Metro Toyota – Service

I own a Toyota and received a recall notice. I looked my VIN up to find that there are 2 recalls. :(As usual I went to the Unilocal reviews for Toyota dealers near me and found 2 westside dealerships with reviews this one being the most glowing for sales and service so I called. In their defense, it is the Tuesday between Xmas and New Year’s and so maybe they are short staffed and therefore apparently impatient (at best). First call to their service dept I went through several minutes of ads and recordings and then a voicemail box where I didn’t leave a message. I hung up and called back at 11:35 today to find a very curt (verging on rude) woman on the other end of the line who was both fast talking (as in I’m very busy and no time for you) and clearly not in the mood to answer questions or to be kind. Usually dealership service dept are pretty nice and want your business + after reading other Unilocalers I expected such here.
After explaining I have 2 recalls and she said that they can only do one when I asked ‘why’ she said, «we don’t have the part» and when I asked when it would be available she said, «we don’t know». After several more questions I learned that Toyota sends notices of problems before they have what is know in the industry as a «remedy» when they have the part or solution. I’m not sure why the person on the phone couldn’t have taken 1 minute to explain this without treating the caller as if everyone in the world would know this and forcing me to play 20-​questions. I then asked when I could schedule for the one recall and she smartly said, «anytime». So I said, «okay, today» to which she said they couldn’t do it today (didn’t she say «anytime»?) so I asked about tomorrow and she said no they couldn’t do that unless I could leave the car for the day (didn’t she say «anytime»?). After enduring several minutes of her short-​tempered, patronizing tone I finally cried ‘uncle’ and gave up trying by simply saying ‘thank you’ as I hung-​up. In hindsight, I wish I had said, ‘being rude doesn’t make this a good phone call for either of us and it takes the same amount of energy to be kind as to be mean’.
The sad part for them is that my plan was to also look for a new Toyota and check out their sales staff to see if this was the place to buy. Service departments and sales departments may work independently but they are integrally related. My experience is that if the staff is rude then people at the top of the organization are okay with this behavior.
I was very excited to think I had found a great Toyota dealership but it turns out that this is strike one. I’ll call again in a week or so and see how that conversation goes with service. If it is equally as difficult (okay, now I expect stellar) then I’ll go with my 2-​strikes you’re out rule and head to another dealership. They will have lost a car sale and a customer who would also have used their service department. Maybe this was a chance bad encounter but Unilocal is a good place to hear a number of different experiences allowing the readers to sort out what is helpful. My experience was clearly a lesson in how NOT to treat customers.

Can’t say enough good things about this place. So far have bought two cars from them. They’ve done almost all of the service and repairs needed for the car.
Service staff is very knowledgeable, good customer service. Repairs have always been
done right. You can go elsewhere for less but sometimes you get what you pay for.
They stand by their product. You get treated the right way here.

Several weeks ago we arrived at Metro Toyota Brookpark, Ohio, with all warning lights flashing on our Sienna Van. Prior to that we had had rat damage repaired in Vero Veach, Forida, and stopped at the Toyota South in Richmond, Kentucky because of the warning lights. Toyota South examined our vehicle, ordered a part and deemed the van safe to drive as far as Cleveland area since we were headed there to visit family. They also phoned Cindy Neal at Metro to apprise her of our situation. Upon our arrival we were immediately assisted and the van was examined — more rat damage. To complete an inspection, we needed to unload our totally packed van with no place to put all of our «stuff». Much to our relief, Cindy arranged for a pallet which was fully loaded, shrink wrapped, and stored in Metro’s storage. A rental car was set up so we could continue our visit while the van was being investigated. As the days progressed, more and more rat damage was discovered and Cindy kept us apprised each step of the way. The insurance company became more concerned as more damage was discovered. Cindy dealt with them effectively and kept the process moving. Ultimately, the van was totaled. Because of the excellent service provided, we opted to purchase a van from them so we could continue our journey.

Some years back I had visited this nice dealership for routine service on my Nissan Sentra and got very good care from Bruce and his team. Too bad I was so stressed and sleep-​deprived that my brain was not on all of its cylinders when I the older Sentra developed a costly problem that led to new car shopping in a hurry. I wound up at a dealership that was, in a word, horrible. Every aspect of the transaction left something to be desired, from sales, to finance to delivery.
My online research led to a salesperson from here calling while I was sort of in the midst of the transaction with the other dealership, i.e. I thought I was past the point of no-​return. This one person seemed ethical enough to not want to overstep/​steal a sale. I spoke briefly with the GM, who gave me some advice that resulted in saving some money. It seemed I might be too far along in the process to switch dealers, but in retrospect I shouldn’t have cared and I only wish I had switched.
So the deal, regrettably went through with the other dealer. Driving around with license plates that gave away who the dealer was, I went to the BMV, paid for new plates, and then drove out to Metro which a friend had suggested had great service as well. The guys couldn’t have been nicer, and quickly put my plates on for me, as well as their frames so I didn’t have to have my mistake in my face every time I looked at the car. They also told me I could deal with them when the lease was up.
Of course I intend to patronize them for any other needs as well as the ToyotaCare.
AND the service manager emailed to see how things went and if I’d come by! THAT’S caring about your customers!

Service lounge is nice, free wifi, coffee and pastries are a plus. It seems like every time I come in here they nickel and dime with «shop fees», cabin filter needs changed every visit, license plate bulbs etc. You can save a ton of money by doing some of these services yourself people. For those of you who enjoy geting these services done at a premium charge no harm but to receive an attitude when you tell the assistant service manager no is a bit ridiculous. If I wasn’t getting a recall service completed today I might have just changed the oil myself. Prices on most services are competitive for a «stealership».

Took my 2009 Corolla in for a diagnostic appointment because I was trying to get Toyota to pay for what I thought would be a $ 400.00 out-​of-​warranty water pump replacement. The staff at Metro were polite and helpful. I was able to move my appointment to an earlier time, 20 minutes from when I called to change it. Once I was there, they found a warranty loophole that meant I didn’t have to pay a dime! Even though I had only scheduled a diagnostic, they were happy to complete the work while I waited in the very pleasant waiting room and enjoyed the free WiFi. The whole ordeal took less than 2 hours. I cannot say enough about the excellent caliber of service I received. I will definitely be back the next time the ‘Rolla needs some TLC!

(This is a review of the Service department — not the dealership)
I’ve visited Metro Toyota throughout the past year — mainly for oil changes, but also went for a 60,000 mile maintenance. I really like this location. It’s convenient in that I can hop on the highway and get there in 10 – 15 minutes and they generally don’t take too long to get your car done. I’ve called and made an appointment for all my services ahead of time so that may be why it has seemed quick and effortless when I’ve arrived.
The employees are really friendly, the waiting areas are clean and well-​kept. They have coffee, water, and pastries that you can help yourself to while you wait. There’s a separate room where you can work quietly or parents can take their kids. They have a few TVs set up and best of all, they have wifi. So, I usually take my ipad and watch netflix while I wait. They also offer free shuttle service to great northern if your service is supposed to take a while.
Similar to other Toyota locations, your services usually come with a car wash, but unlike some locations, they wash your car on-​site before giving it back to you, which is very convenient (other locations have had off-​site locations next door and you just take your receipt within 30 days — which can be inconvenient depending on whether or not these places are open when you’re done at Toyota)
I’ll continue coming to this location for my oil changes and maintenances. I recommend it if you’re looking to do the same.