‘I paid $300 for the running boards’: Woman drops off her Toyota Highlander for routine job. Then the dealership calls her the next day and says it’ll be $1,200

Many customers have reported facing unnecessary problems at car dealerships. They commonly include supply chain issues, bait-and-switch tactics, or misrepresentations of a vehicle’s condition. While some of these issues are avoidable, others have customers fighting until their last breath to get a fair price. 

In a TikTok video that has garnered over 39,000 views, user @littlemachine89 shared a story about taking her car into the Toyota dealership. She dropped her Toyota Highlander off at the dealership she bought it from to get running boards for the car.

@littlemachine89 remembered the cost for the running boards being under $500, which was within her price range. However, she was met with some unexpected news the day after dropping off the car.

Toyota dealership charges $1,200

“The lady called me and said, ‘Actually, it’s going to be a full eight-hour labor day to put these running boards on, and we’re gonna have to charge you $1,200,’” she recalls. Not only was the dealership dishonest with her, but they also overcharged her on labor hours 

The TikToker further states that the dealership said the price jumped because the workers needed to drill holes into the SUV to put the running boards on. Out of curiosity, she Googled how to put the running boards on for the specific model of her car. “It didn’t say anything about drilling holes in it [the car],” she says.

She later called the dealership worker, as @littlemachine89 was furious over the dealership drilling holes into her car. After the salesperson listened to her reasoning, the manager of the dealership agreed that there was no need to drill holes into the car. However, they said they would still have to charge her $1,200 based on the eight-hour work day. 

“I said, ‘Put the running boards back in the truck, I’m coming to get my car,'” @littlemachine89 recalls. After the debacle, she was able to find someone to put the running boards on for her at the price of $100. Talk about a sweet and trustworthy deal.

Are car dealerships trustworthy?

It’s no secret that places like car dealerships can overcharge people based on certain factors, such as inflated labor costs or unnecessary services. In @littlemachine89’s case, the dealership wanted to perform maintenance on her vehicle that was not needed, and still expected her to pay a price outside her budget. 

Another TikTok creator named Kay (@theekaybee_) also experienced a similar situation where she was overcharged for a key fob. The original price for the key fob was $109, but that price later jumped up to $350 based on labor changes. Whether it’s a lack of transparency or shady business, many drivers argue that car dealerships are not trustworthy when it comes to car maintenance. 

'Stealerships'?

Many viewers were livid about the situation, as some believed the Toyota dealership was trying to scam @littlemachine89.

One viewer wrote, ”As a dealership technician, I will say sometimes the service advisors just make stuff up so it makes sense to customers who have no idea. The tech just wanted more money.”

Other viewers advise her to file a complaint and let the situation be known. A person wrote, ”File a complaint. They were 100% trying to scam you.”

A further viewer wrote, "File a complaint and report them, they knew exactly what they were doing.”

@littlemachine89 Replying to @Dave Gregory #fyp ♬ original sound - Sad but Rad 🥹🤘🏻

Another user called them “stealerships," writing, “Even 500 was insane. Stealerships take advantage of people.”

The Daily Dot reached out to @littlemachine89 via TikTok DM.

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The post ‘I paid $300 for the running boards’: Woman drops off her Toyota Highlander for routine job. Then the dealership calls her the next day and says it’ll be $1,200 appeared first on The Daily Dot.