This is a letter that we sent to Toyota US headquarters and to Rick McGill's Toyota. We got a reply a couple of weeks later from the US headquarters and they said that since the dealer is independant, they cannot do anything about it.
October 13
Customer Relations:
On September 16th we signed papers for a 2002 Toyota Echo at Rick McGill's Airport Toyota in Alcoa, TN. The sticker price was $13,612. We signed the paper so the finance officer Pat Davis would have the authorization to check our credit report. She said that she would start running the application through Toyota Credit at 18 percent first, but felt confident and reassured us that she would get us a better rate. That is why we signed the papers originally. Pat Davis assured us that we would get financed even though we had filed for bankruptcy in the past. She told us to drive our new car home.
The next day (which was Tuesday) we called and talked to Charles Crockett, the sales person that sold us the car (concerned that the payment and interest was going to be too high to afford) and asked him to have our trade parked in the front so that we could swap cars. When we arrived at the lot later that evening, the new car sales manager came to talk to us and asked us to allow Pat Davis to have until the end of the week and he assured us again that we would be satisfied with the end results and if we weren't we could bring the car back and get our trade. I didn't want to drive the new car all week without knowing how high the interest rate was going to be, but we followed the advice of the sales manager.
We were unsure of the results so we did some work on our own and called my sister-in law the next day. She works at Daytona Toyota in Florida. She spoke with Michael Marcolini, in the finance department to see what he could do to help. After only a few hours, Mr. Marcolini called us back and said that we can be financed at 12.75 percent at Southeast Toyota Finance. This was on Wednesday.
We waited until the following Monday and still didn't hear from Pat Davis at Rick McGill's Toyota. We called her and was told that she got us financed at 15 percent through Triad Finance last Thursday. She knew we were waiting and never called to let us know. My sister-in law's boss called Rick McGill's Toyota and asked them if they would drop the price $500.00 off the sticker price and said that they would buy it and sell it to us financed through Southeast Toyota Finance, but nobody at Rick McGill's got back with him. Rick McGill's would not lower the price to help us with the deal even though the 2003 models were due to come out next month.
We went back down that night to Rick McGill's and we brought our oldest son Michael so he could help us explain what we had done on our own about the financing. We walked into Pat Davis's office and told her about the opportunity we had through Southeast Toyota at 12.75 percent interest. She said that she got us financed at 15 percent through Triad Finance and that she would not and could not go through Southeast Toyota. We told Ms Davis that Daytona Toyota said that they would deliver the car to us as well as offer us a better interest rate.
Pat Davis immediately started to act very rude and was not very interested in letting us out of her deal to go through another dealer for a better rate. The sales manager told us that she worked very hard trying to get us financed. Pat told us with a very rude attitude "either you sign the papers at 15 percent or else i'll run them through at the 18 percent that you already signed". This sounded like a threat to me. My son Michael told her that she was very rude and she said "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN RUDE YET". Michael asked the sales manager that was in the same room if he let all of his sales people act so rude with their customer's and he just laughed. I have never been so disrespected in my entire life. They treat you so very nice while you are looking for a car, but as soon as you sign the papers they act very cold and won't try to help you any further. The sales manager had an inside joke with Pat Davis. He said if they think that 15 percent is bad then they would really hate the 25 percent interest rate that they had signed a few weeks back and laughed. Michael asked the sales manager if he would consider buying at car at 15 percent or even 12.75 percent at that matter and he said "No, I have a credit score of 844 and I don't have to pay high interest". So the poor people with bad credit have to pay higher payments and the people that have money to make the payment get a lower one. This has always been unfair.
Anyway, we didn't want to have the contract submitted at 18 percent and we didn't know if it was legal for Ms. Davis to run it through at 18 percent. We didn't know what the legality of the situation that we were in and could not afford the risk of not knowing. Michael didn't know either and suggested that we wait one more day and contact Daytona Toyota and our lawyer to find out. The sales manager said no, you cannot have another day. Pat Davis said "it's a done deal" sign the 15 percent or it's going through at 18 percent. Pat Davis gave the papers to me and wanted me to sign them. Michael took the papers from me to look them over first and Pat Davis jerked them out of his hands and said "is your name on the papers?". Both the sales manager and Pat told them that Michael couldn't look at the contract. Michael got so mad at her rudeness and said "I can't believe this damn mess, she is so rude and she shouldn't be dealing with the public." He didn't say damn you or say it directed toward anyone, it was out of anger toward the situation. Just as Michael said it, the sales manager put his hands on Michael to make him leave and my wife started crying and told my son to just forget it since they had us over a barrel. I told them that I wanted Michael to look over them and handed the papers to Michael.
Somewhere during our discussions in Pat Davis' office, we said that we have 3 days to bring the car back anyway if we change our mind or are not satisfied, but they made us keep it over the weekend so that we would not be able to return it. Both the sales manager and Pat denied that we had 3 days to return it. Pat said once it is driven off the lot that it cannot be returned. She was very adamant about that.
We wanted to just leave the car there, but we didn't know how to get our car back that we were trading in or where it was even parked and we didn't know if we would be sued. We really needed legal advice before we signed, but we didn't have another day to find out.
We have never had anyone act so rude to us or lie to our face. The next week we got papers in the mail from Toyota Credit denying us credit at 18 percent. This is the whole reason we signed at 15 percent, because we were threatened with 18 percent. It wasn't even approved at 18 percent. This seems like some form of blackmail. We were harassed and extremely violated. Toyota makes great cars. My trade in was a Camry. It shouldn't take rudeness, lies and threats to sell their cars.
We contacted the Mid Atlantic Division, Customer Relations to tell them what we went through. They assured us that we would be contacted by someone we could talk to about this situation. Our case number is 200209260499. After over a week later Anthony Spinelli from Rick McGill's Toyota called and talked to us. After we told him how rude Pat Davis was and the lies that we were told, all he did was apologize and tell us that we shouldn't have signed any papers and we should try to refinance it ourselves.in other words, he was no help. We are paying around $1,300 more for the car with interest than we should be having to pay. We aren't satisfied with the payment either. Just because we took bankruptcy doesn't mean that we are not good people. We deserve to not be lied to and treated with respect.
We would gladly give this car back and deal with a car dealer that has respect for it's customers. Unless, Rick McGill's could lower the price and give us the difference between the 15 and 12.75 percent that was offered to us through Southeast Toyota Finance. After all, we paid full sticker price and there was no negotiation on the price at all. The next week we called Southeast Toyota Finance. We tried to get them to refinance the car and they said that they were unable to refinance due to it is now considered a used car.
We have contacted the Better Business Bureau and filled out our survey from Toyota. Also, we are going to submit this to usacomplaints.com. We haven't done that as of yet. We want to get a reply from this letter first. I hope to hear from you within 2 weeks of receiving this letter. If I do not hear from you I will be sending out additional copies of this letter to The Federal Trade Commission and the Tennessee Attorney General.
Michael
Alcoa, Tennessee
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