A couple of weeks ago I received a call from Boch Toyota, one of our local dealerships, informing me that we would be taking delivery of our new Toyota Prius sometime during the week of June 16th.
My husband and I were thrilled. That gave us enough time to sell our van (done), secure the financing (done) and insurance (done), but still have it in time for our long trip to Syracuse at the end of the month.
On Father’s Day, when we stopped by the dealership with our deposit and to pick up the paperwork, we were told that it was expected to arrive on Monday, and we may be able to have it as early as Tuesday, June 17th.
Today, Wednesday, June 18th, we haven’t taken delivery on the car and, for some reason, no one seems to be able to tell me where it is, or when we can expect to take delivery.
The trouble with this situation is not the inconvenience of living as a one-car family (we’ve been able to manage with only minor issues), or that we are so impatient that we must have our car NOW and can’t wait a few days.
No, the real trouble is that I feel like we’re living in limbo. With no idea when the car is coming in, or when we’re going to need to be at the dealership to pick it up, I’m having trouble planning our lives. Will I have one car or two on Saturday (when Anders has ANOTHER birthday party and Sophie is supposed to go to the open house at camp)? When do I need to get the check from AAA or the insurance binder from Amica? Are they open on weekends if we need those items on Saturday, or Sunday? What will we do next week when I have several meetings around the state, and possibly only one car?
The other troubling thing is I don’t believe that they don’t know where the car is – at least a rough idea. I can log into UPS.com anytime to find out where my $5 package of socks from Performance Bicycles is, but the people at Toyota don’t know if my $24,000 vehicle is on a boat from China or a truck from New Jersey?
I just don’t buy it. At a dealership where I was told the owner expects all phone calls to be answered in 30 minutes or less, they don’t know where a truck full of cars are?? Plus, when I get vague answers, I get nervous that it’s not coming at all (with waiting lists of up to several months, wouldn’t you be?).
And that’s my other complaint about the whole business. After giving another dealership a $1,000 deposit (refundable) to order a new Prius, they refused to tell us where on the waiting list we were, or a rough estimate on how long it would take for us to receive a car. Seriously, how hard is it to tell me if I’m 3rd, 13th or 30th on the list?
I am still hopeful that we’ll be receiving the car soon, because the waiting is starting to make me crazy.
