Honda Dealers Suck!

[clapton924]

As recommended by some of our members here; I took my car for an alignment today at the Honda dealer. I go in they say it will be $79.95 I sign the paper and wait. About an hour later the "service adviser" comes by and says "Your car is done, but it's going to cost $158 before tax...some of the bolts on your aftermarket suspension were stuck and took us longer". I'm thinking WTF...I put all those parts on...I know whats under there.  I then asked why I was not informed that the work was going to cost double what I agreed to pay for and she said she was "in a meeting".  I argued for a few minutes...she was being a bitch...I had a meeting to go to and left.  

I've got a call in for the service manager because I feel like I have been shafted. It is not fair to charge people twice what they were quoted for without a verbal agreement before the work is done.  

Another reason to never go to the dealer. This really pisses me off.

[NWINNIE34]

Damn... i would definately bring that up and talk to someone in charge... dont let them pull one over on you... thats their thing

the stealership tried to charge me $18.50 for a bolt, washer, and nut that i used for my rear camber kit..... told them i found it online for $7 total and they somehow managed to drop the price to $11.50...

good luck... let us know how you make out

[ibcnunv]

Stealership!!!

[mnkyman]

I would have refused to pay that....

Last time I got my oil changed at the dealership (I had a free oil change coupon) they also changed the air filter among a couple other things (without asking me) and suddenly a free oil change was about to cost me $40 bucks....i refused to pay, spoke with the manager and said they are basically trying to pull a fast one, when all I wanted was a damn oil change....long story short, i didn't pay a thing

[CrazyCreashunz]

Wow, my local dealer wanted to charge me $86 for a Valve Cover gasket set, I told them forget it and I went to SouthBayHonda and got it for $36. Some dealers thik they can charge what they want because it is original parts.... Stealership for real!

[Abailey4]

Damn, that's crazy.  How do you just do work without the customers consent and them charge them through the roof for it! Unbelievable.

[Skippy]

OK the "Stealership" BS needs to stop..I work for one so lay off...we do things the RIGHT way as opposed to a lot of other non-dealership places that will screw your car up and tell you to be on your merry way.

Yes, your situation is troubling and I do intend on advising you in how to take care of it.  

The excuse that your service writer was in a meeting does not fly.  Technicians MUST get approval for more time charged to a repair order.  If a technician runs into a problem while performing work on your vehicle, and they wish to claim more flagged time to repair the vehicle, they must put the requested time on the repair order, and get a face to face approval from the service writer to perform the work ONLY after you have authorized that repair and extra time.  There is no reason to why you should not have been contacted before this extra work was performed.  If the technician's service writer was in a meeting, the work should have been halted then and there until the writer could contact you face to face.  You should approach the service manager about the incident.

Here are a few helpful hints that are moreseo common sense but it helps when you have somebody on the inside (me) to help you get the best outcomes.

First off...don't go into your service manager's office angry or with an attitude.  Service managers are human too, and they appreciate respect and calmness.

Second.  Don't go into the office demanding ANYTHING.  Demands may get you free work in the right now, but you will not be looked upon positively when and if you return to the dealer for service.

Third.  Dealers know how customer service works.  If you approach them in a calm manner and explain your issue with a questioning but not authoritative tone, they are generally happy to help you out.

Explain that you signed the repair order and went to sit in the lounge.  You received no communication about the appearance of broken/seized aftermarket gear until AFTER the fact.

Explain that you were not informed of the extra time and charges because your service writer was "in a meeting", and that you feel there is some lack of communication occurring.  The technician must inform the service writer of extra work to be performed AND MAY ONLY ATTEMPT OR COMPLETE SUCH WORK AFTER THEY ARE GIVEN APPROVAL TO DO SO.  That involves your writer coming to talk to you, and informing you that something is wrong, what needs to be done, and how much extra it will cost.  IT IS THEN YOUR INFORMED DECISION TO EITHER ACCEPT OR DENY THE WORK TO BE PERFORMED.  If you were not given this information and opportunity to decline extra work, you were not handled properly.

If you take the time to speak candidly with the service manager, they should oblige your situation in some way shape or form.  Do not expect anything, but ask this very potent question, "Is what I experienced proper operating procedure?" This question will put the service manager on the spot in a fair manner.  The service manager must apply fault, not you.  Do not say that you were treated unfairly, but ask if the service writer's excuse was valid.  It is clearly not, but make them come to that determination by themselves.

My dealership works in the way that I have stated.  We always inform our customers up front about what work needs to be done, and the customer is contacted or approached by the service writer at any time where extra work or repairs are needed.  Technicians do not attempt any extra repair unless they have approval to do so.  The only exception is if it is a simple fix and the technician agrees to not charge the customer, but that STILL requires approval from the service writer.

In your situation, two lines of communication were potentially broken.  The first would be the less obvious technician to service writer communication, such as the technician takes it upon himself to charge extra time without approval.  The second would be the more obvious, service writer to customer communication, where the service writer was unavailable to make you aware of the problems and new charges.  BOTH FORMS OF COMMUNICATION BREECH ARE UNACCEPTABLE.

Remember...be calm talking to the service manager.  Don't demand anything, and don't threaten them.  Service managers can handle things one of two ways...they can either work with you, or work against you.  Treat them with respect, and you will get respect in return.

Please keep me posted on your situation.

[mnkyman]

OK the "Stealership" BS needs to stop..I work for one so lay off...we do things the RIGHT way as opposed to a lot of other non-dealership places that will screw your car up and tell you to be on your merry way.

That's exactly what they are Skip. Just because you work at one doesn't mean you can speak for all other dealerships...many of the ones we deal with are super nice when you are purchasing the car, but the service department is basically shit....SHIT!!!

[clapton924]

I left a voice message and sent an email to the service manager.  I explained the situation and did let him know I was unhappy with the service I had received. We will see if I hear back.

[Skippy]

You really should have gone to see the service manager in person.  Phone calls and emails never work as well as being there in person.  I know your schedule may be tight, but fitting in that time is the best way of resolving the situation.

Yes I know there are unscrupulous dealers, but it still bothers me when people say "Stealership".  Sorry...it's a personal thing.

[status]

hopefully you paid with a debit or credit car all you have to do is dispute the charge say " they charged 158 instead of 79."  believe me theyll fix it right away. i refuse to go to the only honda stealership in eugene they've ripped enough people off in eugene we go to one bout 40 miles away and when i get work done theyre they give me 5- 10 % off for driving to them, thats good service.

[slipkord]

In reference to 'Stealership' - I've heard you say that a million times Skip lol. And once directed towards me. Out of the 100 times I've taken my cars in to Honda. I might have gotten one or two bad experiences. Your going to get them. But like you said, you've got to handle it with a level head and be nice about it.

I've actually almost started to like to take my cars in, that is if it doesnt cost me much. I like talking with the service advisors and techs. I've gotten alot of money off and even parts installed in the bay and not even paid a thing!

Anyways back on topic. If you signed the paper stating that you will pay $79. Then that's all you have to pay, regardless if a bolt wont come off, they've got the tools to handle it!

[exelr8]

Very well written Skip. I have nothing to really say due to the fact that Skip said it best.

[timot_one]

I hate to say it, but I have rarely had a good experience at the dealerships I have gone to.  There are a few dealerships around here that have been pretty cool, but those are few and far between.  I got ass raped when a dealership in MI charged me $400+ to replace my secondary O2 sensor.  I complained about it in person, but was still over charged for the "extra" work they had to charge me for while their tech's stood around my car with their thumbs up their asses taking pictures of my system.  Every time I try to call the parts department at the Herb Chambers Honda down the street from my office, I have to call about 4 times and be transferred 3 of those times before I can actually speak to someone and not get hung up on.  Unfortunately, the bad dealerships that pull this kind of shit give the few good dealerships a bad name.  When I do find a good dealership, I appreciate it.

IMHO, I would have gone to Firestone to get a lifetime alignment for that price.

[exelr8]

The only problem with going to firestone is they refuse to do lowered cars... I tried to get them to align my car but they said they wont do lowered cars even tho my friend is a tech there... the dealership here is pretty good they give me a discount cause i am in the automotive dept. at school and one of the service writers hangs out with us from time to time with his hardtop s2k