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Woman Slams Toyota Dealership For Charging $800 And Destroying Her Car, So Toyota Shares What Really Happened
These days, when everyone is a critic and an expert and can make or break a business with a single, scathing review, the power of the customer has never been greater. Businesses have had to raise their game customer service-wise, which is good for all of us, but what happens when people take advantage and leave false or unfair reviews out of nothing more than spite?
Heninger Toyota, a dealership in Calgary, Alberta, received a less than flattering write up from a customer recently, who basically accused them of wrecking her car. “The engine is in the trunk!” She wrote. “This alone should be enough to help people avoid Heninger.” The rest of the details were left out, but it was enough to get the indignation flowing, and the dealership is suddenly enemy no.1 through no fault of their own.
“Toyota Canada had denied her a warranty repair due to maintenance neglect,” a spokesperson from Heninger told Bored Panda. “When given the news, she gave specific instructions not to touch her vehicle as she was going to sue us.”
Heninger’s response should be used as a template for all businesses who have been unfairly targeted with false and misleading reviews. Polite but firm, factual and backed by evidence. “Because we couldn’t respond directly to her post, we shared it on our own page with a link to the audio recording,” the spokesperson told us. “Since she deleted the post, our share has also been deleted as a result. The people who got a chance to listen to the voice clip know that she specifically asked for her parts to be boxed up.”
“Our response was perhaps a bit emotionally charged, but still fair. We appreciate the support we have gotten online, but do not want to escalate the situation to more than what it already is. It had become a legal issue before this post and we do not wish to add fire to the flame.”
Despite the stress and hassle the situation has caused, the dealership seems to be taking things pretty well and are showing the kind of restraint and understanding that not many in their shoes probably would. “In regards to why she blamed us, I think it is very natural for people to vent their frustrations,” the spokesperson told Bored Panda. “When you have a bad experience, you want to talk about it, even if it’s just to your friends and family, rather than to social media.”
Scroll down below to read how it unfolded for yourself and please, follow your car maintenance schedules to be sure you don’t lose your own warranty coverage!
RELATED:
The post sparked some passionate reactions from the woman’s Facebook friends
And then the dealership responded
Update: the voice clip is not available anymore since the dealership has removed the post from Facebook.
People had a lot to say about this situation
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What do you think ?
Ladies and Gentlemen 7 years ago
Sometimes I began to wonder what makes a story qualify for Bored Panda.
Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
I am always astonished how people think their wrongdoings are nothing and it's always SOMEONE ELSE's fault. And how they lie, miss out on facts and try to make everyone else pity them and back up their stories which show half truths.
Dr. Cheri Hayes 7 years ago
Unfortunately, you just described most of my family...LOL!
Load More Replies...
Chris Pitch 7 years ago
Social Media at its finest. I like it when the companies pull them up.
Isla Reyne 7 years ago
me too - serial whiners and complainers always garnering sympathy remind me of those Munchausen-by-Proxy mothers that are certifiable. PITY ME ! PITY ME! Nauseating human behavior.
Load More Replies...
Grumble o'Pug 7 years ago
So 58.6k miles with no oil change. And they were free. Do I have this right? I can't even understand why this is a thing. Judging by the digitizing of the photo, it looks like one facebook friend. You killed your car lady, what do you expect?
Mike Chin 7 years ago
"RECORDED" oil changes, meaning ones she did at the dealership and they have on record. If you do them yourself or take it somewhere else they can make the same claim of lack of maintenance too. I had instance where a check engine light was on still under warranty, they would reset it and you would need to drive 100 miles before system calibrated and come back on. It was enough to even pass inspection. Finally forced them to truly find the cause and it was an 8 month process till they figured it was a cracked gas tank but car's warranty passed. The dozens of previous visits didn't show in their computer, either because they lying or didn't log it because no money was paid. No proof it was their stupidity while under warranty so i had to pay for the repairs, plus i even had to come in to drive the car around till the computer reset.
Load More Replies...
John H. Russell 7 years ago
I've worked in food service for about thirty years. I learned well within the first year that the customer is not always right and is in fact sometimes completely wrong. Still, you have to be reasonably nice to people. Heninger does it well.
Shannon Donnelly 7 years ago
I had a car that legitimately would turn off while driving on highways. The entire wire harness had to be replaced, and I was told that it was the I'm drunk on Friday car, by the mechanic. It took 9 months of taking it to the dealership, and thousands of dollars, to diagnose the issue; needed a wire harness. I fixed the wire harness. $1400. I always had done regular maintenance on the car. While driving, it blew the water pump. I was on the highway, left hand lane 120km/hr. New water pump, $900. Then it blew both bearings on the passenger side, a 14 year old vehicle, they wanted $1200 to fix. I said no. The dealership, after being told not to do the repairs, and to close things, as I was buying a new car that day, refused. Kept me for 2 hours trying to get me to fix a 13 year old car, for the price I bout a new one.
William Teach 7 years ago
Good grief, that's over 60,000 miles with 3 oil changes? Yikes. With today's synthetics, the average time for the "maint reqd" light to come on is 5.000-7.000 miles. It's utterly unsuprising that the dealership kept records on this kind of thing, especially if she requested the engine be put in the back. Have to wonder if she planned this, thinking she'd get away with it, garnering sympathy, then having either the dealership or Toyota jump in to avoid bad press.
Mike Chin 7 years ago
regular oil can go over 5,000 easily without change, synthetic can go 15,000. There are engineering articles about it. Counting the original oil in the car thats 4 oils changes. Its doubtful engine failure would really result. But don't really know the actual intervals either.
Load More Replies...
BitterSweetWisdom 7 years ago
The thing is, Toyota is a great car company, the Japanese make great cars, better than American ones.
Christina Sersif 7 years ago
I'm not going to call her a liar. I'm just going to call her stupid. She was too stupid to understand cars need oil changes every 3-5 thousand miles and if you don't then obviously you're going to have engine trouble. I have next to zero experience when it comes to cars and maintenance, but even I know that.
Rita Paulson Miller 7 years ago
SHAME on you! Calling names She actually could have changed the oil at a place nesr her home or work ! In less thsn an hour! Compare The time to make an appointment drive across town wait till the oil change done then wait for car to be brought aroumd then drive back is overwhelming compared to a 30 minuit oil change and cheap too (yes i know dealerships service was free)
Load More Replies...
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
So the squeaky wheel did not get the grease. If she had gone and gotten her car "greased" properly it would most probably be in good shape.
Joe Clarke 7 years ago
Typical. Bitches when they wont fix what you destroyed. Yes, destroyed. Free oil changes?!?!?!? WTF!!! You know that oil change reminder was telling her everytime she started the damn thing.
John Hofstetter 7 years ago
20 plus years in GM dealerships. this kind of thing happens all the time. This is why it is getting harder to hire people. SOME of the customers are just horrible liars and will try to get you fired just to get something for free. You replaced my windshield wipers and now the radio is inop
Alex Smith 7 years ago
"Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's true"? - Abraham Lincoln.
Alan Parrish 7 years ago
Nice work by the dealership! "Oh, I'm a victim! Feel sorry for me!" That happens far too often and we need more of what this dealership did to stop this. In my line of work, people demanded we wear body cameras. Now that we do, folks are upset because they can't accuse us of anything. The proof is in the video/audio, Boo.
Damon Hill 7 years ago
What do car manufacturers and mechanics expect? With all the advertising these days raving about oil and filters being good for 15000 miles, it's only a matter of time before you're faced with an idiot that really believes it.
Tiffany Zhu 7 years ago
people think that mechanics will fix anything, anytime, just because they paid money. Like, gurl, naw. 3 oil changes is crazy especially when you can get them for free.
Tisha Bell 7 years ago
I'm usually dubious of anyone posting "personal experience" rants about businesses on their own feed- go to yelp like normal people.
Joe Sauer 7 years ago
I had a buddy that changed engines and not oil. After the dealership replaced his engine for the second time, they told him no more. Can't believe the warrantied it.
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
Probably because they were unsure what caused the fault the first time and that the car was still under full warranty.
Load More Replies...
A S Koziol 7 years ago
Things are changing-I'm a female who's changed her own oil, spark plugs, and filters for 30 years-and I taught about 7 boyfriends and my husband how to do basic maintenance. I had to teach 3 of them how to change a tire, so it's not just females who don't know anything about cars anymore...
Load More Replies...
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
An oil change is maintenance, not a repair. You do maintenance to prevent things from breaking and needing repair. Every driver should know that you should get the oil replaced after a certain number of miles or at least once a year for most modern cars. Not doing that will make the engine wear out a lot sooner than it should.
Load More Replies...
Paul Osborne 7 years ago
It wasn't a huge corporation replying, it was a local dealer who'd exhausted all options in trying to help her out.
Load More Replies... Ladies and Gentlemen 7 years ago
Sometimes I began to wonder what makes a story qualify for Bored Panda.
Alusair Alustriel 7 years ago
I am always astonished how people think their wrongdoings are nothing and it's always SOMEONE ELSE's fault. And how they lie, miss out on facts and try to make everyone else pity them and back up their stories which show half truths.
Dr. Cheri Hayes 7 years ago
Unfortunately, you just described most of my family...LOL!
Load More Replies... Chris Pitch 7 years ago
Social Media at its finest. I like it when the companies pull them up.
Isla Reyne 7 years ago
me too - serial whiners and complainers always garnering sympathy remind me of those Munchausen-by-Proxy mothers that are certifiable. PITY ME ! PITY ME! Nauseating human behavior.
Load More Replies... Grumble o'Pug 7 years ago
So 58.6k miles with no oil change. And they were free. Do I have this right? I can't even understand why this is a thing. Judging by the digitizing of the photo, it looks like one facebook friend. You killed your car lady, what do you expect?
Mike Chin 7 years ago
"RECORDED" oil changes, meaning ones she did at the dealership and they have on record. If you do them yourself or take it somewhere else they can make the same claim of lack of maintenance too. I had instance where a check engine light was on still under warranty, they would reset it and you would need to drive 100 miles before system calibrated and come back on. It was enough to even pass inspection. Finally forced them to truly find the cause and it was an 8 month process till they figured it was a cracked gas tank but car's warranty passed. The dozens of previous visits didn't show in their computer, either because they lying or didn't log it because no money was paid. No proof it was their stupidity while under warranty so i had to pay for the repairs, plus i even had to come in to drive the car around till the computer reset.
Load More Replies... John H. Russell 7 years ago
I've worked in food service for about thirty years. I learned well within the first year that the customer is not always right and is in fact sometimes completely wrong. Still, you have to be reasonably nice to people. Heninger does it well.
Shannon Donnelly 7 years ago
I had a car that legitimately would turn off while driving on highways. The entire wire harness had to be replaced, and I was told that it was the I'm drunk on Friday car, by the mechanic. It took 9 months of taking it to the dealership, and thousands of dollars, to diagnose the issue; needed a wire harness. I fixed the wire harness. $1400. I always had done regular maintenance on the car. While driving, it blew the water pump. I was on the highway, left hand lane 120km/hr. New water pump, $900. Then it blew both bearings on the passenger side, a 14 year old vehicle, they wanted $1200 to fix. I said no. The dealership, after being told not to do the repairs, and to close things, as I was buying a new car that day, refused. Kept me for 2 hours trying to get me to fix a 13 year old car, for the price I bout a new one.
William Teach 7 years ago
Good grief, that's over 60,000 miles with 3 oil changes? Yikes. With today's synthetics, the average time for the "maint reqd" light to come on is 5.000-7.000 miles. It's utterly unsuprising that the dealership kept records on this kind of thing, especially if she requested the engine be put in the back. Have to wonder if she planned this, thinking she'd get away with it, garnering sympathy, then having either the dealership or Toyota jump in to avoid bad press.
Mike Chin 7 years ago
regular oil can go over 5,000 easily without change, synthetic can go 15,000. There are engineering articles about it. Counting the original oil in the car thats 4 oils changes. Its doubtful engine failure would really result. But don't really know the actual intervals either.
Load More Replies... BitterSweetWisdom 7 years ago
The thing is, Toyota is a great car company, the Japanese make great cars, better than American ones.
Christina Sersif 7 years ago
I'm not going to call her a liar. I'm just going to call her stupid. She was too stupid to understand cars need oil changes every 3-5 thousand miles and if you don't then obviously you're going to have engine trouble. I have next to zero experience when it comes to cars and maintenance, but even I know that.
Rita Paulson Miller 7 years ago
SHAME on you! Calling names She actually could have changed the oil at a place nesr her home or work ! In less thsn an hour! Compare The time to make an appointment drive across town wait till the oil change done then wait for car to be brought aroumd then drive back is overwhelming compared to a 30 minuit oil change and cheap too (yes i know dealerships service was free)
Load More Replies... Virgil Blue 7 years ago
So the squeaky wheel did not get the grease. If she had gone and gotten her car "greased" properly it would most probably be in good shape.
Joe Clarke 7 years ago
Typical. Bitches when they wont fix what you destroyed. Yes, destroyed. Free oil changes?!?!?!? WTF!!! You know that oil change reminder was telling her everytime she started the damn thing.
John Hofstetter 7 years ago
20 plus years in GM dealerships. this kind of thing happens all the time. This is why it is getting harder to hire people. SOME of the customers are just horrible liars and will try to get you fired just to get something for free. You replaced my windshield wipers and now the radio is inop
Alex Smith 7 years ago
"Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's true"? - Abraham Lincoln.
Alan Parrish 7 years ago
Nice work by the dealership! "Oh, I'm a victim! Feel sorry for me!" That happens far too often and we need more of what this dealership did to stop this. In my line of work, people demanded we wear body cameras. Now that we do, folks are upset because they can't accuse us of anything. The proof is in the video/audio, Boo.
Damon Hill 7 years ago
What do car manufacturers and mechanics expect? With all the advertising these days raving about oil and filters being good for 15000 miles, it's only a matter of time before you're faced with an idiot that really believes it.
Tiffany Zhu 7 years ago
people think that mechanics will fix anything, anytime, just because they paid money. Like, gurl, naw. 3 oil changes is crazy especially when you can get them for free.
Tisha Bell 7 years ago
I'm usually dubious of anyone posting "personal experience" rants about businesses on their own feed- go to yelp like normal people.
Joe Sauer 7 years ago
I had a buddy that changed engines and not oil. After the dealership replaced his engine for the second time, they told him no more. Can't believe the warrantied it.
Virgil Blue 7 years ago
Probably because they were unsure what caused the fault the first time and that the car was still under full warranty.
Load More Replies... A S Koziol 7 years ago
Things are changing-I'm a female who's changed her own oil, spark plugs, and filters for 30 years-and I taught about 7 boyfriends and my husband how to do basic maintenance. I had to teach 3 of them how to change a tire, so it's not just females who don't know anything about cars anymore...
Load More Replies... Virgil Blue 7 years ago
An oil change is maintenance, not a repair. You do maintenance to prevent things from breaking and needing repair. Every driver should know that you should get the oil replaced after a certain number of miles or at least once a year for most modern cars. Not doing that will make the engine wear out a lot sooner than it should.
Load More Replies... Paul Osborne 7 years ago
It wasn't a huge corporation replying, it was a local dealer who'd exhausted all options in trying to help her out.
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