As an avid Yelper, I'm not one to leave reviews but rather tips (as you can see on my profile). My experience at Walker Toyota has been EXCEPTIONALLY HORRIBLE that I felt that they should break my longstanding rule of not writing reviews and use my first Yelp review in order to help prevent anyone from going through the same experience we did. Congrats Walker!
We purchased a 2013 4runner from them since our beloved 2002 4runner was totaled in an accident. We were looking to purchase a 2013 4Runner from another dealership but decided to give them a chance. Upon initial experience, they were nice and accommodating. That is until the negotiation begins. I do my research on everything as my wife can attest to, and went in with a fairly hard line stance. There was nothing to lose as we had the same type of vehicle waiting for us at another dealer. Could have we gone to that original dealership? Yes, but we wanted something a bit more local so that we could establish a relationship and have our vehicle service there. The negotiation took 2 visits over about 4 days. Considering it was the dead of winter, it looked pretty slow in terms of car sales, so a major purchase of a higher end vehicle on their lot would do a lot for them. This is where it all turns downhill.
Upon delivery of our vehicle I notice a small ding which was fully acknowledged by the manager on duty at the time. He said they could take care of it upon return of the vehicle for installation of the 3M bra
and remote starter. Fast forward to the installation, upon return the bra was missing a piece (which warranted another visit), the remote starter was the cheapest available (they will steer you away from the OEM Toyota piece saying that its not as good when in reality it's a way to cut costs and talk about how the aftermarket ones have smart phone integration where you can start it with the phone), the dent was not seen despite being marked and the car was returned halfway washed which speaks volumes about the quality assurance aspect of their business. I brought the vehicle back to have the bra fixed and this time marked the ding with a black wax pencil on our gleaming white vehicle (which I personally washed).
I talked with the General Manager - Kevin about our experience and he at first was receptive. I explained about all the problems we've had and he acknowledged that it shouldn't be like that. To somewhat rectify the situation he have us a small monetary compensation to try and fix the remote starter. Mind you the amount given was less than the OEM one and now have to find a new dealership to uninstall/upgrade the garbage that was installed in the first place. So in the end it still ends up costing us money to go to an OEM or upgrade to the ones that have smart phone integration, if they would have put the OEM one in the first place.
Guess what happened when I get the car back? Can you? The bra is fixed, the vehicle is fully washed, but the ding which is now a bit harder to see. I admit I talked to the manager on duty, Bret, and he said that they had the "best body guys in Ohio look at it and they can't see it. So as far as Walker Toyota is concerned we are done with it!" Really? Are we done with it?
To save additional minutes of your time, I will condense the additional events. This was brought back to the general manager Kevin and to Toyota corporate. The ding was deemed "imaginary" despite visual and verbal acknowledgement from their manager on duty at time of delivery. Walker Toyota refused to offer an apology which they clearly owed. They also acknowledged that they refuse to further deal to rectify the situation. If that's how Walker Toyota treats its customers who are the life blood of any business, then it's best that we not return and would advise anyone considering them not to visit them in the first place.
If you just want to buy a vehicle and call it a day, then this is a place for you. But if you're someone who likes to create a nice relationship with the business and offer repeat business and referrals, then I would advise that you "not walk but run as fast and far as you can from Walker Toyota." read more