Route 128 Honda

My girlfriend and I went to the Honda Barn to buy a new 2009 CR-V AWD LX. We visited the showroom and met with their lead salesman, Douglas Call. Doug took us for a test drive and delivered his standard 2009 CR-V AWD LX. We visited the showroom and met with their lead salesman, Douglas Call. Doug took us for a test drive and delivered his standard sales pitch, which we thought was tasteful yet a bit intrusive. Mr. Call then brought us back to his desk to discuss a potential deal. His initial offer was basically $300 less than the MSRP, and he explained that if there were any wiggle room it would be "hundreds, not thousands". We immediately got up, thanked Doug for his time and went on our way. Doug then called back a day later and left a voicemail saying he could slash the price by about one thousand dollars. We had already visited numerous dealerships with better offers, but we decided to give Honda North an attempt to better the other proposals. I delivered the parameters to Doug over the phone, he spoke to his sales manager and delivered terms to our liking. I asked Doug specifically if the light blue CR-V was in stock and he stated "We have it here, come in!". We drove back down route 28 to the Honda Barn and low and behold, the car was not in stock. Doug explained that the color code in the computer had recently changed and he thought the light blue was coded BS, which is now royal blue. We were upset, yet gave Doug the benefit of the doubt and let him order the car from another dealer. He then ran our credit and showed us our monthly payment, which was circled on an excel spreadsheet printout. We agreed and submitted a down payment via credit card. Mr. Call stated that the car would be delivered in a few days and to come back upon his phone call. Two days passed and Doug phoned us to come in, finish the paper work and drive away with our new CR-V. We drove back down route 28 to the Honda Barn and Doug was dealing with another customer so he directed us to a sales manager named Doug Alexi. Mr. Alexi sat us down in a wood paneled office and showed us a sheet with add-ons and what the payments would be if they were tacked on. Low and behold the payment Honda North had on file was significantly higher than the circled figure on Doug's spreadsheet. I politely expressed my discourse with the disparity and asked Mr. Alexi to call Doug in the office to reconcile the diffrence. At that time, the sales manager in the adjacent office started yelling about how it was clear that we had initially stated we'd pay the sales tax. This was false as Doug had explained that our down payment covered sales tax, along with any other fees associated with the deal. I explained this to the manager who was yelling, his name was John Fraifer. Mr. Fraifer irrationally belittled my girlfriend and I, while stating that we had no idea what we were talking about and then renegged on the deal. Mr. Call came in to mediate, and acted as if he didnt know how the original payment was calculated and what made up the difference. We left the showroom and my girlfriend was in tears due to Mr. Fraifer's attitude, demeanor and lack of respect for our business. I graduated with an MBA (finance concentration) from a highly regarded business school and Mr. Fraifer was SURE we had no clue how the process worked. Finally, the next day I reached out to the General Manager, Adam Silva. I explained to Mr. Silva what had happened the night before and he politely stated "I have some problems downstairs." He then layed out a deal that was beneficial to the both of us, and promised to personally supervise the signing. He apologized on behalf of his staff, especially for Mr. Fraifer's behavior and ensured our business was his top priority. We went in that night, met with Mr. Silva and he walked us through the process step by step. We drove away satisfied, yet weary of doing any further business with the sales department. My honest recommendation is that Honda customers should do business with another location and stay far away from Honda North as long as John Fraifer and Doug Call are employed by this dealership. If it weren't for the professionalism of the General Manager, Honda Barn would not have received my business. Aside from our interaction with Adam, this was by far the least professional business negotiation I have ever been apart of. More

***** BUYER BEWARE ***** I have been purchasing new ***** BUYER BEWARE ***** I have been purchasing new vehicles since the 1960’s, and at 67 years of age had my most unpleasant buying experience at thi ***** BUYER BEWARE ***** I have been purchasing new vehicles since the 1960’s, and at 67 years of age had my most unpleasant buying experience at this dealership. I was trying to find a “leftover” 08 CRV-EX in silver. On Thanksgiving Day, I sent an email to this dealer asking the color of a CRV he was showing in inventory. On Friday morning I called and requested the same information, and received the following reply by email. Thank you for your interest in the 2008-CRV quote that you requested via the Internet and phone call. My name is Doug Call and I am responding to you from the Internet Sales Department at Honda Gallery in North Reading. I have some great news for you. We do have this vehicle available in stock. Below you can find the information you have requested as follow: The email also contained some pricing information. Because the price for this vehicle was a little higher than quotes I had received for a ’09 model, I responded accordingly and thanked Doug for his help. The next morning I received the following email which included a lower price. If I can do $XX,XXX on the 2008-CRV-Ex 4wd in silver will that earn your business? Also, do you have a trade vehicle? You can reach me at 800-935-2276 until 6pm. Thank you, Doug Call I called Doug on the phone to confirm the price, availability, and pricing on some accessories. He confirmed the price and called back with the accessory information. Shortly thereafter, my wife and I drove to the dealership, which took over an hour. Doug was busy and handed us to another salesperson. The new salesperson drove us to their car storage area, which is slightly off site. We could not find the silver 08 CRV-EX. We then were driven back to the showroom. No-one seemed to know what happened to the vehicle we were going to purchase, but now the new salesperson wanted to “earn our business” on a 09 model with a much higher price, and Doug was nowhere in sight. A classic “Bait and Switch” sales tactic. This was a tactic that I had not expected to find at a smaller dealership in a relatively rural area, and my wife and I promptly exited the dealership. I hope those of you who are reading this will consider my experience when determining the dealership you want to do business with. I would also hope there are other dealerships available to you that are more honest and have better integrity. More

A Very straight forward dealership. Their showroom has very simple setup. No bells and whistles. But folks I dealt with especially, the sales agent Paul Banks have been very very helpful, courteous and pa very simple setup. No bells and whistles. But folks I dealt with especially, the sales agent Paul Banks have been very very helpful, courteous and patient throughout the sales process. No games, no price haggling like you would come across at other dealers with fancy showrooms. I would highly recommend this dealer to anyone in Massachusetts !!! Btw, they also offer really good price on a car and their prices are realistic too. This is based on my research when I bought my car at this dealer around end of October. More

Just had an unbelievable experience at the Honda Barn. I was moving from DC and talked to Eddie by phone and email about a CR-V I was interested in. Eddie came in with the lowest price of any dealership in was moving from DC and talked to Eddie by phone and email about a CR-V I was interested in. Eddie came in with the lowest price of any dealership in Mass. He was almost too nice on the phone and I was gearing up for a horrible experience when I walked into the dealership... Nothing could be further from the truth. Just an honest, no tricks experience. Signed the paperwork and could not be any happier with the way this car buying has gone. Far different from the torture that was Honda Ourisman in MD where I had bought a Civic in '02. Highly, highly recommend this dealership. Do hurry though as they are merging/becoming Honda Gallery and moving the dealership. Hopefully nothing will change after the move. E More

Have a Honda 2000 Odyessy EX. The passenger slide door kept jamming open and it was difficult ot close the door. The repair required a new set of contacts to be installed for a total of $600.I balked at kept jamming open and it was difficult ot close the door. The repair required a new set of contacts to be installed for a total of $600.I balked at paying the price and siad I'd call Honda America because this was a safty issue, Annette offered to call Hinda for me. She was able to get Honda to pay for the parts and I paid $250 for the labor. No matter what the 'deal' was, she saved me a good amount of money! When the same thing happened previously to the driver side sliding door - another local dealer told me to "suck it up"! More

After shopping all the dealers North of Boston (Honda North, Herb, etc), I purchased my 2007 Pilot EX-L NAV from Honda Barn for many reasons. First, the sales guy (Doug) was fantastic. A very nice guy, s North, Herb, etc), I purchased my 2007 Pilot EX-L NAV from Honda Barn for many reasons. First, the sales guy (Doug) was fantastic. A very nice guy, straight forward pricing, no games. I hammered out a deal for a trade and they gave me a good price on the trade (even for a dealer). It was about 10% less than fair market retail price. For that price, selling it on my own was not worth the aggravation. I had done my homework and knew what the car was selling for at other dealers and gave Doug a chance to beat there price. His first price was a few hundred dollars lower than the best price I could find elsewhere. Along with that, Honda Barn has the lowest Doc fees of all the dealers I visited. The price on the car included all destination\prep fees. I.E. no hidden charges or games. I filled out my credit app (4.9%) and in 10 minutes, we had worked out the deal and I was done shopping. I picked up the car the next day with no problems at all. The dealership is not fancy but why pay for big buildings and lots of glass. You’re there to buy a car. The service guys are great. They are top rated in Massachusetts for "fix it right first" which means you're not returning to the dealer for the same problem over and over. I just can't say enough for the great service and professionalism they showed me. I will continue to buy my cars from them in the future. . More