rsk21
Member Since: 29 Jan 2007
Location: Northants
Posts: 162
  
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| CHPR very good - other dealers maybe not so much Part 2 |
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Following on from my Part 1 thread other than CHPR the whole buying experience has been a bit of a mixed bag. We were a long way down the track with Northampton Audi (highly recommended if ever you're in the market for an Audi) on a new Q7 but when all things were considered Mrs RSK said it had to be another LR so we set about the search for a new D4.
We live just North of Milton Keynes and so our immediate options were as follows:
1 - Stratstone Newport Pagnell - Never ever will I buy a car from these people and nor will they ever see a penny of servicing or warranty work despite them being the nearest dealer to me. I won't go into details but if anybody else has had the misfortune to deal with them you'll know exactly what I mean. In a moment of weakness I stuck my head around the door to enquire what they had coming through in HSE spec for September 1st delivery. Guy in a showroom devoid of any other customers gave a me a full print out but then didn't take my name or any other details whatsoever or indeed even ask why I might be interested !
2 - Hartwell Northampton - Our first port of call 5 mins after we'd handed back the Q7 following a morning long test-drive. Conversation went a bit like this - "Hello, we'd like to buy a new D4, we're serious buyers, ready to go, that's our D3 out there, and we very nearly bought an Audi Q7 this morning but thought better of it , help us find a D4 would you ?" - "Of course Sir, I've no confirmed PCP rates etc yet but I get them next Wednesday I'm told, I'll take your details and call you then if that's OK ?" - "Great, look forward to it" - And that was the last I heard from them 
3 - Marshalls Bedford - We take our D3 here for all servicing work after one too many debacles with the aforementioned Stratstone Newport Pagnell. They are extremely good in our experience and the deal they offered straight off with no haggling or nonsense was pretty competitive. CHPR beat it though and beat it by quite a margin in the end.
4 - Stratstone Aylesbury - Went here because our D3 was sourced from Perry's Luton who had looked after us well until they had to close and the business manager from Perry's is a good bloke now at this dealership. Sales Manager was pleasant and very helpful - deal was lousy and based on straight list price and no firm commitment on our car. I made no further contact after the deal was presented as I had asked "Is that the best that can be done" and was told categorically yes it was. I made it clear (I thought) that I wasn't going to get into a Dutch auction and that I was looking for a good deal to proceed quickly. A week went by and I received a call back asking did I want to proceed. When I said no because I thought the best deal had been given to me and it wasn't competitive I was the asked what I thought competitive looked like. I told the chap and then 10 mins later after a "chat with the powers that be" their first and "best" deal was suddenly £60 a month lighter on the PCP !  When I asked "OK so what about my car in terms of fixing a PX value ?" another chat with said people on high needed to take place and I would be called back within 10 minutes. This was last Thursday lunchtime and I've not heard since 
So all in all a mixed bag and really only Marshalls emerge IMO with any credit.
The Hartwell thing just baffles me. How in this market a business can just ignore a prospect who walks in with a big sign around his/her neck saying "We nearly bought a competitor car but we've seen the error of our ways please help us" is beyond me.
As for the UK's largest Land Rover distributor. Newport Pagnell is a shambles, morale seems the lowest of the low and IMO it needs a real new broom approach from the top down. Aylesbury I feel sorry for, nice guys, professional, courteous and helpful but hampered I sense by "Powers that be" and a crippled corporate balance sheet which no doubt accounts for some, but not all, of the malaise at NP too.
RSK FFRR Vogue SE - Waitomo
D4 XXV - Causeway
D4 HSE 255 - Sumatra
D4 HSE 245 - Stornoway
D3 S - Java
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 26th Jul 2009 6:04 pm |
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