Pooder

Up until recently I have had good service from this lot. Two weeks ago I sent a mate to them who bought a 18 month old wrx. I bought a new 98 turbo from them 4 years ogo and have had an STI on order since last December. Thats 60000 worth of business from me in 4 years.I booked my 98 car in for an MOT valet and service recently.
48 hours before I get a call saying they cant do the MOT. I said it had to be done as it ran out that day and the valet is important as I have someone looking at the car. The reply what valet.Briefly I went ballistic with the general manager and eventually they did the MoT, valet and service and kept the car a day longer than originally planned.
I have now sold MY98 Turbo and have asked the bloke to hang on till the end of April as this was when I was promised the STi.
They now tell me the STi won't be here until the beginning of May so I told them I have to let my own car go so will they lend me something for a few days. The reply "only if they have something suitable at the time". Great service to a valued customer!!!!
One thing I didn't mention was that the car always had service by them so they've had all this business aswell.
Anyone out there had similar experiences?

mutant_matt

I've had the salesman be rude to me when I was discussing the price. Needless to say I went elsewhere.

Also, had the same salesman be rude to me several months later when I gave my friend a lift there to pick up his new Scoob, in the Scoob that I bought elsewhere.

That same friend had some terrible service from them later on. It seemed that once he had bought the car, they were no longer interested in looking after him

I'm sure there are plenty of people on here who have had good service from them, just two of us that haven't and I for one, will never give them any more of my business.

Matt

SiCotty

I would not go near lancaster sevenoaks ever. Lets just say after a service the car was missing some inportant things in the engine department.

Use Adams now in Aylesbury, always very nice and do a good job.

Si

mega_stream

I have to say the salesman I spoke to the other week was a complete kn0b and I was very close to twatting him one [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

I don't know who he thinks he is, but he needs to remember he's only a car salesman and be a bit more polite to his pontential customers [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Needless to say, I too went elsewhere with business

Markus

Any idea of the salesman's name?

Pooder

The guy I have been dealing with there is Steven Heap I think he is OK but those above him stink and its about time they got their act together. I have payed this outfit serious amounts of my hard earned over the past 4 years and now I am seriously pissed off with them. Anyone from the Lancasster group care to comment,or are you happy to decend into mediocrity like most of the rest of your industry

rotdot

Took my 98 sport to them for a sevice when i first bought it as the car had full service history, i was discusted!
Im a mot tester/mechanic myself and would'nt dream of returning a car the way i got mine back.
1st thing when i pulled up to pick it up i noticed they had parked the bumper on the kerb, scratching it.
2nd the doors were covered in greasy hand prints.
So will not be going back there.

mega_stream

Dunno his name, Hugh Grant sound-a-like...

Frankie

As someone once said, - "you can't please all of the people all of the time"

Carry on the good work Lancaster Sevenoaks, especially Steve Heap & Hugh Grant(?)

dougthethug

I dealt with William Pewsey. Is he supposed to be the Huge Grant lookalike? He doesn't really...

LoFi

still trying to get them to change my service book to one with the new intervals

Piers LoFi

mutant_matt

It's a shame they don't read this BBS (well I assume they don't because they never seem to post or defend themselves ), because it would be nice to hear their point of view.

Or perhaps, they know deep down (but won't admit it) that they don't offer decent service and are not man enough to admit it .

People would cut them much more slack and give them more respect (and indeed repeat business) if they were to at least admit it when they screw up and make an attempt to put things right and at least give them impression that they *could* care less.....

Matt.

Frankie

Mut(e) Matt
Did'nt you buy an import after driving a proper UK spec demonstrator at the Sevenoaks dealer?

That could be one of the reasons they ignore you.....

mutant_matt

Frankie,

No what happened was that I test drove a UK demo and was only "thinking" about an Import (but was leaning towards a UK car) but when I asked about getting the price nearer the "Import" price, the rudeness from the salesman was unbelievable. He started trying to scare me into what would happen if I bought the evil import. Started lying about the import laws changing, VAT and car import duty going up, inability of UK dealers to service EU imports, inability of dealers to carry out warranty work etc.etc.etc.

He made up my mind for me at that point that I wasn't going to give this dealer (and also any UK dealer) my business. Had he not taken that stance, I may well have ended buying a car from him, but it was his loss.

Matt

mutant_matt

P.S. Frankie, from your profile I suspect that you do in fact work for Lancasters, no?

Matt

Anonymous Coward

The sales team there seem to live in a completely fictional make-believe world...

I noticed recently in the window two used STI UK's for sale - one Prodrive'd and one standard.

Despite the standard having mileage well into 4 figures, and the Prodrive having only 500 - the standard was *more* expensive....

How the heck does that work ?!?!?

Go figure....

Mr. X

Frankie

Anon,

Maybe the higher price was because of ....

i) Lead time for the standard cars

ii) The huge spec.....if you'd looked at the car...

Do you want to buy it?
Why not give Steve/Alan/Ian or Hugh Grant a call..

mutant_matt

Frankie,

So you *do* work for Lancasters then????

Matt

mega_stream

LoL at the Hugh Grant ref's

Yeah sounds to me like you work there...
So, how's Liz?

LoFi

as some sort of defence I brought my car from Ian at Sevenoaks and he was very good, but still not having much luck getting them to change the service book

Piers LoFi

mutant_matt

Ian (sorry, Frankie ( )),

As it's clear you *do* in fact read the board, do you not feel it would be good PR (if nothing else) to defend Lancasters, if only to let people hear the "other side of the story"?????Sticks and stones huh? Like I said, I was in the market for a UK car but this kind of attitude ( how does a "proper UK spec car" differ in spec from what I have then? ) is what drove me (coupled with the rudeness) to import.

BTW, I've since found out how much IM sell a UK car to dealers for so I'm not surprised you can't remotely compete on price alone, but had you explained that in a civil manor and explained in a reasonable manor what the advantages to a UK car over an import were, the result *may* have been extremely different.

Hopefully, this will be taken as the constructive critisism it is meant as

Cheers,

Matt

boultsy

Matt, you had to look at his profile to sus he was a dealer

Must say it's gone very quiet round here.

What sort of childish attitude would that be then? Surely not a Subaru dealer.

Why should you be rude just because someone goes elsewhere. I'm sure many people visit showrooms with more than one car in mind, take a few out for a test drive and then choose one over the other. The tiny amount that dealers supposedly get over a sale is nothing compared to parts and servicing I'm sure a director of said showroom would be over the moon to know that just because someone didn't get that sale they lost the dealership lots of revenue in after sales.

If you choose to ignore potential customers it's your loss.

mutant_matt

quite...

Nathan L

I hate the way when I take my EU Import into Lancasters certain members of the sales team talk to you. Ian has been absoloutely fine but the short guy, (Sorry don't know your name) is frankly a prat. David on service reception and the parts team are also no problem and very friendly.

The short guy actually told me I was stupid for buying an EU car and that he could have given me a deal. "Whats your best deal on a new WRX then" I ask. "I can do you one for 19999". Sorry mate still no good I paid 16000 for mine inc extras. After three years when the IM warranty has finished both cars will be of the same value give or take a few hundred quid.

Pooder

I have been away for a few days - Interesting to see all your replys, Lancaster need to get thier act together. I might copy this lot and send it to them
Steve

mutant_matt

Pooder,

I'm not sure you need to, Frankie (aka Ian ) has already contributed as you can see. The fact that he's now gone quiet seems quite in character judging by mine and others experiences....

I think they are quite set in there ways and doubt that they will change as presumably, they have enough customers to survive who are happy enough with the service they *do* provide. By all means have a go but I don't think you'll get any joy....

Matt

Pooder

Monday I am going to phone them to see if they have a delivery date for my car which was meant to be here this week!!!! If not are they going to lend me a car.?????I will probably get the brush off again given recent events. My work mate who I sent to them a couple of weeks ago who bought a year old WRX from them is pissed off with them as well!!!! He has issues about the brakes and steering on his car. He is a pilot and understands things technical
He is being given the run around
They Know about this thread so keep it coming
Steve

SimonH

Well, it's probably not worth much but my brief dealings with Lancasters were more than satisfactory.

I went down there to look at a P1 and (unintentionally) an STi UK. IIRC it was William I dealt with - very helpful, intelligent and articulate (all fairly rare commodities in car salesmen in my experience). I prevaricated and faffed about and in the end didn't buy either car, however throughout, Lancasters were very helpful offering on a couple of occasions to bring cars out to me (2hrs away) for test drives. I was more than happy with the service I received from the sales side and would happily recommend the place to friends.

PS. Pooder being a pilot doesn't actually give you much insight into the technical workings of cars - as well you should know going by your profile - unless JARs have had that big an effect on the ATPL syllabus...

Pooder

Simon,
Like your website.
Maybe the military don't teach you anything technical, but when I did my ATPL many yrs ago b4 JAR was ever thought of we had to pass technicals in amongst other things. AC and DC electrics, Hydraulics, Piston Engines, Pneumatics etc.
Every time we do a type rating we have to have a detailed tech knowledge of the aircraft. My current type is the 737-800 which has full authority digital engine control, requires knowledge of computer based engine management systems. If this lot doesn't qualify us to have an understanding of the workings of cars, I don't know what does.
Steve

Pooder

Simon have you considered that you may have been getting the service because they are trying to get you to part with 250000 plus of your hard earned.
Phoned them today---Guess what no offer of a loan car and no delivery date for mine. Got a bloody Corsa on hire now for 140 a week,thanks a lot Lancaster
Steve