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Allams Skoda - Epsom..


DGW

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I've just purchased an Octavia vRS from Allams having dealt with both Beth and James.

I found Allams through here and looked into the possibility of using them following my closest dealer really not being bothered when I called them regarding a test drive. James, on the other hand, worked with me to find a date and time I could get down and took me for a test drive in a car very close to the spec I was interested in.

The test drive was a hoot - James persuaded me to use the loud pedal to get a feel of the car and I really enjoyed the route he took me on.

Ordering was easy and I got a build week soon after placing the order.

On Tuesday this week I received an email from James telling me the car had arrived and a short phone call later JAmes and Beth arranged for me to come over same day to pick up my new toy!

James showed me around the car and helped me transfer my tat from the Polo into the Octy and I was away.

I can easily recommend Allams!

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I have recently taken delivery of a new Yeti from Allams and would happily recommend them to anyone else looking to buy a Skoda.

I dealt with James who was always friendly and helpful without any sales pressure for the car or the add on products that some dealers try to force upon you. My contact with the other staff at Allams has been similarly positive. On the day that I ordered my car James was busy and so I was well looked after by one of his colleagues and the owner Jeff Allam. This is a friendly family run business and it is quite a contrast to some of the faceless large motor groups that I have dealt with in the past.

I sent James a number of emails whilst I was waiting for my new car to be built and all were responded to by either James or, when James was not in work, his helpful colleague Beth. All of my questions were answered and nothing was too much trouble.

The car was made ready for me to collect very soon after it arrived with the dealer and there were no problems with the handover or any other aspect of my dealings with Allams. In all it was a very positive experience and should I buy another Skoda I will almost certainly return to them. Allams are not my local dealership, in fact they are 130 miles away which was a distance that I was happy to travel for the good service that I received.

In the interests of a balanced review; my only criticism is that my tyre pressures were left at 45psi which I would have expected to have been corrected at the pre delivery inspection. That is my only gripe, however, and hardly takes the shine off a very pleasant car buying experience. Well done James and Allams.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Bit of a mixed bag from me.

I initially approached James at Allams and a couple of local dealers for a price on a fully loaded Yeti Elegance. My price 'target' was the Drive the deal price and James at Allams and a local dealer who I'd bought from both came closest. I went with Allams in the end as they were a Briskoda sponsor and my local dealer seemed to be getting more relaxed about returning calls etc.

I also ended up dealing with Beth on the phone due to James being off sick on a couple of occasions. Beth was excellent and returned calls quickly if she couldnt give me an answer on the phone there and then. Both James and Beth kept me up to date with the build/delivery process. James's product knowledge is genuinely exceptional and made a nice chance dealing with someone that knew what they were selling :thumbup:

I had a number of dealer fit accessories and paid for fitment of these items so the car was ready to go when I picked it up. Compared to other members on Briskoda it appears I paid over the odds for these items ie I was charged an additional £65 for a 'fitting' kit for the decorative side sills - this fitting kit consisted of around 14 screws and was not charged to a number of other members who went for this accesory through other dealers.

My second issue was the quality of the fitment of these accesories. The side sills are apparently screwed in from the rear and held in place with adhesive. Mine were simply screwed on and within 80 miles I could get my fingers all the way down the side sill. I took the car into a friend who owns a bodyshop and he confirmed that no adhesive had been used hence the decorative sills were flapping away from the cars bodywork! Considering what the cost of these items were with labour for fitting - Im not impressed at all by this. I did chase this with Allams last week but am still awaiting a response as to how they were fitted. The car is going back to Allams next week, so at the very least I expect this to be put right.

Finally, the reason the car is going back in and the 'issue' that took the shine off the new car pick up 'experience' for me was the fact that my brand new Yeti had a very deep dig/scratch through the paintwork on the drivers side rear door. The bump strip below it also showed signs of scratch marks running along it. At some point before I turned up to collect it it must have been spotted as there were actually still polish marks and residue/dust around this damage. It was noticed by my me as I asked to view the car properly before signing it off.

I will update the thread with comments re the remedial work on the car once its completed.

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Sounds the same as me. I drove 70 miles to Allams too instead of the local ********* Skoda garages which are appaling.

I too was dealt with by James Rothwell, and could not have been happier unless he gave me the car for free.

I was given plenty of time to look around, we were offered tea/coffee, and James even managed to put up with my Dad.

James is very knowledgable about Skodas and cares about customer service. I wish all sales personell were as good. I have nothing but praise for him.

He worked out a deal that suited me, and was careful to make sure everything was right and ok for me. He was very helpful via email both before and after I bought the car too and even offered to take his camera to work and get some better photos for me.

I have sent several people to him who were going to go to our local ********* Skoda garages, and all of them were glad they did.

Very pleased!!

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  • 3 months later...

With nearly 10,000 miles clocked up in the Yeti, it was time for its first service. Despite Allams being far from my closest Skoda dealer, I was so impressed with they way I was treated when buying it from them (after finding James so helpful on the Briskoda site), I had no hesitation in taking it to Allams for the service.

Despite now being, in theory, away from the sales side of things, I was still loooked after admirably by the sales team of Beth and James - and indeed the service staff. The car was serviced first thing so I could get back to work, exactly as requested. Having wandered into Epsom, I was telephoned to say it was done (including being washed) within a couple of hours and even offered a pick-up. No problems with the quality of the work.

I've taken the Yeti to Allams twice before for work to be carried out. Firstly for a Skoda towbar to be fitted and the second time for the Xenon headlight controllers to be replaced (known spark up fault when starting the engine with the lights in 'auto'). Both times the work was carried out perfectly.

The great thing is, I've just been made to feel welcome by all the staff at Allams every time I've visited - especially the sales staff.

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  • 4 months later...

I have had fantastic selling experience from James and Beth at Allams. I can not praise them enough. Very friendly, helped me all the way from beginning to handover, and also since then James has kept in contact.

I would buy from them again.

All the work they did to the car on the PDI, the fitting of extras, changing of wheels from the std ones to winter wheels which I provided (I bought the wheels from them & sourced winter tyres locally and then took them back for them to fit). They have done an excellent job.

Next visit due in 9,500 miles......

Mike

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have just collected my Yeti after ordering from Allams.

I found them through the website and approached James Rothwell for a quote after trying my local dealer. Not only did he beat the quote by a considerable margin, but also gave realistic delivery times ( not the 10 weeks given by local dealer). When I went see James to place the order I was made welcome and talked through all the details. No rush and no pressure.

Throughout the wait for the car to be built James kept me informed of progress and also of other extras that had become available. He answered all of my many questions by email very promptly.

When the time came to collect the car again everything was handled smoothly and without fuss. The car was very well presented and James talked me through all of its many features.

A very pleasent buying experience and I would recommend James and the Dealership to anyone.

Andy

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  • 1 month later...

Over the last year I have bought 3 cars from Allams. I started off with a second hand Corsa for my youngest son followed by a V6 Superb Estate for myself. Just before Christmas I picked up a Fabia Estate 1.2TSI DSG for my wife. I dealt with James Rothwell for all three cars. I've found him very helpful, informed and very decent to deal with. The buying process for my Superb did hit a problem but Beth ( the Manageress ) did her best to sort it all out which left me completely satisfied ;) She contacted me again today and I went and picked up the ' goodwill gesture ' from Skoda for late delivery of the Fabia. At the moment, I am very pleased with my experience with Allams and their staff. I find them all to be friendly and helpful.

I have bought a lot of cars over the years and have found the experience at Allams to be the best so far! :thumbup:

However! Although the selling side was pleasant the service side was less than good. I had an annoying rattle in my V6 on idle. It was taken into Allams on several occasions and in total they had it 5 days. They were unable to find the cause of the rattle even though I told them it was coming from underneath the car on the driver's side. They thought it was coming from the dashboard/ bulkhead. I took it into SG Smith on the Purley Way and Glen the tech sorted it in a couple of hours. The bracket holding the fuel lines under the driver's seat ( under the car ) had broken and the fuel lines were rattling. Apparently there's a bulletin or something about it. I was very impressed with SG Smith. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be anywhere to give them a good review. ( They are a new dealership )

Edited by RedDog
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  • 1 month later...

Thankyou to James at Allams we are now the proud owners of a Yeti 1.2se,heated windscreen, detachable towbar, boot liner, mudflaps and autoglym lifeshine. James was excellent, we did the whole deal by phone and e mail, excellent price and service. Travelled to collect the car (240 miles) and was picked up by James from the station. I cannot fault anything James and Allams have done. Big thumbup. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in buying another car this way from Allams.

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Not long in from Allam's having collected my Fabia from James earlier this afternoon. And I must say, the whole process from test drive to collection has been a pleasure. I dealt with Beth and James - mainly James - and they couldn't have been nicer or better, really helped me through the process as it's my first new car in 11 years and things have changed a little. I was kept up to date with build times and delivery dates, with lots of e-mails back and forth, especially following the delivery of the car to the UK. Yesterday James told me everything that I had to do to be able to collect the car, he met me at the station (no car to get to the garage!), cup of coffee and a tour of the car before and after all the paperwork.

Most importantly, James hasn't treated me as just another customer - he's treated me like a human, very personable and likeable, and a good level of chatter when we were waiting for DVLA to do its stuff.

There are actually two other dealers closer to me, but I went to Allam's by word-of-mouth recommendation, and I am wholeheartedly glad I did. Thanks guys!

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Picked up our Yeti (with a sunroof) on Saturday. Met James for the first time and the whole transfer process was dealt with very smoothly and with a smile. We came down from Ipswich and again would not hesitate in using James/Allams again for a replacement in a few years’ time. If it wasn’t for this forum and James’ interest and support we wouldn’t of known about their demo with the all-important SUNROOF.

Many thanks again

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  • 3 weeks later...

Not wanting to write a long drawn out report that will put the reader to sleep I will keep it simple; James @ Allams has been by far the best and most helpful car retailer I’ve dealt with in many years of motoring and the car itself was very nicely prepared for collection in every detail requested.

Very highly recommend the Allams experience.

TP

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time to trade in my 9 year old BMW 330i. My brother is on his second Octavia, and my sister-in-law on her first Fabia, and they suggested I look at a Skoda. Went to Allams in Epsom, my nearest Skoda dealer, and met James Rothwell, who couldn't have been more helpful. Originally planned to buy an Octavia L&K petrol, but after sitting in a Superb, and then driving one twice, decided that this was the one for me. Have recently bought an Elegance 1.8TSi DSG in Rosso Brunello. After 2 weeks, and with 1100 miles on the clock, I'm delighted. Would have loved the new BMW 5 series, but at c.£41K including extras, decided I couldn't justify paying this much. Ended up paying just over half this amount for the Superb, which I must say is superbly specced. Achieving 36 mpg. James is very knowledgeable, and clearly loves his cars. I originally thought the Superb was too big, but James advised that it is the same length as the old 5 Series, and shorter than the new one. He answered all my questions with consummate ease, both pre and post order, and kept me well informed until delivery. Got a fair p/x on the BMW as well. I needed the car on a certain day, which happened to be James' day off, but he happily came in specially, and gave a very comprehensive demonstration of many of the cars features. Well done, James, and well done, Allams!

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Having had an awful experience with a 1980s-throwback salesman (sexist, pot-bellied and Brilliantined) at Hughes dealership in Farnham Common, I decided to take my custom elsewhere.

Ended up contacting James at Allams as I was impressed by his proactive approach, using social media and responding helpfully to general enquiries. Until I spoke to him, I had not encountered a single salesperson (MINI, VW or Skoda) who was up-to-speed with any online and magazine reviews for their cars - unbelievable! Made me come over all 'Mary Portas' with indignation.

However, James has been knowledgeable and enthusiastic throughout our dealings. There was a little delay in delivery, but now I'm the proud owner of Gingernut, my tangerine metallic monster.

I miss the go-kart fun of my little Mini Cooper, but I'm sure I'll get used to my new fortress on wheels.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Just collected my new Superb Estate from James at Allams and have nothing but praise for how they have dealt with the transaction. Although Epsom was a journey in excess of 100 mls to collect the car, I went painlessly by train and James picked me up at the station. The main reason it was worth it for me is that James was willing to negotiate a deal, unlike my local dealer situated 4 mls from my home. So far the car is perfect and I would recommend Allams and particularly James to anyone considering a Skoda or an Alfa for that matter.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Got a very good price for my Yei from James Rothwell at Allams. I was given updates from the order date, when the car was to be built, on it's way to be shipped, etc. All in all a good buying experience.

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  • 1 month later...

I've had a *terrible* experience with Allams. Buying the Yeti from them was very well handled and I felt I got a good deal. All seemed efficient and friendly. However, when I asked for a replacement key, it turned into an ongoing disaster. In the end I involved Skoda UK (who turned out to be brilliant) but Allams themselves were *awful* - arrogant, silent and obviously very annoyed that Skoda UK had become involved. I was told lies, never called back, I had to make 3 appointments just to get a new key over a period of a month. In total I spent about a day's time trying to sort out this simple request and to get some sort of level of service. I would *never* go back to them for work again.

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  • 1 month later...

I have just sold my Yeti to Allams via James Rothwell. Although I didn't buy from them, they - and James in particular, have been just superbly helpful right through my 1 year ownership - just a great experience that really echos the repeated experience of folk I have got to know on the Yeti forum. I will probably buy another when circumstances suit - and if I do I will definately go straight to James - I would recommend him, and Allams, to anyone buying a Skoda. Just a great , caring, efficient service in my expereience. I bought the vehicle from Progress Skoda in Bedford, and they have been fine - no complaints at all.

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  • 7 months later...

Having previously had a new yeti from James at Allams last year, we have now ordered a new one, alas, James has gone, but i am pleased to say that we dealt with Linda and Beth, no need to worry about their customer service, they still fly the flag for Allams and are just as helpfull as James was. The only downside is the wait for our new yeti. Linda and Beth are still competetive on their deals and i can't recommend them enough so far.

I will update my thoughts as we go through the waiting process.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Just like to thank Allams for fixing the windscreen washer under warranty (pipe came adrift near lower part of bottle, completely hidden from view). They collected the Yeti at 11am and returned it at 4.30pm. Well done.

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  • 1 year later...

Here's an update...!

 

One week in with my third Yeti  - all bought from Allams. Every Yeti purchase and ownership has been a delight dealing with James (pre his departure to Dubai), Beth and Linda.  

 

I probably have 3 or 4 Skoda dealers closer to me than Allams but given the service I've received over the years, it's Allams every time for me - sales, service and parts.

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