Bad Dealer Experience
08-08-2013, 10:46 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Bad Dealer Experience
I purchased my new TL in January of 2012. The experience was one of the best of any dealerships ever! The TL is a great car too. Now I need a new car so I go back to Bob Howard Acura and found a certified TSX that I wanted. I made the deal and and took the car. The evening I got home I noticed a lot of hail damage that was not disclosed . I called the dealer and they fixed it for me. which was very nice. As Im driving the car over next weekend I notice the brake rotors are warped and give me a vibration when I brake. Bob Howard Acura never mentioned this either and said that they would fix it for $1,200. No Biggie, I can do my own brakes.
Fast forward to day 28 of ownership. I am planning my trip out of state and I still do not have my paperwork to get a tag. on the car. I call my salesman, Who was not much help. He says he will call me back and then calls back after 5p when his business office is closed. "Tomorrow he can see where the paperwork is"... Today (The day Im traveling ) he brings me the paperwork. But I wont be able to make it to the tag agency today. Bob Howard Acura GM and Salesman told me that they don't want to give me a new paper tag to get me through my travels and the paperwork will suffice if I am pulled over by the police. My Tag expires tomorrow and I will be out of state.
Bob Howard Acura handled this issue with poor judgement. They are the only Acura dealer in Oklahoma City so I am going to have to leave the Acura Family for a dealer that cares about my business.
This is my third Acura and my last. It is sad that a poor judgement call can cost the company money like this.
Fast forward to day 28 of ownership. I am planning my trip out of state and I still do not have my paperwork to get a tag. on the car. I call my salesman, Who was not much help. He says he will call me back and then calls back after 5p when his business office is closed. "Tomorrow he can see where the paperwork is"... Today (The day Im traveling ) he brings me the paperwork. But I wont be able to make it to the tag agency today. Bob Howard Acura GM and Salesman told me that they don't want to give me a new paper tag to get me through my travels and the paperwork will suffice if I am pulled over by the police. My Tag expires tomorrow and I will be out of state.
Bob Howard Acura handled this issue with poor judgement. They are the only Acura dealer in Oklahoma City so I am going to have to leave the Acura Family for a dealer that cares about my business.
This is my third Acura and my last. It is sad that a poor judgement call can cost the company money like this.
08-08-2013, 07:54 PM
#2
Intermediate
Leaving the Acura brand because a bad dealer is not a valid reason IMO. If you had issues with the ownership of your Acura's then that's a different story. When the time comes to purchase another Acura, I would purchase out of state, have the regular maintenance at a local Honda dealer and only take the vehicle to the Acura dealer for warranty or major repairs.
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08-08-2013, 09:20 PM
#5
Instructor
Thread Starter
Agreed peeps. I love the Acura brand but this experience with the dealer (group one) I think, will make me avoid this group... weather I go after a corvette or a nsx in the next few years. But the big thing is my 2012 TL is a lease car.So in 12 months I get to drop it off and say adios. Maybe Dallas or Tulsa will take care of me
08-08-2013, 10:59 PM
#6
Sorry about your bad experience man. Sounds like they are a pro at dropping the ball. I would recommend the David McDavid acura in Plano Tx. I service with them and they always take care of me. Plus dealers in Dallas are more competitive because they have a lot of other competition. Where as when your the only dealer in town, they are less willing to deal and customer service will be below par, this isn't unique to acura only.
I have worked for Honda on the sales side for over 7 years and do this everyday. We have so many customer from areas where there is only one dealer in their area. They choose shop out of their area and will drive for hours because the local dealer won't deal at all and customer service is lacking.
I have worked for Honda on the sales side for over 7 years and do this everyday. We have so many customer from areas where there is only one dealer in their area. They choose shop out of their area and will drive for hours because the local dealer won't deal at all and customer service is lacking.
08-09-2013, 07:52 AM
#7
Everyday I'm rofling
Sorry about your bad experience man. Sounds like they are a pro at dropping the ball. I would recommend the David McDavid acura in Plano Tx. I service with them and they always take care of me. Plus dealers in Dallas are more competitive because they have a lot of other competition. Where as when your the only dealer in town, they are less willing to deal and customer service will be below par, this isn't unique to acura only.
I have worked for Honda on the sales side for over 7 years and do this everyday. We have so many customer from areas where there is only one dealer in their area. They choose shop out of their area and will drive for hours because the local dealer won't deal at all and customer service is lacking.
I have worked for Honda on the sales side for over 7 years and do this everyday. We have so many customer from areas where there is only one dealer in their area. They choose shop out of their area and will drive for hours because the local dealer won't deal at all and customer service is lacking.
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08-09-2013, 11:55 AM
#8
Racer
1. The salesperson has zero influence on when tag paperwork gets done and is like pulling teeth with the business office to get information. Still, he located it and HAND DELIVERED IT to you. I'd say that is top service.
2. The business office is then at the mercy of the DMV to get the title papers for a new vehicle. Getting a new car title and an out of state used car to an Oklahoma title seem to take longer than switching over a used Oklahoma car. Furthermore, as you bought a certified used vehicle, it likely came from a Honda/Acura auction there in Dallas, and they are first at the mercy of getting a title from Manheim Auction which can be the worst. If it never comes, you have to file for a lost title. Sales isn't ever aware of any hiccups on that side as there is always a way to resolve it anyways.
3. As you were getting close to travel time, you didn't give them enough time to find it, deliver it to you, and still give yourself enough time for travel. That your travel plans hit at almost the same time as when your paperwork would arrive can't be listed as their fault.
4. Even if you went on the trip with an expired tag, it is no big deal. The chances of you getting pulled over are hopefully very small, and it is easily overcome by only being a few days late. It's not like you are the first one for title paperwork to get delayed.
5. The dealer is legally NOT ALLOWED to give additional paper tags. Each tag has to be recorded now and can get audited to make sure that multiple temp tags weren't issued to the same car. If you mess one up and have to void it, it needs to stay with the entry log. They could have given you another and broken the law, but they didn't. Their bad judgement was in not explaining that it is a legal issue. That and the fact that it is only common sense that it would be an illegal move. If you get pulled over with a temp tag, you are to also have a copy of your sales agreement which has an old sales date, so you would be busted anyways along with the dealer.
6. Even if there is bad judgement, how is this reason to leave a brand?
2. The business office is then at the mercy of the DMV to get the title papers for a new vehicle. Getting a new car title and an out of state used car to an Oklahoma title seem to take longer than switching over a used Oklahoma car. Furthermore, as you bought a certified used vehicle, it likely came from a Honda/Acura auction there in Dallas, and they are first at the mercy of getting a title from Manheim Auction which can be the worst. If it never comes, you have to file for a lost title. Sales isn't ever aware of any hiccups on that side as there is always a way to resolve it anyways.
3. As you were getting close to travel time, you didn't give them enough time to find it, deliver it to you, and still give yourself enough time for travel. That your travel plans hit at almost the same time as when your paperwork would arrive can't be listed as their fault.
4. Even if you went on the trip with an expired tag, it is no big deal. The chances of you getting pulled over are hopefully very small, and it is easily overcome by only being a few days late. It's not like you are the first one for title paperwork to get delayed.
5. The dealer is legally NOT ALLOWED to give additional paper tags. Each tag has to be recorded now and can get audited to make sure that multiple temp tags weren't issued to the same car. If you mess one up and have to void it, it needs to stay with the entry log. They could have given you another and broken the law, but they didn't. Their bad judgement was in not explaining that it is a legal issue. That and the fact that it is only common sense that it would be an illegal move. If you get pulled over with a temp tag, you are to also have a copy of your sales agreement which has an old sales date, so you would be busted anyways along with the dealer.
6. Even if there is bad judgement, how is this reason to leave a brand?
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a35tl (08-10-2013)
08-09-2013, 12:03 PM
#9
Stay Out Of the Left Lane
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I wouldn't allow this to sway my judgement or appreciation of the brand. If you like the cars and are happy with them find and indie dealer for service. Sounds like you might be shooting yourself in the foot and no guarantee another marque is going to do you better.
08-09-2013, 08:57 PM
#10
In Texas, we do dealer tags through the dmb. Login online and PDF file is generated with temp tag registered to you with your Vin and address for 60 days. We have a lot of customers that buy that live in Oklahoma and Louisiana that we always provide a tag for 60 days for them to get home and drive around. I have worked at 3 honda dealers for the past 7 years. If we have a customer who's tags take longer than 60 days, we reprint new tags for 60 more days. If they are our of state, we email the PDF file to them and they print their new temp tag for themselves so they don't have to come in.
Sucks that they can't/won't do this for you. But I agree, Acura is an amazing brand and even if I had a bad experience, I would just buy my Honda/Acura product at a dealer with better customer service. I wouldn't let that discourage me from the Brand.
Thats just me.
Sucks that they can't/won't do this for you. But I agree, Acura is an amazing brand and even if I had a bad experience, I would just buy my Honda/Acura product at a dealer with better customer service. I wouldn't let that discourage me from the Brand.
Thats just me.
08-10-2013, 07:54 AM
#11
Racer
Again, where is the bad customer service? Adam just wrote that tags have taken over 60 days, which IMO is poor service. OK changed about 3 years ago to tags that are individually numbered and must be logged for audit. Tags used to have the date that it EXPIRED, and now they are written with the day the car was SOLD. Oklahoma needs to change laws to give 60 days before expiration like Texas does to alleviate many of these issues. My beef is coming onto a forum to smear and name a dealer of what a poor experience you had when nothing wrong was done. Write your state representative instead to extend temp tags to 60-75 days.
BTW,want to know a minor potentially bad thing about driving south to buy a car from Texas? Their DOC fees tend to be higher, and if the car doesn't have a proper front license plate bracket, the dealer drills holes in the bumper as soon as it arrives as part of their prep. It's not their fault or necessarily a bad thing, but it sure can be for a picky person in OK where we don't have to run a front plate.
BTW,want to know a minor potentially bad thing about driving south to buy a car from Texas? Their DOC fees tend to be higher, and if the car doesn't have a proper front license plate bracket, the dealer drills holes in the bumper as soon as it arrives as part of their prep. It's not their fault or necessarily a bad thing, but it sure can be for a picky person in OK where we don't have to run a front plate.
08-11-2013, 06:26 PM
#13
Instructor
Thread Starter
1. The salesperson has zero influence on when tag paperwork gets done and is like pulling teeth with the business office to get information. Still, he located it and HAND DELIVERED IT to you. I'd say that is top service.
I Agree that was good of him to bring it to me as my wife had the ride Thursday. But in Sales the Sales person is where the buck stops. They got me in and out of finance (Which was Awesome) so My main contact was the Salesperson. Im in sales too and I take full responsibility for the good and bad things that happen to my customers.
2. The business office is then at the mercy of the DMV to get the title papers for a new vehicle. Getting a new car title and an out of state used car to an Oklahoma title seem to take longer than switching over a used Oklahoma car. Furthermore, as you bought a certified used vehicle, it likely came from a Honda/Acura auction there in Dallas, and they are first at the mercy of getting a title from Manheim Auction which can be the worst. If it never comes, you have to file for a lost title. Sales isn't ever aware of any hiccups on that side as there is always a way to resolve it anyways.
The Dealer had this car since May 2013, This wasn't a quick turn around for them and I did not finance the car so I figure the Title could have been given to me the day I signed the paperwork.
3. As you were getting close to travel time, you didn't give them enough time to find it, deliver it to you, and still give yourself enough time for travel. That your travel plans hit at almost the same time as when your paperwork would arrive can't be listed as their fault.
Agreed, this was just a - Oh crap moment. I don't have a tag and Im going out of state. Called my salesman at 9 am and he delayed working on it until after the business office was closed.
4. Even if you went on the trip with an expired tag, it is no big deal. The chances of you getting pulled over are hopefully very small, and it is easily overcome by only being a few days late. It's not like you are the first one for title paperwork to get delayed.
As I am back home (Safely) now, nothing happened. But I try not to give LEO's any reason to pull me over. Taking clients out to dinner and having some wine would be a bad way to end my trip in Texas if I got pulled over for an out of date, out of state tag...Also when the GM of the dealer told me not to do anything to get noticed by the LEO's that pissed me off. He was giving me a reason to get noticed...
5. The dealer is legally NOT ALLOWED to give additional paper tags. Each tag has to be recorded now and can get audited to make sure that multiple temp tags weren't issued to the same car. If you mess one up and have to void it, it needs to stay with the entry log. They could have given you another and broken the law, but they didn't. Their bad judgement was in not explaining that it is a legal issue. That and the fact that it is only common sense that it would be an illegal move. If you get pulled over with a temp tag, you are to also have a copy of your sales agreement which has an old sales date, so you would be busted anyways along with the dealer.
I did not know this and it would have been nice to hear this from the dealer. I have had this happen before and the dealer just gave me a new tag. So I assumed the dealer was being difficult. Now I know it is a Oklahoma (Bull Crap) Law, That needs revision. I wish Oklahoma would go to 60 days. Still the dealer could have handled this differently to make me feel better about the situation.
6. Even if there is bad judgement, how is this reason to leave a brand?
I have no intention on leaving the brand. From m y CL-S to my wife's new TL to my new to me TSX. I love Acura's
Im hoping to keep my TSX for a long time as my DD and pick up another Sports car.. for the weekend trips.
I Agree that was good of him to bring it to me as my wife had the ride Thursday. But in Sales the Sales person is where the buck stops. They got me in and out of finance (Which was Awesome) so My main contact was the Salesperson. Im in sales too and I take full responsibility for the good and bad things that happen to my customers.
2. The business office is then at the mercy of the DMV to get the title papers for a new vehicle. Getting a new car title and an out of state used car to an Oklahoma title seem to take longer than switching over a used Oklahoma car. Furthermore, as you bought a certified used vehicle, it likely came from a Honda/Acura auction there in Dallas, and they are first at the mercy of getting a title from Manheim Auction which can be the worst. If it never comes, you have to file for a lost title. Sales isn't ever aware of any hiccups on that side as there is always a way to resolve it anyways.
The Dealer had this car since May 2013, This wasn't a quick turn around for them and I did not finance the car so I figure the Title could have been given to me the day I signed the paperwork.
3. As you were getting close to travel time, you didn't give them enough time to find it, deliver it to you, and still give yourself enough time for travel. That your travel plans hit at almost the same time as when your paperwork would arrive can't be listed as their fault.
Agreed, this was just a - Oh crap moment. I don't have a tag and Im going out of state. Called my salesman at 9 am and he delayed working on it until after the business office was closed.
4. Even if you went on the trip with an expired tag, it is no big deal. The chances of you getting pulled over are hopefully very small, and it is easily overcome by only being a few days late. It's not like you are the first one for title paperwork to get delayed.
As I am back home (Safely) now, nothing happened. But I try not to give LEO's any reason to pull me over. Taking clients out to dinner and having some wine would be a bad way to end my trip in Texas if I got pulled over for an out of date, out of state tag...Also when the GM of the dealer told me not to do anything to get noticed by the LEO's that pissed me off. He was giving me a reason to get noticed...
5. The dealer is legally NOT ALLOWED to give additional paper tags. Each tag has to be recorded now and can get audited to make sure that multiple temp tags weren't issued to the same car. If you mess one up and have to void it, it needs to stay with the entry log. They could have given you another and broken the law, but they didn't. Their bad judgement was in not explaining that it is a legal issue. That and the fact that it is only common sense that it would be an illegal move. If you get pulled over with a temp tag, you are to also have a copy of your sales agreement which has an old sales date, so you would be busted anyways along with the dealer.
I did not know this and it would have been nice to hear this from the dealer. I have had this happen before and the dealer just gave me a new tag. So I assumed the dealer was being difficult. Now I know it is a Oklahoma (Bull Crap) Law, That needs revision. I wish Oklahoma would go to 60 days. Still the dealer could have handled this differently to make me feel better about the situation.
6. Even if there is bad judgement, how is this reason to leave a brand?
I have no intention on leaving the brand. From m y CL-S to my wife's new TL to my new to me TSX. I love Acura's
Im hoping to keep my TSX for a long time as my DD and pick up another Sports car.. for the weekend trips.
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