Here is the letter I sent to Toyota Canada about this. They did nothing but say that they will send my comments to the appropriate departments? In short that means to bad buddy we are a big corporation and you are just a little guy. We win, if you want your remote you pay for it. Believe me even for something this small I will NEVER in my life buy another Toyota. What a cheap company!

The letter:

August 8 2003

To Whom it may concern:

We just went to pick up our brand new 2004 ECHO Hatchback at Cambridge Toyota today. Excited and armed with the Bank Draft we proceeded to go and pick it up.

Everything was great, the stereo was in, the car was nice and shiny we were ready to be one of the first "rolling advertisements" for this brand new only in Canada vehicle. We went with our salesman into the office filling out our paperwork and he gave us our 3 keys. I said "hey where is my remotes for the keyless entry". The salesman said "oh they are likely in the glove box with the car". He came back and well no remotes? He continued to look and said to me well I found one. I said "where is the other one?". He then tells me that there was just a memo out "that day" telling them there is only "one" remote with this car. Apparently every other Toyota (not to mention every other car in the free world) comes with two and this is the first time this has ever happened or anyone has heard of it. Myself being the first sale of this vehicle at the dealership I guess nobody knew after a week and a half much less bother to tell me before I pick up the car.

Well needless to say I was rather let's just say for use of better words "not happy". I was not told this (a) when I bought the car (b) by the salesman (c) read the brochure or (d) does it state it anywhere on the Toyota Canada website this car comes with one remote. I then start thinking to myself why with all this information and it being the so called "age of information" am I not aware of this until I get the keys to this car in my hand? Not to mention the dealer having my full payment for the car.

Feeling rather cheated not having a remote and my wife having one I decide it is time for me to get into my Mazda (which by the way comes with the second remote "free") and head out leaving my wife and young daughter to finish up the paperwork. As I am driving along I think hey why not check Kitchener Toyota and see if Cambridge was just jerkin my chain on this and lost it or something? After all it does seem rather odd.

So now I am in the Kitchener Dealership and the guy asks me "are you being looked after sir?" I say "no, thanks I have a question for you"."I just bought that little Echo hatch up in Cambridge and they tell me it only comes with one remote". He says "never heard of that one before let me check my cars I have in stock". He checks all over and sure enough there is only one for each car. "Funny" he says, "I never knew about that". I said "hey don't feel bad I just bought the car and I wasn't told either"!! I told him you might want to tell your customers up front when they buy the car so they are not as ticked off like I was. He most definately did thank me for the info and agreed.

I finally arrive home still extremely upset over being told that now I have to pay another $49.95 plus about a half hour labour to get my remote programmed to the car. I just assumed I would have it and my wife would be out for the evening enjoying and driving our new car.

While at home I get a call from her and she is still at the dealership. She tells me that they are going to sell me the "second" remote for $35.00 (dealer price he said?) plus a half hour service to program it. This seems unacceptable to me but what can I really do about it now. If I want the extra remote I have to pay. I express my disbelief in that they are now going to charge me for something that comes with every other car they sell and I was not told when I bought it this one does not. I am then told that it is Toyota Canada's fault for not informing the dealers and I am out of luck. So now the $50.00 I got off the car at their "presidential sale" really does seem even more insignifigant than it did at the time. In fact it is costing me more just to get the remote and have it programmed. Not to mention that I have to wait to get it ordered from Japan when the dealership is in the city of Cambridge in which the largest Toyota plant in Canada resides??

As you can well establish by now I am not very happy with my first ever Toyota purchase and will definately express this to every single person who asks me while in my new "rolling advertisement" for the new Canadian Echo hatch. All I can say is I cannot believe that Toyota would cut costs on something as petty as an extra keyless remote for such an important Canadian launch. Did they expect every buyer of this new car would be single? In my opinion this is very misleading and it should state on "at least" the sticker that the car comes with one keyless remote and the other must be purchased seperate with this option.

In closing I will say oh yes I do now have the "Toyota feeling" for the first time. I think I will be feeling it everytime I have to stick the key in my door to open my brand new "keyless entry" optioned vehicle! I am sure I will be asked by many passers by about this "very new" and unusual vehicle as I am driving around Ontario. I will be sure to tell them exactly what I think of it and your company. A Very cheap shot Toyota and not at all expected from a buyer's point of view. I mean really an extra remote.... how much would that have cost to include with this very important launch? I should have stuck with Mazda but I guess it is too late now. I have also filed a formal complaint against the dealership with the BBB.

regards, Very unsatisfied first time Toyota buyer