I purchased a Toyota Corolla. To be fair, it is a great car. I have never had one single problem with the Toyota Corolla itself and would buy another.
I would never buy from Tom Bell Toyota of Redlands again. As a first time car buyer I feel like I was skinned alive. I ended up paying way more than I should have after all was said and done.
To compound the insult, the sales person and his partner in crime in the financing department convinced me that I needed a vehicle service agreement. I commute 80 miles a day. I had never owned anything but beaters. It didn't seem too bad of an idea to get a service agreement. What clenched the deal was when I asked "So you will come tow me off the freeway, anywhere, for the life of the vehicle for an extra charge each month on top of my payment?"
I was told YES.
I signed.
I also purchased a Pursuit Remote Security System PRO-9344.
Now, what they don't tell you is that Toyota Motor Insurance Services isnt open after 5 pm. What they don't tell you is that the Pursuit Remote Security System PRO-9344 doesn't work if it falls below 35 degrees, a regular occurance in winter where I live. The Pursuit bundle of garbage eats batteries like frogs eat flies. It doesn't work in cold weather. Tonight, I was stuck in a very dark, cold, empty parking lot in business attire, in an industrial park with my child in the car.
Tom Bell Toyota couldn't tell me how to override the security system. They have no record of the security system they installed in my car. They couldn't send anyone out to get me, a distance of 40 miles from my house and 60 miles from their dealership. They managed to give me the "customer care center" phone number. "customer care" closes at 5 pm. I didn't make my first call to Tom Bells service dept until almost 6 pm because I had to work late. They gave me the number of the "local" dealership, a mere 15 miles away. Their service department was closed. They suggested it might be the batteries and that I go to a Walmart (15 miles) a Chief Auto Parts (6 miles) or a Radio Shack (5 miles) to buy a battery again.
Finally, I managed, who knows how, to get the car started. I managed to drive home. The car is sitting in my driveway with a very active and completely useless security system. It is so secure even I can't get in. The batteries seem to be working just fine in the remote; the remote doesn't seem to be connecting to the car.
I called the "customer care center" to leave a message. The automated system has no record that I ever purchased a Toyota Vehicle Service Agreement. I called the alarm company. They don't open til 7 am tomorrow morning, the same time I have to leave for work. Tom Bell apparently can't do anything except call the alarm service for me.
I will probably buy another Toyota. The Toyota runs perfectly. I will never ever ever go to Tom Bell Toyota of Redlands, except maybe to have this criminal piece of crap security system removed from my vehicle. I will never ever buy a Toyota Motor Services warranty. What a creative way to suck money from someones pocket.
More importantly, if I ever hear of anyone even considering the purchase of a Pursuit Remote Security System I will urge them to run away screaming. This was the biggest piece of garbage ever to be invented.
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