Dealership employees behavin' badly

Toyota is getting quite a bit of headline grabbin' publicity for bad behavior on the part of employees at dealerships.  It seemed to start with a theft, etc. caught on video and turned over to news media.  More recently, a dealership's website praised a filthy video critical of Prius drivers, an employee at a North Carolina dealership pled guilty to embezzlement, and now we have a general manager charged with an assortment of offences ranging from driving without a license to public intoxication.

Based on my experiences, (click the label "thuggery"), such stories are not surprising.  Nonetheless, these developments are noteworthy given the dealerships' association with a company that's currently facing racketeering charges, lawsuits galore alleging fraud, and a grand jury investigation for a delay in reporting defective steering rods.

Let's face it.  You can't blame anyone for not trusting Toyota.

Update 12/31/10 The general manager has pleaded guilty to an August OWI charge, but the December charges are still pending.
Update 1/5/10 An ex-worker is suing a Toyota dealer, claiming he was fired for uncovering insurance fraud re a Lexus that was given to a football coach.

Toyota now characterized as a "Loser in America"

Ho, ho, ho. I just love it when a company's lousy products and equally lousy attitude toward its customers catches up with the ol' bottom line. I hope my efforts to expose Toyota for what it is have contributed to Mr. T's plunging sales. For the first half of 2009, Toyota's U.S. sales are down a whopping 38 percent, which is three percent over the national sales average.

That's right, Toyota. Keep refusin' to reimburse customers for damages when your defective engines have to be replaced, and keep blamin' your customers when things go wrong. And of course, if a customer protests too loudly about being ripped off for thousands of dollars, rely on sheer thuggery to shut 'em up. Toyota, you're a bonafide disgrace to common decency.

Get the latest scoop on Toyota's continuing downfall:
http://www.carversation.com/2009/07/22/toyota-becomes-a-loser-in-america/

Video: dealership employees caught stealin', etc.

Based on my experiences with Toyota, I was hardly surprised to learn that some of their dealership employees got videotaped stealing, snooping through a customer's belongings, and - really, folks - one of their employees actually licks his hands to get the residue from the customer's prescription medication. Okay, I'll admit, I did find that last one just a wee bit shocking...

Of course, Toyota's customer got no cooperation from management until he obtained the video and sent it to local media. See to believe:
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/07/video-toyota-dealer-employees-caught-snooping-through-customer/

Toyota Center violates the law - I call the cops

Update 5/3/2011 - Management at the Toyota Center has changed hands since this was posted.  Current management has been sincerely concerned about incidents of this kind and has taken appropriate measures to ensure that such encounters will not happen in the future.

I finally had to call the cops on the Toyota Center.

Yesterday, while I was picketing, one of their thugs snatched my sign - ripping it apart in the process - and ran off into the Toyota Center. This was the same guy who had previously told me that what I was doing wasn't worth dying over, threatened me with his car, and said he would return with a "gang of technicians."

Can't say much for the West Columbia police department, either. They refused to arrest my assailant, and unnecessarily delayed me - despite my repeated requests - from getting home to check on my dad. Believe it or not, the first cop to arrive on the scene even told me that since I was protesting the Toyota Center, they "had a right to protest me." 'Course, maybe our local boys in blue are simply unaware that such things as theft, assault, malicious destruction of property, and death threats are somewhat less than legal. Then again, maybe they just have a soft spot in their tender little hearts for Toyota...

Stay tuned.

Update 3/30/2011 - the two cops referenced above - both of whom were belligerent - are identified on the police report as Kyle Ostrander and Jeff Phillips.

"Mr. T" must stand for thuggery

Dealership employees have complained to local law enforcement about me exercising my right to picket, have used four-letter filth, and have threatened me with bodily harm. Around midnight, about 48 hours after I complained to Toyota regarding Dick Dyer's sales manager (!) suggesting that I "get the f... outta here," I received two obscene phone calls emphasizing the f-word. Toyota's position on this sort of thing is that they have no control over their "independent" dealerships.

After I stopped picketing last Wednesday, two Toyota Center employees had hemmed in my car with two vehicles, and refused to allow me to exit, even after I told them I needed to get home to take my Alzheimer's stricken father to the bathroom. Instead, they sauntered around in close proximity. I finally managed - just barely - to get my car out, checked on my dad, and returned to picket some more. After a few minutes, someone with the Toyota Center came to talk with me about the risks of standing close to the road, during which time two or three cars barreled by and suddenly swerved toward me, abruptly cutting back to avoid a collision. Just another strange coincidence, I guess. Like those obscene phone calls...

Update 5/3/2011 - Management at the Toyota Center has changed hands since this was posted.  Current management has been sincerely concerned about incidents of this kind and has taken appropriate measures to to ensure that such encounters will not happen in the future.