The Computer Continues to Say No Roadside Assist

SH20 · August 15, 2023

Four weeks after my purchase of a 16 month old Lexus Approved Car my car's specific details, make, model, colour, number plate, chassis number cannot be seen by Lexus Roadside Assist Call Handlers despite the car still being within the 3 year standard Assistance period. Moreover the so called Complimentary 12 month Roadside Assist Cover each pre owned Lexus Approved Car receives never materialised i.e no written confirmation, no booklet in the post after collection, nothing whatsoever and Lexus Roadside Assist Call Handlers have no record of one after it was supposed to have been set up between the dealer and Lexus Operations who issue the policy and get the car on the system.

A previous ES300h in Red with my private plate does come up in my name but I only owned that car between 1st registration date of 7th January 2022 and June 2022. My latest ES300h in Red with my private plate on it is nowhere to be found. I have been told that I don't have an active policy for the car sitting on my drive whether we are talking about the original 3 year cover period which ends 18.3.2025 or any 12 month complimentary policy. The conflict of information has rendered me without any official cover. Everybody and his dog, the dealer, the salesperson, the sales manager, Lexus Operations (The AA effectively) the Call Centre all tell me it should get sorted but once a Computer System Says No it refuses to say Yes no matter who thinks they know best.

You can't make this stuff up and nobody wants to own this issue. I have now written to the CEO of the Dealer Group I purchased the car from and I am searching on the Internet for the CEO of Lexus UK to bend his or her ear. That alone is hidden behind layers of brick walls and obstacles because which CEO would want to get involved with a legitimate customer's complaint.

As Lexus only use the AA as their preferred choice of Roadside Assistance I may end up taking a policy out with the AA and pay the basic £10 a month for a temporary solution. It's more about having someone to assist me in a road accident as Lexus cars tend not to breakdown.

VFR · August 15, 2023

Ermm (?) you may find that accidents are not covered, just breakdowns.

Sure I read this some time back so best check.

Bluemarlin · August 15, 2023

1 hour ago, SH20 said:

As Lexus only use the AA as their preferred choice of Roadside Assistance I may end up taking a policy out with the AA and pay the basic £10 a month for a temporary solution. It's more about having someone to assist me in a road accident as Lexus cars tend not to breakdown.

I can't be certain of the Lexus one, but roadside assistance doesn't normally cover accidents. If you have an accident and your car needs to be recovered then that's usually taken care of by your insurance company.

SH20 · August 15, 2023

No, anything that renders a Lexus or Toyota from moving under it's own power can have roadside assist. I admit if the Police attend first they will often initiate a recovery truck.

peniole · August 15, 2023

Steve's right

https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/accident-assist

malcolmw · August 15, 2023

We did not receive anything tangible to indicate that our brand new NX (registered end July 2023) has any Lexus Assist cover. When I queried this with Lexus Hedge End, the supplying dealer, they told me that membership cards or other documents are not now being issued. you just phone the number on the sticker in the windscreen for help.

I would rather know that the cover is in operation via some route. Even an e-mail would be good.

SH20 · August 15, 2023

Moreover you have the situation whereby a vehicle goes off road, crashes, driver triggers the assist button in the headlining for those cars that are equipped and assistance is activated. Equally if the driver is incapacitated and the vehicle doesn't move or there is no request for help the assistance is auto triggered. Someone on a lonely country road at 1am in the morning who drives off the road and rings for assistance would be assisted for sure. No Recovery Company would be able to stand the backlash if it turned out assistance was refused because there was no other vehicle involved and the owner was left to make the best of it.

SH20 · August 15, 2023

I had to write to CustomerRelations@Toyota.co.uk which is the only route to get to address a complaint. Lexus closed down their CustomerRelations@Lexus.co.uk for reasons known only to them. I tried that first but the email wouldn't send.

I have no option but to battle on and get this car of mine recognised on the AA's system. No amount of pleading with a call centre operator telling him/her my car is within the 3 years standard assist cover will help me. If it's not in the database you don't exist.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

1 hour ago, SH20 said:

Four weeks after my purchase of a 16 month old Lexus Approved Car my car's specific details, make, model, colour, number plate, chassis number cannot be seen by Lexus Roadside Assist Call Handlers despite the car still being within the 3 year standard Assistance period. Moreover the so called Complimentary 12 month Roadside Assist Cover each pre owned Lexus Approved Car receives never materialised i.e no written confirmation, no booklet in the post after collection, nothing whatsoever and Lexus Roadside Assist Call Handlers have no record of one after it was supposed to have been set up between the dealer and Lexus Operations who issue the policy and get the car on the system.

A previous ES300h in Red with my private plate does come up in my name but I only owned that car between 1st registration date of 7th January 2022 and June 2022. My latest ES300h in Red with my private plate on it is nowhere to be found. I have been told that I don't have an active policy for the car sitting on my drive whether we are talking about the original 3 year cover period which ends 18.3.2025 or any 12 month complimentary policy. The conflict of information has rendered me without any official cover. Everybody and his dog, the dealer, the salesperson, the sales manager, Lexus Operations (The AA effectively) the Call Centre all tell me it should get sorted but once a Computer System Says No it refuses to say Yes no matter who thinks they know best.

You can't make this stuff up and nobody wants to own this issue. I have now written to the CEO of the Dealer Group I purchased the car from and I am searching on the Internet for the CEO of Lexus UK to bend his or her ear. That alone is hidden behind layers of brick walls and obstacles because which CEO would want to get involved with a legitimate customer's complaint.

As Lexus only use the AA as their preferred choice of Roadside Assistance I may end up taking a policy out with the AA and pay the basic £10 a month for a temporary solution. It's more about having someone to assist me in a road accident as Lexus cars tend not to breakdown.

If it helps I had a dialog last year over email about LRA. This as you know is administered by the AA but has specific Lexus features. There is no documentation or card sent out anymore (reason given was "we no longer provide postal documents for complimentary cover and you will no longer receive new membership cards as we are working on reducing our carbon footprint and reliance on plastics") which is a bit unnerving as to whether cover is in place or not! However, they did confirm over email my cover.

The email address I conversed with was initially cr@lexus.co.uk and my mail was forwarded from there to: lexusoperations@theaa.com and they were helpful. I also had emails directly from Johnathan Saunders, Roadside Assistance Sales Advisor (Lexus) - if he is still with the AA then his email was: johnathan.sanders@theaa.com.

Hope one of those might help stir someone into action...

SH20 · August 15, 2023

Thanks Phil, the cr@lexus.co.uk is an address I have used in the past and resulted in direct dialogue with customer services based staff, always helpful. That route no longer exists so the cr@Toyota.co.uk is the only route into the higher levels of the Toyota Group. You can still not access any details of who the CEO is of Toyota UK the parent company of Lexus UK so I can only hope someone decides to get involved with my issue. I know exactly why I am in this position. It's because initial contact with Lexus Roadside Assist starts with a Reg number. If you have had other Lexus cars over the years with the same private plate the system can and does pick up on different cars. Only this week a conversation which started with my Reg number immediately picked up my Toyota CHR owned between Aug 2022 and July 2023 and that's because the Roadside Assist looks after all Toyota Roadside Assist policyholders. This is corrupted data in my case. Another conversation 24 hours earlier immediately picked up the last ES300h I owned between Jan 2022 and June 2022 and was in my name and my address but was clearly a car I don't own any longer. I have had direct dialogue too with Lexus Operations (AA) who no longer answer me when I ask for updates. They originally said a data stream conflict was identified but a solution? No there has been no remedy to date. None of this nonsense ever occurred when hard copy documentation was issued, Covering letter, hard copy booklet, small credit card sized membership card with an account number, registration number, phone numbers and expiry date etc. The dealer the car was purchased from have washed their hands of it, they too ignore any requests for updates. So I wrote to Steven Eagell of the Steven Eagell Group via his PA who I hope will put this issue under his nose but not holding my breath. £32,000 for a car not showing on the Assistance system. Top Tip : ring up Lexus Roadside Assist General Enquiries and make sure your car matches what you know about your car including the VIN Private plate owners be wary.

wharfhouse · August 15, 2023

6 minutes ago, SH20 said:

Thanks Phil, the cr@lexus.co.uk is an address I have used in the past and resulted in direct dialogue with customer services based staff, always helpful. That route no longer exists so the cr@Toyota.co.uk is the only route into the higher levels of the Toyota Group. You can still not access any details of who the CEO is of Toyota UK the parent company of Lexus UK so I can only hope someone decides to get involved with my issue. I know exactly why I am in this position. It's because initial contact with Lexus Roadside Assist starts with a Reg number. If you have had other Lexus cars over the years with the same private plate the system can and does pick up on different cars. Only this week a conversation which started with my Reg number immediately picked up my Toyota CHR owned between Aug 2022 and July 2023 and that's because the Roadside Assist looks after all Toyota Roadside Assist policyholders. This is corrupted data in my case. Another conversation 24 hours earlier immediately picked up the last ES300h I owned between Jan 2022 and June 2022 and was in my name and my address but was clearly a car I don't own any longer. I have had direct dialogue too with Lexus Operations (AA) who no longer answer me when I ask for updates. They originally said a data stream conflict was identified but a solution? No there has been no remedy to date. None of this nonsense ever occurred when hard copy documentation was issued, Covering letter, hard copy booklet, small credit card sized membership card with an account number, registration number, phone numbers and expiry date etc. The dealer the car was purchased from have washed their hands of it, they too ignore any requests for updates. So I wrote to Steven Eagell of the Steven Eagell Group via his PA who I hope will put this issue under his nose but not holding my breath. £32,000 for a car not showing on the Assistance system. Top Tip : ring up Lexus Roadside Assist General Enquiries and make sure your car matches what you know about your car including the VIN Private plate owners be wary.

Interesting about the private plate as I have one too but I've only had the one Lexus I have at the moment - if I change that for another Lexus I'd be in the same position as you... Will have to watch out for that. Hope you manage to get through to someone to solve what is essentially an IT issue. As you said sometimes a piece of paper and a membership card works with so much less hassle!

Mincey · August 15, 2023

I had fun and games with the AA over Betsy's plate. They also still had me down with my IS300h so Lexus Leicester must have forgotten to tell them about the change. I think it was about 45 minutes in all on the phone. LL have only just got her down with the correct number plate after nearly two years - booking services was always a bit of a challenge.

SH20 · August 15, 2023

Technically if I ring for Assistance and start with my reg number and they take me through security, name, address, post code etc the ES300 I took delivery of on the 7.1.22 will come up as it's identical, even the colour is the same as the car I have now. If they wanted my chassis number however, highly unlikely then it would fall down because my current car's chassis number wouldn't match the ES registered 7.1.2022. So I'm guessing I would be OK till 7.1.25 whereas my current car's original policy would have an end date 18.3.25 having been registered new 18.3.2022. I also think the person who now drives the ES I no longer own on a conventional age related number plate or his/her own private plate will have no idea his/her car's assistance policy is still tied to me. There can't be two policies for the same car as the chassis number forms part of the dealer's information they use to pass to Lexus Operations who now have responsibility to set policies up. Dealers no longer set policies up, they just pass the info to Lexus Operations (AA) so you can see why policies get so messed up, as Mincey says.

SH20 · August 16, 2023

So today Lexus Operations (AA) sent me an email with sufficient information to suggest the problem is fixed. An AA screen shot of my correct reg number, correct chassis number, correct registration date, correct vehicle and model, correct colour and correct AA policy end date. The screen shot was accompanied by a statement saying all I have to quote is my reg number and no need to quote the chassis number. At last I thought Lexus Operations got a grip of this and although there still was no sign of the complimentary 12 months cover the dealer said would apply the screen shot I received stated very clearly the correct policy end date of 18.3.25 to tie up with the vehicle registration date of 18.3.22.

Let's check I thought so rang General Enquiries and they asked for my reg number. Yes we have a ES300h in red, my name and address. Steady now I thought as I asked for the policy end date. Yes we have a policy end date of 7.1.25 !!!!!!!!!

They saw what I expected them to see, the details of the car I owned between 7.122 and June 2022. Data still corrupted. I have decided to draw a line under this and just live with the fact I will receive assistance up to 7.1.25 for certain, the wrong car of course but what the hell.

wharfhouse · August 17, 2023

10 hours ago, SH20 said:

So today Lexus Operations (AA) sent me an email with sufficient information to suggest the problem is fixed. An AA screen shot of my correct reg number, correct chassis number, correct registration date, correct vehicle and model, correct colour and correct AA policy end date. The screen shot was accompanied by a statement saying all I have to quote is my reg number and no need to quote the chassis number. At last I thought Lexus Operations got a grip of this and although there still was no sign of the complimentary 12 months cover the dealer said would apply the screen shot I received stated very clearly the correct policy end date of 18.3.25 to tie up with the vehicle registration date of 18.3.22.

Let's check I thought so rang General Enquiries and they asked for my reg number. Yes we have a ES300h in red, my name and address. Steady now I thought as I asked for the policy end date. Yes we have a policy end date of 7.1.25 !!!!!!!!!

They saw what I expected them to see, the details of the car I owned between 7.122 and June 2022. Data still corrupted. I have decided to draw a line under this and just live with the fact I will receive assistance up to 7.1.25 for certain, the wrong car of course but what the hell.

Maybe a data sync issue in that systems aren't updated on real time but it takes a day or two. As you have the email confirming cover then I'd just keep that to hand should you have any issues until that expires on 18/3/25.