Linda Andersson

Review of Car Toys

I needed a good gps, radio and cd system for my ca...

I needed a good gps, radio and cd system for my car because I was about to take a 30-day, 6,000 mile drive from Seattle to NM and back. I went online to look at what was available for my 2000 Nissan Altima, and began with CARiD to ask questions. The salesman listened carefully and seemed to suggest the best affordable system for me: Power Acoustik made in China, which he assured me almost all systems are. I ordered it because my daughters in CA were adamant that I have gps for a safer, smoother drive, and the salesman was very convinced that this product would be just perfect. Car Toys installed it at a decent price, and one of the workers helped me learn the gps, which I used to drive 10 miles home. I didn't use gps for the next few days because I know my way around town, and the afternoon before I was to leave, I couldn't get the gps to work when I went outside to type in my first hotel address in OR. A dear friend came over to help, but nothing we tried worked, though the radio and CD did and had good sound. I printed mapquest directions instead of gps, and nearly got run over by rush hour drivers everywhere I went in OR because it was always raining and dark and I couldn't read the street signs. I really thought I was going to die before getting to CA for Christmas. A tekkie in San Francisco found that the sd card was corrupted, looked up the system model and serial # online and found out that it was over 2 years old, an after market, and was possibly used -- or at least sitting on a shelf all this time. 1500 miles later the radio and CD died, and my last 3,000 miles were without sound. Blech! CARiD argued that they sell only good products and they needed proof the system was broken. Instead of the $201 that I'd spent, they finally issued a check for $151 + tax, and refused to pay the wasted $300 (not to mention the hours and days of wasted time) that I paid Car Toys for their excellent install. I asked what statistics CARiD had on that model, at least how many returns, and they said they don't keep track of those things -- they just have their customers send it back to China. THEY DON'T KEEP TRACK?! 5 STARS AND THEY DON'T KEEP TRACK OF WHAT GETS MOST COMMONLY RETURNED VS WHAT IS RELIABLE?? The salesperson had assured me this was a good model, on sale, and he had no reason to believe it would fail?? I returned to Bellevue, WA Car Toys on 13201 NE 20th a month later, and the manager Jeremy was kind enough to reinstall my original radio/CD player and hand me the garbage that CARiD had sold me to send back to China. I was very impressed with all of the people who work at Car Toys, including the installation staff. They seemed so young! but they were exceptionally knowledgeable and well trained. Jeremy, the manager, was so kind that if I keep my car much longer, I'll do future business with them. I'm sorry to say, CariD had between 4 and 5 stars, and I accidentally trusted them too much. After my experience, the Car Toys staff told me of horrific, unbelievable experiences customers have had with online garbage and packaging -- some really unbelievable junk that is sold without conscience to inexperienced consumers. I've only begun to search for other CARiD customers so that I can take this to the Attorney General's consumer protection office. Car Toys: YOU ROCK! THANK YOU SO MUCH!