Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
My son bought a car from Arnold Clark Penrith. It was crash damaged/faulty on purchase. We were lied to at every stage by the staff. The warranty isnt worth the paper it's written on as they can say its wear and tear after a couple of months even though it runs for 2 years and costs over £500. They let it out of the garage three times with only one bolt securing the driveshaft. We took advice from Trading Standards and got an independent garage to take a look who impounded it for safety. Any car is covered by your statutory rights you dont need a warranty that's over and above your rights. Please all email your local Trading Standards to register your complaint of this company. They will help you.
We took the finance company to County Court and were faced with a lovely young man with a law degree. He was disappointed that no one had turned up from Arnold Clark as requested.
We won the price of having the repairs done in a local garage and also the price of the Court £70 then another sum of £80 as it was actually going to be heard in Court. We even got travelling expenses. We could have claimed for loss of earnings etc. but to be honest it was the principle of the thing ... the stress, worry, intimidation, frustration at hitting brick wall. AND dont bother with their customer services as it is company policy to be evasive and of course its the same company!!
The first time I visited Arnold Clark was 28/09/2011, I made enquiries regarding a duplicate key had no details with me so returned on the 29th with them to get spare key and remote.No remote in stock, would be ordered for delivery on 30th, also went to see the parts department where I met the most unhelpful unfriendly employee who was too busy and couldn't be bothered to help me.Went back on the Friday morning left the van to get key & remote told it would be an hour. Went to see the unfriendly unhelpful parts employee what a waste of time his attitude hadn't changed, went for a walk and an hour later got a phone call to tell me machine had broken down and they couldn't do the job. A very helpful service advisor John Carter explained machine had broken down and would not be repaired until the following week. Received 2 phone calls on the 6/10/11 to tell me machine still not fixed and they would be in touch when it was. 2 weeks later still no phone call so I phoned them on 20/10/11.Made arrangements with John Carter to bring vehicle in on Tuesday 25/10/11. I arrived with vehicle on Tuesday 25th at 9.30 for a job that would only take an hour went back 1hr and 5mins later to find van still parked and hadn't even been looked at so had enough will look elswhere for a reputable company to do the job.Lost faith in parts department, service department, lost faith in Arnold Clark.
I recently purchased a car from Arnold Clark in Kilmarnock (Picked the car up 31st May 2011) and everyhting seemed to be going brilliant, but, my head gasket has blown due to a water pump failure and have only had the car 4 month’s. I was told by the salesman that I wouldn’t need a warrranty as the car was in good nick but I think this is to do with my budget that I had and the fact they wanted me to take finance with them even though I had already got this set up elsewhere.So I am now paying finance for a car that is sitting outside my house that is not drivable. I have called the dealership and they have told me I am out of warranty and that I will have to pay a £40 fee to get the car assessed even though I know whats wrong with the car, thanks to mr AA Roadside man who had to tow me home, and that they are within their rights. So I am looking at at least a £500 repair for a car that is only 4 months old from when I bought it. The car itself is a vauxhall meriva 2007 model and by all account’s of the numerous people at garages I have spoke to said that the water pump is a common fault in this model. So I continue my calls to customer service who confirmed exactly what the branch said themselves. I have now sent them an email explaining that there is no way a fault like this should happen within the timescale that I have had the car and want this resolved or I will be taking this further, still waiting on a reply surprise surprise!
Any advice or help from anyone I would be extremely grateful and beware of the bad customer service from this dealership
OLD TRAFFORD!!
Well what can I say....I had my 3.5year old Vauxhall Corsa towed into their service centre, as it just wouldn't start, It took them 1 week to tell me it could be the Fuel pressure rail that is faulty, and 'if' it wasn't that, it would be the ecu, in total costing £1437... I then waiting another week before they actually started work (numerous calls later) no contact calls from the company, they said that the fuel pressure rail wasn't to blame, and that they needed to replace the ECU, by this time it was coming upto my 3rd week of no car and no offer of a courtesy car, 2 calls received from their service department through this whole process, a mis-communication with regards to replacing the ECU (now on my 4th week) I contacted the head office, and the motoring standards, within 24 hours, received a call from the manager Brian, who was shocked no-one had offered me a courtesy car, and said he'd have one organised for me the very next day ( i thought whey hey, we're getting somewhere!!) another week goes by, and finally my car is picked up, £1400 later... sooo I pick my car up, happily drive out of the forecourt - thinking it was hard to move the car at first - got out to check, to find, they'd reverse parked my car into a wall!!! putting a huge dent in the boot... FUMING... the ordeal is now over... but i will NEVER deal with Arnold Clark again, they are dis-organised, they have poor communication skills and their service is terrible!! WARNING ** deal with Arnold Clark at your own risk.... Terrible!!
They are a nightmare....i bought my wee peugeot four years ago and I think I must have almost rebuilt the bleeding thing the amount of work i've had to do with it!!!
First year it was still under warranty and i had sound of rushing water going through my car and the engine was cutting out on the motorway!!! They asked me if i had a bottle of water under my seat and was I sure i wasnt stalling it.....at 70mph??????erm....NO!!! Took it in 4 times before they admitted my radiator was gubbed!!! Oh....and no courtesy car included as I hadnt booked my car in far enough in advance!!! They are useless!!!
Car also failed 'free' MOT within 6 months..."due to massive hole in the exhaust"....now I am merely female, but I think I would have noticed the racket off of it before I put it in. I enquired if it was a screwdriver sized hole per chance? (a family friend who used to work for Arnie suggested this may be the case - as car was still under warranty, but exhausts arent covered - wear and tear) Managed to get it fixed for free after heated debate with the service manager and after telling potential customer not to even think about buying her car whilst chatting to her in the waiting area over a coffee. Hope she took my advice.
Took me three years to pay car off and numerous repairs to keep the thing on the road in the meantime. Bought this car as it appeared in good nick and had low mileage.....was told it was a 'fleet car' therefore well looked after and serviced properly by Arnie. Came with FSH...who was I to argue???? Think they have just ran it into the ground and stamped the book not giving a monkeys that someone might buy it later. :o(
I bought a car on 10th of January from Arnold Clark Ashton Motor store on finance. At the time of the purchase I was told by Craig one of the sale team I had a 14 day cooling off period.
At the time of purchase I had a permanent job but unfortunately we lost the contract with our biggest client and now I am facing redundancy.
I rang Arnold Clark to explain my position and said as I was told I have a 14 day cooling off period is it ok to cancel the finance and return the car.
Craig took two days to come back with answer and told me the finance could be cancelled but I would have to fund the car by other means. I was unhappy about this and spoke to the manager Barry Palser who also told me I do not have a 14 day period with Arnold Clark just the finance company and will still be responsible to pay for the car. I explained my situation and asked for his help which he just kept saying there is nothing he can do.
I then decided to ring another branch to see whether it is possible to return the car which the manager of this branch said if I was told I had a 14 day cooling off period it is the manager discretion to uphold this verbal contract. I then rang the Ashton branch who still insist he cannot help.
I am deeply distressed with my situation and believe it is awful customer care as I was told I had the option to return the car within 14 days. Now I will lose my job in the next month or so and will have to support a house and pay for other bills also fund a car I was told I could return.
Also when looking on the internet regarding Arnold Clark's 14 day cooling off period I have read that others were able to return their car.
There is also a fault with the passenger door which was discovered at the time of collection.
i have a vw passat tdi highline estate which i bought just under 2 years ago from arnold clark linwood branch. i had trouble with the remote key which had to be replaced in december and reprogrammed fully for all operations.the jobs were done under warranty and everything as i thought was fine. two weeks ago my son was travelling in the back of the car and tried to open the electric windows and they would not work . i then took the car back to linwood and was told there was a fuse missing from the fuse box . the fuse box has never been visited by myself or any other person since i have owned the car and the only people who could be responsible are the "technicians" at this branch .The cost of the fuse is only £2.00 and not the issue here the real issue is that they want to charge labour costs to fitting the fuse which is their fault its missing . When i complained about this they took the keys away to take the fuse back out of the fuse box and still leave the windows not working . i paid nearly £16000.00 for this car which is still under manufacturers warranty and never expected this experiance over a £2.00 fuse .
i have just bought a car from arnold clark liverpool i had loads of trouble with it and the manager refused to even talk to me he would not come out of his hut ( the showroom was being updated at the time) to cut a very long story short arnold clark brought a new manager in his name is richard he had the car changed he is polite professional and pleasant if you are thinking of getting a car may i reccomend you go to arnold clark liverpool the manager (richard) salesman (steve) & all the staff are very helpful polite and professional. good luck
Just got my car back after nearly 3 weeks in Arnold Clark Kilmarnock. Parts had failed under warranty but Toyota Warranty Company didn't to pay any ancillary costs. Arnold Clark argued my case and I got nearly £4k's worth of work done ALL paid for by Toyota.
My car's been serviced there for the last couple of services & the staff are always pleasant & friendly.
My sad experience with Arnold Clark is still ongoing.
I placed my 4 yr old Ford Focus into the East Kilbride centre for a full service and a repair under warranty to the air condition compressor.
When I got the car back 3 days later, I discovered that they had not replaced the oil and filter. When I telephoned them to complain, they had gone home for the weekend.
I took the car for a test run to try to determine if the other repairs( front brake pads, brake fluid and antifreeze replaced)
had been done.
The test drive confirmed that they had been done.
On the return to home (less than 10miles)the engine management light came on and the car went into reduced power. I stopped at the first available lay-by. Immediately, upon stopping, whisps of grey/ black smoke was coming out of the front grille.
Within 3 minutes, the car engine compartment was fully ablaze.
Afterwords,I spoke directly to the garage manager who promised to investigate.
All I got back was that the oil and filter was changed and that they did not do anything to cause this fire.
Writing twice to the customer service department met with the same results.
I am a transport engineer and I can easily tell the difference between old oil and new oil,( Viscosity,or thickness, colour and smell are completely different between the both).
I have since spoken to an ex A/Clark technician and he informed me that this practice of not changing the oil and filter was widespread and actively encouraged within the Company. I cannot comment further on this, but it certainly concurs with my experience.
To be honest, I have had a few good experiences with A/C but this has left me car-less and disgusted both in their attitude and in their belief that as long as it is ticked off on the check sheet, then regardless of other evidence, it was done.
That arrogance leaves me angry. Dependening upon the insurance report, I intend to take this matter up with trading standards and perhaps the TV programme, 'Watchdog'.
I was ripped off in the service, and fobbed off with the aftershock.I put my car and my faith in getting a good and honest service from Arnold Clark. In both aspects, I was let down.
If you are reading this Mr Clark, please listen to the people who are writing thesecomplaints, They are justified and the loss of faith and subsequent customer base is surely a concern for your Company profile.
I bought a Renault Clio from Arnold Clark in Dundee from their Kingsway branch last October and since day one I’ve had nothing but problems to the extent where I’ve spent a further £1000 out of my own pocket for savings.
Since last October it’s been in their garage for a total of 9 days with various problems, to the extent where they took it off the road for 4 days and they managed to scratch the back of my car which they took no responsibility for.
I have phoned head office and been into the branch only to be told that Arnold Clark have made their decisions regarding your car, and that there is nothing else they could do about it.
They are all nice when they want your money when visiting their showrooms but once they’ve sold you the car they want nothing else to do with you.
I take it customer service isn’t one of Arnold Clark’s strong points. I’ve told the branch and also their customer service department that I would never deal with Arnold Clark again.
I can not wait to get rid of this car, and start from scratch.
Went to one of their "supermarkets" to see about a replacement for the Mrs car. Hers was high mileage and low value but I wanted a price to work out what I could afford.
"No you need to choose a car then we'll give you a quote" they said.
Somewhat bemused I just pointed at a Scenic and said "OK, that one".
"OK, can I have the keys for yours please". OK I said but before handing them over I asked "Can you give me a rough idea ?".
"Not until we've had your up on the ramp" was the reply.
He didn't get my keys as I just walked away.
Think about this carefully. I'm trading in a high mileage, low value car. Not worth probably 20% of the cost of any equivalent car there. Its going to go into the auctions without any work on it. Why do you need it on a ramp ?
The next day I did a deal on a Skoda. The salesman for that car didn't even look at it. "Oh, I don't need to, it will go into the auctions" he said.
Ive bought a few motors from Arnold Clark and they have been alright. I bought my first at macharg rennie lindsay when it was in castle bank street. I fancied a bird in the service place so I would make up stuff was wrong just so I could see her. The salesman were all right,alot of them are wide-boy types but he done me a good deal but they tried to lump me for finance but I had the ready cash and paid in full. I bought a VW golf R32 a few years later up at crow road they guys up there were brand new and guess who worked there the bird i fancied at machargs so I made up stuff was wrong again so I could look at her she was a pure darling! I feel sorry for the people who have been shafted but some people just like a moan to get stuff for free. It's full of ex-employee's trying to stick the knife in as well so some of the stuff written is unreliable. P.S Where are you now lovely receptionist with the jet black hair and beautiful tanned skin I think your name is Julie so I can buy a motor there I make up more stuff is wrong with my car? lol
bought a nissan almera got home engine malfunction light came on took it back to dealer they said it was safe to drive it cut out at junction almost got tboned they refuse to return money saying it can be repaired they now refuse to answer any calls saying sales person is with another customer they picked car up this morning did,nt say how long it will be i will know next time to keep well away from arnold clark
DO NOT GO NEAR THIS DEALERSHIP YOU WILL BE RIPPED OFF, SOME MAY OF NOT HAD BAD EXPERIENCES BUT THEY ARE THE LUCKY ONES OR THE ONES THAT THINK THE DEVIL IS GOOD !!
WE TEST DROVE A (USED)SANTA FE WHICH WE WANTED AND WE WERE PROMISED IT AFTER IT HAD BEEN SERVICED. WE LEFT DEPOSIT, THEN WE WERE LEFT WAITING NEARLY 2 MTHS FOR INFORMATION, MANY CALLS TO BRANCH TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT THEY HAD SOLD CAR WE WANTED ELSEWHERE, MANY MORE PHONE CALLS TO GET DEPOSIT BACK. THIS DEALERSIP IS SHADY. THEY ADVERTISE CARS THEY DO NOT HAVE JUST TO GET YOU IN, BEWARE, GO THERE AT YOUR PERIL. BETTER STILL----GO ELSEWHERE !
Arnold clark Leyland Review
Arnold clark Leyland complaint
Arnold clark Leyland do not use - if you want to be pestered, harrassed, bothered - beleaguered -
Please use them as this is a service they offer for free
I was approached by a sales apprentice "self claimed title" who was most helpful indeed, friendly, gave me time to come back, apologised for the lack of communication from previous branch, through sheer stupidity i trusted this sales person and gave my mobile number!!! Big mistake
Do not give any contact details -
18 missed calls later within a 48 hour time period - yes that is 18 missed calls
Calling as late as 21.18 hours -
Yes twenty past nine in the evening!!!!
Sheer harrassment - harrasment -
Illegal business practice -
THE WORST CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE EVER - NOT EVEN VIEWED THE CAR - AMAZING SALES TECHNIQUES -
DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR NUMBER TO ANY MEMBER OF STAFF
HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY IGNITION SYSTEM ON MY 2 1/2 YR OLD FIAT PANDA. TOOK IT BACK TO THE FIAT GARAGE I BOUGHT IT FROM. TOOK OUT THEIR 3RD YEAR WARRANTY WHEN I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE THEN WAS TOLD THAT IT MAY NOT BE COVERED. HAD THE CAR PUT ON THE MACHINE (WHICH THEY WANTED ME TO PAY FOR) BUT BECAUSE THE FAULT WAS FOUND TO BE COVERED IN THE WARRANTY ALL WAS FINE IN THE WORLD. 3 DAYS PASSED AND IF I NEVER PHONED THE GARAGE I WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF ANYTHING. THE PART WAS EVENTUALLY ORDERED AFTER FIAT OKING IT!! ANOTHER 2 DAYS WHEN I WAS ALLOWED TO PICK IT UP HAD PASSED, WHILST DRIVING OUT THE CAR PARK SAME IGNITION SYSYTEM LIGHT CAME ON. NOW THEY ARE SAYING IT IS A WIRING LOOM THAT IS THE PROBLEM WHICH I HAVE NOW TO PAY £265 TO GET IT FIXED. ONE WEEK LATER I AM STILL WAITING FOR MY CAR, DON'T KNOW IF IT IS FIXED, THEY WON'T RETURN ANY OF MY OR MY HUSBANDS PHONE CALLS. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ARNOLD CLARK TO ANYONE AND CERTAINLY NOT THIS ONE. NO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN MY HOUSE I AM AFRAID.
I totally agree with the last post. I have used AC over many years, and I have had no real problems, npobody is perfect, and in a large company like that problems will come up, but I think there is far too much of a culture of complaining, some people need to get real - I mean to complain about your car needing work to the brakes after 2 years?? Brakes do wear out you know, and how is that the fault of Arnold Clark? Thumbs up to them from me.
I have been a customer at Arnold Clark Clydebank and Arnold Clark,Greenock. The service department are fantastic at Clydebank and I even travelled from Montrose to take my Peugeout there for servicing etc. I have now purchased a Fiesta from AC at Greenock. Some people make a hobby about complaining about car dealers, I am just glad I dont work in the car industry as I'd have been sacked for telling you wingers to **** off!
I really do not know were to start with the absolute hell i have been through from Arnold Clark Greenock over the past ten months... I bought an Astra Twintop on the 26th March 2009. Within a day or two i noticed leaking coming from under the doors by the 4th of April it had made it's first visit to the garage. I then received the car back informed the SEAL had been changed. After a sudden change in weather the sun came out and i thought great no leaking let's get the roof down. To my horror the roof stuck "half up" "half down".Took it back to Greenock vauxhall looking like i was driving a space ship. Got the car back wires all over the boot carpet had not been refited and an absolute eye sore i went straight to the manager who thought this was funny i certainly was not laughing. I went away hoping to enjoy my car this time. Then the good weather continued and i wanted to get the roof down again but again to my horror it stuck again. Back to the garage i went and away it went to Pollockshaws road this time. Weeks passed and then the car returned and i was told they had to change the HARNESS not really sure what this was to be honest.
This time i got in the car thinking surely this is it and thats when i noticed the interior arm rests had been damaged on both sides therefore there must have been something placed along the back seat whilst in getting fixed. Both branches blamed each other. They originally had planned to fit new interior but that changed and a specialist was called in to fix it. I was told by Sandy the service manager thats one they owed me if i ever needed new tyres etc. Away i went again. I had Arnold Clark on direct dial and spent as many days there as the staff. Being Greenock the weather deteriorated and the rain came and so did the leakage problems only this time it was not only passenger door but drivers door and roof the car was like a swimming pool. Away to Glasgow it went again and again and again....Eventually Vauxhall agreed to take the car to Luton on my behalf. Left the car in Greenock branch to be collected but lay several weeks before pick up. I was asked by staff to empty the car before transfer so away to Arnold Clark i went AGAIN. When i got to the car it was in the compound. Firstly the battery was flat, because of this the window jammed half open the car was saturated and there was even water coming out of the speakers. It was a sorry sight!!!! Nearly ten months later and 3000 pound of payments i still had no car. I could not believe the state the vehicle was in and asked for a replacement. A silver Twintop was then transfered from England "Like for Like". I was asked to sign for this car without a test drive or seeing the vehicle on the road. And was asked by Gavin the salesman "why are you reading the small print you not trust us". I got in the car and drove along the main road and shock horror there was a load screaching noise coming from the back passenger side roof. I returned the car within 10 minutes. I told them i was not excepting the vehicle it was faulty and had been through enough. I was told it would be sent to Linwood to be fixed "probably just a small thing" i was told these words over nine months prior about the other car. I was back at square one a and tearing my hair out. I have since been given another vehicle an Astra SXI which needs extensive interior and exterior work which my original vehicle with all it's problems was in perfect condition until Arnold Clark got hold of it. The Value was 500 hundred pound plus less than my original vehicle. I have now been informed by Vauxhall the required work which Arnold Clark was unable to solve has been fixed including four major leaks and a minor leak in the boot.To add salt to the wound it has been placed on the forecourt with a thousand pound more value than that the car i have been given. I am absolutely exhausted and stressed with Arnold Clark. I have wriiten to so many managers and Mr Clark himself only to be offered a service after all this "as a good will gesture". Very very unhappy customer. Arnold Clarks logo that they aim for customer satisfaction is absolute lies...
bought a peugeot 307 new it is now 2 years old with just 18000 miles.went for service told it needed new pads and discs front and back. Car still under warranty. but told not covered for brakes, contacted peugeot they do not think a car with such low milage is a problem and won't help.moral off story don't buy peugeot and certainly not from mega rich arnold clark
I bought an 05 plate VW Golf GT TDI from Arnold Clark Greenock and less than 5 months from delivery the Turbo has blown and likely damaged the engine. I have had an estimate at between 2k and 3k to fix the problem. Arnold Clark have offered nought. Sale of Goods Act 1979, as far as Arnie is concerned it doesn't come into it. Trading Standards advise that up until 6 months after a purchase the burdon of proof of liability lies with the Retailer. I will have my day in court and I would strongly advise anyone thinking of buying from this bunch of cowboys to go elsewhere.
having worked a service manager for 6 years in the company i find these comments from ex employees laughable,perhaps these people have been sacked for not meeting the standards the customers are looking for,as for the cars not being prepped before their sold,nonsense,every car is prepped to a high standard,with the final say in any safety repairs being left to the service manager who is not paid on profit relating to car sales profit.you will not find a motor dealer who works harder to improve their customer services and that is why they go through so many salesmen who think they can do whatever they want to customers then come on here bitching because they have been found out and sacked
Below is a copy of a letter I sent on Monday 2nd of November to Customer Services. I haven't even had an aknowledgement. I agree with the person who suggested acting together and urge you all to contact Trading Standards and 'Watchdog' Lets give them some publicity they can't ignore.
Dear Sir/Madame,
I am writing to formally advise you of my dissatisfaction with my purchase of a car from your London Road Branch. I would like you to consider this as a formal complaint and advise me how you intend to deal with it.
I would like, firstly to give some context to issues by explaining a little about my relationship with your Organisation:
I have been buying cars from Arnold Clark since I learned to drive in my early 20s. My husband and I have bought 3 Metros, 2 Rovers, 2 Peugeots a Hyundai and now a Mazda. I have, in the past had no complaint with the Organisation. I have been very clear about my motoring needs and these have been met by the wider Organisation and on two previous occasions by the London Road Garage. Doubtless you will be able to confirm this from your records and will appreciate that I am not a vexatious complainant
Salesmen at the London Road garage have been calling me periodically to enquire about my buying intentions. I have spoken to three different salesmen, explaining that I was generally very happy with my Peugeot and that if I did change it would only be to achieve a better specification. If you would like to confirm this brief I am sure you could check with the Peugeot garage on Hamilton Road, which I also visited with the same brief.
Finally, I agreed to visit London Road and speak with Tony Morrison. I explained that my previous Peugeot had a number of features that I missed and that if I changed my car I would be looking for a better specification than that which I currently had. I stipulated no particular make/model/colour of car but said I would probably want to trade in my daughter’s car and transfer my current car to her. I told him I wanted a car that had additional features, for example auto wash/wipe, climate control, comfortable seating, etc. I am the sole occupant when driving, so 3 door/ 5 door was not important.
Tony showed me the car he was driving, a Mazda 3 diesel. I was particularly taken with some of the features, but not with others. For example I wasn’t particularly concerned about blue tooth but was keen on electrically folding mirrors for parking, having recently suffered some damage in a car park. He advised me that Mazda’s were very ‘high spec’ even at a basic level.
Tony located a low mileage Mazda 3 Takara and my daughter and I went over to London Road to allow him to see her car and for him to get, what he described as, ‘a similarly spec of Mazda 3’ for me to test drive, since I would not commit to buying this type car until I had driven it. My daughter and I asked a lot of questions about the spec of the car and how it looked and Tony ran through screens on his computer and went on line on a colleague’s computer to show us the spec. I was very happy with the test drive and agreed to go ahead with buying the Mazda 3 which he described as in ‘mint condition’.
The car is great. I picked it up on the Friday after work and drove it home. On Saturday morning, when it was light, I took the hand book out to the car to have a look at the features. The car had only a few of the features that were described to me. Importantly, from my point of view, it was not a higher specification than my Peugeot and looked and felt less comfortable. There was no electrically folding mirrors, auto wash/wipe or heated seats. I have given up central locking with deadlocks sports detail, colour coordinated and indicator mirrors, trip computer. In effect it didn’t have what I had specifically specified I wanted and was assured it had.
I called Tony Morrison on Saturday morning and told him I was not happy and why. I asked him to think about what I had said and to call me back. He denied assuring me that the car had the specification I wanted but couldn’t explain why having stated I wanted a higher spec, I would settle for something that had a 6CD changer and lights on the vanity mirror.
Tony didn’t call back, either Saturday or Sunday and I called again on Monday and Tuesday, being assured each time by the receptionist that Tony had been given the messages. I called the Manager, Francis Higgins. I told him about my complaint and he assured me he would get Tony Morrison to call me back and deal with my complaint. I waited for a further 2 days and then called Francis Higgins again on the Friday. He was not available but the receptionist assured me she would get a message to him. I called again on the Saturday and was told Francis was with a customer, I left another message asking him to call me. When he hadn’t called by noon, I called again and asked to speak to Francis Higgins; I was put through to Tony Morrison. Tony said he had off sick and tried to call me leaving text messages on a wrong number. Tony has my mobile, home and work numbers, all of which he has used without difficulty, before now. He said that he had printed off the spec of the car he sold me and went through it with me on the Wednesday when I test drove the Mazda. There was very little point in continuing after this since I realized that he was prepared to lie, however I did pose the question about why I would agree to buy this car when I was looking for a better spec and some quite specific features?
I now see no point in calling London Road and I am not prepared to get into an argument with someone I have lost all respect for. I am surprised that he felt it necessary to mislead me about the car, since I would have looked at other cars which did meet my requirements. I am also surprised that having called his manager to discuss this that he didn’t show me the common courtesy of returning my call.
As I stated at the outset of my letter, I am not difficult to deal with. I knew what I wanted and I was very clear about it. I would like a resolution to this problem and an apology for the rude and offhand manner I have been subject to. I am not prepared to spend endless hours trying to get hold of people, or arguing on the telephone. I will take the line of least resistance and copy this letter and any response to Consumer and Trading Standards Agency and BBC’s Watchdog programme. I appreciate that I may not get satisfaction from this process, but at least I will have some closure. Importantly, my husband, my daughter, my son and I will not buy another car from you and will relate my experience at every opportunity to anyone considering buying a car.
I await your prompt response.
I can totally sympathise with the comments here. Mine started with one of my other cars which is another story however, I was stupid enough to go back to them. We decided to buy a Vauxhall Vectra from the Glenrothes branch in Fife. We went in and were approached by a salesman. All going well so far. He then started asking us what we were looking for in the car and we told him. This was about Jun 07. He took what spec we were looking for and came back saying that the Exclusive was the car that would fit us. Still ok there. Unfortunately he couldn’t show us one there as they didn’t have any so he showed us a CDTi which he said was exactly the same but ours would be petrol. We purchased our car and I thought fine I was wrong about Arnold. However, several weeks later when we picked our car up we noticed a few problems. Firstly the car had nothing that we had asked for and secondly it had a nice big dent in the passenger door, which the sales manager tried to hide by doing a strange dance whilst opening the door. Great for a brand new car. Anyway we told them we didn’t want the car as it was not what we had signed for and not what we had paid for. The sales manager wasn’t happy with this and blamed the confusion on the sales guy who served us being from the Honda garage near by and not knowing about Vauxhalls!! Sorry, what part of that is my fault. Anyway after a lot of discussions he agreed that he would get us an Exclusive Plus that had more of the spec we asked for. Not everything but it was a good compromise. Thought nothing more and waited for the car….and waited…..and waited then told ‘its here come and pick it up!! Great, off I trotted to pick up my new car 2 months later. But oh no… it wasn’t there, they had made a mistake and it was still in Glasgow, I would have to come back later. So I went home again and waited… and waited .. and then was told that they had found our car and it was in… Zebrugger . Glasgow, Zebrugger, I can see the similarities there. So we had to wait again and finally got the car in mid September.
Few weeks ago I had to get new back brakes fitted. This was done by kwik fit who said it was very strange as the car had only done 17,000 miles and the front one were fine, I should check with the garage I got it from. So I did and was told that the reason the back brakes were gone was due to the traction control. But wait I said.. I don’t have traction control.. and any way my car is front wheel drive, so the service mananger then changed his mind to that it was the ABS system causing it and tey would not entertain any claim or even look at it! Great. Last week I took it in for its second service (Only use Arnold as I got 2 yrs free service for the balls up when buying the car) and when I got it back I remembered that the Air con wasn’t working when I took it in but surly they would notice this especially when I noticed a tick beside it on the service sheet saying it was working. However, when I questioned this I was told that the tick didn’t mean the aircon was working it just menat the button was. Stupid me for thinking that eh! Took the car back today as it was under warrenty to get the aircon fixed as they said it would be covered and free to find out that I was to pay £45 to get it Re-charged! Apparently that’s not covered for a 2 year old car. Well as you can imagine I didn’t pay and that’s what I would advise anyone else as they are just out in my opinion to cheat as many people out of money as they can.
The garage chain are a joke and I’m amazed they are still trading!
Glad that’s off my chest.
Add a comment about this blagger
Visitors to the site are reminded that the details contained within user comments are uncorroborated and as such should not be read as fact but as the opinion of the person who left the comment.
Comments:
We took the finance company to County Court and were faced with a lovely young man with a law degree. He was disappointed that no one had turned up from Arnold Clark as requested.
We won the price of having the repairs done in a local garage and also the price of the Court £70 then another sum of £80 as it was actually going to be heard in Court. We even got travelling expenses. We could have claimed for loss of earnings etc. but to be honest it was the principle of the thing ... the stress, worry, intimidation, frustration at hitting brick wall. AND dont bother with their customer services as it is company policy to be evasive and of course its the same company!!
I recently purchased a car from Arnold Clark in Kilmarnock (Picked the car up 31st May 2011) and everyhting seemed to be going brilliant, but, my head gasket has blown due to a water pump failure and have only had the car 4 month’s. I was told by the salesman that I wouldn’t need a warrranty as the car was in good nick but I think this is to do with my budget that I had and the fact they wanted me to take finance with them even though I had already got this set up elsewhere.So I am now paying finance for a car that is sitting outside my house that is not drivable. I have called the dealership and they have told me I am out of warranty and that I will have to pay a £40 fee to get the car assessed even though I know whats wrong with the car, thanks to mr AA Roadside man who had to tow me home, and that they are within their rights. So I am looking at at least a £500 repair for a car that is only 4 months old from when I bought it. The car itself is a vauxhall meriva 2007 model and by all account’s of the numerous people at garages I have spoke to said that the water pump is a common fault in this model. So I continue my calls to customer service who confirmed exactly what the branch said themselves. I have now sent them an email explaining that there is no way a fault like this should happen within the timescale that I have had the car and want this resolved or I will be taking this further, still waiting on a reply surprise surprise!
Any advice or help from anyone I would be extremely grateful and beware of the bad customer service from this dealership
Well what can I say....I had my 3.5year old Vauxhall Corsa towed into their service centre, as it just wouldn't start, It took them 1 week to tell me it could be the Fuel pressure rail that is faulty, and 'if' it wasn't that, it would be the ecu, in total costing £1437... I then waiting another week before they actually started work (numerous calls later) no contact calls from the company, they said that the fuel pressure rail wasn't to blame, and that they needed to replace the ECU, by this time it was coming upto my 3rd week of no car and no offer of a courtesy car, 2 calls received from their service department through this whole process, a mis-communication with regards to replacing the ECU (now on my 4th week) I contacted the head office, and the motoring standards, within 24 hours, received a call from the manager Brian, who was shocked no-one had offered me a courtesy car, and said he'd have one organised for me the very next day ( i thought whey hey, we're getting somewhere!!) another week goes by, and finally my car is picked up, £1400 later... sooo I pick my car up, happily drive out of the forecourt - thinking it was hard to move the car at first - got out to check, to find, they'd reverse parked my car into a wall!!! putting a huge dent in the boot... FUMING... the ordeal is now over... but i will NEVER deal with Arnold Clark again, they are dis-organised, they have poor communication skills and their service is terrible!! WARNING ** deal with Arnold Clark at your own risk.... Terrible!!
They are a nightmare....i bought my wee peugeot four years ago and I think I must have almost rebuilt the bleeding thing the amount of work i've had to do with it!!!
First year it was still under warranty and i had sound of rushing water going through my car and the engine was cutting out on the motorway!!! They asked me if i had a bottle of water under my seat and was I sure i wasnt stalling it.....at 70mph??????erm....NO!!! Took it in 4 times before they admitted my radiator was gubbed!!! Oh....and no courtesy car included as I hadnt booked my car in far enough in advance!!! They are useless!!!
Car also failed 'free' MOT within 6 months..."due to massive hole in the exhaust"....now I am merely female, but I think I would have noticed the racket off of it before I put it in. I enquired if it was a screwdriver sized hole per chance? (a family friend who used to work for Arnie suggested this may be the case - as car was still under warranty, but exhausts arent covered - wear and tear) Managed to get it fixed for free after heated debate with the service manager and after telling potential customer not to even think about buying her car whilst chatting to her in the waiting area over a coffee. Hope she took my advice.
Took me three years to pay car off and numerous repairs to keep the thing on the road in the meantime. Bought this car as it appeared in good nick and had low mileage.....was told it was a 'fleet car' therefore well looked after and serviced properly by Arnie. Came with FSH...who was I to argue???? Think they have just ran it into the ground and stamped the book not giving a monkeys that someone might buy it later. :o(
At the time of purchase I had a permanent job but unfortunately we lost the contract with our biggest client and now I am facing redundancy.
I rang Arnold Clark to explain my position and said as I was told I have a 14 day cooling off period is it ok to cancel the finance and return the car.
Craig took two days to come back with answer and told me the finance could be cancelled but I would have to fund the car by other means. I was unhappy about this and spoke to the manager Barry Palser who also told me I do not have a 14 day period with Arnold Clark just the finance company and will still be responsible to pay for the car. I explained my situation and asked for his help which he just kept saying there is nothing he can do.
I then decided to ring another branch to see whether it is possible to return the car which the manager of this branch said if I was told I had a 14 day cooling off period it is the manager discretion to uphold this verbal contract. I then rang the Ashton branch who still insist he cannot help.
I am deeply distressed with my situation and believe it is awful customer care as I was told I had the option to return the car within 14 days. Now I will lose my job in the next month or so and will have to support a house and pay for other bills also fund a car I was told I could return.
Also when looking on the internet regarding Arnold Clark's 14 day cooling off period I have read that others were able to return their car.
There is also a fault with the passenger door which was discovered at the time of collection.
I am really upset how I have been treated.
My car's been serviced there for the last couple of services & the staff are always pleasant & friendly.
I placed my 4 yr old Ford Focus into the East Kilbride centre for a full service and a repair under warranty to the air condition compressor.
When I got the car back 3 days later, I discovered that they had not replaced the oil and filter. When I telephoned them to complain, they had gone home for the weekend.
I took the car for a test run to try to determine if the other repairs( front brake pads, brake fluid and antifreeze replaced)
had been done.
The test drive confirmed that they had been done.
On the return to home (less than 10miles)the engine management light came on and the car went into reduced power. I stopped at the first available lay-by. Immediately, upon stopping, whisps of grey/ black smoke was coming out of the front grille.
Within 3 minutes, the car engine compartment was fully ablaze.
Afterwords,I spoke directly to the garage manager who promised to investigate.
All I got back was that the oil and filter was changed and that they did not do anything to cause this fire.
Writing twice to the customer service department met with the same results.
I am a transport engineer and I can easily tell the difference between old oil and new oil,( Viscosity,or thickness, colour and smell are completely different between the both).
I have since spoken to an ex A/Clark technician and he informed me that this practice of not changing the oil and filter was widespread and actively encouraged within the Company. I cannot comment further on this, but it certainly concurs with my experience.
To be honest, I have had a few good experiences with A/C but this has left me car-less and disgusted both in their attitude and in their belief that as long as it is ticked off on the check sheet, then regardless of other evidence, it was done.
That arrogance leaves me angry. Dependening upon the insurance report, I intend to take this matter up with trading standards and perhaps the TV programme, 'Watchdog'.
I was ripped off in the service, and fobbed off with the aftershock.I put my car and my faith in getting a good and honest service from Arnold Clark. In both aspects, I was let down.
If you are reading this Mr Clark, please listen to the people who are writing thesecomplaints, They are justified and the loss of faith and subsequent customer base is surely a concern for your Company profile.
Since last October it’s been in their garage for a total of 9 days with various problems, to the extent where they took it off the road for 4 days and they managed to scratch the back of my car which they took no responsibility for.
I have phoned head office and been into the branch only to be told that Arnold Clark have made their decisions regarding your car, and that there is nothing else they could do about it.
They are all nice when they want your money when visiting their showrooms but once they’ve sold you the car they want nothing else to do with you.
I take it customer service isn’t one of Arnold Clark’s strong points. I’ve told the branch and also their customer service department that I would never deal with Arnold Clark again.
I can not wait to get rid of this car, and start from scratch.
"No you need to choose a car then we'll give you a quote" they said.
Somewhat bemused I just pointed at a Scenic and said "OK, that one".
"OK, can I have the keys for yours please". OK I said but before handing them over I asked "Can you give me a rough idea ?".
"Not until we've had your up on the ramp" was the reply.
He didn't get my keys as I just walked away.
Think about this carefully. I'm trading in a high mileage, low value car. Not worth probably 20% of the cost of any equivalent car there. Its going to go into the auctions without any work on it. Why do you need it on a ramp ?
The next day I did a deal on a Skoda. The salesman for that car didn't even look at it. "Oh, I don't need to, it will go into the auctions" he said.
Oh, and the AC sales muppet had really bad BO.
WE TEST DROVE A (USED)SANTA FE WHICH WE WANTED AND WE WERE PROMISED IT AFTER IT HAD BEEN SERVICED. WE LEFT DEPOSIT, THEN WE WERE LEFT WAITING NEARLY 2 MTHS FOR INFORMATION, MANY CALLS TO BRANCH TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON EVENTUALLY FOUND OUT THEY HAD SOLD CAR WE WANTED ELSEWHERE, MANY MORE PHONE CALLS TO GET DEPOSIT BACK. THIS DEALERSIP IS SHADY. THEY ADVERTISE CARS THEY DO NOT HAVE JUST TO GET YOU IN, BEWARE, GO THERE AT YOUR PERIL. BETTER STILL----GO ELSEWHERE !
Arnold clark Leyland complaint
Arnold clark Leyland do not use - if you want to be pestered, harrassed, bothered - beleaguered -
Please use them as this is a service they offer for free
I was approached by a sales apprentice "self claimed title" who was most helpful indeed, friendly, gave me time to come back, apologised for the lack of communication from previous branch, through sheer stupidity i trusted this sales person and gave my mobile number!!! Big mistake
Do not give any contact details -
18 missed calls later within a 48 hour time period - yes that is 18 missed calls
Calling as late as 21.18 hours -
Yes twenty past nine in the evening!!!!
Sheer harrassment - harrasment -
Illegal business practice -
THE WORST CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE EVER - NOT EVEN VIEWED THE CAR - AMAZING SALES TECHNIQUES -
DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR NUMBER TO ANY MEMBER OF STAFF
This time i got in the car thinking surely this is it and thats when i noticed the interior arm rests had been damaged on both sides therefore there must have been something placed along the back seat whilst in getting fixed. Both branches blamed each other. They originally had planned to fit new interior but that changed and a specialist was called in to fix it. I was told by Sandy the service manager thats one they owed me if i ever needed new tyres etc. Away i went again. I had Arnold Clark on direct dial and spent as many days there as the staff. Being Greenock the weather deteriorated and the rain came and so did the leakage problems only this time it was not only passenger door but drivers door and roof the car was like a swimming pool. Away to Glasgow it went again and again and again....Eventually Vauxhall agreed to take the car to Luton on my behalf. Left the car in Greenock branch to be collected but lay several weeks before pick up. I was asked by staff to empty the car before transfer so away to Arnold Clark i went AGAIN. When i got to the car it was in the compound. Firstly the battery was flat, because of this the window jammed half open the car was saturated and there was even water coming out of the speakers. It was a sorry sight!!!! Nearly ten months later and 3000 pound of payments i still had no car. I could not believe the state the vehicle was in and asked for a replacement. A silver Twintop was then transfered from England "Like for Like". I was asked to sign for this car without a test drive or seeing the vehicle on the road. And was asked by Gavin the salesman "why are you reading the small print you not trust us". I got in the car and drove along the main road and shock horror there was a load screaching noise coming from the back passenger side roof. I returned the car within 10 minutes. I told them i was not excepting the vehicle it was faulty and had been through enough. I was told it would be sent to Linwood to be fixed "probably just a small thing" i was told these words over nine months prior about the other car. I was back at square one a and tearing my hair out. I have since been given another vehicle an Astra SXI which needs extensive interior and exterior work which my original vehicle with all it's problems was in perfect condition until Arnold Clark got hold of it. The Value was 500 hundred pound plus less than my original vehicle. I have now been informed by Vauxhall the required work which Arnold Clark was unable to solve has been fixed including four major leaks and a minor leak in the boot.To add salt to the wound it has been placed on the forecourt with a thousand pound more value than that the car i have been given. I am absolutely exhausted and stressed with Arnold Clark. I have wriiten to so many managers and Mr Clark himself only to be offered a service after all this "as a good will gesture". Very very unhappy customer. Arnold Clarks logo that they aim for customer satisfaction is absolute lies...
Dear Sir/Madame,
I am writing to formally advise you of my dissatisfaction with my purchase of a car from your London Road Branch. I would like you to consider this as a formal complaint and advise me how you intend to deal with it.
I would like, firstly to give some context to issues by explaining a little about my relationship with your Organisation:
I have been buying cars from Arnold Clark since I learned to drive in my early 20s. My husband and I have bought 3 Metros, 2 Rovers, 2 Peugeots a Hyundai and now a Mazda. I have, in the past had no complaint with the Organisation. I have been very clear about my motoring needs and these have been met by the wider Organisation and on two previous occasions by the London Road Garage. Doubtless you will be able to confirm this from your records and will appreciate that I am not a vexatious complainant
Salesmen at the London Road garage have been calling me periodically to enquire about my buying intentions. I have spoken to three different salesmen, explaining that I was generally very happy with my Peugeot and that if I did change it would only be to achieve a better specification. If you would like to confirm this brief I am sure you could check with the Peugeot garage on Hamilton Road, which I also visited with the same brief.
Finally, I agreed to visit London Road and speak with Tony Morrison. I explained that my previous Peugeot had a number of features that I missed and that if I changed my car I would be looking for a better specification than that which I currently had. I stipulated no particular make/model/colour of car but said I would probably want to trade in my daughter’s car and transfer my current car to her. I told him I wanted a car that had additional features, for example auto wash/wipe, climate control, comfortable seating, etc. I am the sole occupant when driving, so 3 door/ 5 door was not important.
Tony showed me the car he was driving, a Mazda 3 diesel. I was particularly taken with some of the features, but not with others. For example I wasn’t particularly concerned about blue tooth but was keen on electrically folding mirrors for parking, having recently suffered some damage in a car park. He advised me that Mazda’s were very ‘high spec’ even at a basic level.
Tony located a low mileage Mazda 3 Takara and my daughter and I went over to London Road to allow him to see her car and for him to get, what he described as, ‘a similarly spec of Mazda 3’ for me to test drive, since I would not commit to buying this type car until I had driven it. My daughter and I asked a lot of questions about the spec of the car and how it looked and Tony ran through screens on his computer and went on line on a colleague’s computer to show us the spec. I was very happy with the test drive and agreed to go ahead with buying the Mazda 3 which he described as in ‘mint condition’.
The car is great. I picked it up on the Friday after work and drove it home. On Saturday morning, when it was light, I took the hand book out to the car to have a look at the features. The car had only a few of the features that were described to me. Importantly, from my point of view, it was not a higher specification than my Peugeot and looked and felt less comfortable. There was no electrically folding mirrors, auto wash/wipe or heated seats. I have given up central locking with deadlocks sports detail, colour coordinated and indicator mirrors, trip computer. In effect it didn’t have what I had specifically specified I wanted and was assured it had.
I called Tony Morrison on Saturday morning and told him I was not happy and why. I asked him to think about what I had said and to call me back. He denied assuring me that the car had the specification I wanted but couldn’t explain why having stated I wanted a higher spec, I would settle for something that had a 6CD changer and lights on the vanity mirror.
Tony didn’t call back, either Saturday or Sunday and I called again on Monday and Tuesday, being assured each time by the receptionist that Tony had been given the messages. I called the Manager, Francis Higgins. I told him about my complaint and he assured me he would get Tony Morrison to call me back and deal with my complaint. I waited for a further 2 days and then called Francis Higgins again on the Friday. He was not available but the receptionist assured me she would get a message to him. I called again on the Saturday and was told Francis was with a customer, I left another message asking him to call me. When he hadn’t called by noon, I called again and asked to speak to Francis Higgins; I was put through to Tony Morrison. Tony said he had off sick and tried to call me leaving text messages on a wrong number. Tony has my mobile, home and work numbers, all of which he has used without difficulty, before now. He said that he had printed off the spec of the car he sold me and went through it with me on the Wednesday when I test drove the Mazda. There was very little point in continuing after this since I realized that he was prepared to lie, however I did pose the question about why I would agree to buy this car when I was looking for a better spec and some quite specific features?
I now see no point in calling London Road and I am not prepared to get into an argument with someone I have lost all respect for. I am surprised that he felt it necessary to mislead me about the car, since I would have looked at other cars which did meet my requirements. I am also surprised that having called his manager to discuss this that he didn’t show me the common courtesy of returning my call.
As I stated at the outset of my letter, I am not difficult to deal with. I knew what I wanted and I was very clear about it. I would like a resolution to this problem and an apology for the rude and offhand manner I have been subject to. I am not prepared to spend endless hours trying to get hold of people, or arguing on the telephone. I will take the line of least resistance and copy this letter and any response to Consumer and Trading Standards Agency and BBC’s Watchdog programme. I appreciate that I may not get satisfaction from this process, but at least I will have some closure. Importantly, my husband, my daughter, my son and I will not buy another car from you and will relate my experience at every opportunity to anyone considering buying a car.
I await your prompt response.
Few weeks ago I had to get new back brakes fitted. This was done by kwik fit who said it was very strange as the car had only done 17,000 miles and the front one were fine, I should check with the garage I got it from. So I did and was told that the reason the back brakes were gone was due to the traction control. But wait I said.. I don’t have traction control.. and any way my car is front wheel drive, so the service mananger then changed his mind to that it was the ABS system causing it and tey would not entertain any claim or even look at it! Great. Last week I took it in for its second service (Only use Arnold as I got 2 yrs free service for the balls up when buying the car) and when I got it back I remembered that the Air con wasn’t working when I took it in but surly they would notice this especially when I noticed a tick beside it on the service sheet saying it was working. However, when I questioned this I was told that the tick didn’t mean the aircon was working it just menat the button was. Stupid me for thinking that eh! Took the car back today as it was under warrenty to get the aircon fixed as they said it would be covered and free to find out that I was to pay £45 to get it Re-charged! Apparently that’s not covered for a 2 year old car. Well as you can imagine I didn’t pay and that’s what I would advise anyone else as they are just out in my opinion to cheat as many people out of money as they can.
The garage chain are a joke and I’m amazed they are still trading!
Glad that’s off my chest.
Add a comment about this blagger