Ian S

Frustrated and disappointed

I bought my first car from Steven Eagell in Bletchley a long time ago and have since bought five more from their Northampton branch. Never had problems in the past but this time I’m left with the impression that customer loyalty counts for nothing and that once they have your money, they are not interested in you. I ordered my current car in August 2022 with the Tech Pack specified - as advertised by Toyota this should include a heads up display, improved radio etc. A few weeks later, we decided that we should choose a different colour and asked whether that was possible but were told if we did that we would lose the Tech Pack since it was being discontinued to U.K. customers. In May the car arrived and I took delivery of the car on May 10th 2023. At handover I asked about the Tech Pack and was assured that the car had it - I hoped so because I had paid for it! It was also noted when I opened the boot whilst still at the dealer that there was no boot liner which is part of the specified protection pack. I was told my car would be collected the following week and the pack would be fitted the following week. Worth mentioning here that I arrived a few minutes early for handover and my car was outside and clearly hadn’t been washed. There was a delay before I could get in it while it was being cleaned! Wouldn’t you think this kind of thing would be checked prior to handover? Time passes and I hear nothing! In the meantime I recheck the specification of the Tech Pack - good job I keep and print off these things and now I know for sure that the vehicle sold to me does not have the £825 Pack that I ordered and paid for. A few weeks later they told me there had been an “error” and that my £825 would be refunded. When one makes a purchase as significant as a car, one does not expect “errors”. Had I not made a fuss they would have happily kept quiet about their failure to deliver because I really can’t believe that vehicles arriving from Toyota aren't checked to ensure customers orders are fulfilled. Anyway, the refund arrived around 5 weeks after I had taken delivery. Now the Protection Pack which should have been fitted before delivery was, I was told, ordered and so I waited patiently and went off for a week away in the car and heard nothing. Several emails later which all went unanswered and I’d heard nothing. I don’t hear too well so dislike using the phone but I did make my displeasure known on Facebook and eventually I was contacted and told the Pack hadn’t been ordered at all. Yesterday I’m told they will fit the pack next week minus the mudflaps which are unavailable. We shall see! Another refund for the mudflaps it seems. I might have been more forgiving had someone contacted me to explain that the Tech Pack was unavailable in the U.K. or that there were problems with the Protection Packs but this should have been done between ordering and delivery and not left for me to discover after I had accepted the car. It leaves a sour taste and ruins the car purchase experience which should be a good one! Had I known that the car I ordered was not going to be supplied then the order would have been cancelled. Do Steven Eagell care? Not a jot it seems. I’ve had many cars over the years and purchased many new Toyotas since 1986. Within Toyota there was a strong emphasis on customer care (remember the Ceremony of the Keys after a service?) and that seems to have gone. We will see whether the protection pack is eventually fitted next week - over three months since the car was delivered. I will have to return to the dealership for routine servicing until such time as I sell the vehicle but I cannot imagine purchasing from them again.