Cars for sale at well known LK garage monopoly

[dandev]

Perhaps it's all just an advert for arnold clarks?

 

If not here is one http://www.arnoldclark.multiservers.com

[Njugle]

We try to operate a non-trolling, non-spam policy, i just wouldn't like to think that PP signed up purely to say one inflammatory or negative thing in one post and then disappear, or even worse revert to another user name.

 

Garage comments are welcomed.

 

I don't either buy cars from local garages or use lerwick garages for repairs and the like, perhaps that says something in itself.

[Skyumpi]

Thought I'd have to say something in defence of the the garage I assume is being referred to in this thread.

 

Twartree years ago we decided to buy a brand new car for the first time. I did the internet research and phoned a couple of dealers Sooth and added on the cost of a ferry fare to get an idea of what my best price would be.

I usually prefer to spend my money in Shetland where practical, I'm even willing to pay a premium for certain goods such as this that may require servicing or warranty work. I figured that if they could come within £500 of the mainland price then it would be worth my while buying it here. There initial price was not good but after a little bargaining we took the car from the local dealer for £35 more than the best price (new that is, not pre-registered) I could get South. We've had the car regularly serviced with the garage, they've kept in touch with us, all dealings have been transparent and I've been surprised by what they've covered under warranty work. I've certainly no complaints about them so far.

 

That said, if I'd been a peerie old wife come seekin a car and had taken the first price that had been offered........ well, that wouldn't have been good, but I guess that that's no different to any garage in the world. It seems that you must expect to haggle a little at a garage if you want a good price.

[marlin13]

I purchased a car new in shetland a year or so ago from an out of town dealer.

Yes I probably could have got a better price south, however the aftersales service has been very good and if you buy a car from them the dealer is likely to go the extra mile or offer extra small things gratis which you would otherwise have to pay for.

 

Yes I would expect franchised dealers to do warranty work on cars not bought from them, but I expect they would go by the book and any small extras they may let there own customers have would be chargeable to others.

 

 

In the end its a free country you can buy stuff where you like, if a local dealer offers stuff, cars or anything else at a higher price its anyones option to buy from whoever. But don't expect the aftersales from your local dealer.

 

If I had a pound for everytime I had heard on the telephone or in person the words, I didn't buy this from you but...., I would be a rich enough to have someone else surf shetlink for me.

[Twerto]

Non of the Shatland Garages seem to of signed up to this yet.

 

http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/index.html

 

Code of conduct for garages is launched

 

Peter Woodman

 

The motor industry yesterday launched a new code of practice to stop consumers being ripped off by garages.

 

Surveys have shown that car owners could be paying as much as £4bn a year more than they need to for vehicle servicing.

 

From now on motorists will have the reassurance of a new scheme and a tough enforcement regime to ensure fair and honest treatment by garages.

advertisement

 

The new code - administered by a stand-alone body called Motor Codes - commits subscribing garages to honest and fair services, open and transparent pricing, completing work as agreed, invoices that match quoted prices, competent and conscientious staff and a straightforward, swift complaint procedure. John Hutton, the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, said: "For too long the bad practices of a minority have damaged honest businesses and ripped off consumers. I'm delighted that the industry has got together to tackle this problem and drive up standards."

[khitajrah]

Help urged for Uk auto industry

 

They must be doing alright here in Shetland because my friend went to a car dealer after being approved for a car loan by the bank. She made the mistake of going at ten to two in the afternoon. Someone approached her and asked if they could help and she replied that she would like to buy a car, please. They told her to return in ten minutes, as this person was still on their lunch break.

 

She went somewhere else.

[beachcaster]

^ Are car salesmen not allowed to have a lunchbreak?

 

Most garages in Shetland probably only have one salesperson, so going without an appointment at lunchtime is probably not the brightest thing to do.

[khitajrah]

Several thousand pounds vs. ten minutes loss of a lunch break. I know what I'd choose, especially if the car industry is as bad as they say it is.

[Fjool]

^(beachcaster) Sure, they're maybe within their rights, but Khitajrah has a good point. Do you honestly think that sending a customer away (i.e. losing a sale) because you're not prepared to cut lunch short by 10 minutes makes for good business?

 

And, frankly, if I were going to spend several thousands of pounds, I'd expect the show room to be tripping over themselves to make sure I spent it there. Not asking me, the customer, to fit in around their lunch-break. Just who is serving who in this scenario?

[beachcaster]

If the salesperson was in the tearoom refusing to budge until 2 o'clock then you do have a valid point and walking away would be not unreasonable. Personally i would probably fire an employee for doing something like that.

Offering the potential buyer a cup of coffee or tea while they waited would have been a better option as the saleperson might have been at home or at a cafe or chipshop, etc, so cutting their lunchbreak short by 10 minutes would not be possible as they were off the garage premisis.

 

However, i don't think asking someone to wait 10 minutes to see the person who can help them the most is unreasonable.

The person who walked away from the showroom and bought another car from another garage might not have gotten the best deal they could have, as they were not prepared to wait for 10 minutes to see what that garage could offer them.

If i was buying a car worth several thousand pounds then i would have checked out every garage to see what deals were on the table, before chosing the best car at the best price.

Perhaps i just have a bit more patience than some, and i don't expect the world to stop turning for me.

[tlady]

But if the salesperson was away from the garage for lunch surely it's good practice to inform the customer that there will be a 10 min wait

[Pooks]

Surely it would have been best to give the prospective buyer the keys to the car for a good look around for 10 mins before the salesperson turned up to actually sell the thing.

 

Remember that this is Lerwick (I presume). The place that closes on Wednesdays and makes sure that there is nobody available in any retail departments at lunchtime. Which just so happens to be the time when people might want to buy something.

[trooter]

At that time of day you generally wouldn't find anyone in, must just have been back from lunch early and salesperson still out. Waiting ten minutes wouldn't have hurt surely.

[shuggie]

I've bought a couple of new cars up here and each time I've found the service to be pretty good. I bought a new car fae sooth once and it was a right nightmare trying to get it fixed up here when the electrics packed up!!! Yes I maybe saved a few hundred quid, but for all the hassle I had to go through to get it fixed in Shetland I wished I had just bought local.

[khitajrah]

I bought a new car fae sooth once and it was a right nightmare trying to get it fixed up here when the electrics packed up!!!

 

We had the same thing happen with our car, but it was purchased from a Shetland dealer. On the way into town to get our shopping the electrical warning light came on. We popped into the garage but no one was there (because they were all on their lunch break - fair enough!) so we decided to get our shopping at the Co-op. We filled the boot and then we went to pop into Tesco's (for awhile I did have an inkling for their very inexpensive latte's) for a few things. When we went to leave the car refused to start. This was at about half-past two in the afternoon. We got home, finally, at 7 pm that night. An hour's wait for the tow truck and then several hours sitting around in the garage with a toddler waiting for the insurance companies/garage/car hire place to speak with each other. The receptionist was fab and sat and spoke with us for a bit, offered us coffee and biscuits and there was even a great place for our toddler to play. Eventually we were given a courtesy car from the garage - and we ended up keeping it for a month as our car was shipped to Orkney to have the entire electrical system replaced. It's still not working properly - the temperature gauge says it's 25 degrees outside and every now and then the car just stops working. Warning: Don't buy a Renault Clio if you live in Shetland - they haven't the facilities to fix them (so said the receptionist).

 

As for turning away a customer - I'm hardly begrudging a person their lunch break - folk need to eat, but surely a coffee could have been offered, or a look-see about the car lot, and a simple explanation that the salesman would be a few minutes, or whatever. I don't think actually sending a customer away from the premises for ten minutes is very good business practise*. Although she did go somewhere else she still hasn't purchased a car yet.

 

* although previous experience would indicate my business sense is decidedly lacking.