Honda of Illinois Deceitful

We have been searching for a new car for several weeks.  We test drove a number of very nice vehicles and my wife decided she would like to drive a Honda Odyssey.  It has many good safety features we like and passenger seating is very comfortable compared to other vehicles we looked at.

We first test drove one at Roy Schmidt Honda in Effingham.   The nice young man we talked to was up front and said we would get the internet price.  We were travelling at the time so we went on our trip to Indiana.

On our return on Monday, my wife checked the Honda of Illinois  website and found the exact same vehicle for $500 less.  That evening we went and test drove it and indicated we would take it.  The nice young salesman in Springfield named Dustin Morris brought  us a price that did not match the internet price, I asked him if it was correct and he said yes, so because of the fact that dealers play with numbers and we thought the price included dealer prep and other stuff and that we were still getting the internet price.

He took us to the "closer"  whose name escapes me.  When the closer told us the payment, I said it was higher than I expected.  He also pressured us to get the extended warranty which I did not want,  It turned out the the extended warranty also committed us to dealer added extras.  I did not realize this.  The closer used the tactic of lowering the payment by extending the term.

It has been so long since I purchased a vehicle from such a deceptive dealer that I was not cautious about what I was signing. Over the next weekend I reread the paperwork and found that they had cheated me out of the internet price by about $2500.  That is not to mention the warranty and the extras.  I stopped by Honda of Illinois on my way home from a job on Monday and raised the issue with them.  They offered me 5 oil changes which I refused.   I have since been promised $1000 and $750 which I have not received. 

I am a little embarrassed to post this, but I decided that since they did not own up to their deception with at least a partial refund, I would put it out there as fair warning. I promised I would do this if  they did not give me a refund, so here it is.  It has been 3 weeks. 

We do like the vehicle, but if you want a new Honda, beware. 

How late is late?

When I was in High School, someone asked my dad, " When do you plant corn"  I was getting ready to jump in and say we like to start in early April.  My Dad's wise but simple response was " when the soil is ready."  Of course he was right then, and  that is still correct today.  We are hearing about lots of farmers stressing over planting dates, but in my opinion, we are still in a position to have a good to excellent crop year.  I heard many top corn producers say that their best corn was not their earliest. 

Early soybean planting has been an emphasis of many people in the past few years.  The thought being that increased yields of very early planted soybeans may offset the risk of freezing.  I have seen some compelling research data that favors early planting, but I have also been told by some reliable sources that the best soybean yields in my part of South Central Illinois come when soybeans are planted between May 25 and June 7. 

Another thing to consider is Crop Insurance Planting Dates for Corn and Soybeans.  The crop insurance people are not in business to lose money and they have more data than anyone to support their dates.  Corn date in my area is June 5 and Soybean date is June 20.  We have all seen good to excellent yields in soybeans that are planted in late June especially first crop beans. 

And what is the cost of compaction created by getting on fields when they are too wet?  A quick google search today gave me information from all across the Midwest.  Universities say that yield losses related to compaction is 10 to 30%.  One of the problems with compaction is that it can last for several years. So in the end, my father's advise from 50 years ago is still relevant.  Plant when soil moisture conditions are right. 

If you still cannot come to terms with the fact that you may end up planting corn in June, maybe you should see a clergyman or mental health professional to help you deal with the stress.  Patience is certainly a virtue when you can't take care of business like you normally do.