The three year lease on my 2006 Honda Pilot is ending in one month. For the last 6 months, I've been getting messages from both Honda Financial and Tempe Honda leasing folks about my choices at lease end. I have been evaluating the choices and I've decided to purchase my vehicle.
I got payoff estimates from Honda Financial that include sales tax and the payoff amount. Then on April 12, I got a call from James Reese with the Tempe Honda leasing department. He asked me if I knew I had to get a "release" piece of paper from him at Tempe Honda. I had not gotten any information about a "release" from mother Honda Financial, so I asked if he thought I was given incorrect information from them. He said it had been his experience that they (Honda Financial) had been giving out incorrect information. He said that in order for me to get the "release" I would need to bring the vehicle in for a safety inspection which would cost me an additional $480 before Tempe Honda could sell me the vehicle.
Next day I called Honda Financial and asked them who I should believe... James Reese at Tempe Honda... Or them. At Honda Financial. They assured me that if I send the payoff and taxes to them, they will send me the title and I can then register it in my name. They suggested that maybe Tempe Honda was trying to offer a service to handle the license and registration, but that was not even mentioned by James.
Next call was to James Reese's manager... Mark Spedly. I told him about the call from James. At first he persisted with the $480 safely inspection charge as James had... Saying Tempe couldn't sell me the vehicle without the inspection... But when I pressed him and told him that Honda Financial would send me the title and I asked him... What did I need Tempe Honda for? It became apparent... I only needed to pay for the safely inspection IF I purchased the vehicle from Tempe Honda. I didn't need to pay it if I purchased it from Honda Financial. The TRUTH COMES OUT! There was no reason to pay this bogus fee as long as I was dealing with mother Honda!
I accused him of deceptive and misleading practices and he then claimed that he thought I required financing thru Tempe Honda in which case, I would have to purchase it from them. At no time did I suggest I needed any resources from this unethical dealership. I will not do business with them again. And I suggest anyone dealing with them ask a lot of questions and get as much in writing as you can... Especially about lease end fees.
I might add also.in leasing two vehicles from Tempe Honda... I was subjected to what I have come to expect as the typical tricks, mind games, haggling, walking out, being called back in etc. Sales techniques that I just don't have time for. There was one salesman who would give me info by phone rather than having to go there and for him I was grateful... But overall... Tempe Honda wasn't much better than Berge Ford who actually called me once and said a salesman was going to LOOSE HIS JOB if I didn't purchase this vehicle from them:-) WHAT A RACKET!
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