My husband and I signed for our new Honda Odyssey separately. He worked the cost and finance details and signed paperwork in a hurry because my mother, he had taken for her weekly chemo therapy was in the car waiting. He did not read the contract thoroughly, and just asked the finance person assigned to us, multiple times as he signed away, " I just want to be sure... The total I am financing after $2000 down is $35,000" The finance person assigned to us told him yes, many times... Total finance is $35000.
After a long day at my work (about 10 hour day) my husband told me to stop at Honda (2 blocks from my job) to just sign the papers for the new van. So I stopped in and asked for Scott England who had all the paperwork ready for me to just sign behind my husband. I was leaving about 15 minutes after I went in! I was handed a white envelope (legal size) with Scotts name and Phone number on it. He told me to call if we had any questions or problems.
When I got home my husband asked me for the copies of the paperwork so he can make sure the "numbers" where what they had agreed upon. At that point my heart sank. I was very upset I had signed these documents with a blind eye, assuming my husband had taken care of all the details.in my white legal size envelope was a copy of the odometer statement... Nothing else...
The next day 3/28 my husband went to the Honda dealership and spoke with Scott England requesting our copies of our contract paperwork. He had very convincing stories of how the Honda was moving to a new location and documents had been moved there and to storage and he would have to try to get someone to retrieve them. He said he would mail them to us. He left a follow up message on our answering machine about mailing them. My husband and I requested several times by phone these copies between 3/ 28 and 4/23 without success. On 4/22 we received our first statement (bill) from Honda Finance. The balance due (total financed) was $5000 more than we thought we had signed and agreed upon... Just over $40,000. 4/23 my husband went to Honda to discuss this when I got home from work to find he still had not been provided with our copies or any copies of our paperwork signed 3/27 to justify or negate the total finance, I frantically called Scott England our finance person at Honda. On that call he assured me, Honda Finance had made a mistake. He stated" Honda finances 100's of vehicles a week, they have just made a "clerical error" "I assure you the total financed on your paperwork was what you believe it to be $35,000" He said he would get it fixed. I told him how horribly uncomfortable I was not having copies of my signed contract and he made arrangements for my husband to come again to the Honda dealership to "pick up" our paperwork. (I guess it wasn't mailed after all?) We arranged with Scott for my husband to come to the Honda dealership again Tuesday May 1st at 2pm to finally pick up our copies or a copy of our contract we had signed 3/27.
I had also called directly Honda Finance to see if anything had been fixed by Scott England and Honda of Panama City. I told them a little about what had happened and they told me they need to see my copy of the contract.
My Husband returned home 5/1, with a pink "worksheet" type paper that had on it the financing numbers that we believed to have signed for on our original signing date. This was the first document Scott England presented to us as "a copy of our contract" I then called Honda Finance a second time to tell them I would be sending our copy of our paperwork with the correct numbers on it, Honda Finance responded back to tell me this was not a contract. It was just a worksheet and it wasn't signed by anyone. AGAIN we contact Scott, by phone, to see what was going on with "fixing" the "clerical errors" Honda Finance had made. He again spoke with me directly, assuring me that I should see the changes on the Honda Finance website within 10 days of the date my husband picked up what Scott referred to as our copy of our contract we signed 3/27. He even referred to someone by the name of Tim Teragod, which was assisting him with the corrections.
Yes I realize after reading and rehashing the events, I can't believe we did not ask to speak with a manager, but I Scott truly seemed so trustworthy and we did know the Honda dealership was actively moving to a new location. As frustrated as we were, Scott England seemed to be trying to help us. He even made a phone call to Honda Finance in front of my husband (using his cell phone) to discuss the problem we were having with the "clerical error" of the total financed. Of course, now that everything has happened the way it has, I find it odd to call from a cell phone rather than the work phone that is on the desk beside him. (Did he fake this call?)
On 5/7 I went into the Honda dealership myself following a 10 hour day at work. I told Scott I had to have copies of my paperwork. I don't have any proof of what I signed and we have waited too long. I confronted him on the pink "worksheet" that he had provided my husband with 5/1, and how Honda Finance said it was not an official document, and certainly not our contract copy. He then provided me with a contract with all the "finance numbers" my husband and I believed to be correct on it. I actually looked like a contract and said "buyer's copy" on the bottom. The only problem I noticed immediately was... No signatures. So when I complained to Scott England there were no signatures on this copy, he said it was a carbon that did not press through. He took the document and signed his signature there in front of me.
The next morning, 5/8, I called Honda Finance to see if Scott England or anyone from Honda of Panama city had been working on my account. They said no. I told them I have a correct contract to send them but as I was looking at it talking to them on the phone, I realized the date on this supposed "contract copy" said 5/7... So I held off on sending it. I then called Scott England at the dealership and left a message on his answering machine explaining again how upset I was about not having my copy of my paperwork and the so called copy he provided me the previous night was not even dated correctly. I told him to call me back immediately on this matter, yet, he never called.
That evening, 5/8 after another 10 hour day at work, I stopped at Honda of Panama City. I brought all I had from Honda, and again insisted that I have my contract paperwork or speak with his supervisor. He again told me a story of how the paperwork had been moved to a warehouse in between the move to the new location. He said someone would be going out that week to pick up paper work as needed and he could have them get it then.
I insisted on talking to his supervisor because I had enough. After explaining the events to one other finance person that came in, the two finance persons left with my paperwork for at least 15 minutes.
The "head of finance" Richard Lewis, came in the room with my paperwork and copies of the "long lost" contract paperwork. I tried to explain the events that had occurred but Mr. Lewis came in accusing me of not inquiring about my copies until just recently and having Scott England "draw up" a contract the evening before with finance numbers that reflect my vehicle cost without the "extras" that I had purchased and then he said I was plotting to send this to Honda Finance after I forged my husband’s name to the document. He then took the "so called by Scott, copy of my contract" and wrote VOID on it twice. He said he recorded all of our conversation and stated to the camera and recording that I had falsified the contract I held by forging my husband’s name to it. When I tried to explain his supervised employee had provided that document to me and told me it was my copy of my contract I signed 3/27 he ignored me. He did nothing to help me or investigate the events that had occurred he only questioned my character and put me at fault.
5/9 I contacted American Honda to voice a complaint on the dealership for all that had occurred. I also went back to the dealership finally having in hand, my copies of all the "add ons" I did not realize I had signed for (my fault) but Scott England not mentioning ONE word about them since 3/28.43 days after I signed my original contracts and got to see what I had signed for the FIRST time the evening before, I worked with the dealer to cancel all the extras that could be cancelled within 60 days, with penalty to me, of course.
So far American Honda has "noted my complaints" as Ron my case manger states it. But he has told me that the dealership that handled my car sale has dissolved and the new dealership is not responsible for my issue. I have explained that two of the employees that have caused these events, Scott England and Richard Lewis are working at and have been promoted in the new dealership. American Honda, even though they franchise out these dealerships, should have some say in the dealership's standard of business conduct. I am sure there are rules the dealership has to follow to maintain the quality name of Honda. I have hit a brick wall with my complaint being heard and anyone doing anything about it. They ask me what I expect to happen. They must have some process for employee discipline. I also would love to have my original contract voided and be able to return my vehicle without penalty to American Honda. I am so upset about the events that have occurred and the lies that have continued. I hate starting my car every morning as a reminder. I love Honda's I have 3 in my driveway. My husband and I have purchased at least 15 vehicles in the last 20 year (hubby loves cars) I have never been through something like this nor have been treated so poorly by professionals in positions like this. I would love for Honda's CEO to have access to the Horror story of my 3rd Honda purchase
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