Shore Toyota Scion

Ridiculous experience when trying to schedule for service:
I tried scheduling a repair for a manufacture recall. I was told I need to wait until the part is ordered and arrives before scheduling an appointment because dealerships do not stock every part on hand for recalls. I could understand this and it did not strike me as odd.
After a few days I called to see if the part arrived yet and was told that the person that works on recalls does not work on Saturdays. The service front desk staff rudely informed me that although the part was delivered to their location on Friday, the only person allowed to work on the job is out of the office so no one could have called me to let me know. He seemed easily annoyed and somewhat unprofessional.
I tried making an appointment for the following week and was transferred again to the service department. I tried asking about the hours due to the upcoming holidays as I did not know if they would have adjusted hours. I was irately told that they aren’t capable of viewing the weekly schedule during the weekend. I was told that there is only person that works on recalls and they only are allowed to work on only 2 recalls per day. Also no one knows the schedule except that individual tech and no one knows how booked up he is. I was told to call Monday morning to see what his availability is. I wish they shared this information with me 4 days ago…
I tried to be understanding, but this person just kept getting annoyed and snapping at me. I’ll be going somewhere else that actually listens and respects its clients. Based on the lack of professionalism at Shore Toyota, I couldn’t imagine going there for an actual repair. If it takes this long just to have a conversation to make an appointment for a simple factory recall repair I can’t imagine if something were to actually break on my car how the service might be.
I made an appointment with a different reputable dealership after hanging up the phone. They had the part on hand without having to order it. I got an appointment first thing Monday morning. They even offered to shuttle me home during the repair. So instead of waiting until Monday to call ‘your guy’ at Shore to see if he can spare 2 hours before the holidays, I will be getting it repaired elsewhere.
I have 99K+ miles on my Toyota, you’d think the dealership would treat me nicer so that when the time comes for me to purchase another vehicle in the near future that I might consider going to them.

I experienced bad customer service at Shore Toyota this past Saturday. I had a scheduled appointment with Dave Schulnick, assistant service manager, to get my car key serviced. When making the appointment with the receptionist, it was explained that my car key was stolen, and I had come in to get a spare key and that it needed to be programmed. I drove over a 100 miles from New York City to this dealership, where I bought my car. I arrived early and Jim Duff, the assistant service manager, greeted me. When I told him my situation, he looked confused and dismissively said it is unlikely that the parts are available. After confirming with the parts shop, he said there’s no parts to service my issue and nothing could be done. He pointed out that it would be a long process as well, as to clarify that the appointment was made in vain. He did not try to appease us, told us there is no manager on staff, and ultimately shrugged off any responsibility because he is not the manager.
I am very disappointed with Shore Toyota. It is short sighted to schedule service appointments without proper communication between the service department and the customers. It is bad customer service not to be relatable when a customer had an emergency, such as a stolen car key. It is frustrating to prevent customers from talking to management. It is incredulous to have internet sales representatives email and call about new trade-​in opportunity in parallel to poorly managed service appointments. I will not be coming back to an unhelpful service department and will find it difficult to recommend to others.

Following my very negative review below, I got a response from Shore Toyota: someone by the name of Gabriel Cirasunda who was «very concerned» by my review and wanted the opportunity to talk with me. I called immediately and left a message on his answering service. He didn’t return the call. I called again 2 days later and left a message again. Now this is another 2 days later and I still didn’t hear from him.
This says a lot about their integrity. Their silence tells me that they KNOW I was robbed of $ 4500 and there is nothing they have to tell me. The only way they could redeem themselves is if they sent me a check for $ 4500 plus interest, with an apology, but that’s never gonna happen.
Again, don’t ever go to Shore Toyota.
Throughout the years we bought from Shore Toyota a brand-​new 1997 Camry, a brand-​new 2007 Prius and a 2009 Camry in 2012. We just bought a 2015 Prius, but not from them and here’s why: when I bought the 2009 Camry in 2012, with 42,000 miles on it, I was grossly deceived into thinking I was paying 20,500 for it. In fact I paid 25,000 (which is grossly overpaid for a 2009 Camry bought in 2012), because the salesman tricked me into thinking I was getting $ 4500 for a trade-​in when in fact he deducted the $ 4500 from the 25,000 and not from the 20 500 we had agreed on. When I realized the deception, I immediately sent the general manager a certified letter. Not only did he not bother to read it, he returned it!
This is the worst experience I had by far for buying a car. Don’t ever go to Shore Toyota!

I have never felt like people could say «f**k you», more than these guys did.
We were going to LBI from Boston and on the way down, the car started acting up. A 2010 but has 99k miles. Before making it to Jersey, the Check Engine and other lights came on. We were only going to be in NJ for 4 days and wouldn’t make it back home before 100k miles hit (& when warranty was up) so decided to take it to Shore Toyota. We explained our story and that we needed help. They did nothing for us. They charged $ 100+ to basically tell us «you’ll be fine, go home». We got home and the car was over 100k miles & we found out the transmission needed to be replaced. Thankfully, our Toyota was able to honor the warranty since we had proof of the NJ check before 100k miles but besides that, they wasted $ 100+ & many hours out of our vacation to be of NO HELP. So unfortunate that people can care so little about others.

«Bait-​and-​switch is a form of fraud used in retail sales but also employed in other contexts. First, customers are „baited“ by merchants’ advertising products or services at a low price, but when customers visit the store, they discover that the advertised goods are not available, or the customers are pressured by sales people to consider similar, but higher priced items („switching“).» — Wikipedia
This dealership advertised a 2015 Toyota Tacoma on Toyota’s corporate website under certified used vehicles for $ 28,000. My family drove an hour to purchase this truck today. When we got to the dealership they attempted to show two other vehicles. We insisted that they show us the advertised truck. They did. When we sat down to talk numbers they «just wanted to let us know» that the price was a mistake and they would not be honoring it. Then they told us that it was an error by a third party website (Toyota’s corporate site), then a typo. Then they tried to sell another vehicle. Toyota’s site states very clearly that the retailing dealer posted the information and is solely responsible for the content of the ad (milage, price and vehicle content). When presented with this information, the sales manager called it «your opinion».
DO NOT VISIT THIS DEALERSHIP. They use dishonest business practices to lure customers.

Came in for a 745am appt. Needed a new tire and 15k service. For some reason that would take 2.5 hours and still counting. Toyota, please hire more service techs or find another fix. This is unacceptable.

Whatever…

Absolutely horrible customer service. But I blame it on the owner. It always starts with leadership. And this place has none. It’s always like pulling teeth. They have no problem making a sale but afterwards… lookout. Zero customer support. That’s why you see this trend of negative reviews. They deserve it. BUYER BEWARE!!! Do not buy from this dealership.

Quoted me one price for oil change, charged me more! I gave them model and year when I called, uh wtf u don’t know what oil my car needs. Bullshit!

Carlos the manager told me to drive 1.5 hours to get that discount off the 2014 highlander I was interested in. His tactic was that he raised the price 2k + msrp and then tacked on some bs fee, then said he would waive it, then I negotiated the price to what the original msrp was to make it sound like I made a deal. Not happy about the manager Carlos and his service

Addressing Lauren again,
I have attempted to contact you again at the request of your additional canned response. It took you two days to respond, but you finally told me «upper management refuses to work on your vehicle due to all of the negative comments and publicity». Oh well. This is America where we can speak our minds, not Nazi Germany.
Quite the stark difference of the image you try to convey in public forums.
Also, what exactly is your title? On here you are customer service manager. When you wrote to me the other day, you were a senior internet sales consultant. So which is it???

Talked to Stephanie from the internet sales. Most dealerships I talked to were for the most part upfront and gave me an estimated figure on the monthly payment (after I gave then my credit score range). But for some reason this dealership refused to do so.
Stephanie wasted my time and after the 3^rd phone call of useless back and forth questions, I simply told her to not call me anymore and that I will not be driving to the dealership.
The first call, she basically repeated word for word what I mentioned in my first email. Second phone call was also bs, something about how I need to come in person to get a concrete monthly figure. Third phone call was the final straw… Don’t even remember the content of the call… It was some completely unnecessary detail like my preferred color or smthg..
If u value your time and want a upfront sales experience, DON’T GO HERE.

My bad experience occurred at this place about 3 years ago. I was there looking for a Sienna. Basically a major shakedown. the salesperson Nelson was great but the money go Alti or Ulti or something, total cockroach. The song and dance is textbook car dealership stuff but this place likes to gouge and tries to get away with it. when I complained they offered to give me the sienna I wanted for a good price. But the damage was done. I bought my Sienna LTD from another dealership that weekend. will never set foot in this place. They should bulldoze it, sow salt into the ground and build a park for kids with developmental disabilities.

Very expensive. Do yourself a favor and check out other Toyota dealerships in the area. The sales manager Ulti tried to charge me $ 2000 above MSRP on a Tacoma. I shopped around on the internet and ended up paying about $ 4700 below MSRP on a brand new Tacoma at another dealership 2 hours away. Ulti, also tried to tell me that my trade in had been in an accident when it had not. Bottom line is this dealership tries to play every dirty trick in the book to sell a car. Don’t buy here.

I mostly come here to get my 2008 Prius serviced and I have always been satisfied with the quality.

BAIT AND SWITCH. Negotiated for a Prius V, agreed on the price. Drove 3 hours to pick up the car. They tried to pass a Prius IV to me as a Prius V. They apologized that I caught their «ERROR» but refused to make any concessions. Do NOT go here!

Learn from my experience…
I went to Toyota looking to purchase a new/​used car. The sales man came to the driveway, as I was walking around looking at the cars. I was looking at a preowned Prius. The sales rep told me a couple just brought it in for a trade in; they were looking into getting into a new model and kept it in great condition. Loooong story short, once I asked for the Carfax, after reading it; it was not brought in by a couple, it was purchased at an auction. The sales rep fabricated the entire story.
My fiancé then noticed spray paint under the car near the front fender. Sales manager said there were not accidents «Carfax said so». Once it was clearly obvious this car had body work done, the sales manager then said «we’ll it’s obvious it was painted».
Lie after lie. I would never give this dealer any of my business.

I never expected my car-​buying experience to go as smoothly as it did. I made my purchase almost three years ago so I will recount my experience as best as I can.
We went the Saturday right after Black Friday right at closing time in 2009. I made sure I did all my research before-​hand and brought a cash down payment and my boyfriend with me so they wouldn’t try to pull anything. I was ready to buy.
We were immediately assisted by Nelson Alvarez. He was nice but did not have the typical car-​salesman, cheesy, brown-​nosing attitude. I told him what car I liked and what color I wanted. He grabbed the keys and took us for a test drive, all the while explaining some of the features of the car that I might not have already been aware of. When we were finished the test-​drive, I told him I wanted to buy the car.
We went inside and another gentleman (I forget his name) sat down to crunch numbers with us. I told them how much I was willing to put down, what I was willing to pay per month, and told them to figure it out. They almost immediately came back very close to what I was asking. I pushed back for what I wanted. The dealership at this point had been closed for awhile and I know that someone had called our salesman while we were test-​driving and asked when he would be home. After a short amount of back-​and-​forth, they leveled with me «Listen, it’s Saturday night, we’re not going to play games, we’re ready to go home. If you’re very serious about leaving with this car tonight, we are going to do the best we can for you right now.» My boyfriend said «Yes, we’re serious!» and slapped the cash down in front of them and said «Get us where we need to be» They maneuvered something and were actually able to get it down to almost exactly what I was asking by getting rid of some type of coverage or feature that I didn’t want. We agreed to take the car, and then when we met with the gentleman in finance (who was also a nice guy) it turned out that whatever they had to take out to get me my price was actually free. This little area of shadiness almost makes me think about giving this 4 stars instead of 5, but I think in comparison with what other dealerships do to you, I can let this one slide. We were done the whole process, start to finish, in under two hours.
I have to say, going right at closing time on a Saturday night, if you are absolutely, without a doubt, ready-​to-​buy, is a great way to prevent yourself from getting jerked around. No one wants to work too late on a Saturday night, and if they know you are absolutely serious about buying, they are going to cut to the chase and get it done for you quickly. I did not feel rushed at all, I just felt like I was able to avoid a lot of nonsense. I’m not sure if Nelson still works there, but I would fully recommend dealing with him if you’re not interested in having some sleazeball act like he’s your best buddy.
After I purchased my car, I had a couple of people from Shore follow-​up with me about my experience and I gave Shore Toyota an excellent rating and I am still very happy with the car I purchased there, and will likely return to buy my next vehicle.

Not a place you go for service.
This is a factory– not literally, but you know what I mean. They have a lot of sales people, but they are disorganized. I went to test drive cars. The first salesman started to talk with me, the abruptly stopped and handed me off to a younger salesman who was on the phone at the time. The younger man did not hear a word the first had said, so I needed to go over what I was looking for again. The second man was nice enough, but was clearly unhappy and just went through the motions. He asked for the keys to my current car so they could do an appraisal. He took me on a couple of suburban road, not really adequate for a test drive. When I asked for brochures with specs so that I could mull over my choices, turned out they did not have any. When I asked about the appraisal of my car, they said they had not done it, and would not unless I were actually buying a car. Fair enough, but then why insist on taking my keys and tell me they would do the appraisal while we were testing driving cars? Toyota makes fantastic cars that presumably sell themselves. Maybe the company doesn’t need decent sales people.

If I could give a ZERO I would. I made an appointment because there is a recall on my car. It was for 8:30 in the morning because I have 9:00 patients. I only work about 5 minuets away from the dealership. I asked when I made the appointment if I could get a ride from the shuttle to work and I was told yes. When I got to my appointment at 8:25 I was told that nothing was in the computer about an appointment. I explained the the woman at the desk that I had made the appointment the appointment the day before and I was told that I could also get a ride to work. I was told that I could only get a ride from the shuttle if my office was 5 miles away. I told the woman that my office was not more that 5 miles away and that I needed to be there on time because I am a healthcare provider. I also remined her that I made an appointment. Her response was «well you didn’t talk to me.» After that she went around to the people that work there asking if anyone them had made the appointment, as I waited there feeling like I was being called a liar. I google mapped my office while this was happening and found that I was 4.5 miles away (less than 5 miles). I was told I would have to wait for the second shuttle trip to get a ride and I would have to wait because the «shuttle had taken people who had appointments». In the end I did not leave my car or wait for the shuttle. I will not be going there at all and will be finding a different dealer to work with.