halliwelljoneschestermini.co.uk

Car salesmen have a bad reputation for good reason.

I had a skid in the snow early January, causing serious damage to my car. I could tell it would most likely be written off.My poor car then sat at the side of the road for 10 days before Toyota eventually decided to collect it. In this time, the police ended up having to cordon it off as local residents were concerned about its safety.The recovery company eventually collected it but then decided to keep the car for ransom at their base in Warrington because they apparently hadn't been paid properly for the collection! They eventually delivered it to Halliwell Jones in Chester for assessment etc.My policy states I would receive a courtesy car, and the contact at Halliwell Jones repeatedly told me "there is a Mini here for you but I'm just waiting on approval to hand it over to you". On top of this, I had explained to him and Toyota Insurance that I support 2 elderly parents with Alzheimer's and transport is vital.However, I was left without a courtesy car throughout what became one of the most stressful periods in a long time.Toyota Insurance eventually wrote off my car and gave me what appeared to be slightly under market value for it, although the transaction and dealings with them at this point where fine, and their customer service staff were great.However, like a final kick in the face, although the guy at Halliwell Jones promised me he wouldn't release my car for scrapping until I had been to collect my personal possessions from it (as I hadn't had the chance the day of the accident), when I turned up at the agreed day and time, the car had already been taken away. Only by my own investigation, was I able to track it down to Copart car auctions in Sandycroft, where they kindly let me access the car to retrieve my things.Thanks to Toyota Insurance Services and Halliwell Jones Chester for making what was already a stressful situation so much more difficult.

Date of experience: Mar 01, 2026