Poor Service and Warranty Claims at Toyota Quezon Avenue

[jovill]

Hi Innova Peeps,

I am an owner of an Innova VVTI J acquired from Toyota QA.
I would like to inform you of my bad experience with regards to the installation of tint on my ride. I returned my car to have the tint replaced because of bubbles due to poor installation the first time on August 26, 2006. They replaced tint on all windows except for the windshield visor.



I returned again on September 16 because the tint on the left rear window and tailgate window had bubbles again!! So they replaced the tint again on the said windows.



But unfortunately, they made some scratches inside the tailgate window which are so visible especially when struck by sunlight and also because my tint is black. I wanted it replaced so I talked to Eileen Sarmiento (Customer Relations Officer) and Mary Ann Diamzon to make an appointment for me this morning with warranty officer (Jimmy) so I could show the damage done on my car. Jimmy said that the window cannot be repaired anymore so it needs to be replaced but the accessories dept should be the one to shoulder it since it will not be honoured by Toyota Motor Phil.



This should not be the case because Toyota should still be the one answerable to their customers and it should be your responsibility and not the customer’s to trace this incompetent people of yours at the accessories section.



The most irritating part of this experience is when Ronnie, apparently the head of Accessories Section told me and Eileen this reason, “E kasi sir dalawang beses na napalitan ng tint e kaya yung salamin medyo lumambot na kaya ganun nagka scratch!!!” That’s a lot of crap!!! This is the kind of reasoning people make when they don’t want to accept responsibility! Is this the kind of service they give to their customers? I have heard already a lot of bad things said about the service at Toyota QA but ignored it and still had my unit purchased there because it’s near home. But this experience of mine made me think otherwise.



People buy brand new cars to have peace of mind! I have been an owner of different cars and this is the first time I owned a Toyota. I have not experienced this bad treatment with other car manufacturers and I am so disappointed to experience this with Toyota which is supposed to be the no.1 car manufacturer in the country!

[OTEP]

Care to share photos of the damage?

If it's not really that big, just let it slide. I don't really like going back to make warranty claims unless necessary lalo na kung small details lang especially if it does not impair the vehicle's functionality.

Ang mahirap kasi dito, you might be opening a can of worms. Assuming they replace the window, baka naman ang next na thread mo na dito ay: 'My tailgate is rattling' or 'I have a leak in my tailgate window'. Alam mo naman ang craftsmanship sa casa minsan next to zero. Yung tint mas ok pa sanang sariling pagawa kasi nakikita mo pagkabit at kilala mo nagkakabit. Yung casa magtatawag lang naman iyan kung sinong installer man ang maabutan nila sa labas. And you should never leave your vehicle at the dealership lalo na for corrective work.

From the time they reinstalled the tint, did you check for any damage or flaws in the workmanship prior to signing out the vehicle?

AFAIK, yung accessory section ay ibang negosyo talaga. Parang yung canteen sa school, hindi naman school ang nagpapatakbo nun pero nasa loob ng school.

I'm really sorry that you have to go through this. That's why I'd rather have an underrated Korean car than an overhyped Japanese one.

[j_avonni]

A friend encountered problems with TQA too. So, he advised me not to get a unit there unless I wanted a headache.

[jovill]

Care to share photos of the damage?

- Took a pic but wont see it by looking at the image.

If it's not really that big, just let it slide. I don't really like going back to make warranty claims unless necessary lalo na kung small details lang especially if it does not impair the vehicle's functionality.

- I beg to disagree. That's why many people are shortchanged cos of this kind of attitude.

Ang mahirap kasi dito, you might be opening a can of worms. Assuming they replace the window, baka naman ang next na thread mo na dito ay: 'My tailgate is rattling' or 'I have a leak in my tailgate window'. Alam mo naman ang craftsmanship sa casa minsan next to zero. Yung tint mas ok pa sanang sariling pagawa kasi nakikita mo pagkabit at kilala mo nagkakabit. Yung casa magtatawag lang naman iyan kung sinong installer man ang maabutan nila sa labas. And you should never leave your vehicle at the dealership lalo na for corrective work.

- Di naman accurate ito. Toyota QA has its own accessories section and they have their own people there. Also, I never left my vehicle in fact I was there when they were installing the tint. I just saw the scratch when they already installed the tint.

From the time they reinstalled the tint, did you check for any damage or flaws in the workmanship prior to signing out the vehicle?

- Yes, I did and I already brought the attention of my agent and the customer relations officer about the damage. I was just in a hurry at that time so I just went back this morning to finally talk to the warranty section.

AFAIK, yung accessory section ay ibang negosyo talaga. Parang yung canteen sa school, hindi naman school ang nagpapatakbo nun pero nasa loob ng school.

- Pero kapag kunwari nagkasakit ang anak mo dahil sa kinain nya sa canteen, sino ang hahabulin mo? Di ba hahabulin mo rin ung school kasi jurisdiction nila yun?

Cheers!

[OTEP]

They may have their own accessories section and their employees sit behind the counter but they call on the 'freelancers' or subcons/kakilalas outside to do the actual work (unless TQA has finally hired a 'fulltime' installer to sit there all day). At least some Mitsubishi dealers actually takes their vehicles to a professional shop (Winterpine) for installs. Though it means that the vehicle will have to be driven to the shop (I guess that's the price one has to pay for a clean install).

The dealership is also a training ground for future mechanics. That's why the quality of their service can be so-so at times. Have you seen a mechanic that doesn't even know how to pop a hood? Only at the dealership.

Being shortchanged is subjective. No car is perfect up to a certain extent. In the same way no install is perfect to a certain degree. I'm very particular about cars but not to the point of seeing it under a microscope. And what I've always feared happening just happened with your unit, going back just made the problem worse.

Usually for warranty claims I'd just recommend visiting a more competent dealer since the vehicle warranty is nationwide. I'm not sure if that's the case with accessories.

[oldblue]

maybe it's geographical. andyan din kase mga corrupt government agencies eh. andyan din high case ng carnapping, banawe tax-evaders etc ... personally, I dread on the idea of going to these areas. even the QC hall is a complete joke compared to other M.M. cities

dito ka na lang magpagawa sa Ortigas, Makati, Pasig, Manda area. mas may breeding mga employees.

[Innova_Boy]

May i ask kung what tint yung pinakabit sa casa before? yung gila ba yan?

WBR,

[mikmik316]

tip lang sa inyo mga pre yung Toyota Quezon Ave. at Toyota Commonwealth iisa lang ang may ari... kaya kung may choice na bumili somewhere else... do it... pati sa service...

[IMm29]

sorry to hear about your TQA woes, jovill. it's very irritating for that to happen on a new car that you've worked hard to purchase. but unfortunately, dealerships do have limitations on the quality of service they can offer. as what was pointed out earlier, tinters are subcontracted and greenhorn mechanics are a dime a dozen in their payroll. the good ones leave for greener pastures (freelance). call it being shortchanged, but fact is, that's an inherent casa problem. so much red tape, so very few nice results.

just to add to casa woes, a friend made an insurance claim for a rear-ender and had her vios repaired by another Toyota casa (Commonwealth, i think). so much for the ease of in-house insurance, the repair was terrible. the tail light and trunk lid were aligned, and the trunk was leaking. talk about work done by casa.

you might want to take Otep's advice and claim warranty at other Toyota casas. they might do a better job on it. otherwise, just take your business elsewhere, to competent installers.

[IMm29]

tip lang sa inyo mga pre yung Toyota Quezon Ave. at Toyota Commonwealth iisa lang ang may ari... kaya kung may choice na bumili somewhere else... do it... pati sa service...

hmm... now that explains my friend's woes on her vios.