Skeptical...

[TCBoomer]

Last fall, just after Sandy blew through, I placed an order for a Honda EM6500 generator. At the time I had no intentions in paying THAT much for a generator, but the 18 month/0% promo from Honda was enough to entice me. Honda offered the promo through a 3rd party...Wells Fargo. I have a signed, dated purchase contract with a company letterhead that clearly states the promo and purchase price along with the dated promo approval statement. 3 promise dates and almost 2 1/2 months go by before the generator finally shows up.

When I went to pick it up early last week, I was told the 18 month promo expired and it was now for 12 months...still 0% though. I expressed my dissatisfaction and even reminded them about a conversation we had after the 1st promise date passed...they had a concern about me canceling the contract due to the delay. I assured them I wanted the generator and would wait patiently. Yet now they can cancel the contract? Granted the delay was out of their control, but still...a contract is a contract. I did call Honda corporate and got the old "its a dealer problem" not ours, but that reply was likely from a customer service rep who just reads from a script. Is this the way Honda does business? I didn't call WF and after researching them a bit, I'd bet it would be a waste of time.

The dealer offered a small token discount off the original agreed upon purchase price and suggested that I use the 12 month promo that was currently offered from WF. I politely declined. (BTW...that 12 month promo currently offered by WF expired on 12-31-12 according to the Honda website yesterday, yet the dealer says it's still in effect...huh??). I stuck to my guns stating a contract was a contract and offered this...original price remains, I'll pay WF for 12 months and the remaining 6 month balance I would pay through the 'house'...ie:they could carry the 6 month balance. Same payment amount and 0% finance. They(owner) said no.

We went back and forth over the past week trying to come up with a resolution. During this time I caught them trying the old 'bait & switch' tactic that car salesman use...they'd stick with the original payment but try to hide the total amount paid. Their final offer was use Honda finance corp at 5.9% with a discount that covered the interest paid. In addition I would get a free gen cover(I asked for it) and a 100 gift card to use at their store. Owner declined the gift card even though his manager is the one who offered it to me. The only unknown to me at this point is if Honda or the dealer charges any fees for the finance contract, if any insurance is required on the product purchase and the length of the loan term-18 months I assume....trying to stay up to speed and follow all the #'s, I forgot to ask and verify.

My dilemma is this...I want and NEED a generator and after all the research I did, the Honda fits the bill perfectly. Overpriced and expensive yes, but 'you get what you pay for' applies IMO. However a little voice in the back of my head is telling me to walk. Walk because this dealer tried to pull a fast one on me a couple times, based on what transpired during the past week. When I bought my 2nd New Holland tractor years ago, I faced a similar situation. I bought based on product alone and ignored what the dealer did to me. That decision bit me and I ended up having to split a brand new machine myself in order to fix a major leak. Not wanting to repeat that mistake, my choices are suck it up and buy the product/ignore the dealer/take my chances, walk away and find another Honda dealer(about an hour away) or buy another Generac for 1/2 the price of Honda

I'm extremely skeptical with proceeding with this dealer so suggestions, comments or whatever are welcome...what would you do?

Thanks!!

 

[dave1949]

I'd stay away from that dealer, no matter what brand you buy.

 

[EE_Bota]

I have no real clue about your finances etc, nor should I have. My only thoughts were:

1) The deal you made was the deal you made. There delivery delay was part of the deal as you agreed to wait. But that delay doesn't undo the original deal...they are changing that deal unilaterally (whoever "they" may be) therefore you have no deal with them.

2) I doubt I personally would pay twice the Generac price for a Honda unless the Honda would suit me better than TWO Generacs. I know that sounds sort of silly...but saying it is twice as expensive is the same as saying you could have a Generac running and one in mothballs for backup or parts...so were it me, I'd be soured on the Honda deal, and I'd go back to the drawing board.

3) If while back at the drawing board, the answer Honda still gets circled as the final answer, I'd buy it elsewhere. After all, you made a deal and then waited...and during the wait, you did without, therefore were exposed to a possible jamb. So you already paid something on that deal. To heck with them.

That's just my thinking on it, and there's nothing special about my thinking.

 

[rekees4300]

I'm extremely skeptical with proceeding with this dealer so suggestions, comments or whatever are welcome...what would you do?

I'd buy the Generac generator. That's what they are known for, that's their specialty. Just as Honda is known for its cars.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would walk away for two reasons. One being the dealer hassle with all the financing issues which is likely rolled back into the price anyway. Second is the overpriced generator itself. You can likely get 2 Generac with all the automatic startup sequencing for less money and it will be just as quiet and efficient as the Honda. While I dont doubt that Honda makes good equipment, but do you think it will outlast 2 Generac generators. There is also the Briggs and Stratton automatic standby generators that work same as Generac but may cost a few dollars more.

 

[TCBoomer]

2) I doubt I personally would pay twice the Generac price for a Honda unless the Honda would suit me better than TWO Generacs. I know that sounds sort of silly...but saying it is twice as expensive is the same as saying you could have a Generac running and one in mothballs for backup or parts...so were it me, I'd be soured on the Honda deal, and I'd go back to the drawing board.

Good point...didn't think of it that way!

Until I paid a visit to the Honda dealer, I originally intended to buy another Generac after my first one failed. My reasoning for the Honda is the clean stable electrical output, but that is only based on what I've read. I'm still not 100% certain what caused my old Generac to fail...did I overload it?...if so why didn't a gen breaker trip? Or did it fail because...according to what I've read...these units are not designed to run extensively under load. I lost one 120v leg at the end of Irene...which was 8 days of outage.

Either of the 2 Generacs I'm now considering are the 5802 10K watt or the 5747 8K watt, both of which are larger than the Honda. Most of the reviews at amazon indicate they had problems...mostly with the engine side. Yet another site electrical generators direct have rave reviews. So combine that with the tunnel vision I have with Honda, not sure which to buy now. There are choices out there that use a Honda for the engine and that might be a way to go if I can find one with a reliable power head

 

[xtn]

Is the documentation you have of your deal actually a contract? Signed and dated by both parties? If so, and you really want that deal, you could file a suit for specific performance. But I doubt that:

Your documentation is actually a contact, and...

You really want to enforce it now that you know the dealer's attitude.

Move on.

 

[dave1949]

I've had a 6500W Honda generator since 1999 and it has been flawless. But, it's possible other brands have improved their quality considerably since then and I would have to research all over again if I were to buy a new generator. At the time, Honda gens were known for actually being able to produce their rated power, and do it with clean output.

A good Honda dealer has equipment to put a gen on a test load and measure it's true output. Good luck on that with big box set at a third of the price, you just have to have faith that it can do what is advertised.

I would look for reliability and actual power production. If a lower cost set fails while you need it, and when else would it fail? , that isn't much of a savings. I really wonder if Hondas are still worth the premium?

 

[unbidden]

I'm in agreement with the others; say good bye to that dealer and don't forget to write a letter to Honda. There are many great brands of generators out there. I use a Briggs + Stratton Elite 30471 8,000 that has not failed me for much less than the Honda. I've been through two multi-day power outages in the last 18 months with the B+S. Friends of mine are all using Generacs, same result.

 

[TCBoomer]

Is the documentation you have of your deal actually a contract? Signed and dated by both parties? If so, and you really want that deal, you could file a suit for specific performance. But I doubt that:

Your documentation is actually a contact, and...

You really want to enforce it now that you know the dealer's attitude.

Move on.

yes signed and dated by both parties so I imagine I could get it enforced, but at what cost? A coworker suggested I contact the local TV news people but honestly I don't want the attention it would likely bring. Then there's the warranty side of this...if I make waves to get the deal honored and need warranty work beyond my own capabilities, then what?