Honda Loyalist Disappointment



My very first car out of college was a Honda Civic and I loved that car. Honda has had my brand loyalty since then...up until I had the worst every customer service experience in my entire life. And I will never, ever purchase a Honda again as a consequence...



We bought our daughter a Honda before moving to North Carolina. Shortly after moving here, she experienced a weird issue with her rear view mirror -- it kept falling off. When we took her car to this dealership, we were told by the service representative that 'they don't deal with that issue.' Huh? Apparently the rear view mirror isn't considered their service responsibility. We walked out that day and sought an auto service company that could reattach the mirror. We have had to reattach that mirror SEVEN times, the last incident took a chunk of the glass off of the windshield.



Now you may think that -- well, the heat of this area is cooking the glue and causing the mirror to fall -- sure, that's what we thought initially, but this last incident took place in the dead of winter on a 20 degree day!!



I contacted the parts department of the dealership thinking well, maybe the mirror is too heavy, maybe a lighter mirror would solve this never ending issue. I was advised by a most friendly parts department representative that 'sure, we've got several options for you. just come on in and we’ll look through the catalog together to decide what will work best.’



And so I came in the following day, went up to the Parts Department window and explained my reason for being there. In the next five minutes I was told the following:



Him: No, there are no other rearview mirror options.

Me: Her mirror has dropped off six times, and the seventh time it removed a chunk of the windshield.

Him: Maybe it’s what she’s using to reattach the mirror.

Me: No, it’s being done by reputable auto service stations because the first time it happened your service department told me that didn’t do that work.

Him: Well, you could talk to the Service manager so he can explain why they don’t do that work.

Me: I really don’t want an explanation of why Honda doesn’t do the work, I’d like a solution because without the mirror the car becomes unusable.

Him: Well I can’t give you a solution. Actually, I’ve worked here over twenty years and I’ve never heard of this issue of the rearview mirror falling off.

Me: Google this — HONDA rearview mirror falling off & you’ll see over 75K returns to that inquiry. It is a problem.

Him: Not in this region, it must be happening elsewhere.



Whatever.



Then I left knowing I’d never enter a Honda dealership again.

Mike took great care of my service needs . I was able to come in without an appointment and get my vehicle serviced very quickly.

I purchased my first Honda and it was a great experience. Karl C. was my sales person and he was very patient with me. It only took the finance manager 1 hour to do all the paper work ! I highly recommend Crown Honda of Southpoint to everyone.

My service associate, Matt King, did a great job addressing my concerns and answering questions thoroughly. I felt that he was honest and eager to help me financially with his knowledge of current specials and promotions. He exceeded my expectations of a service visit by contacting a separate department to answer some outstanding questions I had about my vehicle's purchase agreement. He was upfront and honest about the estimated cost of service. I was impressed by his professionalism and high level of quality service. Taking my car to Crown Honda at Southpoint is always a good experience!

Had my Accord's first oil change and tire rotation. Joseph Defranceco took card of me quickly. Also washed my car. All was done at no cost to me. Great experience.

Tony Pedulla, the overall Manager of the Service Dept., is ever present and runs a Great Ship. All the Advisors are very personable, knowledgable and have this extraordinary can do attitude. I have been doing business at Crown Honda for 10 years. When it came time to purchase a new car, and I decided again on a Honda, I went with Crown because of the Service Department. Price on the vehicle is not always the governing factor for me. But I did get a great deal and a lot of car for my money.

Michael Brosnick is a very professional service advisor. We always go to Michael for service of our 2 honda vehicles for many years. My Odyssey had a problem in engine last week. I want to thank Michael for his outstanding service. So far, my vehicle works very well.

Just bought a new Fit there. Was my first car purchase since 1998 and my first new car ever. The place was clean and professional. A salesman approached me right away and we were off test driving after a quick scanning of my license. Was not pressured to immediately buy when I was wanting leave to look at a car elsewhere. Came back in a few hours for another test drive, which ended up sealing my decision to buy. The negotiations over price were reasonable. There was some high pressure sales tactics in the finance department, but it was a relatively transparent and efficient process. Am glad he was persistent with pushing the extended warranty, as it was not that much to push the bumper-to-bumper out from 3 to 8 years. That, and it opened up negotiations on the overall price again. Was all in all a good experience as far as car dealerships go.

I want to thank Kenneth B and Damir today for their outstanding service. Kenneth went through my 60 K check up for my Honda Oddesey .. Due to my financial constraints with my wife in the hospital we talked about part of the service that I could budget on the next oil change as well as some discounts to help me with the cost. I was extremely greatful that he understood my situation and was very informative of the services that they were performing. I truly understand the cost of maintenance as it pays to do these things vs waiting until there is a real problem which is terribly costly. I also want to thank Damir for being an outstanding service mechanic. I have been coming to crown (Chapel Hill) since 2000 when I bought my first Honda. I met Damir in 2003 and have always been impressed with his knowledge and ability. He usually works on my vehicle if he is available and he and Kenneth always give me good advice and information on what I need to be looking toward for maintenance on my vehicle. I want to thank all of the crown staff for being very friendly and professional when I am there weather or not Kenneth or Damir are helping me that day. Thanks Crown Honda keep up the great work!

Ryan McDonnell

I had my car serviced this week and was very happy with the experience. Michael was extremely courteous, professional and kind.

Here is an email I sent to crown detailing our experience with them:



Obviously we did not buy a Pilot from you or Crown Honda.



The whole process with Crown Honda left us feeling dirty, cheated and lied to.



True, when you quoted my wife the price on the Pilot, you didn’t say that we would not be able to get the .9% financing at that price. But, based on our first meeting we were told that we would be able to get the .9% financing. You did not say that the .9% was tied to a certain price for the vehicle. So, that is a lie of omission. You told us a low price to get us in the door, and then changed things when we got there. It was a classic bait and switch routine.



The funny thing is, had you been straight with us from the beginning (by telling us what the Pilot would cost had we opted for the .9% financing when you gave my wife the quote on the phone) we probably would have bought the vehicle.



I was also troubled by the fact that you could not explain to me what the ‘doc fees’ were for. And when I told you that Carmax’s were a lot lower, you told me ‘Well, that’s because they sell used cars.’ And what is the price of ‘doc fees’ on Crown Honda’s used cars? The same as on Crown Honda’s new cars. So, that was another lie.



And who were you lying to? A loyal Crown Honda customer. In 2004, we bought an Element from Crown and had all the service for it done at Crown. Every oil change, tire rotation, check up, brake pad replacements, etc. Everything.



So, what did your, and Crown’s, lie of omission cost you and Crown? It cost you a loyal customer. It cost you a sale. And it cost Crown thousands of dollars in future car service work.



I hope going forward you, and Crown Honda, will start dealing more honestly and fairly with your future customers.

I have dealt with Crown Honda for quite some time, and I have always found their staff to be friendly, helpful and (unlike other dealers in the area) very, very professional. Every time I am at this dealer I get nothing but respect from all the people in both sales and service. It is a pleasure to deal with people like this. They get 5 stars from me!