Main Concerns:\r
- Terrible customer service / interest in calling customers back\r
- Potential attempt at ""bait and switch""\r
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Description:\r
I had a terrible experience with Huntington Honda. I am an Army soldier who is stationed in Georgia but is originally from New Jersey. I was looking to purchase a used Nissan Altima 2012, and my father noted that prices for used Altimas were $2000-3000 higher in Georgia than in the NY / NJ area. I decided to use a car inspection service to check out car options in NY first and then ship down the purchased vehicle to Georgia.\r
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I found Huntington Honda's attractive price for a used 2012 Altima, began corresponding with Jane Gorgone in Pre-Owned Sales, and ordered an inspection of the Altima I was interested in. The technician who inspected the car approved it. I told Jane that I wanted to purchase the car, and she transferred me to her colleague Jeff in Sales / Purchasing.\r
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What followed next was terrible customer service that still confuses me, as I had already made clear that I definitely wanted to purchase the car immediately, without financing. I informed Jeff that my father would drive up from NJ to Long Island to deliver the payment on his day off. I asked what documents my father would need to present in person. Jeff replied, ""I'll call you back."" Over the next two days, I called back several times during my short breaks from training, only to get several more ""I'll call you backs"" from Jeff, but he would never call. \r
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Finally, on the day before my father was supposed to drive up to deliver the payment, I demanded angrily that I speak with someone. The operator at Huntington Honda asked if I wanted to buy a car from them, and I replied that I was trying very hard to do so, but no one was picking up my calls. I was eventually connected with Andy (also in Sales / Purchasing) who confirmed the details and told me to check back that night at 8 pm to confirm that the car was still available. I did so and was told the car was available. \r
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The next morning, my father called to tell me that before he left for a 2 hour drive up to Long Island, he called Huntington Honda a few minutes before his planned departure to confirm the car was available. He was told the car was not available. I called several times to speak with either Jane or Jeff, but I was told repeatedly over 30-45 minutes that both had ""stepped away from their desk."" Only after demanding angrily that I speak with someone did Andy tell me that the vehicle was sold late the night prior but that another used Nissan Altima 2012 was available for about $1,500 more.\r
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I'm less frustrated that Huntington Honda sold the vehicle - If someone came and put down a deposit in-person, that person has the right to get the car - I'm mainly angry that I had to fight tooth and nail to speak with someone when I was certain that I wanted to purchase one of Huntington Honda's vehicles. On a similar note, I'm angry that even after I had been speaking to the dealership for a week about the vehicle and when they knew my father was driving to deliver a payment, they did not call me to say that the vehicle had already been sold. If my father hadn't called last-minute to confirm the vehicle's availability, he would have driven 1.5 hours up to Long Island just to be told someone dropped the ball.\r
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Thanks a lot, Huntington Honda.
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