Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new vehicle on 4/21/23. I paid for my **************** tags and title at the time of purchase. Its almost 90days later and I have had the beg the dealership to issue multiple dealer tags and now Im getting letters from my auto insurance that they are going to cancel my policy because the **************** does not have any paperwork and cannot verify I actually own the vehicle. Toyota of Tampa Bay has done nothing to resolve the issue and I am driving a vehicle that I cant prove is mine because of a dealership that doesnt care. I purchased a 2023 40th Anniversary Toyota 4Runner on 4/21/23. This dealership is predatory and the public should be warned.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Contacted customer who said that he was too busy to talk and hung up on me. Due to a new law in his ***********, the customer is responsible for getting his own plate. Email sent to customer. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/31/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Toyota of Tampa Bay mailed and emailed me a deal that was supposed to be good until the end of the month. When I arrived at the dealership the sales representative said that they cannot do that deal.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Due to limitation listed on the sale, this vehicle selected did not qualify for offer. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I found a car using Autotrader.com and called the dealership and the car listed for 25k was really $39,700. I can show you it was the same car and have all the documentation

  Business Response

  Date: 03/02/2023

  In review of this this unfortunately was just an input error from our staff when the vehicle was brought into our inventory and then it got pushed out to out to ALL 3rd party vendors for publication. We do not dispute the customers claim, but this was just human error. 

  The files attached by the guest clearly shows this car was priced $15,748 below ***** Blue Book Value. We would unfortunately be out of business if we sold vehicles that far back of their true value or cost. This would have been over 40% below our cost on this vehicle. 

  I offer my sincerest apologies to the guest for the error. I see they are located in ****, which make sense when they saw that price, it would have been worth the trip to ******* to purchase it for the savings. 

  Again, we apologize and have spoken to our Used Car Director about how important it is to check and double check before publishing pricing. 

  With much appreciation,

  ***************************;

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 19527078
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am not in ****. I live in *******. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 03/02/2023

  Yes- *******- had multiple windows open and looked at wrong file.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/17/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I referred two customers to Toyota of Tampa bay on ********************, I have been trying to get my referral bonus for the customers i referred i have sent several W9 with my ID and it`s almost been a year and still no resolution. I just want to get the money i`m owed.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Left vm for customer to provide referral information and required documents to process. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/10/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/17/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Quiero desacer la transacion. Fuy enganado me dijeron tenia que comprar warranties para obtener el prestamo cuando en el contrato una vez encontre alguien que pudiera traducirlo dice que no tengo que comprar ningun producto para ser aprovado o obtener mejor interes. El gerente no queria ensenar los numeros acordados. Deje el vehiculo en el dealer al dia siguiente en menos de 14 horas y me amenazaron con poner el vehiculo en la puerta de mi hogar, se negaron a devolverme mi trade diciendo que ya no estaba pero lo encontre en su parqueo escondido.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Reached out to the customer who was extremely angry. He said that he took care of it himself and didn't want an calls, texts, emails, etc from our business. I put him on our do not contact list. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/12/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a vehicle from this dealership months ago and received an "We owe you" paper stating they owe me floor mats for the vehicle I purchased. They did not provide the floor mats when I picked up the car and told me they would send them to me. A few weeks later, they told me they don't give floor mats to used car sales, but I stated I was given a paper that said they would and no one ever told me they wouldn't. After months of constant back and forth, I was finally told the floor mats were in and they would send them to me that week. That was a month ago, and I still haven't received. They will not return my calls or provide what they stated they owe me. The manager never once contacted me himself to discuss and hides behind his employees to communicate inaccurate information to keep me quiet. I just want the floor mats I was promised, that is all.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Customer has been taken care. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/10/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a 2012 ****** Juke from Toyota of Tampa Bay on ******** Avenue. I have used only this location to service my car. I have had approx. 4 oil changes on my vehicle performed here. My vehicle has always had a ticking noise in the engine and when it was brought up every time, it was stated to me "Those vehicles make that noise". Something else was said like air intake or something but I honestly don't remember. This noise continued to get louder and louder. On April 16, 2022, I brought my car in for an oil change and stated the noise was getting even louder and he stated again, "Those cars make that noise". I said please check it out and he said "No problem". The diagnosis recommended an axle. On 09/27/2022, my vehicle started stalling and would not start. I took the car for a diagnosis on 10/3/22 back to Toyota. I was given a quote of over $9000 for repair. I took my car to a different location to find that my motor was blown. They also told me that many items that Toyota quoted me for did not need replacing. Also what they quoted would not even have fixed my vehicle. Toyota stated in April that they did a multi point inspection and had they actually done that, they would have found my timing chain was bad which is what blew up my motor. Instead they saw the residue on my axle and stated I needed a new one rather that investigate further to find the actual problem. The multi point inspection was not done as their paperwork stated. I went to Toyota of Tampa Bay on 10/5 where I went to the advisor i initially had seen and asked him to print the ** on the services that had been done on my car with the techs comments. I said I needed the technicians comments. He told me couldn't give it to me as when it is scanned, the techs comments disappear. I waited over 5 hours and then met with the service Mgr and gm assistant where they offered to only trade in for my car on another one. They stated they were not liable as my request was not in the notes.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2023

  Customer declined all suggested work when came in to service, continued to drive vehicle without repairing the suggested components.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have never purchased a car here. Never been here and live out of state of this dealership. However, since 2018, I continue to receive multiple emails every few months saying my Toyota car (I have a ****** is due for service at this location. I have reported the email to jum, contacted the General Manager and the person who emails me letting them know to remove my email. I have called the dealership multiple times, reported the email as spam. The email has my first and last name, email address but incorrect vehicle information. I get contest promotional emails even after giving my best effort to remove myself from their email list. I have contacted them many times, blocked their email, and somehow continue to get harassed to the point where I might obtain a lawyer. When I speak to a person on the phone at the dealership, they look up my email and name verifying I do not have a car with them and have never been here. They say I am not on their email or call list. A few weeks later, I get harassed by them again. I also get phone calls regarding a Toyota purchased from their dealership, which I purchased my ***** in *****. I need help contacting them as this is borderline harassment and spam.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2022

  My name is ************************* and I am the General Manager of Toyota of Tampa Bay. I have no recollection of every speaking to you about this issue, so ***be it was my GSM or someone on my management team. I have been the ** for 2.5 Years now. Regardless I would like to resolve the issue and I am really good at hunting down these issues and solving them. 

  I have went through all 4 of our databases and we can not pull this person by Name, Email or phone. I checked with our Toyota Marketing Database as well and nothing pulls up.

  My guess is one of my 3rd party marketing vendors bought and outside list and somehow you ended up appended as owning a Toyota. I tried calling you and texted you my contact info but at the time of this writing I have not heard back. 

  What I need a copy of anything you receive via email so I can start to back track the vendor that *** have your wrong information. In addition, I am going to send your info to my marketing director and have her personally contact all vendors we currently use for marketing and see if we can find a match. 

  This is usually easy if someone is in our database, i just go click DO NOT CONTACT and it all goes away, this is a little tougher not knowing where the communication is coming from. So if you can help me by forwarding any emails to me directly at ************************************ You can text me or call me at ************ and provide any number that contacts you. 

  I apologize this happened and wish I could explain why, but I know all the right people to contact to try and help us resolve this. 

  Thanks for reaching out and making me aware of the situation. Look forward to finding the resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/08/2022

   
  Complaint: 17929652
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I left you a voicemail since you did not answer-so I did contact you, dont lie, I have emails from: *****************************-General Sales Manager, Service Consultant-***************************,, *********************-General Sales Manager, ****** Nurse-Toyota of Tampa Bay-VIP Vehicle Exchange Director, appointment reminder emails. An email from: ************************************, ***************************** at Toyota of Tampa Bay-************** | ************************************, carafe reports. You may not be able to find me in your database, so you say.  But, I have over 30 emails and this is harassment. 

  I am rejecting this because I have never been here therefore, how could you "sell" my email out? 

  Emails that have OTHER CUSTOMERS name, phone number and car information on it. 

  Delete my information and I hope this is the end of communication. 
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2022

  Hello,

  I have received many emails since 2018 and have replied back a few times to the person in the email, see attached. In addition, I have received receipts with customer info, see attached.

  I have also called the dealership and spoken to people there. Since reporting to BBB, I have continued to receive emails. I have also blocked their email, moved to junk, and continue to get emails.

  Left a voicemail for GM after reporting to BBB, heard nothing. Still get emails.

   

  Please help

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2022

  Complaint: 17929652
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I left you a voicemail since you did not answer-so I did contact you, dont lie, I have emails from: *****************************-General Sales Manager, Service Consultant-***************************,, *********************-General Sales Manager, ******************-Toyota of Tampa Bay-VIP Vehicle Exchange Director, appointment reminder emails. An email from: ************************************, ***************************** at Toyota of Tampa Bay-************** | ************************************, carafe reports. You may not be able to find me in your database, so you say.  But, I have over 30 emails and this is harassment. 
  I am rejecting this because I have never been here therefore, how could you "sell" my email out? 
  Emails that have OTHER CUSTOMERS name, phone number and car information on it. 
  Delete my information and I hope this is the end of communication. 

  In response to the above message, I called and left a message for *************** and texted her to call me. She called me the next morning after I wrote the response and left me a message while I was in my morning meeting at 10:08am. Specific instructions not to call her back. So I did not lie to the guest. 

  Until the guest can supply me with phone numbers or correspondence she has received, I have exhausted all options. We have probably dealt with ***** different advertising vendors since 2018 and i have no idea who to contact to back track this. I want to help her and I understand why she is upset and rightfully so, but without her forwarding me an email or phone number I don't know which vendor to contact to stop it. 

  I have verified she is not in any database i have direct access too and therefore left to believe this is a 3rd party vendor who we pay to market on our behalf. We did not and do not sell any of our customer records and she was never a customer of ours even if we did. 

  So again I extend my apologies that no one has taken the time to research this as deeply as I can, but she has the right person who can help resolve this once and for all once I can get any current emails or phone calls (the phone number is a tracking number by a vendor so usually easy to back track). 

  My email is *********************************** and my cell number is ************. She is welcome to email or text me information since she does not want me to call her and I will go to work. Neither one of us created this issue, but through productive communication, we can resolve the issue once and for all. 

  Look forward to receiving something from **************** so I can resolve this for the both of us. This is big waste of her time as well as ours and I am sure what ever company has her information is charging me every time they solicit her so I would like it resolved sooner than later to save money as well. Win Win for both parties :-) 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/30/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 27th, 2021 I purchased a 2019 ***** Malibu with ****** miles on it and I was promised an ******* mile powertrain warranty by the sales manager at the time. In March of 2022 I brought the car back to the dealership because it was having issues and they determined it was the battery which was not covered under warranty and did not indicate any other problems with the car. In June of 2022 I had the car towed back to the the dealer because it broke down on me after getting an oil change. Initially they determined the fuel pump and the fuel pump module was the problem. I was told that my warranty expired in at ****** miles and that I never had a ******* mile powertrain warranty. I was also told that the parts were out of stock and they did not know when they would be back in stock and that they were not going to get me a rental car because the car was not a toyota. Then on July 20th , my birthday I was told the parts would be in by the 28th and the total would be around $1,500. I got a call on July 27th saying the part came in early and my car would be ready the next day. Then on the 28th I got a call saying that my engine was very sledged up, that I needed a new engine and the new engine would cost me $******. When the car was towed to the dealer it had ****** miles on it, so in ****** miles while getting regular oil changes the motor has gone bad and I was told that my ************ were to pay the ****** for a new motor or put down ****+ to try to get another car loan for another car. In early August I went to the dealership to try to speak to a manager about this situation and they sat me with a salesman who's only concern was how much I had to put down so that I can get approved for another can loan with so much negative equity. Please help I feel as if I'm being take advantage of.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2022

  ********************,

  Thankyou for letting us know about your situation. I just spoke to your Advisor *********************** and he got me up to speed on what transpired. I did look at your purchase contract and see that you purchased a 2 year / ****** mile extended warranty which would be expired. I do not see anything in the signed contracts stating a warranty up to ******* miles anywhere in the paper work so I can not speak to that, only what I see signed and agreed to by both parties. 

  I asked **************** to pull the vehicle in to see what could be done more economically to get the vehicle repaired. The price quoted was for a new engine direct from *************** I asked them to look at remanufactured engines and used engines as well to see if we could get the price down and possibly assist you in some manner, because I agree that's a lot of money. 

  I looked to see if we could trade you our but due to your current credit profile it has made it very difficult to impossible to do so without a large down payment, hence why the salesman kept asking you for that. This is a reflection on your credit worthiness and less to do with the dealership trying to make profit. 

  We will need a few days to see what we can do as far as repairs so let me get some quotes from my team and see if I can possibly offer some finance assistance. 

  I will be in touch as soon as I get the information. 

  Thank you again for letting me know about your situation.