Michael B

Michael

It's a nice looking showroom and Raymond at Howard Johnston Cars Ltd is a very welcoming person. He was also very helpful as regards to securing the car. There was quite a few cosmetic issues with the car that were to be remedied before taking it away but these were not resolved. A lot of tiny marks on the paint work and also on the interior. They simply polished the car and spray painted the door handles on the inside. The previous owner had damaged the door interior with their jewellery. Also the steering was off by a good bit and rattles coming from the boot. This took 3 months to rectify with me having to drop the car in on numerous occasions and take a Fiat 500 as a courtesy car. The dealership were told by the garage that the car was perfect when it arrived in and I must have caused the issues despite highlighting the steering issue from the start. It took a written letter laying out my rights that forced Raymond to accept liability. Raymond tried to say the garage operated as separate companies but seeing as they're in the same building, they work together and Raymond tells them what to do. The mechanic wasn't too happy with having to carry out the repairs, maybe because he said the car was perfect and I essentially stood up to him. At the end Raymond went with me on a final drive to ensure the car was ok and I thanked him for his work but I think he was glad to see the back of me. Also when I visited the garage during this dispute, Raymond was on holidays so I was talking to another gentleman and I overheard another couple complaining of an issue that was similar to mine so I wasn't an isolated case and I'm sure there are many more that aren't highlighted. The lesson I learned was not to buy a car in a rush and to make sure everything is to my satisfaction before handing over the full amount but I trusted Raymond when he said everything was ok. Despite all this, they are nice people to your face but then again they are salesmen and will do as little as possible if they can get away with it once they have your money. I would like to say though that compared to my other visits to dealerships, this one is more relaxed and Raymond is a very good salesman. I never felt any pressure to buy.