Hartwell plc Anmeldelser 370

Hartwell Dunstable’s, Stefan Pruteanu needs serious investigating and I urge this company to do this ASAP
Otherwise I can only assume that the whole team/company is in on this together…

Sent enquiry through Auto traders for used car on finance on 9th February 2025
Received response on 10th responding to my interest. Spoke with Stefan over phone about car. Expressed interest in wanting to view car . As in London and car in Dunstable, Stefan suggested a £99 reservation fee for car which would be non refundable if I applied for finance and it was accepted. I wasn’t 100 per cent confident in this arrangement but went with it. However before paying I did express to Stefan that I was not happy with having no refund if I didn’t end purchasing the car through finance. Stefan and I quote responded that, “he would not argue over £100 quid and would refund if I decided against purchase. Paid over phone with my card details. Looking back plenty of red flags but I ignored as I kept thinking it’s a “reputable and legitimate” car company, I’m sure everything will be fine.
Didn’t end up going to see the car and didn’t apply for finance - went with a different company instead the same day-Evans Halshaw Ford Manchester who were brilliant by the way and GAVE BACK my £99 deposit even after applying for finance, being accepted and collecting and driving car home.
When I changed mind I informed Stefan by text, he asked why I had decided against purchasing from him and what the other company was offering in terms of APR etc. I responded politely that this was my decision and I would like to be refunded. Stefan agreed to the refund.

Three days went by, no refund. I text Stefan enquiring when to expect refund. His response, up to 5 working days. A further 5 days later no refund, I text Stefan, no response until 1st March after some pestering from me in between through phone calls and texts in which he would also answer appeared very polite and professional (disguised compliance) with excuses about why the refund had not happened including him thinking it had been processed and promising to get back to me after checking with his staff/accountant to trace payment and even questioning if I was sure I hadn’t already received it. This went on for more than a month! On my second to last conversation over phone, after saying that he would be tracing refund request with accountant which would take some time due to hundreds of thousand of pounds going through their accounts including the purchase of the car I didn’t go through with by another client 😑🙄. I then called again some days later with which would be our last conversation where he confirmed with me over phone the card I used to pay the reservation fee of £99. And again looking back I should have thought things through better but by this time I was so focused on getting my money back I didn’t think things through properly. He said he wanted to confirm my card details as there was one other card that also had not yet received their refund and he needed to clarify which was which. So as I did when paying over the phone initially, I confirmed long card no expiry date and CVS number.
Straight after the call I came to the realisation of what he may be planning to do so I quickly removed all money from the said account in to one of my other accounts and froze my card and activated a replacement card via my online banking. Freezing my card still allowed for other transactions including direct debits and refunds…
My last attempt to call Stefan was I believe 11/12th March and by this time I am sure I had been blocked as it would ring once and then go to voicemail. At this point I decided to claim back from my bank which I did some weeks ago now. My bank promptly refunded the money however if the company responds and challenges it then I may have to give the money back to my bank. So far there has been no response from them so still ongoing….

I say all this to say stay well clear of Hartwell Dunstable! Yes I may be viewed as an easy target or con on here, however people who read this need to know the kind of heartless and ruthless people or person is working at this company.
Stay well away!

I've wasted 2 days with trying to get my car fixed here now with a further day still required, so not only the cost to have the car fixed but also the cost to me not being able to work. Car went in for an issue Dec/Jan and was supposedly fixed, however, barely 2 months later had the same issue with exactly the same error codes, but supposedly a different problem... due to this my own warranty will barely cover 30% due to it being a continuation of the issue and Hartwell obviously don't have any guarantee on the work they've carried out, as they're claiming its not actually the same issue...

On top of which there cost is extortionate, £694.18 for brake pads... I've bought these myself for just under £100 and a mechanic has installed them for £120. Tires and wheel alignment £530.88, had the tires and alignment done at John Wood Tyre's (highly recommend) for a total cost (Michelin Tyre's) £431.88. Definitely go elsewhere for your car needs, as Hartwells is not the place for any mechanical issues. 2 stars purely for the customer service of Sophie, otherwise it would be 1!!!

Couldn't fault our recent experience. Sales staff were helpful without being pushy. We got a fantastic deal all round. Everything they said they would do they did, it was a pleasure to do business with them. Thank you Jack, Andrew, Shane and the rest of the staff who helped make our purchase go smoothly.

Brilliant Hereford Ford Dealership. Visited the Hereford beach today and met ELLIS, BYD salesman. Easy to talk too. Knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Definitely will buy a BYD from this site via Ellis. We also had our car serviced + MOT, by Paul ( MOT tester) Thank you + Sophie in service: Brilliant attention to detail and speedy service. And ‘ Thank You ‘ to The Dealer Principal, Ian Willmore. who always ‘ welcomes ‘ ALL new and existing customers and ensures all customers are happy and served. Thank you Ian. Brilliant Team. 10/10 highly recommended.

Booked prepaid service for 10am. With no explanation car finally had service at 2pm, finishing at 3pm. Had to wait 5 hours for something that had a booked time.
Can only assume that because it was prepaid, so they were not receiving any money that day, that paying customers were put in front of queue.
Not acceptable way to treat customers.
Ford sell you service plans where buying a car and then treat you this way.
Appalling service.

I had my car booked in at 0830 this morning 24/03/25 at Hartwell Grimsby for a simple MOT…or so I thought!

When I turned up the service team member at the front desk informed me that the car was not booked in.
I explained that I did it on line and showed him the email. He then said there is no way he can fit it in! As they were v busy today. He then said it was my fault! As I booked the car in on Saturday to be MOT’d first thing Monday 0830 and looked at me like I was the stupid one!

Wow so you can book on line for a time and date…at Hartwell. It doesn't actually mean that is the date and time you will get, it means preferred! Who does that? As the time and date they have now sent me is a week later. I took the day off work to do this. I do not have anymore days off to take!

This is the second time I have been severely disappointed by Hartwell Grimsby. The first time was when I purchased a car from Hartwell 3 month ago and it took them 2 months to pay me my trade in value for the car that I traded in.

I want to support my local garage as I own 3 Fords! However this will be the very last time I have anything to do with Hartwell Grimsby. I will take my custom elsewhere!

Hartwell Ford Grimsby
"Caveat emptor" (Buyer beware) should be at the entrance to the showroom. Having booked an appointment to view the car we were kept waiting for over an hour. Before a test drive, we listened to the many “products” we could add, finance, warranty, paintwork protection, upholstery protection etc. We enquired about the cost of road tax and the sales person checked the advert and said it was £180.

As the part exchange valuation was so low we decided to proceed with the deal but without the addition of any “products”. We then felt under considerable pressure to take out the nearly £1000 warranty (the car was less than 2 years old).

We collected the car a week later (17th February), and while completing the final paperwork, we were shocked to be asked to pay £590 road tax. We pointed out the on-line advert for the car stated “Road Tax £180”. The manager was then called over and we suggested this was somewhat misleading. He was clearly not a happy. His belligerent response was “The road tax IS £180 the rest is ECS; it’s not misleading at all. What do you want to do?” We asked what he suggested and he replied “You will either have to pay it or you can walk away and then he left (a man of few words). The sales person looked embarrassed and I wanted to walk away but as we had struggled through this far and liked the car my wife decided we should complete the sale.

We were told the vehicle had been serviced but were not given any paperwork. We were informed the DSR (“Digital Service Record”) is all online now. It wasn't and the My Ford App / My Ford Account didn't recognise the registration number only the VIN number but there were no service records. After numerous emails and phone calls it transpired the vehicle had not been serviced. We were informed “We do not routinely service a vehicle prior to sale”. Then we were told that “as we had been messed around ‘Jack’ would complete the service for half price”. We declined this as we have lost patience and all faith that this would be completed in any satisfactory manner.

During some final paperwork it was discovered that at some point a calculation error had occurred and we had overpaid by £175. The sales person said this would be repaid within 3 to 5 working days (it took several emails and two weeks).

Our “Ford Main Dealer” experience has been of poor customer service, low part exchange valuation, questionable advertised road tax sum, no vehicle service prior to sale, a ridiculous refund wait and an unpleasant sales manager. At the age of 65 I have completed many vehicles purchases but this has been by far the very worst. We are hugely disappointed in our local main dealer and needless to say, we will not be redeeming the £75 referral voucher and will not be back.

Communications are the key to any business I feel. Especially in sales. Well where do I start this doesn't exist. Two weeks in to buy a used car and now cancelled it due to lack of respect and communications and waiting for refund. Word of warning read the trust pilot reviews I didn't to begin with but will do moving forward. Reason for lack of communications lack of experience and no staff to cover sales.

Cars not prepped for resale purposes either. Asked for MOT asked for service, advised breathing pipe cracked and no further correspondence since. NO WARRANTY UNLESS YOU BUY AT A COST OF £942 for 3 yrs but reading the reviews this doesn't get followed through correctly.

Would I go back NO. 1/10 for this reason.

Purchased car from this garage and it was great had my first service done and it was good however booked my car for first MOT
On the 18 th December I booked it in for 1 st of February. Today 31st January I received a phone call telling me that they could not do it.
That’s great you had month or more to tell me and they leave it till the last minute
NOT A HAPPY PERSON !!!!!
1star is to much it should of been no stars

Hereford Branch .Should be ZERO star . Interested in Jaecoo ,this was my nearest dealer . They have a separate showroom together with sister brand Omeda .
Entered and walked up to the Jaecoo near the door ,was approach by a salesman . I asked how many colours ….” I think five “ clearly he didn’t know , I asked what are they. “ I think “ again he didn’t know for certain . Not being impressed I thought as there is basically only one body shape not difficult to to know what’s what ! I asked can I have look in the boot , you guessed it “ I think it’s locked ,no offer to get it open ! I noticed there was a member of staff sitting behind a desk/ table ,who I found out was the Finance Manager , he never offered to save the day and a sale and come and help ,clearly the young salesman was out of his depth . Appalled at the complete lack customer service I asked for some printed info to take away after a long long wait he arrived with several sheets of paper ,only two were useable . Being fed at this stage I went up to the Finance Manger and how unhappy I was with the service he arrogantly replied. “. I am not sales “ I said but your a manager at this dealer ship again in same arrogant reply “ I am not sales “ no offer to find someone to help me , didn’t care about a lost sale .
So I left the showroom to return to my car , as was out side ,I heard someone shouting at me “ WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM “ I felt very intimidated as I am 77 yrs old . I said how dare you speak to me that way your a manager here , his final insult to me was a very very childish “ YOU HAVE PARKED YOUR CAR IN THE WRONG PLACE “
Be warned do not waste your money at Hartwell Hereford .
I have sent 3 yes 3 customer complaints via their own link on their own web site …yes you’ve guessed it NOTHING . If you want to be intimidated and feel threatened “. Shop here “

Perfectly fine when you purchase a car. When things go wrong not so.
Car purchased in Oct 2023 and issues with mold and damp seats. Still not sorted and emails now being ignored.
Unable to use the car for any other passengers due to the smell.
2 complaints sent to HQ but still no reply.

Hartwell Banbury; Ford Service.
Excellent customer service & communication.

I recently purchased a Ford Fiesta from Jason Hewitson at Hartwell Ford Reading, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the experience! From start to finish, Jason was incredibly helpful, professional, and attentive. He took the time to understand my needs and helped me find the perfect car that fits my budget and lifestyle. The whole process was seamless, and Jason made sure I was well-informed every step of the way. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a new car – his customer service is top-notch! 5 stars all the way!

Awful after service..
My van had been taken in 3 times for inspection..
First time a visual inspection for an engine knocking and oil smell..
Couldn’t find anything so was booked in again..
Asked while it was there for the back door to be adjusted also and further investigation into the knocking..
The van never moved from where I dropped it off and no work was done but when I quizzed them about it he produced a bit of paper to say it’s been looked at under warranty…Golden ticket??
Van was booked in again after I had noticed an oil leak so maybe they all could be linked and the back door catch..
Picked the van up again after no call back I appeared just before they closed and was told I had a drive shaft seal gone and they didn’t have time for the catch..a 10 min job so if it had been there for 8 hours surely that would have been looked at..?
The manager said they are on back order and could take months and yet again the van never moved from the forecourt so suspecting more lies the next day I phoned ford parts and ordered the seal for the next day…
I hate liars and on 3 occasions ive been fobbed off with lies..
I bought a ford after 3 years of problems with Vauxhalls..
Was told by the service manager I should have bought a Toyota jokingly..
Well I would def never buy a ford from Hartwell fords.
Another after sales miserable experience..
Avoid

Seen a car in Reading put a holding fee and went down from Manchester to Reading it took 3 1/2 hours. When I got there the car in question was somewhat to be desired...full of swirl marks all over..when I asked the sales rep in question he just laughed it off...I was furious...I travelled all that way to see this...oh he said if you buy it we will get the car sorted out nearer to where I live..I have heard that one before they usually offer less money to get it fixed!! Is that Ford of Reading how you treat customers and present your cars!!
I could not believe the audacity of the sales petson who knew how far i had travelled he just didnt want to know.
Its has now been 3 weeks and i am chasing to get my deposit back but just keep getting bounced from one piller to another...still havent got back my holding deposit...what a dealership absolutley appauling...be aware of this company

Terrible.
Took my van in twice last year telling them there was strange sound coming from my engine and I was worried it was my wetbelt. Both times they told me no all was fine and something to do with aircon pump. Took van away and one month later broke down, wet belt had failed and ruined engine. This was September 24 and the van is still in the garage now. Over 4 momths sat in the garage and they ask for service history.

I paid a refundable deposit on car on 11Jan, decided not to proceed with the sale & notified Milly on 13th Jan that I would like a refund. The refund was finally processed 26th Jan after going in in person. Poor communication from Milly, but Sophie & Sam saved the situation

On 12 Jan 2025 my wife and I went to Hartwell Dunstable with a view to buy a new BYD, saw the salesman, Brian. He took all the details, looked at the present car, took some photos with a view to part exchange, however, needed the settlement figure which was e-mailed next day. Then I followed up on 14 Jan, I was informed that he was on another call, will return my call, never heard from him. In fact, never followed up. It is more than a week now, what a waste of time? Are customers unwelcomed and time wasters? If so, why not tell the customers and display a large poster, we do not need any customer.

It took over 8 hours for a non complex job. Staff friendly and waiting area okay

Very good recommend them in touch every step of the way. Got my new red Puma. Thank you to Michael who was new there, very professional and helpful. 😀