termigni

great car! congrats! i love it.

I would also want to ask for some pics of interior at night. I love the new interior and want to see how it glows at night time.


thanks in advance

MarcusBenz

So Nick, did your plan of getting my price and then calling other dealers and see if they will beat it work out? Also, did anyone else tell you they would voluntarily hook you up with a C-Spot coupon as well?

outie

Very nice car! I can't wait to get mine. Can you please take some pictures of it in the dark on the dashboard? I have heard people saying it's not orange any more so I really want to see. Thanks!

HITMAN

Missed this thread

Have fun with the new benzo!!

Buellwinkle

Depends on what you think is bad. When I took my car there for an oil change, they did the oil change without a problem. What they did to me was just try to scam me out large sums of money. I should have reported them but at the time I just let it go and never went back. I know I live in Laguna Niguel, 1 mile from the dealer but I work closest to HOI and Caliber and at the time they didn't have loaners so I had to chose a dealer near work.

Just to summerize what they did that was dishonest. They did one of those free 30 point safety inspections as part of the oil change service (nothing is ever free). They found about 5 things wrong with my car that needed immediate attention or bad things would happen. This totalled to over $3,000 in repairs. Maybe some people see that as good but I believe in second opinions, so I took it to an independent MB place a friend recommended. He said none of the things that they said needed repair needed it and all was fine. From the time they did this until I sold the car, maybe 2 years later, none of the commonents that needed immediate repair every failed. HOI is the type of dealer you see on the 11 o'clock news in one of those consumer protection pieces. Keep in mind that I was smart enough to get a 2nd opinion, many would have just paid it and thought the dealer was great and doing them a favor. Some people are just happy with service no matter how many times they get taken.

As far as sales, a friend of mine's brother worked there in their finance department. I can tell you they only hire the best high pressure pitch men they can find. The stories he told would raise the hair on your back. Be very careful with this dealer. Don't sign anything until you had a chance to think about it overnight, seriously.

CitronC230K_03

lol. ive never been there. driven by there, heard the commercials on the radio but never been there. ive heard different things about HOI. good and bad. all in all fom what ive heard i wouldnt buy a car there. just me taking other people opinions.

MarcusBenz

I must step in and defend my work place! You cannot judge a dealership on one person's experience. There are thousands of people who come to our dealership every month in Service and Sales that will rave about the great experience. The only bad part about that is that they never say anything. It is only the few people that did not get the right treatment that shout to the hill tops about how bad our store is and will always be. You can hear horror stories about every dealership in all of So.Cal., you just have to listen to enough people. Remember, you can't please all of the people all of the time!!!

Buellwinkle

Since we are on cliche's, here's mine, there's a sucker born every minute. Most people are happy because they don't know they've been swindled, that's part of a good con. It's not like I'm unhappy because they charged too much or didn't do the work correctly, I'm talking about how they tried to cheat me out of a lot of money. This is not a reflection of you Marcus, you obviously try to do the best you can for customers. It's just after you are done with them that requires caution.

Code5chick

Oh Lord, here we go again......

Buell, maybe it was outright scheming that got your unnecessary quote for repairs. Or maybe it was innocently enough an inexperienced or just plain stupid service tech. Truth is nothing but perception in the eyes of the beholder.

If I chose to dwell on every time I've been wronged in my 29 years, I would be a very miserable person. **** happens, we're all human, we all make mistakes and we all make bad decisions at times. Have I ever done something that has caused someone else heartache or anger? Absolutely. But I will tell you this, I try my damnest never to do it intentionally. Yet, I'm sure there are people out there (expecially in my line of work) who absolutely hate me and think I spawned them on purpose.

It is impossible to keep everyone happy all of the time....and no one should try too hard to make that happen, or else risk running oneself into the ground and guaranteeing a miserable life. Live for youself, learn from yours and others mistakes, and don't hold grudges.

Maybe there should be a permanent thread just for ranting.....or just for very pessimistic people.....of which I am not, so I would appreiciate if this type of rhetoric would kindly stay out of my thread.

Thank you, now back to our regularly scheduled programming.....

Buellwinkle

I do learn from my mistakes, HOI is one of them. Why did you become a police officer, just to spend your days writing speeding tickets, you like the uniform/gun/donuts or to make a difference, to right what's wrong, to make a sometimes corrupt and evil world world less corrupt and evil? If it's to make this world a better place then you should start by having empathy for victims and not rationalize criminal activity as mere ignorance of the law or poor business practices. If I can prevent one person from being taken by any dealer's finance person or service department then my rant as you put it, has not gone in vane.

popeye

Now I'm confused.

there are lots of Mercedes dealers to choose from.

First of all allow me to say I'm happy for Code5Chick and her new car. It is truly a beautiful car and she no doubt works awful hard and deserves it.

Code5Chick seems happy with her experience at House of Imports, yet when I check the "deal" she got against CarsDirect.Com, it doesn't seem like anyone did her any favors.

Another poster asked her about her purchase and that poster got slammed by a salesman accusing him of using that information to beat him out of a sale or something:

"So Nick, did your plan of getting my price and then calling other dealers and see if they will beat it work out? Also, did anyone else tell you they would voluntarily hook you up with a C-Spot coupon as well?"

Then I read of several people with complaints about the dealership's finance and service departments.

My summary then is to believe that the dealership takes advantage of people in a weak position and I find that unfortunate. It's hard for me to want to patronize a store that preys on the weak.

Thank God there is an internet where innocent consumers such as myself can learn about potential predators before I can fall victim to their practices.

Thank God there are alternatives for those of us that chose to avoid such establishments.

MarcusBenz

popeye,

I think that you are chiming in a bit late and need to be brought up to speed. Code5Chick got one of our first '05 C230 Sport Sedans and bought it for basically our invoice price. Now, in the last week or so Carsdirect has significantly lowered their pricing, but at the time she got her car, they did not even have '05s as an option!

As for the salesperson (ME) slamming another poster, I did not slam him. I simply asked a question in regards to his negotiation tactics. I have been dealing with MBWorld members for quite some time and have never pushed my services onto anyone. I have been approached by numerous forum members here including Moderators and have assisted many of them with buying cars. I have giving them pricing that they could not get at their local dealer or got them cars quicker than anyone else. I just have a hard time with people who take a price that I have given them simply because they are a member here and then call another Mercedes dealer and say: "I have such and such price from House of Imports, can you beat that?" Now, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with someone shopping for the best deal on a car. By all means everyone should do exactly that, it is just the way he went about getting a better number that did not sit well with me. If he had called another dealer and they gave him a lower number without disclosing my price, then by all means buy from them. But the problem is just that, most dealers will not give you a number over the phone!

Now, I will step down off my soapbox and leave this thread alone!......Sorry for the long winded post

popeye

Very well.

I read that the lady special ordered her car in January for May delivery. I understand that carsdirect.com would not have had that car listed at that time.

Nevertheless, I leave this thread with the impression that, given the chance, the dealership will abuse me in the finance and service department.

I choose not to allow them that opportunity.

Thanks.

Code5chick

Opinions are like sphincter-holes, everyones' got one....including myself.

First of all, we're talking about negotiating for a car....not criminal conduct. It's a known fact that buying a car is far different from going to the store to buy milk and bread. The mere fact that you know you are going to have to negotiate tells you that you need to strap on the gloves before you enter the arena. No matter how 'nice' a salesperson is, they are still out to make the biggest buck. And no matter how 'nice' the customer is, they are still out to get the best deal. Both parties have the same mentality stepping into the ring, they both want to win. The goal is to come to some agreeable terms that satisfies both. Last time I checked, that is the basis for business in this entire country. Do some people get hosed? Absolutely. And you're right, its usually the weak ones. So goes life. Maybe if everyone was breastfed, that wouldn't happen.

Second, please don't think that I'm saying you're flat-out wrong. I understand that what you are saying is fact to you, based on your experience and perception of what occurred. What my concern is, is that it seems you like to point fingers and jump to conclusions without getting all the facts first...as you did in your first rant. You pointed fingers at Mark and said he screwed me. Then, when it was explained further, you digressed, and re-pointed the finger at finance. In your situation, you may have very well been wronged....and if that's the case, maybe you need a better delivery??? You might have a case, but it's getting lost in transmission.

Third, if there's anything I've learned during my career, is that there is usually, at MINIMUM, three sides to every story. Yours, theirs and somewhere in the middle is the truth. I cannot take empathy with you simply based solely on your version of events. Nor would you want me to with someone else if that someone was pointing the finger at you, accusing you of something. It's the totality of the circumstances that prevails in the end. I'm being neutral here because it's the fair thing to do for all parties invovled. I'm also taking into account, the positive experience I've had with HOI. But don't worry, your purpose has been served in that in the back of my mind, I will remember that you had an issue in service. And rest assured, I will keep a watchful eye on my repairs. I might even get a second opinion based solely on what I've learned from you! I'm just not going to boycott the dealer all together just because you told me to.


Can we call a truce?

akbro93704

Wow code5chick, I'm sure you didn't think you'd get yourself into this when you first posted those pics lol!!!

Code5chick

Oh, and by the way, I'm not into coffee or donuts. But the stereotypical visits to 7-11 are true, only because I work graveyards and thats the only place to get water and midnight munchies!

MarcusBenz

You can say that again!!!!

Brav

Aww poor Mark. I got my car from him as well, and that was AFTER almost a year of me pestering him and asking a ton of questions. Not only that, he had full winded answeres to them all. Most knowledgable and helpfull guy, plus a forum contributor. And to date, I got the best deal anyone has gotten that I've heard from on a fully loaded E500. He's good people.

Yea, I too have heard mixed feelings about HofI. But so have I regarding Fletch and the boys, and elsewhere. Businesses are ran by people and its a fact that some people suck. Thats life. Moral of the story is: do your homework and dont be an idiot.

Congrats Code5- out of curiousity, dit you get full leather or not? Doesnt appear so. 05s look nice.

Guest0001

cool thread.