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Butler Honda Sucks!!!

Joined
14 June 2005
Messages
247
Location
Villa Rica, GA
I just wanted to tell my experience with an attempt to purchase a Civic from Butler Honda.

I called and asked if they still had a Civic Hybrid on the lot and they said yes. I told them that I was on my way to come test drive the car and asked if they could hold it. They said they would hold the car until I test drove it if I put a $500 deposit down on the car. I said ok and gave them my credit card number to hold the car until I got there to test drive it.

I arrived as I said I would and was not convinced that I wanted the car and Tamara, my wife, asked me to let her come out and drive it too to help me make up my mind. The guy immediately started pressuring me to buy the car that night. I told him that Tamara was getting in on a plane that night and that I would come back the following day to bring her out and we would make the decision. After numerous times of telling me that they wanted me to forget what my wife said and just buy the car, I started having even more second thoughts. I went ahead and left the dealership and we agreed that they would continue to hold the deposit to prove that I would come back with Tamara.

The following day, Tamara and I get to the dealership and se hates the car. She thinks that I won't be happy and tells me that she thinks I should get a TSX, the car I really wanted. I then told the sales lady and the sales manager that I had made my mind up and that I had decided to go with another car. They then told me that they might have to keep my deposit. I told them that they should do the right thing and give back my money since I had given that to them to hold the car until I made up my mind and to insure that I would come back as I said. I had done what I said I was going to do and never was it supposed to be a deposit that if I didn't buy the car that they kept it. The Sales Manager said that he would talk with the Finance Manager and call me to let me know what they decided. I left and never heard from them again.

For those that don't know, Butler Honda is a 2 hour drive from my house and I had already made this drive 2 times.

Well, I got my statement today in the mail for my credit card and they did in fact charge me $500. I have called and refuted the charges with my CC company and they have credited it back.

I just thought that I would share my experience with you guys and let you know that you should never do business with this company!
 
Wow! They had to know that you would put a stop on the payment. Why would they do that?
I will tell you why, because they are incredibly stupid!
Some people don’t deserve to be in business.
Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Patrick
 
I would follow up with a phone call, fax and letter to American Honda Customer Service.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
1919 Torrance Boulevard
Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7D
Torrance, CA 90501-2746

Phone: 800-999-1009
Fax: 310-783-3023
 
They should of never accepted the $500.00 and held it from being sold to another if there was no formal commitment to buy. That's bad business.

A deposit should be a commitment to buy.
Accepting deposits for test drives and "look overs" is ridiculous.

If they wanted to hold the car for you to check out, that's their prerogative.
If they were of such a mind ,they could of said when and how long it would be held and past that time there were no promises not to sell to another.
There should have been no money changing hands.
If they couldn't or didn't want to hold the car they should have said so and warned you that the car was available and for sale to the first committed buyer.

As it was, as soon as you arrived and let them know you weren't sure you wanted the car and needed your wife's approval, who wasn't even with you, the General Manager should of reversed the charge on your card and privately straightened out the nitwit salesman that set such a silly deal up.
They had no right trying to hang on to your money with no signed contract.

What a dopey way to run a airline.
 
True, they were crooks. But who in their right mind pays a deposit for a test drive??!! Wasn't that your 1st warning sign? Do you pay the restaurant to make a reservation? A fool & his money...
 
TyraNSX said:
True, they were crooks. But who in their right mind pays a deposit for a test drive??!! Wasn't that your 1st warning sign? Do you pay the restaurant to make a reservation? A fool & his money...
The deposit was to hold the car for the 2 hours that it takes to get to the dealership. This car is very hard to find and I didn't want to drive 2 hours to get there and find it already stole... Appreciate the feedback... but this fool never lost any money here..... a fool would have given them their checkcard number.... :D

I will drop American Honda a line and see what they think about this... especially to a Acura TL, TSX, and NSX owner.... Bet this fool has some ears listen! :D
 
pbassjo said:
American Honda? What do you expect them to do?

I'd like to think that they take their customer complaints seriously. Of course "nothing" is going to happen but a phone call to the dealer from someone at management would be nice.
 
Why even leave a deposit. Do you think for a minute that if someone else came to buy the car your 500 dollars would secure it from being sold. If so, you are crazy.
They took the deposit, as many other dealers do, so they could pressure you into buying the car so you would not lose the deposit. OR if you decided not to buy the car they could see how persistant you are about getting the deposit back and maybe they could steal the 500 dollars from you if it was easy enough for them.

When ever I am selling anything and someone wants to buy it but pay later, I always take a deposit and give a receipt. On the receipt I put in huge capital letters NOT-REFUNDABLE! I refuse to stop marketing my items without some commitment on the buyers end. So I can see this from both ends but what really were you getting for your deposit, and what did you expect the dealer to give you? How would you feel if you were selling a set of rims a buyer put down a deposit, comes back hours later and says he doesn't want the rims and needs his deposit back. In the mean time you have turned away 3 other people who wanted the rims. It works both ways.
 
This wasn't a unique or special order item like a set of rims that have a limited customer base. It was a damn Civic Hybrid that gets 50 MPG and by all accounts sells as well as extra AK-47 clips at a Baghdad flea market. According to Honda, "Sales were purely constrained by supply". The dealer plainly used underhanded tactics to create a sense of urgency and request a deposit then stooped to a lower low by giving Dewain the run-around when he tried to get his deposit back.
 
steveny said:
Why even leave a deposit. Do you think for a minute that if someone else came to buy the car your 500 dollars would secure it from being sold. If so, you are crazy.
They took the deposit, as many other dealers do, so they could pressure you into buying the car so you would not lose the deposit. OR if you decided not to buy the car they could see how persistant you are about getting the deposit back and maybe they could steal the 500 dollars from you if it was easy enough for them.

When ever I am selling anything and someone wants to buy it but pay later, I always take a deposit and give a receipt. On the receipt I put in huge capital letters NOT-REFUNDABLE! I refuse to stop marketing my items without some commitment on the buyers end. So I can see this from both ends but what really were you getting for your deposit, and what did you expect the dealer to give you? How would you feel if you were selling a set of rims a buyer put down a deposit, comes back hours later and says he doesn't want the rims and needs his deposit back. In the mean time you have turned away 3 other people who wanted the rims. It works both ways.
My expectation was clear.. as posted earlier.... if you sold the rims after you agreed to hold them for a deposit without speaking to the deposit owner...

If you agree to hold something for a time for a deposit, you are assuming risk and you risk is limited by the deposit. Let's say that I called and said hold the car, I am on my way and didn't show up... you now made $500... but, if I do as I have said, you now know that you have a viable buyer.

Again... I put it on the credit card so that if this happened I was covered... :D

I am really happy this thread is as active as it is.... get the word out... you can agree or disagree with me all you want, but I am accomplishing my objective of spreading the word.... :D
 
Dewain27 said:
I am accomplishing my objective of spreading the word.... :D

Maybe someone will really want a car this dealership has, with the right deal and not buy because of what they read here. Maybe this story will impress enough people that there will be some significant impact and financially hurt that dealership.
If believing that helps you feel satisfied, then there you are.
 
Don't really expect it to here... but... since they are now on the list of bad dealerships on www.s2katlanta.com, which I am the admin, I am sure it will make some impact. I mean we only have right at 600 S owners on our board... But, you can go ahead and think that you are nothing but a little person with no opinion if you want. I like to think that I have some pull with my little website that gets 2.5 million hits a month of Atlanta Honda owners...
 
Hugh said:
I'd like to think that they take their customer complaints seriously. Of course "nothing" is going to happen but a phone call to the dealer from someone at management would be nice.
American Honda has changed significantly since I've been working for an Acura dealer for the past 5 years. They are all about customer service. It seems like they want to dominate the automotive industry. But anyways, if you call and complain, they'll definately do something about it. I remember one time a customer went to Ed Voyles Acura in chamblee and wanted her EGR valve replaced on her MDX. They dealer charged her $900 for parts and labor, and she brought her papers that she got in the mail stating that it was a recall item. The dealer denied it, and made her pay $900. So I'm guess she called American Honda customer service because she did get credited back and now Ed Voyles Acura is on watch by American Honda and their warranty products can be withdrawn..meaning that they cannot do any warranty parts replacement what so ever! SO...beware about shopping and servicing at Ed Voyles Acura!!
 
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