Rebecca R.

Berkeley Minicar

I can't say enough good things about Berkeley Minicar! They treat you with respect, don't try to sell you repairs you may not need right away, and are VERY HONEST! In fact, they're the ones who informed me of a safety recall on my Honda that the dealership (Berkeley Honda/Jim Doten...crooks!!!) didn't disclose to me when purchasing my car. They sold me a car with a major safety defect without disclosure and I would have never know if not for Berkeley Minicar!!! But this is about Berkeley Minicar rocking, not Berkeley Honda sucking. Berkeley Minicar is amazing. the prices are the best in the area, too! After such a horrible experience with Berkeley Honda, I love Berkeley Minicar even more and am so thankful they are in my area so I can get some actual customer service and appreciation for my business.

Berkeley Honda

This is very important! I just found out that Jim Doten Honda sold me a car with a MAJOR safety defect!!! This Sunday, my well-maintained Honda suddenly lost all power and died on the Bay Bridge. Luckily, I was able to get over to the far right lane and park with my hazards on until help arrived. I called my mechanic at Berkeley Minicar (who rock, by the way, this is where you need to get your Honda serviced because they are HONEST unlike Berkeley Honda) and told them what happened. At this point they told me that there was a major safety recall issued on my car for an ignition switch problem that could cause your car to, guess what, short and lose all power. This recall was issued in MAY OF 2002!!!! I bought my car in SEPTEMBER OF 2002! They never disclosed to me this safety issue as required by law. I almost got killed on Sunday as a result of this. I called the dealership to have the recall work done and they told me the recall notices went to the previous owners. But the thing is, they've been sending me all sorts of other notices for services and coupons for repairs and tune-ups. When I asked when the safety recall was issued, they told me it was on 9/17/02, a day after I purchased my car. I called the Honda Corp. and they told me that that was not true, that the recall was issued 5/17/02. So, Berkeley Honda LIED to me to try to cover their knowingly selling me a defective auto. They say the recall notices never went to me so they are not responsible, but I brought my car in for ANOTHER warrantee issue just this July and they failed to inform me of this then. So who was responsible for that?

I highly suggest that if you bought a car from Jim Doten/Berkeley Honda you call them to see that all recall notices have been sent to you. What happened to me on the bridge was terrifying and could have cost me my life. And this was all due to negligence on part of Berkeley Honda. If enough people have had this same experience, a class action lawsuit can be filed. I just want to put the word out that these guys are not to be trusted. They didn't disclose the major safety recall to me! As a result, my electrical is all screwed up and they refuse to acknowledge their responsibility. Not only that, when I called Berkeley Honda this morning, their Service manager, Brian Haskett, told me I was out of luck and that they weren't responsible because they are no longer Jim Doten. Well, my car was brought in when they had changed to Berkeley Honda and they didn't inform me of this recall at that time either.

When I mentioned my concerns of the effect the strike had on the company, I was hung up on. Is this the kind of response I should expect when confronting them with the fact I was lied to? Not cool.

So, if you bought a Honda, please call and check that all recalls and warrantees are current. They are still feeling the financial effects of the strike and are trying to recoup their losses on the backs of their customers. They sure were able to recommend all sorts of services I would have to pay for when I brought my car in, but they couldn't tell me I had a major safety recall that they would have to repair for free? They just didn't want to acknowledge their liability or have to do anything that wouldn't bring in the bucks. Simply disgusting.

And to everyone else, DON'T SHOP BERKELY HONDA! THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF AND DENY RESPONSIBILTY! I have reported them to the Better Business Bureau and Seven on Your Side. And I've only just begun.

Thanks.