Before I start my review I want to say that all staff were very friendly and we dealt with Sam Purdy who was a nice guy and didn’t in anyway spoil our test drive or make us feel pressured.
We got a phone call about an hour before the appointment to confirm we were coming still which was fair enough, we turned up and were left in the waiting area and informed Sam is who we have an appointment with and he was still on a test drive with someone else. We were left waiting for a good while. Sam got back and said hello and said he wouldn’t be long. The couple before us were talking cars and what expensive car they wanted for a good while. Luckily we got one seat which was spare as my wife is pregnant and wouldn’t have been able to just stand about for that length. My only issue here is less than an hour before we had a call and they could’ve said no rush as he has people before and might run over.
Anyways. When we arrived I saw the car I was to test drive was down the side Facing away from us with a big white UK sticker on the back, this is absent in the stock photos and video. I’ve since checked and you can see it was coloured out. I know this does happen in car sales, but I don’t like it, it’s a put off and red flag. When we went to the car it had been moved. Again Red flag, I want to drive the car from cold, call me old fashioned, but I don’t trust people who want my mine and want it as plain faced as possible. Sam left us to check the car while he sorted my part exchange stuff. Pointless as was offered less than we buy any car and cinch! A few little scratches and the horrible sticker were seen, a bit of dirt in the boot and didnt look very clean. When on the test drive I felt the car needed a good clean and there were also no floor mats either. Sam was lovely on the drive, however I was shown nothing on the car and the handful of questions I had I didn’t get a good response, also questions I’d asked online were conflicted, one being Apple CarPlay. Simple to confirm, show me the screen. I didn’t get shown any buttons, any features or how anything worked. Aircon was off so was baking in the sun and was a good chance to test it worked. I know I could’ve spoke up or pressed buttons myself but I’m not the one trying to earn money for a product. When I’m at work I do all this unprompted.
Back at the office I was immediately asked to move my car as I was blocking someone, then in the office we were run through a billion numbers and tried to be up sold the after sales packages, this is where the company lost us. Really didnt seem bothered about us, our lovely car or the car we wanted, it was all service plans and give us more money. If we were told this is your part exchange price, this is what you’d be left to pay and these are the figures if you want finance with our broker then we probably would’ve gone ahead. However we were so muddled and had to get out and have fresh air and a cold drink as we were gasping, again wife is pregnant and forgot her bottle of water at home in Essex. I want to say again, this is in no way a jab towards Sam. He was approachable, respectful and kind.
I do question how the company runs and their tactics for sales. I would’ve bought the car if there wasn’t so many red flags and they were more about the car I’m buying rather than service plans and figures. Five stars for Sam. Four stars for the company.
Mini specialists yet don’t know much when asked, conflicting answers and no show and tell on a car I’m expected to pay £15,600 plus added fees and over £3,000 on extra service plans and I don’t even get a glass of water or cup of tea while I’m there.
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View the used cars, parts and servicing available from Prestige Cars Kent in Bromley, Kent.
