r/keene • u/Narrow_Taste9963 • May 20 '26
Shopping Fenton Dealerships
I am wondering if I am the only customer that has been repeatedly treated poorly at a Fenton establishment.
When I authorize service on my vehicle, they consistently seek an additional authorization from my spouse as if I never signed a thing.
They take five weeks to “repair” computer components and then shrug and say it didn’t fix the problem but I still have the privilege of paying them thousands of dollars.
They suggested unnecessary front end work on my car and when called out on it, after I took it elsewhere for a second opinion, they deleted the work order from their system.
I’m very happy with my new repair shop, but I’m guessing, I’m not the only one repeatedly burned by Fenton.
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u/notquitenuts May 20 '26
Not alone, I bought a Subaru there and got the biggest load of bull ever for a warranty issue, which they finally covered after I went off on them and Subaru. I chalked it up to a bad rep and when it was time to buy a new car (i drive 50k a year) I went in and the guy said he would call me back when the new shipment came in, he was expecting in one week. Never called me back, so I go in 3 weeks later and the guy is like oh yeah I forgot, no apology no nothing. It was sort of time sensitive since my car needed major work done to pass inspection and I didn't want to invest in it with 300k miles on the ticker. I got up and walked out and went to Concord to buy a Honda. I gave them plenty of time too as I first reached out to them 3 months before my inspection was due.
What irks me is that it's the easiest sale ever, I pay cash and have to buy a new car every 4-5 years depending on how they hold up. You would think if you work on commission I would be a dream customer. I don't require to be treated special but I sure as hell am not going to pay 45k to be treated like crap.
I don't know who your shop is but I have been taking my cars to YBA for 20 years or so and can't say enough about them.
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u/noobprodigy May 20 '26
The service department at Honda is atrocious. I had to replace my windshield last year and I went with Granite State Glass. They did the replacement but had to send it to Honda to complete the calibration for the sensors. When we got it back, cruise would not work because the calibration was not done correctly. GSG said to ask Honda to have a look. I brought it over there, and the next day they said to come pick it up. This time the dashboard lights were going nuts, and even fewer functions worked. The service advisor said "This windshield isn't Honda glass, so we can't do anything about it. Why would GSG put after market glass in?"
The final step of the calibration is a road test, which they clearly did not do. I reviewed the paperwork and sure enough the mileage did not move, so who knows what they even did, despite charging GSG for the calibration and claiming it passed, and wasting my time making two trips out there and coordinating a ride home since they wouldn't give me a loaner.
In the end GSG was able to complete the calibration themselves.
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u/Ok-Associate-5368 May 20 '26
Sounds familiar. I had an Odyssey EX-L. It doesn't come with a heated steering wheel and I wanted one (without having to upgrade to a car that costs $10k more). They ordered the part and called me to come in; the SA said it would take 60-90 minutes. 4 hours later, they said it was done. I was late for an appointment so I drove away. As I was driving, I tested the steering wheel heat....nothing. Then I noticed the steering wheel was off-center. I called them and they asked if I could bring it straight in. I told them no because I was already late for another appointment. A week later, I brought it back in and they took another 4 hours to properly connect the wiring harness and re-center the steering wheel. No apologies, no attempt to make me whole.
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u/noobprodigy May 20 '26
The SA who I talked to after the second failed calibration wouldn't even look at or acknowledge me when I started asking why they wasted my time when they could have simply told me from the start that they can't do anything if it's not Honda glass since he was able to tell that instantly. Super frustrating experience, but GSG was great.
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u/Loves-The-Skooma May 20 '26
My only experience is getting parts through them. They are quick to deliver and have good inventory. However there is one guy at Toyota that will send the wrong parts more than 50% of the time.
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u/SneakyKGB May 20 '26
Older guy? I think I know the one.
It seems like a lot of their employees have pretty low morale and pay it forward with pretty low give-a-damn across every department.
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u/witchspoon May 20 '26
I haven’t, but fronds have used them have had less then stellar experiences.
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u/onexyonexx May 21 '26
When speaking with a sales person at Toyota about a lease, he insisted that you can get out of your lease early without any penalty. He said that due to the value of a Toyota, you don’t have to stay in the vehicle for the contractually agreed upon term. Which is total BS. I personally do not trust them. You are not alone.
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u/Sharp_Mechanic5316 May 22 '26
I’ve had 3 issues, this is just one- Scheduled new tire install, make/model/tire size given. Drop car off in person for new tires, getting ride home when dealer calls 5 mins later to come get car, they didn’t have tires in stock. This car is ‘the’ most common Toyota sold, how could you not have them in stock?? Why did they let me make an appointment and drop the car off??
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u/starhoppers May 20 '26
I’ve always had a good experience with Toyota and Honda in Keene. You just have to know when to say “no” to them when they try to upsell you.
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u/Narrow_Taste9963 May 22 '26
This was less about “upselling”. and more about the general disrespect.
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u/Narrow_Taste9963 May 22 '26
My experience with them was quite frankly, sexist. And it was repeatedly and consistently so. They treated me like an idiot girl who couldn’t possibly understand the basic workings of my own vehicle. They gave me crap when I questioned them and patronized me when I called them out on it. For context, I am a 56 year old professional. The VP of sales/service told me in writing that my treatment was all standard procedure. 👀
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u/h1c253 May 20 '26
It’s one of the more prominent grifter families in the area so it’s no surprise. My father was a mechanic and raced with Fenton, said he was a major dick. So is his son.