ComplaintsforGermain Toyota of Columbus

• Initial Complaint

  09/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My name is ****** *******, I purchased a 2015 infiniti from Germain Toyota on January 27. The price of the car was ***** dollars, I put down 2000 and I was buying a extended warranty . When I got back there with finance the guy was told that I just wanted a basic extended warranty but he told me that he would give his employee discount, I said great, the whole time he was telling me I will give you this, I will give you that on and on the whole time he was adding things I did not and need.The whole time he was adding to the warranty. When I signed the papers, he showed me the price for the car, with my down payment and then he said this is the warranty you wanted just sign in these spots. So I signed and felt everything was good, my son was in there with me and is my witness. We went through my credit union from the dealership, When I got my first payment, that is when I noticed the ***** dollar with my 2000 down had went to ******** to be financed. I went back to the dealership to talk to him told him wanted just the basic warranty and I wanted all that extra stuff off. He said sign here and I will do that.A month later I noticed the purchase price had went down and I thought everything was good.Then in September when I returned home from a cruise, my son told me the car would not pickup speed. I called the dealership service department and they told me that they did not have anyone there that could work on the infiniti and that the do not stock the parts and said it would be faster to take it to an infiniti shop.I called the warranty company and they told me I did not have warranty because it was canceled in March. I went back to the dealership and I talked the guy in finance again and he told me I told him to cancel it but that is a lie and I asked him to set me up with his manager and he said he would but I have not heard from anyone in over a week. I found out what is wrong with the car is the transmission.and the cost will be over 8000 dollars parts and labor plus tax. I think this should go under the Ohio lemon law. I can not to pay that and if he had not canceled the warranty, I would not have to. Iwould be thankful for whatever help you can give me. I would love for them to take the car back and give me back my down payment and i would eat the payments that I have already made. They could have offered to do the repairs. Thanks in advance for your help.

  Customer response

  10/10/2024

  My name is ****** *******, I purchased a 2015 infiniti from Germain Toyota on January 27. The price of the car was ***** dollars, I put down 2000 and I was buying a extended warranty . When I got back there with finance the guy was told that I just wanted a basic extended warranty but he told me that he would give his employee discount, I said great, the whole time he was telling me I will give you this, I will give you that on and on the whole time he was adding things I did not and need.The whole time he was adding to the warranty. When I signed the papers, he showed me the price for the car, with my down payment and then he said this is the warranty you wanted just sign in these spots. So I signed and felt everything was good, my son was in there with me and is my witness. We went through my credit union from the dealership, When I got my first payment, that is when I noticed the ***** dollar with my 2000 down had went to ******** to be financed. I went back to the dealership to talk to him told him wanted just the basic warranty and I wanted all that extra stuff off. He said sign here and I will do that.A month later I noticed the purchase price had went down and I thought everything was good.Then in September when I returned home from a cruise, my son told me the car would not pickup speed. I called the dealership service department and they told me that they did not have anyone there that could work on the infiniti and that the do not stock the parts and said it would be faster to take it to an infiniti shop.I called the warranty company and they told me I did not have warranty because it was canceled in March. I went back to the dealership and I talked the guy in finance again and he told me I told him to cancel it but that is a lie and I asked him to set me up with his manager and he said he would but I have not heard from anyone in over a week. I found out what is wrong with the car is the transmission.and the cost will be over 8000 dollars parts and labor plus tax. I think this should go under the Ohio lemon law. I can not to pay that and if he had not canceled the warranty, I would not have to. Iwould be thankful for whatever help you can give me. I would love for them to take the car back and give me back my down payment and i would eat the payments that I have already made. They could have offered to do the repairs. Thanks in advance for your help.

  Customer response

  10/10/2024

  Complaint with Germain Toyota of Columbus  Type of vehicle 2015 Infiniti QX70  Vin number *****************

  

  Business response

  10/22/2024

  At the time of delivery, Mr. ******* purchased the warranty package. He later returned to the dealership and spoke with our Director of Finance, ********* ***** and requested to cancel everything. Mr. ***** tried to re-sell Mr. ******* on the value of the package he purchased but Mr. ******* was adamant about cancelling and completed all the required cancellation forms and we processed accordingly.  

  Customer response

  10/28/2024

  I ****** ******* reject the response, because it was a ****** the time I contacted Mr ********* ***** I told him that put things on the warranty that I did not ask for and I wanted it all removed accept for the basic warranty and he told me sign and he will take care of it.He never tried to talk to me about the importance of having a warranty because I was not canceling the warranty but just all the extra stuff he added.When I found out he had canceled the warranty was after the car started having problems,because I called the dealership to get it repaired and they told me that it would be better to take it to a ******** dealership because they did not have anybody to work on it and the problem of being able to order the parts. So I called the warranty place and they told me the warranty had been canceled in March so why would I call them if I had canceled the warranty and he never called me or sent me letter about it being canceled. I went back to the dealership to talk to Mr. ***** and he showed me paper work where I had signed where he told me to sign and he would take care of it that was a slick move because I did not read what I ********* I ask Mr. ***** if I could talk the General manager or his boss, he said he would have him contact me, I have never heard from him yet. I took Germain Toyota as a top notch dealership this is worst than dealing with a buy here pay here lot.This was the sale price for the car ****** and subtract 2000 for down payment and ******* for taxes and title fee was ***** but sent a bill to my credit Union for ******** that shows the rip off.The car has not ran since mid September because it it is the transmission the milage when I purchased it was ***** and now it is a little over ***** and there are lemon laws for used cars. I am hoping he just did not tell his boss and i will be hearing from his boss soon. So as it stands now I am making payments on car that is not running and to repair will cost over 8000 dollars for parts and labor plus taxes. this a loss they can write off and I am a disable Vetran and 66 years old that can not afford this loss. I am not going away.

  

  Business response

  10/30/2024

  During Mr. ***** and Mr. ********* conversation, Mr. ******* instructed Mr. ***** to cancel all but the ************** Mr. ***** followed Mr. ********* instructions. We are sorry Mr. ******* is now experiencing concerns after cancelling the warranty he previously purchased but we followed his instructions to the letter. 

  

  Business response

  10/31/2024

  Good Morning, on my response yesterday to this complaint I misunderstood our Business Managers response. Mr. ******* did not request to maintain the ************** he requested ALL coverage be cancelled. I have included the signed cancellation forms indicating the cancellations where we followed his instructions.
  
   
  
  Melody

  Customer response

  11/06/2024

  I reject the response, because it is not the truth. When they had me to sign  the paperwork and later he filled the other part of the paperwork . the other sections and you can tell it is in another hand writing, so when he told me to fill out this section and he would take care of it he was setting me up. I never got an copy of this paperwork until you sent me this copy and was never told that the warranty had been canceled. I never spoken to his boss about the situation even though I requested it.Take time to look at the contract and see all that was added to it. If I was going to spend over ****** dollars on a car I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A NEW ONE WITH A WARRANTY. He did this because he made a commission on everything extra he sold and if he had to take everything off but the plain warranty he would have to pay the commission back, and I feel that is why he canceled the whole ******** is time to admit they done me wrong and take care of this issue. I will also be looking to hear from his boss to see if he is apart of this scam.

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  2023 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck I bought it from Germain Toyota It needed repair @ ***** miles it was under warr work. That took 5 days. Tail Lights do not come on. They say it is electrical but do not know what is really wrong. They have had for 3 days now. I am not getting any communication from them on the status of the repair. If it goes down again after ****** miles I have to pay out of my pocket for the repair that I have tried twice now to get diagnosis & repair. I want them to find out what is really wrong & fix it under warranty. So it does not keep happening .as I can not pay out of my pocket due to losing my job as a truck driver because I went blind.

  

  Business response

  09/13/2024

  Our service manager, **** ******** spoke with the customer today and the car is being finished as they were speaking. We will be dropping off the vehicle to Mr. ****** today 9/13 and the vehicles repair is being covered under warranty at no cost to the customer. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a used H323238313733333635**H approx 3 yrs ago was not informed of issues with the car. There was supposed to be an update on engine computer before ******* miles & it wasn&#**;t done.by previous owner. That means they won&#**;t honor the engine replacement dur=e to that. H**3138**3238303338He did not inform me the previous owner had not done this. If they had told me I could have done it under H33**30**373438**3631H&#**;s time line. Now I can not & this is causing me not to be able to get my engine repaired or replaced. H**3138**3238303338He would only honor a rod clearance check. When I took it in for low compression fix.

  

  Business response

  07/29/2024

  Our general manager reached out to ******************** regarding his concern. ******************** purchased a 2015 *** on April 3rd 2022 with ****** miles on it. Being a Toyota ********** we would not have information regarding any required work for a *** ******* or access to whether a previous owner completed the work necessary through ***. Our manager also found out that ******************** is just now having issues with his *** after putting approximately 40K miles on the ******* since the purchase and has also had the ******* serviced 4 times at a *** ********** after his purchase. We feel that had ******************* experienced concerns immediately after purchase our team would hold some responsibility towards assistance, however at this point 2 years later not knowing the required work was needed and having no past issues our time for responsibility has passed. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I sold a vehicle and purchased a vehicle leaving $8750 to be paid back to me. As I was signing my paperwork, it was brought up that they are system was down. I explained that I needed the money as soon as possible and I am deploying in August. The finance manager, ***** said he would make it a priority. It was a lie. After a week of nothing, I talked to Asher who lied to me as well. He said it is policy that it takes 30 days, but there is nothing written. I do not have 30 days. I would never have done business with Germain Toyota if they would have been honest upfront. The sales teams lied, finance department lied, parts department lied, and managers lied. They do not care about customers after the customer signs.

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  Our team was able to issue a check and contacted Mr. ***** who said he would stop by the evening of Friday July 19th to pick up the check. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The transaction was the purchase of a 2021 Toyota Camry, August 2023. Last summer I purchased a used Camry from Toyota of Columbus. I knew it had been previously owned by a car rental agency or fleet, and it had over 61K miles on the odometer. The CARFAX indicated the car had been serviced regularly for regular maintenance, and that was all. I tried to negotiate a better deal, due to only one key, no car mats and a whole in the driver side carpet. I ended up purchasing the car for $25.7K with a 5 yr warranty. After purchase my husband said he was suspicious of the rear passenger side panel, as it appeared to have been repaired. Fall was approaching and I brushed it off. I was quite ill during that time. Now that I have fully recovered from pancreatitis, I decided to have my car detailed. The gentleman who detailed it for me, told us that the car had definitely been wrecked, and sustained significant body damage which had been professionally repaired. A car wreck was not indicated/added to the CARFAX report. This is a SIGNIFICANT lack of complete honesty and deception by Germain and CARFAX. I was seriously duped by Germain Toyota. I feel that financial consideration of the above requested ($600) amount is appropriate. I am sending a copy of this BBB report to Germain and the Ohio Atty General's office.

  

  Business response

  07/15/2024

  We understand the customer’s concern. Our manager, Michael spoke to Ms. ***** and has he explained, the Carfax report did not indicate any damage to the vehicle and there was no damage noted by our technicians. There was no deception involved as we are committed to providing an honest and transparent sales experience. This vehicle was sold AS-IS with the customers option to buy an extended warranty to protect themselves from any future mechanical concerns. The customer signed that they acknowledged the purchase of the vehicle being AS-IS. 

  Customer response

  07/16/2024

  [If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.] 
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 
  
  Regards,
  
  Kathryn Gibbs

  

  Business response

  07/17/2024

  Our team has reached out to Ms. ***** and will be issuing a check in the amount of $600. She stated she was satisfied with this resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased an out of state used Jeep Wrangler Sahar on 4/22 and have had so many difficulties since then. Even though I had delivery issues and lack of communication, I will only focus on the two main problems. Received Jeep on 5/5 and first thing I noticed was no back up camera, although it was specifically listed. Part of my search criteria was factory touchscreen and backup camera. I told ***** since I was buying site unseen it was really important for me to work with someone who would be diligent. The first night of owning it I turned on the headlights and could not see. I could not drive it at night. Because of these two things, I called ***** and I also started working in the background to make an appointment to get my lights fixed, as well as see what the process would be for the backup camera to be installed in the factory stereo. I called 5/6-5/9. ***** texted me back the evening of 5/9 and asked me to send screenshots of the listing where it stated backup camera. Texted him back on 5/10 because I didn't hear from him. Called 5/13-5/14. He texted me back on 5/15 advising he needed to talk to his manager at 9am and would call me back. In the meantime, I paid to have my lights fixed out of pocket to be able to drive at night. ***** called back on 5/16, and once we discussed everything he advised that I was on my own for the lights because they didn't test them at night. He then said they would send a check for $150.He said "let me give you some advice since I used to be in electronics. Use the $150 and get an aftermarket stereo and back up camera in your mirror". I said no, I want the camera in factory stereo as advertised. He tried to argue I didn't have a touch screen. I advised I could send him pics of my stereo as well as the written quote but he said $150 is the best we can do. Since then, I have called Manager ***** ***** four times and left voicemails with no call back. As of now, no check, no resolution, and no communication.

  

  Business response

  07/08/2024

  Our manager ***** ***** has reached out to Ms. ********** to address her concerns and resolve her concerns. Ms. ********** indicated she was happy with the resolution and her vehicle. 

  Customer response

  07/08/2024

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint, as they have agreed to paying for the advertised back up camera. ***** ***** advised this request was submitted and check will be received within the next few weeks  

  
  Regards,
  
  ****** **********

• Initial Complaint

  03/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased 2020 toyota rav4 on 11/06/2023. Vehicle was traded in at germain mazda for a Mazda on 12/18/2023. Germain Toyota was asked to file for unused portion refund of auxiliary insurances purchased through Premier Dealer Services, *** *** ****. When phoned Premier Dealer today, said these services were never canceled by germain toyota. My dealings with this dealership revealed a lot of dishonesty, which now includes this. It's why I have a mazda now. The toyota traded in at mazda (bought at germain toyota) has vin *****************. I can't trust them to respond to my request, so am asking for help to get them to do the legitimate work they promised.

  

  Business response

  03/05/2024

  Our business manager, ***** will be reaching out to Ms. ****** as we have been awaiting her to provide us with a copy of the buyer's order from Mazda showing she traded the vehicle in so we can submit the cancellation form. Once we receive this form we can begin the process for her.

  Customer response

  03/13/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On October 18, 2023, we were charged $1069.60 to have brake calipers and pads replaced by Germain Toyota. On February 14, 2024, ***** at Central Garage Repair Shop in Pataskala, OH stated that the previously repaired parts were damaged due to the brake hoses not being replaced, which should have been done in October by Germain. He said by industry standard they should have been replaced since brake hoses that old commonly get gummed up and cause this sort of damage, and "any decent mechanic would have known to do that". This is a quote from *****, not me. Mine were 22 years old. I passed this information to *********** D. ****** at Germain today February 16, 2024. I was told the opinion of some mechanic from some shop ***** has never heard of is not going to be taken over the word of a 30 year veteran mechanic. He told me to call Troy the service manager on Monday and then ignored me. I guess their mechanics don't make mistakes? The vehicle is a GM. GM's standard is to replace the brake hoses every 6 years. They were 22 years overdue. What is the point of an industry standard if the industry doesn't follow it, let alone a certified dealership? I asked ***** what his resolution would be and he said he would charge me for a diagnostic test and if what I said is true, Germain would charge the same price again to replace the same parts again and a some extra for the hoses. I have looked at multiple professional sources including GM and they should be replaced by Germain at the time the calipers and pads were replaced. My son put his last savings in his dead great grandma's car so he can get back and forth to school. True story! This is someone in need of critical transportation, and Germain is taking no responsibility when, to me, they should have done better. If they gave my son an option to spend 20 more dollars to protect his investment, I am sure he would have taken it, no one asked him.

  

  Business response

  02/27/2024

  Our General Manager worked with ***** and has resolved his concern.

   

   

  Customer response

  02/29/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I accept the business's response to resolve this complaint. Thank you very much for what you do!  Protect people is a great calling!  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a car from Germain Toyota on December 29, 2023. For that purchase I traded in my 2021 Honda CRV and purchased a 2024 Toyota Highlander. The finance person at Germain Toyota called Honda financial services which held the lease for my former car for the payoff amount. However, Germain Toyota neglected to pay off the full payout amount. February 2, 2024. I received a phone call from Honda financial services telling me that Germain Toyota did not fully pay off my car and that I would be listed at delinquent for the three credit bureaus, because Germain Toyota did not pay off the car in the amount of $425 . I contacted Germain Toyota and to date. The issue has not been resolved.

  

  Business response

  02/06/2024

  Our pre-owned manager ***** has spoken with Ms. ******** regarding this matter. The $425 difference was sent to Honda on Friday 2/2/24 and the representative assured us that Ms. ******** will not have any late pays reported to her credit bureau since she is currently only 10 days past due. 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from Germain Toyota Columbus on Nov 6 2023 and car broke down Jan 4th 2024.

  

  Business response

  01/26/2024

  After purchasing and driving for a couple of months, her vehicle experienced an oil consumption issue. This is a common issue for Hyundai and Kia. Because of the year and mileage, she is outside of the manufacturer warranty. Her Hyundai is currently at Great Lakes Hyundai for repair. The repair requires an extensive tear down of her motor and service to its eternal parts. Our management staff has reached out to the Service department at Great Lakes Kia for progress on multiple occasions.
  
  Her Premiere Service agreement only grants her 5 days of rental reimbursement coverage. As a measure of customer service, we gave her a $300.00 allotment towards a rental vehicle. We spoke to ******* and confirmed the check was mailed out this week. During this conversation she informed us that Great Lakes Hyundai called and said her vehicle was ready to pick up.

*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. ↩