ComplaintsforHoffman Toyota

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We took our Handicapped accessible van for a repair to the exhaust system following an accident. These type of vans are lowered for wheelchair access and are only 4-5 inches from the ground. During a rainstorm, in heavy traffic we ran over something on the highway that damaged the exhaust system. The van was supposed to have a new muffler and catalytic converter paid for by our insurance. The estimate from Hoffman for repairs was $1250.59. The insurance company determined the repairs needed and budgeted $1916.58. When Hoffman got the insurance company estimate, suddenly, the original estimate became $1916.58 and didn't include many of the repairs included in the insurance company's estimate which we wanted done such as a new catalytic converter and a muffler which the insurance company would have paid more for if needed. The catalytic converter on the car is creased and dented from the accident and we wanted a new one. Instead, they attached a 6" section of flexible stainless steel mesh tubing to replace part of the tailpipe, did things we asked them not to do and put on a locking gas cap which is very inappropriate for our needs. The gas cap they didn't tell us about and when we went to get gas, we were alarmed because although the key had been put in with the car keys, they never told us. There is still an error light coming up from the exhaust system. We had the insurance company just pay Hoffman directly. They did not fix the van and we would like to recover enough to have the exhaust repaired somewhere else.

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  For our customer ***** *****, we originally had her van appraised at her house for some exhaust damage done by the customer. The first estimate was around $1200.00.  Once the vehicle arrived at the shop for diagnostic the tech working on the vehicle recommended more exhaust parts that would be needed to complete the repair.  A Hoffman team member then contacted the insurance company and sent in what was needed for the supplemented repair and was approved by the insurance company for around $1900.00. Once we received the part and began work the tech working on the car noticed because it’s a handicap van some of the parts were not needed. Our Hoffman team member then called the insurance company to let them know the extra parts were no longer needed.  They were told the check was already sent out and to just fix the car for the customer, which is what we did.
  
  Once the car was done the customer said we were overcharging her insurance company because the original quote was much less than the finished invoice. We explained how this process works and the steps we took that resulted in the quote change.
  
  Ms. ***** did ask if we could give her the price difference, but unfortunately we are not permitted to do that and confirmed with the insurance company that they would not allow that either. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 1/8/2024 I gave a $1000 deposit by credit card to Hoffman’s salesperson as deposit toward the possible purchase of a 2024 Toyota **** *** ****** that was supposedly allocated to Hoffman for delivery in February. I signed no sales agreement and was not informed that the deposit was non refundable. I was told when the car was delivered I could check it out and decide whether or not I wanted the car. I called to cancel the transaction on 2/26/2024 as there was no expected delivery date. The salesman was rude and hung up on me. I have reached out to two different managers at Hoffman by email and got no reply

  Business response

  03/18/2024

  Mr. ***** placed an order for a Toyota **** and signed a preliminary purchase agreement on the incoming unit which was due to land in 4 weeks. He did call to cancel his order and our team explained our deposits are nonrefundable on incoming units. Mr. ***** did call his credit card company and cancelled the transaction so essentially he has been refunded.  

  Customer response

  03/19/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *****

• Initial Complaint

  02/06/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My 2021 Toyota ******* *** has had a squeak coming from the dashboard and drivers door for months. The dealership brushed it off back in March. The squeak has continued. The car is less than 3 years old. I took in to them today and they told me this isn't under warranty. They want to charge me just to do a diagnostic. The car has a bumper to bumper warranty for 3 years and 36k warranty. They need to take the car in and fix it.

  Business response

  02/23/2024

  Our Service Manager reached out to the customer and we took care of the vehicle under warranty. Everything should be set. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a pre-owned 2021 ***** *** from Hoffman Toyota on 10/16 and trading in a 2024 Toyota ***** I had purchased from them a few days earlier (needed AWD). Reading on odometer at time of purchase was 150. Reading upon return was 498. Due to the fact I drove it 350 miles, Hoffman stated the car was devalued, and deducted $2k from my trade-in value. They are now selling it for just under $35k ($3k more than I paid), which clearly shows the car was not devalued. The vehicle was intentionally not certified by Hoffman, and when I asked why, they would not tell me. They told me that "purchasing an extended warranty is the same thing." That cost me $1,995. Within first day of ownership, I heard an odd, consistent, propeller-like sound coming from the tires/ suspension when traveling over 60 MPH (unable to discern during test drive since Hoffman is on congested *** **). My first communication notifying Hoffman of the issue was on 11/20. I communicated this to TJ (service mgr), who said earliest they could get me a loaner was after Thanksgiving. Due to work obligations and time out of state, I brought the vehicle in for repair on Friday 11/3. Service dept. stated noise due to a "bad front-left tire," and they swapped that out with a similar make/ model (no repair slip provided). On my trip home, I heard the same noise and turned around to bring it back. I met with the service manager who agreed to provide me a loaner the following week so they could inspect. Second appointment on Wednesday, 11/8 resulted in a second diagnosis of "bad wheel bearing," which was replaced. I am now experiencing the same type of noise, just much subtler. My complaint stems from my belief that Hoffman sold me a knowingly faulty vehicle and has not been able to repair the vehicle correctly over multiple visits, even after it was identified and communicated to the dealership within days of purchase. And they are no longer returning phone calls or messages.

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

  Hello, I recently filed a complaint against Hoffman Toyota in **** ********* **. Please let this communication serve as confirmation I would like to withdraw said complaint because the issue has been "resolved" to the best circumstances possible. Thank you, ***** *****

  **** **** ***** ***** *******************

• Initial Complaint

  10/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My vehicle was brought into Hoffman Toyota on 6/15/23 for its initial oil change/service. I was contacted by the Service Advisor a week and a half later letting me know that he entered the wrong service code during my initial visit, so the oil change was NOT completed. I returned on 6/30/23 for the required oil change/service. While waiting, SA came to inform me that the Service Tech had the lift arms in the incorrect position, and when lifted, damaged both vehicle side sills. SA stated he'd spoken to the Service Manager Paul M********, and the damage would be fixed with factory parts and paint. On 7/14, I was informed my vehicle was ready for pickup. When arriving, a friend of mine and I immediately noticed that the sills were a different shade of white, not matching the car itself. Three other dealership employees (from service dept., body shop and tint dept.) were called over to look at the issue, and all agreed the sills were a different shade of white compared to the rest of the vehicle. I was once again told that they would do their best to remedy the "issue", so I retained the loaner vehicle and awaited the call of completion. That call came a couple days later, so I returned to the dealership with my friend to pick up my vehicle. We quickly noticed that the only thing done was a full vehicle detail; no effort was put forth to actually match the sills to the car itself. It was from this point forward that SM refused any further assistance. He then attempted to have me speak with Digital Sales Manager Wendy L*** to try and get me into a new vehicle, but it was quickly realized that they were offering me over $3,000 less for my car than it was currently worth. I again went back to SM for assistance, where his response was, "It seems we're at an impasse;" again, no further assistance was provided. My car is now two different shades of white, and its value is diminished. I attempted to work with Toyota directly, but dealership refused corporate's calls as well.

  Business response

  12/06/2023

  Hoffman Toyota did acknowledge the damage done to the customers vehicle while on our service lift. To address, we replaced the lower side skirts with Toyota parts from the manufacturer. These parts came painted from Toyota so all we did was install them.  Our team did see a slight color difference in the side skirts, but unless you are directly looking for this you would never see it.  This is because the paint on the body of the vehicle is sun faded and the new parts we installed are not yet. Since we did see the difference, we had the vehicle sent to our vendor *** *******  for a paint correction with hopes it would bring the life back to the older body paint.  Unfortunately, Mr. ******* was still unhappy with the way the vehicle looked. We did recommend he speak with our sales department on a replacement vehicle if he wanted. We also have awareness that Mr. ******* reached out to Toyota Corporate who agrees, that we the dealer have done everything to Toyota factory standards.  
  

  Customer response

  12/12/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The excuse of "faded paint" is a push-off. My vehicle has been garaged since it was purchased, and with less than 3,500 miles driven prior to this issue, there's no way the original paint would have been able to fade to the point of difference they're using as the reasoning. More importantly, the paint color on the side sills is a completely different SHADE of white. It matches the shade of white on Toyota's trucks/vans, but not my specific vehicle. I know this as proof because I have touch-up paint that I've used in one small area on my vehicle, and it matches perfectly (K1X  0025800K 1X21). My vehicle color is called "Halo", not "White".

  The statement that there was a "corrective color match" performed on the second remedy attempt, I've seen no proof/invoice of that being done. All that was noticeable at pick-up was a full vehicle detail, both inside and out. The sills looked no different otherwise.

  The original damage to my vehicle at time of this CORRECTIVE service (as the only reason my vehicle was brought in for this was because of a missed oil change during my initial visit a couple weeks prior) was much less than what this "fix" provided. They created more damage/depreciation to my vehicle with their forced "fix". The original damage was a slight indentation on the passenger's side sill, and a little chip on the driver's side sill. Both issues would have been an easy fix with little noticeable effect. The installation of the new side sills made the issue far worse.

  As for the "unless you are directly looking for this you would never see it."  This is false.  As my vehicle gets a lot of attention from people, I've had numerous comments asking, "are the side skirts a different color/shade?" I embarrassingly say, "No."

  There may be other remedies available to fix this issue, but the fact that the dealership has washed their hands of it with no further discussion is most disappointing... and irresponsible. My vehicle was brought in because of their initial service error. My vehicle was in virtual perfect condition. The vehicle that was returned to me was not.

  All I ask for is a remedy to fix the shade differentiation.

  Sincerely,
  
  **** *. *******

  Business response

  12/29/2023

  We have explored all avenues and have taken the steps to address Mr. ********* concerns as outlined in our first response. Toyota Corporate is aligned and agrees the vehicle has been repaired to manufacturer factory standards. 

  Customer response

  01/03/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the statement "we have explored all avenues and taken the steps to address" this issue is false. After damaging both side sills that could have easily been remedied (damage was hardly noticeable unless directly pointed out), they insisted on installing two new side sills that are a different shade of white. My previous responses point out that Toyota has two different shades of white it uses on vehicles: Ice Cap and Halo (my vehicle's color, adding $425 to the vehicle's purchase price). I've also previously mentioned that I have a bottle of touch-up paint that I purchased from the dealership's Parts Dept. which exactly matches my vehicle's color yet does not match the newly installed sills.

  Alternate fixes not offered to me by Service Manager: wrapping both sills in a protective coating that could help obscure the difference in color shade; paint the new sills in the correct paint (HALO), not Ice Cap.

  Recently, I spoke with a dealership representative who is familiar with the issue and was specifically informed that I've been "pushed off" and that the dealership knows there are other remedy avenues available, yet they have no interest in taking this issue any further.

  I just want my vehicle back exactly as it was when I brought it into the dealership. It's because of the service advisor's original coding error that my vehicle had to be brought back in for additional service. Because of their mistakes, my pristine vehicle is now visually damaged. This is not right. 

  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩