Berlin City Honda of Portland

by Nereragain on 12/13/2016

Neither truthful nor honest. Pack their cars (or in my case, a 2017 Ridgeline) with bogus add-on features, like "security etching on all glass" that the salesman claims can't be taken off the price, and, when you think the haggling is over, the finance kid takes over for another 45 minutes of harassment A terrible experience, and I will never return, not even for service. In fact, a month after buying the Ridgeline, I wanted to buy my daughter a truck and never even considered another vehicle from Honda: I bought her a Tacoma. Bad, bad place; stay away.

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by Luciferanne on 09/26/2016

I typically don't give reviews, but after seeing all these negative ones I had to. I recently purchased my second car from Berlin City Honda (HRV..love it). They didn't hassle me whatsoever. The saleswoman was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the process easy. I waited a tad longer than I wanted to while waiting for finance, but got over it after how quickly and painless that process was. Nobody tried to up sell me and pressure me into purchasing things I did not want/need. The sales manager worked with my numbers and got it done. I definitely recommend them!

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by lwilsonrdh on 07/06/2016

WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!!! I recently leased a 2016 Honda Civic with Berlin City and I have had nothing but trouble since I drove it off the lot. I have only had the car a little over a month now and I have had to re-sign my contract 4 times because of mess up on their end. The first time I signed they filled out the paper work for a car with a different VIN number then the one they gave me the keys for! After about a week and a half they finally realized and had me come back to redo the contract, Which I was fine with knowing that they are only human and mistakes happen. After re- signing they have me come back again for paperwork that they forgot to ask me for initially ( pay-stub, proof of graduation, etc.) . So now I'm starting to get a little irritated. In my opinion they should not be forgetting this routine stuff when the sell and lease cars every day... SO about a week later I get another call asking me to come back to complete another contract because the second contract I signed was rejected by Honda finance because Berlin tried to back date the second one. So I went back in, extremely aggravated for the inconvenience of having to go back a third time for something that should have been done right the first time. I made It quite clear how unhappy I was and that I expected them to triple check all the paperwork to make sure it was 100% okay before I left because I will not be happy if I have to go back again. Just like clock work about 2 weeks after that I get a package in the mail with a 4th contract for me to re-sign since the last contract I signed was filled out incorrectly and rejected yet again by Honda finance. The fact that they didn't even have the courtesy of calling me to explain what was going on and just wrote me a note asking me to re-sign is 100% unprofessional and unacceptable to me. I am so thoroughly enraged and disgusted with this company and this whole process, I would NEVER suggest people to go through this company! Trust me this process and been anything but "Easy."

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by lynntoujours on 06/25/2016

The negotiation process went fine. I communicated with the sales man for a week and settled for a Civic, which I love so far. However, when I came to pick up the car on May 14 and went over all the paperwork, the finance manager, Wayne, tried so hard to convince me buy extended warranty, which was almost 2000 dollars. I stupidly agreed to buy it when he said I can cancel with no trouble and get a full refund within 60 days. After doing some research online and having learned how over-priced their warranty is (for the same plan, it costs 900 dollars in another honda dealer), I decided to cancel. As it turned out, the cancellation process was SUCH A PAIN. Not only did I need to drive there (1 hr +) to sign the cancellation form, I did not receive the check after 3 weeks, when Wayne promised I only need to wait for 10 business days. I called HondaCare on June 6, they didn't even receive my cancellation form! I called Wayne on the same day and asked for an explanation. He said he would check my file and get back to me. OF COURSE HE DIDN’T CALL ME BACK. After tricking me to buy the stupid extended warranty, I am just an annoying student who bothered him all the time to get my money back. Worst guy I have ever did business with. Never respond to customer’s need. Definitely don’t work with him. I ended up cancelling my extended warranty myself with HONDA. It turned out the whole process is so easy. I just need to download the cancellation form online, yes the same one Wayne asked me to drive there to sign, fill it in and email back to Honda. Then after 10 days, I received my check. I don’t need to waste 2.5 hrs of my life to drive to Berlin City to sign the stupid form. They can totally email me the form or tell me what to do. But no, Wayne made it clear that I had to drive there to sign it in person, then lied to me that it would only take 10 days, and then maybe tossed my cancellation form in the trash can and kept me waiting, hoping that maybe I would not press him so hard and after 60 days I would not be eligible for a full refund. Well, I’ve never been mean to anybody in my entire life. But Wayne, I want to say all the words that my English teacher told me never to use to you. THAT IS HOW FURIOUS I AM ABOUT YOU!!! Moreover, every time I tried to call Wayne or any other finance manager was a PAINFUL process. You know they are out there but they never picked up the phone! Every time I need to call 10+ times in order to talk to them. One more thing, four weeks since I bought my car, I called the state's DMV on June 13, they haven't even received my title application yet!!! In short, Berlin City always advertises how easy it is to do business with them. Total BS! All they did was tricking you to buy car from them and the minute you handed them the check, you are dead to them. I hate myself that I chose them over Lee Honda for just a 500-dollar price difference. So not worth it. DON'T EVER DO BUSINESS WITH THEM!!!

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by accordcoupe3 on 05/23/2015

They say their process is "easy"- it might be easy but it is also incomplete! Don't expect any customer service after the they get your money. I had three issues with my CPO Honda: old inspection sticker, dirty interior and missing a lug nut on every wheel - but no body seemed to care--all they wanted was for me to complete the paperwork that the finance person neglected to complete when we were in his office! I don't expect to be catered to but I do expect to be followed up with and a little effort to make things right --I won't return to or recommend Berlin City Honda.

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by jeff281 on 04/16/2014

I bought a Honda Pilot from Berlin in 2011. While buying the care, I gave them my work phone number so they could let me know when the car would be ready. Subsequently, they started badgering me on this number for marketing calls- I repeatedly told them not to call it - now they have sold the number to companies selling add-on maintenance contracts. I am receiving multiple calls in one day. Berlin does not protect your private information - they sell it.

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by mainer0607 on 04/12/2014

I was not going to post anything regarding my experience with this company however today I have reached my breaking point. Initially I worked with several dealerships when researching a new car purchase(Accord V6 EX). When I had inquired at Berlin City about fog lights (which I later found were standard features) the sales department stated they would be happy to include and added a $600 line to my quote. I purchased my car there in December '12 after they were willing to match the price of another dealership later in their business day. As I was closing the sale I was informed I had to pay several hundred dollars for security etching as all their vehicles' windows are etched upon arrival. When I asked the salesman to show me the etching lo and behold it was not etched. The sales manager was visibly irritated and told me I was "lucky" I did not have to pay for something I did not want. By the time this sales / financial process completed their dealership was closing for the night. Rather than hold the car and detail the next day the sales person handled it and wanted me to take the car that evening. I drove the car from the dealership to my home in Portland and parked it in a single wide driveway. A friend picked me to go out and upon returning home, he suggested lighting up the car with his headlights from the side so he could see it. Upon doing so there were very large scratches, including a large looping scratch on the rear driver's side door, similar to motion consistent with washing a car. When I first took it back to the dealership I was informed it was complete and had a coworker drive me to the dealership. Upon arrival, we both noticed nothing had been done with the large scratches, the car had only been washed. I believe it took 3 visits for this to be resolved. Now that I have had my vehicle for some time I have been receiving a number of different e-mails and calls for me to sell my vehicle back to them (think EASY UPGRADE campaign!). After 2-3 separate contacts, I asked them to remove me from the list. This January I was contacted again and brought my desire not to be contacted to both acquisition managers as well as General Manager Ron. Today, on a gorgeous 60 degree Saturday, while just wishing to relax, I received 3 calls within the matter of 45 minutes - NO EXAGGERATION. It was clear I was going to be harassed until I answered and Yvette informed me she was an acquisition specialist for my car. I will admit I handled the conversation less than professionally but when is enough enough?? They clearly keep my personal information as she called me by my name so how difficult would it be to include a note not to contact a customer who has requested that multiple times? The above also does not touch upon their service department. I had a previous Accord in which the catalytic converter had failed and was quoted approximately $800-900 for the repair by their service department. Fortunately, I have a friend at work who has a contact is extremely familiar with differing warranty statuses. It turns out a catalytic converter is covered under warranty up to 80,000 miles, which I had yet to reach. Further, when they handled a recall repair on a wiring harness my lojack system, which had been installed at time of purchase, was rendered nonfunctional. I was informed this is not part of their recall work and I would have to pay to get it functioning again. Both my girlfriend and I have more poor experience with Berlin City Honda however the above is likely more than sufficient information for buyers who wish to be informed.

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by hellojanelle on 11/23/2012

My salesman was great. I was very satisfied with the trade-in price they agreed to and there was a sizeable discount and low financing.

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by kathleen2009 on 11/19/2009

When I purchased my new Civic at Berlin City in South Portland, I was told that if I wasn't completely satisfied with my car, I could return it in 4 days. On the 4th day, I went back to the dealership to trade my car in on another model, one I considered buying in the first place. The manager wanted to charge me 1,500.00 more than what he quoted me 4 days before. He presented me with the number, scratched on a piece of paper, and wrote "love it or leave it" next to the number. The sales manager then went on to tell me he was sent to Maine from Arizona and is the "best in the business". He didn't care that he was loosing a customer. He didn't care about their reputation. He did say that the most important issue was "making money." I suggested to him, that people in Maine won't tolerate this type of treatment and perhaps he was better suited to do business in Arizona. They never sent me the survey that they spoke about. When I called several weeks later to inquire about it, they told me to call Honda directely and supplied a number, which was incorrect. There are many places to purchase cars. I suggest that you deal with a competitor, one that values honesty and integrity.

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by laural1 on 10/25/2008

I first test drove a new Honda Pilot at Berlin City Honda a couple of months ago with sales guide Steve Gendron. Steve was friendly and helpful. I was comfortable asking him questions and was not pressured by him at all. When I finally decided to make a purchase I contacted Berlin City Honda and worked with sales guide Joe Thibodeau. Joe was able to answer all my questions and quickly responded to my many phone calls and emails. He was genuinely concerned that I receive the best service possible and feel comfortable with my purchase. I had originally been dreading the whole process of buying a new car, but the team at Berlin City Honda made my experience enjoyable. I would definitely recommend both Steve and Joe to my family and friends.

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by jmlovell on 09/17/2008

I recently went to Berlin City Motor's Honda dealership in South Portland, Maine, and gave a salesman my debit card so the dealership could take $500 from my checking account as a deposit. A few days later I found that Berlin Motors had taken not $500 from my checking account, but $1,000. They became aware of what they had done at about 9 a.m. today, a sales manager told me when I called. The sales manager said he'd look into it and try to find out why it happened. I told him I wasn't interested in finding out why it happened; I wanted my $500 back, right away. He called back within half an hour, late in the afternoon, and told me about how they'd known about their error for more than six hours (without telling me on their own initiative), and that it would take 24 hours for the return of my $500 to appear in my checking account. He also told me he would immediately email me all the documentation relating to this transaction to verify that Berlin Motors had actually returned my $500 when he said they had. He didn't do it. And my checking account is still $500 light. My advice? Be hesitant about giving anyone at Berlin Motors your debit or credit card. You don't know what they'll do with it. If you have to give them a deposit, write a check. John Lovell

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