Ottawa Honda Pre - Owned review: Contract issues 2

My father and I were shopping for a vehicle, for my sister, for about a month. We visited many dealerships in Ottawa and found a vehicle that my sister was interested in at one specific dealership, Ottawa Honda Pre-Owned, located on 1075 Richmond Road, Ottawa, K2B 6R2. The car was a 2006 Honda Accord EXL coupe, with a price tag of $16, 989.

On June 19th, 2010, we agreed to an offer of $15, 755 plus taxes, presented to us by the salesman, Randall Eades, which came to a total price of $17, 803.15. Initially, when we first saw and test drove the vehicle, before any offers were made, we found some faults with the vehicle. For example: the driver side brakes were squeaking, there were many scratches all over the body and the most noticeable was the bumper of the vehicle had dents and deep scratches. It seemed like the vehicle had been either struck by another vehicle from behind or it was backed into a cement wall. When we mentioned these faults to Randall, he immediately told us not to worry and if we bought the car, he would make sure that the car was fixed. He assured us that the scratches and, especially, the bumper would be repaired. We liked the vehicle and the fact that Randall had assured us that the faults with the vehicle would be repaired, we agreed to the offer that he presented us with of $15, 755 plus taxes.

On June 22, 2010, Randall had prepared a bill of sale with a vehicle price of $15, 755 and a total purchase price, after tax, of $17, 803.15. My sister, my father and myself, went to the dealership to meet with Randall and to complete the deal at 19:30 that very same day. When we went there that evening it was pouring rain. Still, we inspected the vehicle to see if the scratches and dents were repaired. They had not been repaired at all. When we went inside to sit and finalize the deal with Randall, he explained to us that the body shop had not repaired anything on the vehicle yet, because the deal needs to be finalized first. In fact, he said that the inside of the vehicle needs to be vacuumed and thoroughly cleaned, upon final sale of the vehicle. Just to be sure that the job would get completed; Randall guaranteed that the faults with the vehicle would be repaired and he added what faults needed to be repaired on the bill of sale.

Randall listed, on the bill of sale, the following to do 8 items for the repair shop:

-> Safety and E-Test
-> Full Clean inside and out
-> Full tank of fuel
-> Repair brake noise
-> Buff/Touch up scratches on rear bumper
-> Lube, oil & filter
-> Check battery in remote starter- weak
-> Verify emergency tire jack in car

The fact that Randall had listed the items of concern on the bill of sale himself, showed to us that he was serious about satisfying his clients and gave us peace of mind that the car we are about to invest $17, 803 in, was in good hands. Still, I asked to view the Car Facts on the vehicle we were about to purchase, so I’ll know the history of the vehicle. He presented to us a Car Proof report of the vehicle. He said that it was the same thing as Car Facts, but just a different company. I thoroughly read the Car Proof report that he gave to me. I noticed on the report that there was an Accident Estimate of approximately $400. However, there were no further details of that estimate or what the estimate was for. So, I asked Randall about that estimate. First, he assured me that the vehicle was not in an accident and then lead on to say that he was not too sure what the estimate was for. He said that it was probably for door scratches or something and the previous owner decided not to get the repairs done. However, the scratches on the body were going to be repaired anyways, as guaranteed on the bill of sale. So, in a nutshell, what ever faults were visible to us with the vehicle, Randall had given us a written guarantee that they would be repaired along with the other listed items. We approved the agreement and went ahead with the deal. He told us that the vehicle would be ready in a few days. We told him repeatedly not to rush and to make sure that the car gets repaired according to what we agreed upon. He assured us, once again, not to worry. He took a $500 advance payment on my VISA card and requested that we pay the remainder upon delivery of the vehicle.

On June 24, 2010, Randall notified us via a phone call that the vehicle is ready to be picked up. We went to pick up the vehicle in the evening. It was dark outside, so we couldn’t properly inspect the vehicle. We went inside and Randall told us that all the listed repair work was completed and asked for the payment. I gave him $1, 500.00 on my VISA and then gave a bank draft of the remainder. He charged an additional $75.50, for the licence plates, which was charged on my VISA card. He gave us the keys; we shook hands and then left.

The very next morning, June 25th, when the sun was out, I went outside to inspect the vehicle. To my surprise, all of the scratches that we had noticed before were still there. In fact, the big dents and deep scratches on the rear bumper were still there. I quickly tested the remote started, and it was not working either, which tells me that he did not change the battery, as promised. I was irate! I waited for my sister to come home from work and test the vehicle. The drive of the vehicle was good, but the entire family immediately noticed all of the bumps and bruises on the car! I kept my cool, especially knowing that I had been ripped off!

On June 26th, I called Ottawa Honda Pre-Owned and spoke with Randall Eades. I questioned him about the guaranteed work that was incomplete. He immediately through me off and advised us to come in and speak with the manager as he cannot do anything about the promised repairs on the vehicle that were not repaired. I told him that all of the items he listed on the bill of sale that needed to be repaired were not done at all. Again, he said that it is not in his hands now, and that we need to come in and speak with the manager. He said that the manager, Richard Saunders, would be in from 09:00-16:00 today and that we should come in and approach him. So, we immediately dropped what we were doing at home and drove 30 kilometres to the dealership.

Once we got there, we approached Randall and asked him how the guaranteed items got missed. He said that there is nothing that he can do as the payment has been received and to talk with the manager. We requested Randall that he should go and speak with the manager, since it was him who made the deal and the guarantees. He said that he will not! We even told him that we want our money back and wish to return the vehicle. Again, he said to talk with the manager. So, we asked for the manager. Right away, Randall said that the manager will not speak to any customers today, as he is working on a sale today. We became even more irate at that point. I asked him, why he asked us to drive 30 kilometres from home to come in and talk with the manager and then, once we get to the store, to tell us that the manager can’t see us. Randall did not even approach his manager, Richard, to even let him know that there are customers here with concerns on a recent purchase. Not only did Randall make false promises, rip us off and refuse to speak with the manager, but he presented no customer service skills. Finally, my father asked him for an estimate of the repairs that Randall failed to fix. He gave us the following estimate:

-> Rear bumper cover: repair, paint and blend - $400 pls tax
-> Rear trunk buff + touch up scratches - $100 pls tax
-> Front + rear doors, both sides, scratches buff + touch up - $300 pls tax

Randall gave us the estimate written on paper and it was signed by someone from his body shop.

After reviewing the signed car repair estimate that Randall gave me, it dawned upon me that before signing the deal on June 22nd, I had asked Randall about an Accident Estimate on a Car Proof report for approx. $400, where he had told me that the estimate was probably for the scratches on the body of the vehicle. I realized that he has just quoted me $400 for the repair of the rear bumper. So, immediately I made the correlation and realized that the estimate on the Car Proof report was for damage on the rear bumper of the vehicle; hence the Accident estimate. I questioned him about the time when he told me that the estimate was for scratches on the body of the car. I asked him why he had lied to me while showing me the Car Proof report on June 22nd. He did not respond to my question. So, I told him that comparing the Car Proof report he has on the vehicle and the new repair estimates he had just given me, tells me that the car was either hit by another vehicle or it backed up and hit something that caused the deep scratches on the rear bumper. Regardless, Randall had given us in writing, on the bill of sale, that the scratches would be repaired and buffed and the rear bumper would also be repaired, but his guarantees ended up being false guarantees once he took our money. He didn’t even replace a simple battery in the remote starter, as promised. That’s ridiculous!

So, what I needed completed was either of the two options:

1. Fix and repair everything on the vehicle as previously guaranteed and provide a loaner during the repair of the vehicle
- OR-
2. Refund the vehicle in full, including the license plate fee, and take your car back

This was our first and last time dealing with Ottawa Honda. It is now clear and evident that the salesmen at Ottawa Honda, judging by Randall Eades’s customer skill competency, are only out to get their commission by any means necessary….even if it means to lie and give false guarantees to their customers!

On June 26th, 2010, I had reported the incident to the Better Business Bureau in Ottawa. The individual handling the case was unable to assist, due to a lack of correspondence from Ottawa Honda, even though I had provided sufficient evidence that Ottawa Honda has ripped me off.

To date, the owner (Vik Dilawri) has been involved and has refused to repair the vehicle. He is willing to NOT fulfill his part of the bargain and doesn’t care! The dealership has refused 3 times in the past 3 months to repair what they promised.

During this entire fiasco, I have lost time and money from not going into work for the days that the dealership asked me to come in with my car, only to turn me away. I've wasted gas from going back and forth to the dealership. I have been stressed out and lost an opportunity for an advancement at work due to my stress level and spending too much time in getting this matter resolved. In the end, it is me who has invested more than $18, 000 in the vehicle.