I am not sure what could have made my experience worse. The biggest takeaway, in case you don't want to read the whole thing, is that there was no communication between me and AutoNation or me and Honda or, apparently, AutoNation and Honda. I had to do way more than I should have to get information about my car. To start with, I was very clear that I needed my car to be done by January 3rd. If it couldn't be done by then (I had some extensive repairs that needed to be done but they could have waited if it didn't work out with the schedule), I would wait until after that date to get it fixed. I was assured several times that it would not be a problem to have the car done by then. This was two weeks in advance. I dropped my car off and promptly heard...nothing. I called several times to find out information, and I was ignored or told I would receive a call back every time. It took me three voicemails left with my mechanic (Sarah) to get a call back, at which point she told me, "I have to check on [part/work/progress] and I'll call you back by the end of the day." Then I heard nothing and had to leave another several voicemails to hear from her again. (I should note that I was reasonable with my calls; I was only calling to find out the status of my car or to check on the update I was promised. We're talking a call every couple days or so, just to check.) Finally, after trying to reach literally anyone who had information, I found out that one vital part may or may not be available. It had been backordered, but another location might have it. Sarah would call me back by the end of the day to let me know if they had been able to obtain it or if they'd have to wait for it to get there. That was on January 2nd. Remember, they had said my car would be done by January 3rd. As soon as they knew it might not happen, they should have told me. I never received a phone call back from Sarah. So instead, I drove in my rental car to see if anyone could give me information in person. I spoke with the manager who went to find information. I was told that the part was in fact there, and the car would be done by noon the next day. Noon the next day turned into the afternoon on January 4th, which turned into that evening. I'd rearranged my plans because I didn't have the car, and I was still receiving no information. So finally, the evening of January 4th, I received my car. I got about a block away before realizing that the power steering was out. The power steering had not been a problem when I dropped the car off. This was an issue that arose while my car was with them, and seemingly ignored when they called to tell me it was ready. I had to take my car back, as it couldn't be driven safely at all, and they kept my car for another full day, *again* without telling me what was wrong until I went there in person. I should say this: at least 85% of my complaints have to do with communication. The fact that they messed up the power steering is unacceptable and infuriating, but the lack of communication is really what killed this experience. All they had to do was answer the phone when I called, or called back when they said they would, or give me an update. I should not have had to call several times *and* speak to the manager in person in order to find out information about my car. Had they just said that it couldn't be done by January 3rd, it would have been fine. Had they kept me in the loop, it would have been fine. But I was really in the dark regarding the status of my car, which meant I had to rearrange plans, keep the rental car without being able to give the rental company any firm information, and I felt like I was just blindly hoping that someone would tell me something. I trusted them and this whole experience was terrible.
Kimberly Sarah
Jan 19, 2018
