there's not much he can do as it is between me and the dealership ! so much for lexus customer satisfaction. !
That's ridiculous! How could you "prove it" then? I'll bet even if you were standing there with a video camera when the tech broke it, they would say that some act of god caused the trim to break at the exact moment the tech was prying on it, and therefore they are not at fault! I see no reason to give in, just on the hopes that next time they service your vehicle they won't break even more stuff. They've proven that every time you take it in for service you could end up with $1800 in damages, that you have to pay for out-of-pocket! 
And then tell them they can't prove you did itPitbull said:
do you have any witness at all, like a friend or wife you talked to about this?
That's probably all you'd need to win in small claims court, if that.
If I were in your situation, at this point, I'd start to be seriously ticked off and there would be heck to pay, if only for the principle...
(You are a 100% sure you're correct, right?)
Would this be -legitimately- covered by insurance?
That's probably all you'd need to win in small claims court, if that.
If I were in your situation, at this point, I'd start to be seriously ticked off and there would be heck to pay, if only for the principle...
(You are a 100% sure you're correct, right?)
Would this be -legitimately- covered by insurance?
e9999 said:
Just thought of that myself.
It probably would be covered by insurance, since the total is that much $$. Insurance companies don't like paying out claims just as much as anyone, so they will fight the dealership alongside you.
- Thread starter
- #34
good point about insurance. I will find out about it from the ins. company
but all of this would be at the expense of not being able to go back for service. which is something i have to seriously consider as well. that's the only reason i have not fought back as hard as i could have.
but all of this would be at the expense of not being able to go back for service. which is something i have to seriously consider as well. that's the only reason i have not fought back as hard as i could have.
I still don't get it. Why are you concerned about going back for service if you feel they are screwing you. What will happen the next time? I know it might not be that convenient to have it serviced elsewhere, but if I really feel someone screwed me like that I would not do business with them again.
- Thread starter
- #36
in NJ there are only 3 dealerships in the proximity of 100 miles. one of them is a totall crook. that leaves two and i want to keep a working relationship with them two. and believe me that this dealership is the better of the two left. imagine the quality of service these days at lexus !
I may have missed this, but what year is your Lexus? Did you buy it new from this dealership, and is it still under warranty? If it's not under warranty, find a good indy shop. If it is, sell it and get a G-Wagon or something.
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Geez guys...This is getting ugly !!
I would give the dealer one last chance to make it "right" and maybe even make a little "threat" yourself..( perhaps say that you will take them to small cliaims court because it is the principle, not the money at issue here..or tell `em that you will go to a local TV station`s "consumer alert" reporter, and to expect a reporter to come to the dealer with cameras for a comment...or maybe tell them (B.S. @ this point is allowed)..that your brother in law is a local radio personality and he would LOVE to talk about this on the air...
You did say, after all, that you have a previous photos of the dash, that is all you need to start some CRAP with them and give them bad publicity or go to S.C. court !!...
Maybe its just me..but $1800 seems awfully expensive for a dash panel anyway...get a part # from the dealer and post it please?
My last comment is this...If you are 100% sure that this happened @ the dealership, even if you get "banished" from this dealer..you can get some pleasure in making EVERYONE know what they did to you..Hell, take the $1800 and buy a full page AD in the local paper saying they stiffed you !!..(oh, maybe you should consult a lawyer FIRST, on that one ..lol..) The last thing you should be worrying about is that they wont let you go there anymore..it sounds like they would be doing you a favor !!!!!!!!!!
Just my .02 worth
GOOD LUCK !!
I would give the dealer one last chance to make it "right" and maybe even make a little "threat" yourself..( perhaps say that you will take them to small cliaims court because it is the principle, not the money at issue here..or tell `em that you will go to a local TV station`s "consumer alert" reporter, and to expect a reporter to come to the dealer with cameras for a comment...or maybe tell them (B.S. @ this point is allowed)..that your brother in law is a local radio personality and he would LOVE to talk about this on the air...
You did say, after all, that you have a previous photos of the dash, that is all you need to start some CRAP with them and give them bad publicity or go to S.C. court !!...
Maybe its just me..but $1800 seems awfully expensive for a dash panel anyway...get a part # from the dealer and post it please?
My last comment is this...If you are 100% sure that this happened @ the dealership, even if you get "banished" from this dealer..you can get some pleasure in making EVERYONE know what they did to you..Hell, take the $1800 and buy a full page AD in the local paper saying they stiffed you !!..(oh, maybe you should consult a lawyer FIRST, on that one ..lol..) The last thing you should be worrying about is that they wont let you go there anymore..it sounds like they would be doing you a favor !!!!!!!!!!
Just my .02 worth
GOOD LUCK !!
Lexs470,
I had an issue with my Lexus dealer (Lawrence Lexus in NJ) and they could not resolve it. They were nice and not rude but didn't give me what I wanted (I had a CD player issue on my IS300).
Anyway, I went on Lexus' webiste and you can go to an owners section and register yourself as a Lexus owner (need to provide VIN). From there, you can submit a service claim. I did and received an email response and a call from someone with 24 hours. They offered me a credit for the amount in question. My dealer then called me soon after and asked why I did not try to resolve this with them first!!!! I said I did try and they couldn't/wouldn't give me what I wanted. He seemed upset and indicated that Lexus Corp comes down on them hard when these types of dealer issues go to Corp.
Anyway, worked for me. If you haven't done this, do it. When you submit your on-line complaint, make sure you list all the dealer issues and especially the comment and rude treatment. I honestly do not think Lexus wants this type of behavior continuing. I would also write the claim very professionally and don't demand anything or rant. Just lay out the facts and be clear about your displeasure with their treatment.
Here is what I wrote in my claim:
To Whom It May Concern,
I had many choices in my 2001 purchase decision which ultimately resulted in buying a 2001 IS300. Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, Audi - all had compelling value propositions. What ultimately won me over was the Lexus dedication to Quality. My brother owns a GS300 and my father owns an ES300. All with great raves and reviews of the Lexus Quality pledge and dedication to customer service. With this in mind, I purchased the IS300 in April 2001.
Since April 2001, I have had numerous low-level issues with my car that have been annoying but not serious. I wrote them off to 2001 being the first production run of the car. All in all, I have been fairly pleased with the car and its quality though not as overwhelmed with it as I had expected given all that was said about Lexus quality and service.
Recently, my CD player failed. I took this to my dealer (Lawrence Lexus - NJ) and told him I knew this was a common problem on this vehicle (given info from other owners) and asked them to fix it. They (Olix Heredia - Asst Svc Mgr) notified me that, because my car was out of warranty, I had to pay the $600 for a new CD/Radio unit. I am amazed at this. Moreover, I am upset and not at all happy with such a position from either a Lexus dealer or from Lexus in general.
Here are my reasons which I present to you to explain to me why I should not expect better treatement from Lexus:
- This is a common problem. Got to www.is300.net (enthusiasts site for the IS300) and do a search on 'CD Error'. You will see an array of posts from owners with similar problems. The CD failure issue with the IS300 is considered a common problem. I lost count of how many people have had the same problem.
- The reasons presented to me for possible failure causes (using bad CDs, having CD labels cause jam in player, inproperly recorded CDs) do not apply to me because I have never played a self-created CD in my IS300 and I am the only driver.
- Since this is a known and common problem, I do not understand why Lexus is not more forthcoming in proactively addressing and fixing such problems when they are routinely experienced by your customers.
- I noticed on the www.IS300.net site that many owners who have cars out of warranty were getting this same repair (CD player replacement) done and paid for by the dealer. Given this, why did my dealer charge me for this work?
Overall, I have a few simple question for you:
Is it Lexus policy to sell a car with equipment that will fail within 3 years of ownership?
Do you consider this acceptable and OK to expect for your customers to pay for your mistakes?
How do you think I should use this experience when making my next car purchase decision?
What is interesting is that I am now considering an upgrade to my IS300. When I first turned the car in for repair, I spent 90 minutes at the dealer looking at a GS300 or GS430 as an upgrade to my IS300. I am in sales and more frequently need to take customers out and about. A larger car would help with this. Given this recent experience, I can tell you that Lexus is not currently at the top of my list anymore.
I hope that this message reaches someone who can understand and appreciate my position. I hope that someone can respond with a suitable resolution to my situation. Most importantly, I hope for you that my experience is not representative of Lexus' overall view on quality and service. If it is, this does not bode well for your future.
Kind Regards,
Andrew T.
I had an issue with my Lexus dealer (Lawrence Lexus in NJ) and they could not resolve it. They were nice and not rude but didn't give me what I wanted (I had a CD player issue on my IS300).
Anyway, I went on Lexus' webiste and you can go to an owners section and register yourself as a Lexus owner (need to provide VIN). From there, you can submit a service claim. I did and received an email response and a call from someone with 24 hours. They offered me a credit for the amount in question. My dealer then called me soon after and asked why I did not try to resolve this with them first!!!! I said I did try and they couldn't/wouldn't give me what I wanted. He seemed upset and indicated that Lexus Corp comes down on them hard when these types of dealer issues go to Corp.
Anyway, worked for me. If you haven't done this, do it. When you submit your on-line complaint, make sure you list all the dealer issues and especially the comment and rude treatment. I honestly do not think Lexus wants this type of behavior continuing. I would also write the claim very professionally and don't demand anything or rant. Just lay out the facts and be clear about your displeasure with their treatment.
Here is what I wrote in my claim:
To Whom It May Concern,
I had many choices in my 2001 purchase decision which ultimately resulted in buying a 2001 IS300. Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, Audi - all had compelling value propositions. What ultimately won me over was the Lexus dedication to Quality. My brother owns a GS300 and my father owns an ES300. All with great raves and reviews of the Lexus Quality pledge and dedication to customer service. With this in mind, I purchased the IS300 in April 2001.
Since April 2001, I have had numerous low-level issues with my car that have been annoying but not serious. I wrote them off to 2001 being the first production run of the car. All in all, I have been fairly pleased with the car and its quality though not as overwhelmed with it as I had expected given all that was said about Lexus quality and service.
Recently, my CD player failed. I took this to my dealer (Lawrence Lexus - NJ) and told him I knew this was a common problem on this vehicle (given info from other owners) and asked them to fix it. They (Olix Heredia - Asst Svc Mgr) notified me that, because my car was out of warranty, I had to pay the $600 for a new CD/Radio unit. I am amazed at this. Moreover, I am upset and not at all happy with such a position from either a Lexus dealer or from Lexus in general.
Here are my reasons which I present to you to explain to me why I should not expect better treatement from Lexus:
- This is a common problem. Got to www.is300.net (enthusiasts site for the IS300) and do a search on 'CD Error'. You will see an array of posts from owners with similar problems. The CD failure issue with the IS300 is considered a common problem. I lost count of how many people have had the same problem.
- The reasons presented to me for possible failure causes (using bad CDs, having CD labels cause jam in player, inproperly recorded CDs) do not apply to me because I have never played a self-created CD in my IS300 and I am the only driver.
- Since this is a known and common problem, I do not understand why Lexus is not more forthcoming in proactively addressing and fixing such problems when they are routinely experienced by your customers.
- I noticed on the www.IS300.net site that many owners who have cars out of warranty were getting this same repair (CD player replacement) done and paid for by the dealer. Given this, why did my dealer charge me for this work?
Overall, I have a few simple question for you:
Is it Lexus policy to sell a car with equipment that will fail within 3 years of ownership?
Do you consider this acceptable and OK to expect for your customers to pay for your mistakes?
How do you think I should use this experience when making my next car purchase decision?
What is interesting is that I am now considering an upgrade to my IS300. When I first turned the car in for repair, I spent 90 minutes at the dealer looking at a GS300 or GS430 as an upgrade to my IS300. I am in sales and more frequently need to take customers out and about. A larger car would help with this. Given this recent experience, I can tell you that Lexus is not currently at the top of my list anymore.
I hope that this message reaches someone who can understand and appreciate my position. I hope that someone can respond with a suitable resolution to my situation. Most importantly, I hope for you that my experience is not representative of Lexus' overall view on quality and service. If it is, this does not bode well for your future.
Kind Regards,
Andrew T.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2005
- Threads
- 16
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- 1,081
Hey HJFJ40,
You should SELL that letter as a template for anyone who has a problem with any dealership, regardless of make or model (just fill in the blanks)..!!!
That was great !!
I would defininately try that first..(then start the threat process!!)
Again..big props to you for that great letter !!
You should SELL that letter as a template for anyone who has a problem with any dealership, regardless of make or model (just fill in the blanks)..!!!
That was great !!
I would defininately try that first..(then start the threat process!!)
Again..big props to you for that great letter !!