Bay County, FL - Losing ground
 

I have been waiting since early this year for the new Fits to come out and had been planning to buy one this year after the shortage issues had started to resolve. I went to the same dealership where I had bought my red 2007 and blue 2013 expecting the same hassle free experience.

I had decided I wanted a yellow LX model with no options if it was available. The rep told me that yellows were still not being manufactured as of August and it would take at least 9 months. Having played this game with pushy sales reps, I told him to go ahead and order it. And since it was coming from the factory, I wanted absolutely no options. I was advised that the shortage was so severe, that ordering isn't practical and I would be much better off giving him a $500 deposit and waiting on a dealer to dealer trade and take a different trim or color. I asked him to see what he could do and I'm come back.

Next day I came in and he told me he had found me an EXL in yellow and could have it here in a couple days. I told him again I wanted the LX model only. I had researched the ordering process so I knew that he could submit an order to Honda and have what I wanted reserved and shipped to me when it was manufactured. The salesmen became rude and even went as far to get one of the managers to come out and explain to me that if I wanted a car, I needed to take what they wanted on the lot. When I refused again, they actually walked about 10 feet away from me and had one of those phony staged conversations where they discuss how my request is impossible and it would simply be too much hassle for me to deal with. At the conclusion, the sales rep came back and said that if I didn't want what he had, I would just have to do without. So I asked again about ordering and his response was I would need to come back sometime when the GM was there and maybe he could do something or explain why it won't work.

The pure condescension coming from the salesman absolutely stunned me. I've talked to some others who have been there over the past year and they have agreed that the customer service aspect has slipped substantially over the past year.

All that said, their service side is still top notch. In fact, when I'm dropping off the 07, I'm supposed to speak with the GM to provide some feedback on my experience.

I'm hoping to help him see the cost of poor service when I point out to him my new yellow LX I picked up yesterday from Dothan, AL dealership where they listened to me and then gave me what I wanted with no hassle. Probably need to add another one of these for the GREAT experience in Dothan!

I was on my way to that dealer checking for my EX, glad I didn't get there.