I recently visited Toyota Group 1 and had an outstanding experience with the salesman Michael Willis. From the moment I started my interaction with him, he was friendly, patient, knowledgeable and genuinely invested in helping me. He answered every question clearly, took his time walking me through the car today and made the entire process feel relaxed and positive. Honestly, if my experience had stayed with Michael alone, this would have been a 5-star review without hesitation.Unfortunately, everything changed when the issue of the tyres was raised with Peter. During my inspection, I noticed clear wear and cracking on the tyre edges - something already flagged on the MOT. Michael did the right thing and consulted his manager Peter. What happened next completely shifted the tone of the visit.Peter came outside and immediately adopted an aggressive, dismissive attitude. Rather than discussing the tyre concerns calmly, he insisted the tyres were “legally fine” despite the obvious cracking on the edges. His explanations kept changing - first claiming there was 3mm on the sides, then backtracking to say the 3mm was only in the middle. Even then, he insisted it didn’t matter and it was legal.Throughout the conversation, he repeatedly interrupted me, spoke over me and made me feel belittled and unheard. His smirking and laughing were incredibly unprofessional and honestly quite shocking. I truly hope the forecourt cameras are reviewed because the manner in which he handled this was unacceptable. I couldn’t even finish my sentence before he abruptly declared he would send the car back to London where it originally came from because “there’s no money in it” and they had to pay transportation fee for it to arrive and then stormed off. To be blunt the same funds Peter would have to put in to transporting the car back to London would be the same if not less changing the tyres. It was a complete contrast to the respectful and helpful interaction I had with Michael. He was doing everything right - professional, honest and genuinely pleasant. My family attended with me today and had the same kind words to say about Michael and agreed that Peter’s attitude ruined what had otherwise been a very promising experience. It’s disappointing, because if the dealership had more people like Michael and fewer interactions like the one I had with Peter, I would have happily completed the purchase today.
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Group 1 Automotive is an international automotive retailer group, with over 114 stores and 20 brands represented across the UK.
Customer service is our number one priority, and our highly skilled teams are dedicated to providing our customers with excellent service at all times. If you are looking for a brand new or used car or van, we are here to make your purchase and ownership journey enjoyable and convenient. Our Aftersales care ensures complete peace of mind, with approved servicing, repairs and body work carried out by our expert team of technicians using only genuine parts.
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