steveneagell.co.uk

Poor Service & False Promises - AVOID

I would like to express my disappointment with the service I received from the Steven Eagell Group, particularly at the Birmingham branch. Initially, I was interested in purchasing a Toyota Corolla from the King’s Lynn branch. I was informed that the vehicle was marked as sold and was being transferred to the Birmingham branch. I fully understood and accepted this situation.Subsequently, I contacted the Birmingham branch and spoke with a salesman named Steve. I expressed my interest in purchasing the vehicle outright with cash, should it become available again. Steve agreed and later contacted me to confirm that the vehicle was mine to purchase, stating that the previous finance arrangement had fallen through. This conversation was allegedly recorded. He promised to call me back within the hour to take a deposit, which he did. During that call, I requested that the vehicle be transferred to the King’s Lynn branch, where I preferred to complete the transaction.Steve appeared displeased by this request and ended the call abruptly, stating, "Make sure they request it." When I spoke to the manager at King’s Lynn, he advised that Birmingham ultimately had the authority over the sale and could refuse to transfer the vehicle. Within approximately five minutes of calling Birmingham back, I was informed that the vehicle had already been sold—despite never having declined the offer.I then submitted feedback via email to the Feedback Team. Following this, I was contacted by Mark Brown, the General Manager of the Birmingham branch, who acknowledged that his salesman had acted inappropriately. He explained that finance had been attached to the car, although this had never been communicated to me prior. Regardless, I had been clearly told that the car was mine to purchase.As a resolution, Mark Brown assured me that his team would locate a similar Corolla, which they did—though it was found by King’s Lynn. He also committed to price matching the original vehicle as a gesture of goodwill. However, when it came time to finalise the sale, this promise was not honored. I was later informed by the store manager, Ben Carwardine, that the price match would not be applied after he had spoken to Mark Brown.Communication from this point onward was poor. Despite requesting confirmation of the vehicle registration, I received no clear response. I did not reject the second vehicle and even increased my budget in an effort to secure the sale. Ultimately, the vehicle was sold to another customer for approximately £1,000 less than what I had offered—this price was publicly listed on Toyota's own website. The manager said the vehicle was "not for me".I attempted to resolve the matter by offering several reasonable solutions, all of which were declined. I contacted both Mark Brown and Ben Carwardine directly by email, but found both to be unhelpful and unwilling to take responsibility for their branch’s poor handling of the situation.I have also reached out to their Customer Service email in the hope of escalating my concerns to someone more senior. Unfortunately, each attempt has simply been referred back to the Birmingham branch.This experience has left me feeling frustrated and let down by what appears to be a disregard for customer service and the core values that the Steven Eagell Group claims to uphold. I sincerely hope this feedback prompts a thorough internal review, and that someone in a position of authority will take the time to address my concerns appropriately.

Date of experience: Jul 31, 2025