foxtrot
04-25-2006, 06:03 AM
I’m new to this group, and wanted to post my story, which in the end, gets pretty funny.
Recently, about November 23, 2005 I decided to purchase a 2006 Accord. I’ve owned over 7 Hondas and Acuras and had pretty good experiences so far. This one was different.
At first, things went well. I e-mailed and called several dealers looking for the best price on an EX-L. One dealer, Spacecoast Honda, was $400 lower than the others. I called to confirm it was for leather, and a second salesman verified it was. On Nov 28, I asked them to begin looking for the car and they took my $500 credit card deposit. They called the next day to say they made a mistake, that they had accidently quoted cloth, but that they would honor the price. And they could not find a car in the state (I wanted 5 MT), so they had to order from the factory and it would be delivered around the end of December. They sent a confirmation fax on Nov 29 with price and details of the car, and a statement that my vehicle was being built in mid to late December, and that they would call soon with a delivery date.
On Dec 6, the salesman calls me and says they found a car in a neighboring state and can have it to me within a couple days. Only problem is that it had pin stripes, mud guards, wheel locks and a trunk liner. It would only cost me $400 more. I said No Way am I paying a dime more for anything I did not order. After he calculated his “discounts”, it only came to $189 and they would remove the trunk liner. Again, I said No Way, I will wait a few more weeks and get the car you ordered. That is when he told me they never ordered my car, so if I wanted one before January, I’d have to take this one.
I asked the salesman to get the general manager on the phone. He was not there, so he transfered me to another senior salesman. After I tell him the story, and that I have a faxed confirmation that my car is being built in December, he confirms that it had not been ordered, but that he could still get me the car by the end of December.
He calls back the next day and says that he could NOT get the car by end of December. I call the general manager hoping he can help. He has no clue what these guys were up to. I had to fax him back the fax they sent me. He says the car was ordered and I will have it end of January and that is the best he could do.
I’m not happy, and still don’t trust they are telling the truth. On Dec 8, I call American Honda to see if they can help. They call back on Dec 12 and tell me that they have just spoken to the general sales manager and that he just ordered the car, and that I could expect to get it late February, but most likely sometime in March. I told the woman at American Honda that I was told January, and she said that was pretty impossible.
Dec 13, I called and talked to the general sales manager. Before I could even ask the question, he blurted out that I’d have my car in late January. When I told him American Honda said February / March, he denied ever talking to them, although they knew his name. I asked him to fax over the order he made so I could verify the order date, make model, etc. He refused and told me he would no longer sell the car to me. He said I’d become a headache for him. What about his salespeople who are sending faxes confirming orders?
I asked him to fax a receipt of my $500 refund. He then tells me I have to come down to the dealership to sign for my refund. It is about a 2 hours drive roundtrip, otherwise, I would have loved to come down. I said if you can take my $500 without a signature, you can give it back without one. He said, nope, it was company policy. I had to call my credit card company and they handled it and I got my $ back.
Here is where it gets funny. The following is cut and pasted directly from an e-mail I received after I declined paying the $189 for mudguards and wheel locks, with salesperson’s name removed.
“the car we located you has splash guards and wheel locks before you go postal i know you do not want them but they are very nice to have. wheel locks prtect your wheels from being stolen and splash guards are nice for the appearance of the vehicle and helps keep dirt off your lower portions of the car. they also look good from the back of the car as your driving. since the original quote you asked for was for a ex not ex-l and we honored the quote wouldn’t the right thing to do be to take the car for the extra 189? we can help you but you cannot help us. we are all americans here you are not dealing with the taliban man. all the dealers were laughing at us for taking your deal. you can’t beat this deal any where thats why you want it from us it does not matter that we are nice ,all you care about is money. personally i would work with someone that is trying to help me out can you please just be cool and take the car. call me....”
Only one fact is wrong. I never mentioned EX. It was always EX-L and was in my original e-mail request for quote. If they had a problem with that, then they should not have agreed to honor it and should NOT have put it in writing.
In the end, I wound up buying from another dealer who was honest and I was happy to pay the $400 difference to them.
But a month or so later, after I’d already ordered from another dealer, I get this from the original Space Coast Honda salesman:
“I just wanted to check and see how you are doing with your new vehicle. If there are any adjustments or items that need attention, please call so we can schedule an appointment to have your needs addressed.
Much of my business is generated by my good customers who refer friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to me for their transportation needs. You can rest assured that anyone you refer to me will be given extra special treatment.
Thank you again for your business and I look forward to handling all of your transportation needs for many years to come.”
I wrote back and pointed out the fact that I did not order from them, and I would not send my enemies, much less my friends, to their dealership. It is amazing that they sell any cars there.
Recently, about November 23, 2005 I decided to purchase a 2006 Accord. I’ve owned over 7 Hondas and Acuras and had pretty good experiences so far. This one was different.
At first, things went well. I e-mailed and called several dealers looking for the best price on an EX-L. One dealer, Spacecoast Honda, was $400 lower than the others. I called to confirm it was for leather, and a second salesman verified it was. On Nov 28, I asked them to begin looking for the car and they took my $500 credit card deposit. They called the next day to say they made a mistake, that they had accidently quoted cloth, but that they would honor the price. And they could not find a car in the state (I wanted 5 MT), so they had to order from the factory and it would be delivered around the end of December. They sent a confirmation fax on Nov 29 with price and details of the car, and a statement that my vehicle was being built in mid to late December, and that they would call soon with a delivery date.
On Dec 6, the salesman calls me and says they found a car in a neighboring state and can have it to me within a couple days. Only problem is that it had pin stripes, mud guards, wheel locks and a trunk liner. It would only cost me $400 more. I said No Way am I paying a dime more for anything I did not order. After he calculated his “discounts”, it only came to $189 and they would remove the trunk liner. Again, I said No Way, I will wait a few more weeks and get the car you ordered. That is when he told me they never ordered my car, so if I wanted one before January, I’d have to take this one.
I asked the salesman to get the general manager on the phone. He was not there, so he transfered me to another senior salesman. After I tell him the story, and that I have a faxed confirmation that my car is being built in December, he confirms that it had not been ordered, but that he could still get me the car by the end of December.
He calls back the next day and says that he could NOT get the car by end of December. I call the general manager hoping he can help. He has no clue what these guys were up to. I had to fax him back the fax they sent me. He says the car was ordered and I will have it end of January and that is the best he could do.
I’m not happy, and still don’t trust they are telling the truth. On Dec 8, I call American Honda to see if they can help. They call back on Dec 12 and tell me that they have just spoken to the general sales manager and that he just ordered the car, and that I could expect to get it late February, but most likely sometime in March. I told the woman at American Honda that I was told January, and she said that was pretty impossible.
Dec 13, I called and talked to the general sales manager. Before I could even ask the question, he blurted out that I’d have my car in late January. When I told him American Honda said February / March, he denied ever talking to them, although they knew his name. I asked him to fax over the order he made so I could verify the order date, make model, etc. He refused and told me he would no longer sell the car to me. He said I’d become a headache for him. What about his salespeople who are sending faxes confirming orders?
I asked him to fax a receipt of my $500 refund. He then tells me I have to come down to the dealership to sign for my refund. It is about a 2 hours drive roundtrip, otherwise, I would have loved to come down. I said if you can take my $500 without a signature, you can give it back without one. He said, nope, it was company policy. I had to call my credit card company and they handled it and I got my $ back.
Here is where it gets funny. The following is cut and pasted directly from an e-mail I received after I declined paying the $189 for mudguards and wheel locks, with salesperson’s name removed.
“the car we located you has splash guards and wheel locks before you go postal i know you do not want them but they are very nice to have. wheel locks prtect your wheels from being stolen and splash guards are nice for the appearance of the vehicle and helps keep dirt off your lower portions of the car. they also look good from the back of the car as your driving. since the original quote you asked for was for a ex not ex-l and we honored the quote wouldn’t the right thing to do be to take the car for the extra 189? we can help you but you cannot help us. we are all americans here you are not dealing with the taliban man. all the dealers were laughing at us for taking your deal. you can’t beat this deal any where thats why you want it from us it does not matter that we are nice ,all you care about is money. personally i would work with someone that is trying to help me out can you please just be cool and take the car. call me....”
Only one fact is wrong. I never mentioned EX. It was always EX-L and was in my original e-mail request for quote. If they had a problem with that, then they should not have agreed to honor it and should NOT have put it in writing.
In the end, I wound up buying from another dealer who was honest and I was happy to pay the $400 difference to them.
But a month or so later, after I’d already ordered from another dealer, I get this from the original Space Coast Honda salesman:
“I just wanted to check and see how you are doing with your new vehicle. If there are any adjustments or items that need attention, please call so we can schedule an appointment to have your needs addressed.
Much of my business is generated by my good customers who refer friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to me for their transportation needs. You can rest assured that anyone you refer to me will be given extra special treatment.
Thank you again for your business and I look forward to handling all of your transportation needs for many years to come.”
I wrote back and pointed out the fact that I did not order from them, and I would not send my enemies, much less my friends, to their dealership. It is amazing that they sell any cars there.