Gee, I did buy TWO Fits... you'd think they'd hook me up
 

I need to vent.
I'll get to the point.
Walked into the nearest dealer in my search for a pair of Fits. Test drove one. Said I'll take two. One Orange Sport AT and one Tidewater blue base AT was all they had.
Fine. I'd been a prep manager at a couple of dealers, so I let them know I knew how it works.
I'm not paying "prep" so don't try (Honda pays that). "OK"
I'm not paying a "freight" charge on top of destination (they add it to their invoice) "uh, OK"
Their deal was MSRP + Destination + tax +tags. Said they usually get a markup or pitch extra stuff. I could see that, but said if I'm paying MSRP, then I'm getting keyless entry and security thrown in for the base model. And not aftermarket, but Genuine Honda accessories. "OK".
We struck a deal. Does the Fit come with mats? Salesgirl says yes (see where this is going now?)
I meet the F&I guy. We have mutual former coworkers in common. Chat about the old days. He tells me my credit score (805). I get 5.49% for 60 months. No dice on the protection plan, extended warranty, etc.
We get picked up by the salesgirl that evening. Give them 5K down on each car. Drive home. Notice there's no mats.
Go back the next day. Mats are an accessory.
Throw them in.
No
C'mon. Just bought two cars at MSRP. Throw them in.
No, and they're not in stock. Neither was the keyless entry and security. Prep guy thinks I'm getting aftermarket. Had to clear that up.
Had the cars two weeks. I made my own mats out of black auto carpet I found for $9.36 on clearance. My wife lived two weeks having to unlock the doors herself, scratching the paint around the keyhole. I called. The electronics came in. It'll take one hour.
Took 3.5 hours. Plenty of time discuss how I was getting the mats that came in.
No. Guy you dealt with is not here. Blah blah blah. We'll call you.
But you said the cars had mats. They didn't. I bought two cars. C'mon.
We'll call. They didnt. So I called today. Said they'd call back in a few minutes. Two hours later I went there.
"We have no mats. Backordered". Paul, the make ready guy had them but could not give them to me because he had no order to do so yesterday.
"OK, so then they're $200 for the two sets. Thats how you can get the mats"
A few back and forths later he calls the parts manager... on speakerphone. "What are we gonna do for this guy, c'mon" Parts manager calls me the pain in the ass that was there yesterday when it took 2.5 hours more than they said it would for installation of the keyless entry and cutting the key improperly.
Then the BS really began that made me sorry I gave the dealer all 5's when American Honda called me for the survey on both, because I was being realistic and genuine with them the whole time and then they start this line of BS.

"There's $30 profit in a Fit."
what?
He grabs the list of invoice and MSRP.
Adds $670 to invoice and subtracts that from the MSRP.
"Ok, so it's $130, so I can't just give you the mats."
There's a flaw in your math. You can't add the $670 destination to the invoice. I paid that, not you.
"but we laid it out"
but I paid it with the purchase of the car.
"but then there's commission and blhykaetropt ygry6jhpoker stharatlyt thrlleth foetopyt cdclfdlhtow4ew cflglld fcgotoaw gllfslfgnml blah blah blah '"

That's when I walked out.
I went to the parts counter and paid the $200 even for two set of '09 all season mats that I've seen online for $93.60 a set.

I understand there's not a whole lot of markup in the Fit.
I gave them 10G's. They financed me through AHFC.
I made it easy. Paid MSRP. I guess that's not enough.
At least I got the keyless entry and security thrown in. So that's something.
Still rubs me the wrong way. And it was all fine with me until the guy started with the flawed mathematics. Like I'm an idiot. I spent enough time working at dealers to know that they're there to make as much money on each car as possible, and will do so by - in some cases - whatever means possible. And it was my job to get two new cars for as good a deal as I could. I was hoping they'd spare the BS and be real with me like I was with them. I've bought 6 Hondas and got mats included with all of them, they were never extra charge. I expected no different this time when the salesgirl told me they were included. I don't think I was that far off base.

Yup. Go figure. And yet you hear many car salespeople get all up in arms when we the buyers call them bad names and stereotype them. Go figure. Your case is a typical sales experience to a T. I had a similar experience with my Fit.

At least it seems like you avoided any processing fees. I was distracted at the time of signing the papers to even notice my processing fee. I think it was $150. Not bad.

Can you tell us the dealer name?

Kind of like my experience too. I was promised $400 off MSRP and 10% off accessories, a price match with the deal I got through an APA buying service. Well, originally I was quoted $5300 on my trade-in but miraculously (with my big brother in tow), they managed "to find a buyer" who would pay $7300 for my car. Great, I could afford to get the Sport instead of an LX.

Then I checked my paperwork more closely. Sure the $400 off was there but no 10% off accessories! My list was pretty long so I would have gotten another $250 off the deal. When I asked my dealer about it, he said "it was worked in with the new trade-in value since what the guy actually would pay for my car was $6800". Can you believe that $%^#*@(??? I do understand that it's a business and they're in it to make a profit, but hey, a deal is a deal and trying to pull this stuff on customers is just plain wrong....

Sounds like a crappy dealer. That is why I love SouthEastern Honda in Florida. Everything is up front. BTW I beat you :p I have bought 22 Honda's not including family and they all had floor mats:D

It's unfortunate to hear stories like the ones above, but, alas, it's all too common in automotive retailing these days. And it doesn't matter what brand you're shopping (BMW, Mercedes, Honda, GM), they're all guilty of poor business practices from time to time. At the end of the day, I fully appreciate that dealers are in business to make money, so I don't mind a fair and reasonable profit. Unfortunately, many dealers try to squeeze every bit of juice from the fruit, leaving customers like us with a bitter taste in our mouths.

Always get all the details of the deal in writing before signing anything.

Even the delivery delay needs to be written (Delivery before X# of days or deal is off).

Very good advice. They wrote "keyless entry and passive alarm" on the invoice/purchase order/repair order. Make-ready guy went to install aftermarket stuff. Nope. I used to put that stuff in. I wanted factory stuff just like the sales manager and I discussed. It was not in stock. They gave me a We-Owe slip. Those are always a hassle. Because after you're out the door and they have your money, you're "Eric who?".

One the We-Owe it said the same thing... I made them write GENUINE HONDA FACTORY ACCESSORIES on it above "passive alarm and keyless entry".

The mats situation was really just as simple as me asking if they come with them, and the salesgirl saying "yes".

Anything else above and beyond what the car actually comes with should be put in writing.

Merely stating the profit of that particular vehicle is a very short-sighted outlook from the dealer. First of all, they didn't make the profit once, but twice. Secondly you will presumably take both those vehicles back to that dealership each and every time you need service. Third, you are also likely to return for your next car purchase(s) if you were quite satisfied the first time. And likewise if you were satisfied, you could refer innumerable friends and relatives to that dealership for their vehicle purchases. To say "We only make $100 profit on this vehicle" and be stand-offish because of that is ignorant.

Exactly. I told them I went there to buy a car because I'd gotten a good vibe when they took care of my Odyssey under warranty when another dealer tried to make me pay for something else instead, rather than perform an EGR cleaning as per the Service Bulletin. Dealership employees should really properly assess each customer's understanding of their vehicle and STOP operating from a standpoint of treating everyone like idiots. So I chose this dealer for my purchase because they fixed the van to my satisfaction.

Short sighted indeed. This guy I dealt with was not the sales manager who dealt with the deal in first place. He was standing in, and he has now made it so I am not going to consider buying anything there again. Parts, service, or another vehicle. He kept telling me to wait for the other guy, blowing me off, and I felt that he being a manager, ought to have the ability to meet my needs. He kept saying "I don't know what you and Oscar talked about" And I kept telling him what we talked about. He was very dismissive. He remained ignorant.

I will go back, and I will talk to Oscar. I will tell him about the sour taste left in my mouth by the people in charge while he was gone, and see what he says. I feel insulted by the way I was treated. I feel duped, like a chump when I think about the high marks I gave the dealer in the phone survey.

Honda has sent me a link to a survey to fill out online, since they'd like more details. I'll wait til I talk to Oscar before filling it out. I know I already paid for the mats (which are neat, btw), but maybe there's a way for him to show goodwill.

Speaking of which... he and this ignoramus both asked me if I'd gotten the free gas coupon. Turns out if you log on to some marketing site and do a bunch of surveys, and then send them 200 bucks worth of gasoline fillup receipts, they'll send you $30 bucks for gas. Yeah, right. The same card says I'm eligible for a free vacation, and some other nonsense. I told them you don't get something for nothing, and apparently you don't get floor mats for nothing either.

that does suck. but congrats on the 2 cars. :)

lol i got a keychain with my car. Oh and a hat cuz i was hasslin the salesman just like "hey do i get a cool honda clothing peice like u guys" and he was like pick one. I thought he was joking so i just picked a cheap hat. I can't complain too much about not getting anyting because i only paid 13,400 for my 07 base. Which i thought was a damn good price. But i had a friend who bought an 08 sport and when they saw his military ID they started throwing all kinds of free stuff at him. weird

My dealer tried to sneak in:

$299 "etching registration fee"

and

$140 DOC FEE!!!

This is after I agreed to pay $500 over MSRP!

It is just stupifying. Guess my inlaws won't be trying to buy their CR-V from them!

best thing to do is, even though honda called you in for the survey and you gave them all "5's"...wait for the letter from JD Power and Associates Survey and take that letter with you to the dealership and ask them for the floormats or any other accessories you need and ask them for help to fill out the survey. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

If you had a witness to the salesgirl saying mats were included you could make the case in small claims.

And then you should have bought the mas online . There are several dealers offering excellentdiscounts, or used to when I got mine.

We bought two as well and had a good experience :)
The two fits had only been on the lot for less than 24 hours and they worked really to get us in these cars. Both are loaded 09 sports and
no real extra pushes were required. We'll see what happens when I go
for that first free oil change and i have to let somebody else touch it :hyper:

Honda on Grand is probably the best dealer i've ever worked with!
Total plug i know but they deserve it!

Unreal. I didn't get it when I worked at dealers, and I don't get it now. My parents were in retail. They were of the mindset where you treat someone right the first time they walk in, and they'll come back and buy. When they come back and buy, make it a good experience and they'll return. When they return, remember their last experience and what they bought and expand their horizons while you sell them something else. 25 years of that.

Dealers are, on the other hand, of the mindset that says "lets reel this one in because if we let him go, we may never eat him up again". Or something like that.

Another thing I never got was why a DEALERSHIP composed of parts, service, and sales, has those three departments acting against one another. One of the things I remember, and I heard it again today, was that each department is out to make their numbers better than the others, and they try if possible to avoid having to incur costs stemming from the other departments. I could not just have the mats because the parts department was going to charge sales for them. And once sales has their way with a customer, they really don't care if you have a gripe that might impact your willingness to come back for service, because that's not the numbers they care about. It's sad, really. Every man for themselves.


I'll give them another crack at changing my impression of them. That's more than they deserve, but that's the kind of chump I am.

They made your experience more difficult than it needed to be, no one is questioning that. But the truth is the dealers don't make very much on the Honda Fit; throwing in free stuff for a car that is hardly worth selling makes no sense.

man. sorry to hear that. i feel dirty reading what you went thru.

a little while back a man's (woman's) word meant something. a contract was a handshake.

I am working at the Honda dealer and there is a reason a lot of dealer put mark up on it, that is because there is no profit at all selling fit at MSRP. $500 is the profit and after sales commision and dealer pack at my dealer $150 left and yes we do not mark up Honda Fit.

First of all, I do understand that dealers do not make much on Hondas... Yes, there is not much profit with invoice and MSRP... But then again, this is the same with all business. There are some products that sells for more profit and some don't... I have seen many Honda Civics sold for over $35K...

With that said...
THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! IN FACT, THIS IS ILLEGAL!!! CLASSIC BAIT AND SWITCH!!! DO NOT LET IT SLIDE!!!
first of all, Honda will email you in regards to an online survey (you might have to register in the Honda e-owner link...
email/ or deliver a written letter titled 'written attempt to resolve situation' to the dealer. stating the situation and threaten further actions...
Then you should file a complaint with BBB
then contact Honda corporate...

What do they take their customers for? suckers?
This type of practice is unacceptable in any other kind of business. Why is a car dealership any different???
We cannot let this go on because they will just go on and rip off another Fit buyer!!!
Let us know how it goes if you decide to fight it!!! I am sure we will help any way we can!