Part 1:
Yelp Review:
I'll start with: I would never recommend this Honda dealership to anyone, be it friend, family member, or even complete stranger...
This is going to be a long one so please bear with me.
I walked in expecting to simply test drive the 2018 Honda Fit to finish up the rest of my car buying research. I wanted to be thorough especially because I'm a first time buyer. I had been in love with this car for years, so I had a feeling this was it but I wanted to be sure. I even set up a "VIP" appointment and let the consultant know I had no intention of purchasing a car, as well as the salesperson when I let him know what I wanted to test.
I walked out with a 2017 Honda Fit LX in a manual transmission, exhausted, after fighting against being taken advantage of for 4 whole hours but the decision felt great, at the time. In hindsight, that is not the case.
First of all, the salesperson that worked with me for the entirety of those hours spent most of those hours lying through his teeth, trying to make it seem like they had my best interest in mind - as they do, and I expected that.
What I didn't expect was to walk out with an incredibly dirty car that didn't have working AIR CONDITIONING.
From the moment that we shook hands on our deal, he kept promising me the world, saying garbage like "we're going to make sure the car is perfect" "we're giving it a great wash" "sorry it's taking so long we're just making sure EVERYTHING WORKS perfectly," absolute nonsense.
The next day, the sunlight made it very obvious that my car was not washed, as my sales person promised. In fact, it was absolutely filthy. There were hand smudges all over the hood of the car and even on my back windows. The car was so dusty both inside and out and the carpets were laced with some white crumbly substance. And the best part: I went to turn on the air conditioning, because it was a particularly warm day in LA and I was driving into Pomona...
I can't even begin to tell y'all the different emotions I felt in the span of that 45 minute drive, but I'll try:
First it was sheer confusion, I even thought "maybe it's user error" so I turned off the air, deselected the AC button and set the whole thing again to find that I could only manage getting warm air through my vents. My first instinct was to get a second opinion, so I called my brother - we went through the same process together and he confirmed I wasn't insane and it wasn't functioning properly. [In fact he checked the car later (he's a professional mechanic) and told me that the compressor didn't even kick on.]
Then I started getting frustrated. I called the dealership while I was driving and they connected me to the consultant that help me set up my trash VIP appointment. She and I went through the same motions, and I gave her the same answer... the cold AC isn't working. She then proceeded to forward my phone call to the person that sold the car to me. He first asked if I was turning it on correctly then informed me that I would HAVE to bring it into the Metro Honda dealership in order to get it looked at BUT that I would have to set up an appointment for at least three whole days later due to availability.
I told him to hold on while I checked my schedule so I could figure out when I would have time to bring my brand new car to be serviced. Instead of being patient and helping me out he cuts me off and tells me to call the tech girl that helped me get into the car the night before... he said "she'll help you get an appointment." And quickly hung up the phone.
I proceeded to call the tech girl, the only person in this whole dang ordeal to give me a straight answer. I let her know that it was so inconvenient for me to drive all the way out to Montclair from LA (where I live and work) and if it was possible for me to go to a closer dealership. She informs me that my salesperson was again being dishonest and that I can schedule a service appointment at any Honda dealership. I thanked her for not giving me another run around and ended the call.
One of the reasons that a malfunctioning AC was such a blow to my ego is because I've never had a car with cold air conditioning. I've had to endure disgustingly sweaty car rides for years, and last summer there were at least three weeks that I couldn't
even drive my car because it was so hot. So funnily enough, one of the main things I was excited about was just that, and when it wouldn't stop blowing hot air at me I actually cried.
I know that it's a material thing. In 15 years I might not even have the car, but after going back and forth with the salesperson and the sales manager (who looked at me like I was a complete idiot) for 4 hours to find out that the car isn't
even functioning correctly 12 hours later, I felt defeated. Cheated. And absolutely stuck.
Take your shot, it's 50/50, maybe. According to the reviews on yelp, I'm not the only one that had such a rough time. read more