Signet Financial Group Company has disappeared breaking contract to pay $1645 on service contract for Honda vehicle Vacaville California

I filed a written complaint with American Honda on July 16, 2013 regarding the practice of their dealers bundling Honda Vehicle Service Contracts (VSC) with guarantees of refunds if no claims were made over a five year period.  In 2008 I had purchased for $1645 a VSC with a refund guarantee from American Honda through Holtz Honda in Rochester, NY.   Ordinarily I do not purchase such extended warrantees but I found the dealer pitch on the refund guarantee too persuasive to refuse.  

However I found when I tried to obtain the refund promised in the contract there was no entity to provide the refund.  Holtz has sold the dealership to another entity and the firm contracted by Holtz to provide the guarantee no longer exists.  It appears that I am simply out the $1645.  I filed a written complaint with American Honda not so much expecting a refund but requesting that such practices be looked into to protect consumers from such deceptive sales practices in the future.  

American Honda’s representative called me back in response to my letter on August 8^th and left a voice mail providing me a phone number and extension for me to call back to discuss  my complaint.   I called that number and left the representative message to call me back several times during August but never received any further responses from them.

On August 26^{th I} called back again leaving another message for the representative.  That same day I also received a letter dated August 20^th from the representative stating that he had made “several attempts” to contact me and if I failed to contact him within 10 days of the letter date he would consider the matter resolved.

On August 27^th I did receive a call from the representative and I was informed essentially “Tough Luck” American Honda is not responsible for anything regarding their dealer guarantees and my problem was none of their concern.    When I questioned him on his lack of response to my repeated phone calls he stated that my phone must have been blocking the calls he had made as he could not leave me a message.   How was this possible if he was able to leave me his name and number on August 8^th?   

I had already sent that day by certified mail a response to his letter stating “I consider your letter to be a very thinly veiled attempt to sweep the issue under the rug and simply discard my complaint without any genuine response. “ Based upon my conversation with him I believe that to be a correct assessment.

It seems that both Honda and the original dealer are quite happy with the situation as it afforded their firms additional revenue and only their customer is left short.   My only gain is a rather expensive ($1645) lesson in Caveat Emptor.

I also informed the representative that I would make this matter public so that other consumers can be fore-warned.