After putting a deposit down in July, I was told that my order wouldn't go in until November, and that I could expect a car around January. So I go in last week to change the roof from red to black, and find out that my car has already been built!!! The estimated delivery date to the dealer is actually tomorrow, the 24th. I can definitely stomach the white roof to get the car now, but I suddenly became very worried because I hadn't yet gotten the dealer (Herb Chambers, Boston) to put anything in writing as far as selling the car at MSRP, so mandatory option packages, etc. When I asked about what the final price would be, my salesman starting mumbling about how they add on "a few options that most people order anyway" - LoJack $600, clear bra $600, "tire protection" (???) $299, Simoniz (I don't even know what this is or how much they were tacking on for it). To make a long story short, I felt my blood beginning to boil, and basically demanded that my deposit could be returned so that I could take it to the Peabody dealership and order a car with "only" the $1500 of options that I actually want. Over the next couple of days, my salesman has appeared to do a 180 and is now assuring me that I'll be able to buy the car with only the options that I actually want. I'm still not convinced, though, and it's upsetting because now my excitement over getting the car so unexpectedly soon is tempered by worrying about getting a screwjob when I go to pick up the car.

Anyway my point in all this is that I would be greatly comforted to learn of anyone who has succeeded in purchasing a car from Herb Chambers without their "protection package" which includes all of the above and more. Anyone? Anyone other than lurking Herb Chambers minions?
Got to find some insurance and a loan in a hurry...

 

I meant changing the roof from white to black, for anyone who interprets inconsistencies in stories as evidence that they amount to a pile of feces.

 

If the dealer is behaving like a sleezebag (sp?), then why give them your business? Go to Peabody. Go to another out-of-state dealer that can sell you a car that meets (or at least is close) to your specs off the lot at a price you want to pay. Check the Marketplace forum for posts about dealers with current inventory and better policies. But definitely don't give your hard-earned money to folks that you dislike. You have choices of dealerships, and there's no need to get bummed on the MINI just because their dealer network contains the usual number of bad-apple members.

In particular, it sounds like Herb was taking advantage of your naivete in terms of springing these add ons on a buyer who didn't ask for the contract up-front (when you gave them your money) and didn't monitor the order process too closely (i.e., you didn't know the status of your order). That's pretty scummy IMO.

Be sure to add your story to the Dealer Rating System....and good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice, jsun. As of right now, I'm still leaning heavily toward Herb Chambers, only because I can see the back of the dealership out of my living room window, whereas the Peabody dealership is 15-20 miles away and I don't own a car. Anyway, this whole issue is an outgrowth of the fact that this is my first time buying a new car and I haven't yet become as cagy and suspecting as necessary. Of course I should have asked for some numbers up front, but I also think that I should have been notified that my order was going in three months earlier than I had been told, particularly since I had both called and e-mailed my salesman and let him know that I might want to change a couple of options and was waiting only until I could test drive a car before making up my mind.

For now, it's going to be at Herb Chambers soon enough that I'm still going to try to make the purchase through them, and just hope that I have the strength to walk away from the deal if I think it sucks.

Anyway thanks again, and don't worry, I'm still giddy about being behind the wheel of a MINI!

 

The bottom line is that you can walk away. Don't be embarresed, simply state what you want, don't be swayed, point out that you are getting $1500 of options anyway(which by the way is a lot, it was what my dealer wanted a madatory mark up) . You could also point out that the car is a 2002 and you were told you would have the order put in in November making it a 2003. It sounds like the dealer has behaved badly, so make sure you get what you want.

Pebble.
:smile:

 

Write a letter to the BBB, and copy MINI, Herb Chambers, and your Attorney General :smile: Let the chips fall where they may.

 

Good God, thats my mothers phillosiphy about bad businesses. When I was growing up thats exactly what she did. The BBB Better Business Bureau always worked for her. The cc's are a great idea too.

Cheers :smile:

 

Another thing to remember is the quality of Service after you get your car. I too looked at Herb but ended up buying at Peabody. Their service is the best I've ever encountered from any dealership.

 

I bought my MINI from Herb Chambers and paid the protection package - but I walked in on a Saturday in May and walked out with a showroom car in my name. I was perfectly happy to pay a premium to avoid a 6-12 month wait.

You probably need to make a similar decision. Peabody is a good dealership (I will one day upgrade to an S through them) but you will have a long wait for your car.
If you can't persuade Herb Chambers to omit some of their non-optional extras you will have to decide whether it is worth paying or waiting.

As for the BBB options, I don't think they will do you much good - every car in their showroom suggests that the protection package is added on. If you have signed paperwork showing a price, then you can make them stick to it ...


As for the package:
Lojack might be worth having ...
The Bra is ugly on my Black MINI; you can see its edge easily on the hood - but I do not have any stone chips there ...
The Simoniz paint protection package looks worthless ...
I do not have the tyre protection ...


But the car is well worth owning and driving :smile:

 

Hi:

The MINI dealership you're discussing has a pretty bad reputation. However, Herb Chambers' neice has supposedly taken the position as general manager and is working to improve this situation. I'd suggest you take a look at this link and read all of the postings. The telephone number of Chambers' neice is mentioned in one of the later messages.

Good luck.

 

Chrisneal... message me off line and we can make arrangements for me to DRIVE (motor) you to Peabody! Seriously. Not having a car is no reason to buy a car from a dealer within walking distance if you are having a negative experience with the dealer. Eventually, you'll have your MINI and the extra 45 minutes up Route 1 to Peabody won't be a problem for things like service.

You should know that Herb Chambers has such as bad reputation (from the scads of other brands they market...not MINI, yet) that the state legislature is considering legislation specifically in response to some of Herb's business practices. I won't bore everyone with the details, but suffice to say that it's not suprising that you've been shafted. But, it's only money...if you're ok with this, then so be it. but if you want alternatives, you should explore.

 

My sincerest hope for you is that you are new to the Massachusetts area. How else to explain your lack of knowledge about the evil that is, Herb Chambers. They are a legendary outfit in the region and I've run across dozens of people over the years who've been duped by their schemes, scams and bad dealings. They are in a word "Horrible". When I initially research the possibilities of buying a MINI last year I knew who to stay clear of "Herb Chambers". I went to Peabody first and they had too long a wait. I wanted a MINI as soon as they hit the streets so I went to the next closest location-- Hartford. They were wonderful to deal with. They didn't try to sell me anything extra. I was on a very short list for the regular MINI. When the cars came in they gave me a choice: decide on my own to purchase one of their incoming stock which had varying degrees of extras (and they had minimal extras so the costs were not out of control) or order mine with what I wanted. I picked out one that had a couple of small extras that I could live with on my budget. I got my car on April 5th. I get my service done in Peabody because they are much closer than Hartford and the service staff is very helpful. They have put on a rear spoiler and rally lights for me. I'm taking my MINI in next week for the 10K checkup. What ever you do-- fight for your deposit back and give your money to Peabody. You'll be thankful you did. Trust me.

Good luck!!!
Tuxedo J

 

Thanks so much for the info and advice! Thanks in particular to jsun for your generous offer, but I'm an avid long-distance cyclist and I can get myself up to Peabody in a reasonable amount of time, and even enjoy the trip. I'm perfectly prepared to do it, too. Since the car is supposed to be in any day now, I'm going to wait to see what kind of deal they offer me before I ask for my money back. If the car has what I ordered and only what I ordered (with the possible exception of LoJack), and the rpice doesn't include a bunch of BS "fees", I'll buy it. I'm not financing it through them, and based on the glowing reviews of Gary and Co. in Peabody's service dept, I don't think I'll be servicing it here, either. And yes, I am relatively new (3 years) to Boston, and haven't run into anyone with Herb Chambers tire marks running up their back.

If I get anything less than the deal that I want, I'm just going to say look, I live right around the corner from you guys, and I'm prepared to expend a remarkable amount of time and energy making this place look and sound bad (what else do I have to do while I wait the 8 months for my car from Peabody?). I'll come talk to people on the showroom floor, hell I'll even make up some flyers to stick on people's cars. I can pretty vindictive when I think I've gotten the shaft. Remember Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles ("You're messing with the wrong guy!&quot?

Anyway thanks again to everyone for the valuable advice; I wish I had delved a little bit deeper into the nefarious history of Herb Chambers before I paid them to make an *** out of me.

 

Ocracoke - holy crap. That is some scary stuff from the MINI2 forum. I think I'm going to try to get through to the Melissa, the general manager mentioned, tomorrow before this horsepuckey goes any further. Those conversations that people describe having with Rick Lawrence at Herb Chambers are exactly the kind of thing that I absolutely will not stand for, and god help him if he starts that with me. Anyway, I'll be sure to keep the forum informed as to what goes on. I doubt it'll be good. I'm pretty steamed already, just reading what other hapless consumers have gone through there...

 

Herb Chambers sells MANY different kinds of cars. They have ALWAYS used sleazy techniques. If you call them to get a quote, and ONLY a quote, they will call you up some day and tell you that "your car has arrived, come pick it up". When you say that you did not order a car, they will ask you if you want this one anyway...
"it's real nice and has all of the options that most people buy anyway".

I've had three Hondas come in this way. I refused each of them on the phone.

Just imagine what their service department is like.

ww

 

Dear Lord. I ordered my Mini from HC in late July and was also told it would not be in until January. After reading all of these comments and those on Mini2, I am freaking out! Though my experience with Herb Chambers was pretty positive and I was told about the add-ons up-front, I fear that my car is about to arrive any day now and I have yet to secure financing (though I must admit, it's exciting to think that I might not have to wait much longer!).

I'll definitely be making some phone calls tomorrow. Thanks to you all for all the info! :smile:

 

Search your soul and make a decision, bottom line is that 5 minutes after you drive away from the dealer(no matter what kind they are) you will have the biggest grin on your face you have ever had. There are things about my purchase I am not happy about but I am already planning my second purchase YOU are making the purchase you are in charge the dealer knows they can sell whatever car they bring in so they can really just blow you, off unless enough people refuse to deal with them. Thats when they'll figure it out. ofcourse sitting on the hottest thing out there, you can always find someone....... Good luck and hope to see you mortorin' soon.
oh and I do really love my mini. Friar

 

Just as a reference point, I was born & raised on the North Shore. Haven't lived in Boston for years, but Herb Chambers had a bad reputation even back then.

 

Whew. Just got off the phone with Amanda at Herb Chambers. My Mini isn't scheduled to be ordered until next month and won't be ready until Dec/Jan, as discussed. I'm bummed that I won't be behind the wheel until then, but glad that I'll be able to afford the car by the time it arrives!

 

MotorinGirl - hmm. Interesting. My deposit went in on July 15th, and I ended up with a production date of 9/5/02, although I was told by ASKMINI that my car is a 2003 (I thought the date was 9/6 for the start of 2003 model production, but frankly I'm too lazy right now to do a search and check). Either hundreds of people ordered cars in July (possible, I suppose), or else maybe you've got some options on your car that pushed the date back. Mine seems to be a relatively bare order compared with most (premium, fogs, sport seats, chrome) and very common color (red/white, which I wanted to change to red/black), so maybe that got me through the queue faster somehow.

Anyhow I spoke to both Melissa Steffy and Rick Lawrence today and they both assured me that my car would be sold to me with only the options that I had ordered, so either (1) Ms. Steffy really IS providing a much-needed shake-up over there, (2) they're reading this forum and I scared them with my talk of haunting their dealership and sending people to Peabody, or (3) they're lying. Basically at this point I'm going to shut my trap and hope for the best; I'll be sure to let everyone know how this turns out.

Thanks again for the encouragement / advice / appeals to morality and reason.

 

Chris,

I put my deposit down at the very end of July for a pepper white/black top MC with CVT, premium and cold packages, chrome bumpers, and 16" run-flats. Maybe it takes longer to get the CVT?

When I called HC to check the status yesterday, Amanda told me they just got a silver MC with CVT and asked if I was interested. Tempting, but I am holding out for the pepper white!

:smile:

 

Well, it's at the dealership! They called me today to go over and start all of the paperwork, and I was VERY pleasantly surprised to see that other than the car/options, the only other things on the contract were title and registration (at roughly the correct MA rates) and two fees - $119 for "document preparation" and $39 for something to do with the registration/plates (on top of the actual cost). I didn't ask for specifics because we all know what those fees actually amount to. I was fearing a much more extensive laundry list of fees that I would have to argue them down on, but frankly right now I'll drop the $160 without thinking twice. They got a little bit huffy when I insisted on using my own financing, since that meant that I couldn't sign the contract today and that they might not be able to count the sale for the month of September (gee, too bad), but the bottom line is I should be driving the car by mid next week!!! I don't know how I'm going to get any sleep until then.

MotorinGirl, the pepper white/black is worth the wait. HC had one on their floor once when I went in, and I almost switched my order. It was gorgeous.

 

Best of luck to Chrisneal, Motorin' Girl and any other brave soul who dares to do business with Herb Chambers MINI in Boston! I recommend that anyone who is considering dealing with HC and hasn't signed a contract yet to take your business elsewhere! I think I win the prize for the WORST Herb Chambers experience of anyone and the idiot prize for ever giving them a second chance...

First, let me preface my rant by saying I absolutely LOVE this car, my only regret has been buying from Herb Chambers instead of MINI Peabody or some other dealer! Now I posted that I had a bad attempt at a sales experience with Peabody, in the dealer-rating thread but their SERVICE Dept. has been the best I've ever seen!

My saga began when I called several dealerships around the country checking for availability only to find the minimum wait for an MCS to be 4 months, (Peabody was 8 months which is the main reason I went to HC). I walked into HC at the end of June and they "just happened to have a Pure Silver MCS with the options I wanted", (which I found a bit strange considering every other dealer I had contacted had such a long wait, but I was of course ECSTATIC to be getting the car so quickly)! So I put down a deposit and picked up my car 3 days later. Yes, there were those add-ons that were mentioned earlier that I didn't really want, (Lo-Jack, clear-bra, Simoniz, etc.), but what the hell, the trade-off to get the car that fast seemed worth it. Pretty painless right? Well, my Herb Chambers experience has gone down hill fast since then.

I experienced the common cold-start problem the first week I had the car and the left pull which seemed to be an alignment problem so I called HC to book an appointment. Well anyone who has dealt with the Service Dept. there knows it's IMPOSSIBLE to get anyone on the phone no matter what time of day you call. So after several calls, I decided to give MINI Peabody a try. (I've mentioned in earlier posts how amazingly helpful and accomodating Gary King in their Service Dept. has been and I can't say enough good things about him). Because Peabody is a bit of a haul for me, Gary was able to meet me halfway at a mall to take a quick look at the car and confirmed the cold-start and what seemed to be the left-pull alignment problem. He informed me that a software fix was in the works at that time and he would contact me when it was in so I could make an appt. Over the next few weeks he thoughtfully called and e-mailed a few times to check up on me and my MCS. He arranged things so I was able to drop off my car just before I flew out on my vacation so the cold-start software fix would be done and the car would be ready when I reurned from my trip. He informed me when I returned from my vacation that the cold-start was fixed, but the left-pull wasn't an alignment problem at all. When they had put the car up to check things over, they had discovered that Herb Chambers MINI had left the shipping blocks on my car upon delivery! (see this earlier post for that long horror-story: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...amp;topic=1247

So as you can see from that earlier post, I made the mistake of giving Herb Chambers a second chance after BMW GM Melissa Steffy and MINI GM Rick Lawrence both assured me they would do everything in their power to "right the wrongs they caused". When I picked the car up after reluctantly agreeing to allow them to service it, they said they had:
- replaced the struts completely
- replaced the dust booty strut cover things
- removed and replaced the clear bra completely
- fixed the sunroof rattle
- did the body- work on the scratch on passenger side door free of charge (to make up for the gross oversight of leaving the shipping blocks on upon delivery!

So everything seemed to be fixed (which took over a week, mind you), but they informed me that a part had to be ordered to fix the booth latch rattle so they would send me a postcard when the part was in so I could make another appt. So I was a bit bothered that I would have to come back again, but agreed. Well upon driving away, I realized they DIDN'T fix the sunroof rattle as they said they did. Also, when washing the car the next day, I realized that whatever body shop they had outsourced the work to fix the scratch on the passenger side door was awful! There were black spots over the entire door! It wasn't dirt because no matter how much I scrubbed, they wouldn't come off. Also, the shabby paint work continued on the inside of the door which looks like **** now! AND there's new damage to the driver's side door frame that wasn't there when I dropped the car off! (I don't know how to describe it, but there are these white patches on the black door frame) and damage to some of the molding on the driver's side as well.

So I called HC to inform them of this and get the postcard the same day stating the part of the boot latch was in so I make an appt. to get everything fixed including the 'new damage' and fixing the shabby body work.

So here I am, over a month after the post regarding the shipping blocks issue and the issues stemming from that STILL haven't been resolved. I dropped the car off on Wed. and after SEVERAL phone calls to get an update on the car's status, I'm told on Friday afternoon that the boot latch and sunroof rattles are fixed, but they are dropping it off at the body shop that day, (Why the hell did it take THREE DAYS to fix two minor rattles?!!!!!!), So I planned to pick up the car to have for a weekend trip and then drop it back off on Monday to finish the work, but longer-story-short, that didn't happen even though I was told by the Service Manager that I could pick it up and I left a message confirming that I would be there between 5:30 and 6:00 to pick it up. I arrive there to pick it up and I'm rudely told they are closed and my car isn't there anyway, it's at the body shop. I left HC Friday evening in tears of frustration! So weekend trip cancelled and I will hopefully pick up my car Monday afternoon and NEVER step foot in Herb Chambers again!

Now this long saga as long as it is has left out several small annoying details that are further proof of their shitty service including unreturned phone calls and messages, being promised a BMW loaner car only to be dropped off at an Enterprise rental car place and wait almost an hour for a car because Herb Chambers hadn't made a reservation for me, even though they said they had, etc. etc. etc.

Now am I a fool for going back there after my first issue with HC? YES! But, I'm not a glutton for punishment, I just wanted HC to straighten out the problems they have caused to the car for good so I can then take my future service business elsewhere.

I have made three offical complaints with MINI USA, and on Friday I made a couple of calls to Herb Chambers Corporate Office to demand that something be done. I asked that the MAN himself (Herb Chambers), return my call, but of course one of his minions did instead. She left me a message and when I returned her call, she was gone for the day, (figures)!

I have expended more energy than I care to mention on dealing with Herb Chambers in the past three months, but hopefully my story serves as a warning to others to AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!

I'm going to try to double post this to the Dealer Rating System area so that others who may not read this thread will see it as well.

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

 

Whoa, PureSilver. After hearing your story (and others here) I wish I had gone with Peabody. I don't want to make the switch now, as I'm pretty high on the waiting list at this point and don't want to have to start all over again (especially as the car I've been driving died two weeks ago so my husband and I have been sharing his).

Since I've never bought a new car before, I'm not aware of how repairs work -- is it possible to buy the car at Herb Chambers but have it serviced in Peabody?

 

I too was shafted by Herb Chambers!
They included the "Protection Package" without my permission. Unfortunately I didn't realize I had Lo Jack or the 3M clear bra until I got home. Evidently I paid for this? It wasn't even outlined in the contract! I think they just worked it into the total cost. Be very careful when dealing with these people. I'm convinced Herb Chambers is pure evil... :evil: