Simpsons Skoda (Preston) Ltd - Preston..

[Guest ProfesorDeBuceo]

'Apart from that'?!!!!

 

I would describe it as a scam, a fraud, whatever - trying to get money out of you for something unnecessary.

 

No wonder motor dealers get a bad name.

 

Last time I was in there for service they noted on the sheet "front tyres at 3.5mm".

 

1600 miles further on and the same tyres are now measuring 4mm !! 

[midnight sun]

I suppose I will counter a lot of what is on here...

 

I am quite a frequent customer to Simpsons, my car gets work done in several guises throughout the year.

 

I am very particular about the way things are done, and the staff know this and acknoledge it.

 

The staff are always polite and knowledgeable, and will try their best to sort problems out.

 

Had engines replaced in the past by them, so I'm sure the staff are competent enough.

 

They do try it on with a few things, had a MOT advisory for brake discs, offered to replace front discs and pads for £280, politely declined, checked and there appears to be nothing wrong with them.

 

Apart from that, no real complaints from me

 

They do try it on with a few things, had a MOT advisory for brake discs, offered to replace front discs and pads for £280, politely declined, checked and there appears to be nothing wrong with them.

 

Sorry, but I think trying to charge for a job that does not need doing is criminal. That's the sort of thing that used to appear on programs like BBC's "Watchdog". If I was you, I think I would have plenty to complain about! 

 

[Philc999]

First time back here for a year or so. My Oct VRS was in for service.

 

Can't fault them. Every aspect seemed spot on.

[skodie23]

Purchased a VRS from them a few weeks back - Brilliant work!

 

Faultless service

 

Emails at all hours to accommodate my enquiries

[Tim1631]

Purchased a VRS from them a few weeks back - Brilliant work!

 

Faultless service

 

Emails at all hours to accommodate my enquiries

Was it a purchase or the lease scheme?

[skodie23]

Was it a purchase or the lease scheme?

It is leased ... Couldn't resist for the price !!

[Chasesdragons]

In the presence of these concerns, which local SKODA specialists do the Preston locale SKODA owners use? I am a new Skoda owner and am looking.

TIA

[sureshotkel]

I've just ordered a new Octavia VRS from these guys on that unbeatable lease deal. Purchase was pretty straight forward, fill this form in, await phone call & done. Hopefully should receive car around September 1st.

[Guest ProfesorDeBuceo]

I've just ordered a new Octavia VRS from these guys on that unbeatable lease deal. Purchase was pretty straight forward, fill this form in, await phone call & done. Hopefully should receive car around September 1st.

 

My purchase was straight forward too, in fact the best part of their service, but from there in it went downhill dramatically. 

Hope you have better luck.

[sureshotkel]

I'm Nottingham based so once the car is collected I won't have any further dealings with them. Their lease deals are unbeatable so that was the only reason I chose them. Unfortunately for me my local dealer is a Sandicliffe - and I've got a really long and boring story as to why you should never, ever, ever buy a car from them.

[logiclee]

I'm also Nottingham based and my local dealer "Rainworth" is not prepared to do the same deal as Simpsons so it looks like I'll be ordering and collecting from Preston.

 

Lee

[sureshotkel]

Nobody could get remotely close, I'll let you know how it all went once it finally arrives.

[Great Yeti]

Well, we have just ordered our second Skoda and its from Simpsons!

 

Yeti number two will shortly be on it's way to us. Estimated delivery 10 to 12 weeks. Simpsons are our local dealer and have looked after us for the past six years. We did not purchase our current Yeti through them as we lived in Norfolk at the time. However, we moved North a month or two after we got the car and Simpsons have looked after us ever since.

I cannot speak highly enough of all their staff: Service reception are very knowledgeable and will go to great lengths to oblige; The Service manager, Sean, together with his team are amazing! If he does not know the answer (not very likely!) he is more than happy for his service Tech's or Master Tech. to come and talk to a customer.

When it comes to sales, (Digital Sales Dept! for PCH / PCP deals) Tom Whittle really knows his stuff!! - you hear horror stories, some here on Briskoda, of some dealers who have staff with no idea or knowledge about what they are selling. Not so here. His product knowledge was the best I have ever experienced. He really went out of his way to ensure we got exactly what we wanted at the best possible deal with: Part Ex - "No Problem" and Extras - "What do you want, lets do a factory order"! - Tom's attitude is, everything is possible! - lets talk!! 

 

The Deal (LINK) [June 2016]:

A PCH deal from our local dealer, Simpsons of Preston, Lancashire. NOTE: This deal is on until the end of June 2016 just in case you are interested (unless withdrawn earlier there are a limited number of vehicles!). If you want to enquire, call Tom Whittle (Digital Sales) on 01772 325401

 

The deal offered was exceptional. But what convinced us in the end to go with Simpsons, is the excellence of their customer service over the last six years, the courtesy of their staff in dealing with us and of course especially Tom's character, wit and knowledge (no relation! Honestly!) and the deal he did for us.

 

And so. Now the wait begins (roll on September)....................................Tony

 

[DaryllH]

Just ordered a vRS TDI DSG from these guys on the strength of the PCH offer I found online. I live in Kent, and couldn't find anything close price-wise. Have dealt with Chris and Tom so far from the digital sales team, and I'm quite pleased to date.

 

Will let you know how I get on when the car has arrived (circa 3 weeks).

[sureshotkel]

car arrived about 5 weeks ago all well and good (sort of) - as for Simpsons i have heard nothing from them since despite me contacting them regarding an issue with apple car play.  Car collected on an absolutely abysmal day in torrential rain once i arrived home it was late evening, got up early hours to detail it and found 3 scratches on the drivers wing, door and rear door. Subsequently the wing has now been resprayed. Would not repeat custom.  

[barrie61]

 

Bought my 2014 2 ltr se Estate from them 3 years ago,good deal ,fantastic car.

!st service ,told  A/c needed service-£35,ok.

2nd service told brake fluid needed changing £35,ok.

The receptionist then came back to me and said the technician says the coolant looks a bit weak? and suggested he drain the system and refill with fresh mix £150.

I refused this and said I would see to it myself.On the way home I purchased a coolant test kit from a motor spares shop for £4.99.

First thing I noticed when opening the bonnet was the brake master cylinder top had not been screwed back on,just resting on the top of the cylinder.

Tested the coolant with the easy to use kit and found the reading was perfect.

A better test than going off how it looked I thought.

This left a dirty taste in my mouth and I dont think I will be trusting them with my next service.

Edited 27 February, 2017 by barrie61
wrong year stated

[RickW]

Oh dear,taking my Fabia for it's first service there tomorrow.

[RickW]

It went ok in the end,handed over £149 for an hours work (oil change,inspection etc.) and an advisory that the rear discs were scored.

Edited 2 March, 2017 by RickW

[P6bJOHN]

Today I collected my 3rd new car from Simpsons, a Jungle green Yeti. The hand over and all my dealings with salesman James Hindle have been easy and efficient.

My first car ordered from Simpsons six years ago, a Cappuccino Gold Roomster, was a bit of a disaster from order to delivery but that went on to be rectified by later dealings.

The handover and service of my next car, a Corrida Red Yeti, went well but I had to do my own personalised plate transfer paperwork.

This time the dealings with Simpsons have been excellent and I had back to back number plate registration. I hope this standard continues as they appear to be getting better with each car.

[G8VRS]

Ordered my new FL Octavia VRS 2.0 TDI from them in March, picked it up beginning of June, excellent service and very helpful and kept me up to date at every stage. No complaints from me. 

[ahenners]

My 63 plate Octavia VRS is due a minor service in 600 miles, so effectively oil and oil change (plus a few "checks"). Phoned my local dealer Simpsons Preston to book it in. Was quoted £244. Queried that it seemed expensive, as the Skoda Fixed Price Servicing site quotes £159. The response: "if you look on the site, it says the VRS is excluded". Went and checked the small print and it mentions no exclusion, but the member of staff was still determined she was correct. I had issues last year with Simpsons and the same member of staff over incorrect information, and an outright rude and unprofessional attitude when my car broke down and was recovered there. Seems nothing has changed since last year then. I'm not prepared to argue with staff over what should be a straightforward price - I could even book online at Simpsons for £159 with my VRS registration! Complete nonsense.

 

Raised an email complaint to the MD about this situation, plus mentioned the issues I had last year when my car was recovered to the dealer. In fairness to Simpsons' Management, Neil (MD) must have passed this on and at least taken some note, as I received a call from the Service Manager who had hoped to reach a "mutual resolution". The Service Manager basically refused to acknowledge that the staff member was in the wrong, I had to press for any sort of apology for this occasion or previous, and then he described that the £159 service was a "budget service" that lacked certain "additional checks". When pressed on this, he wouldn't commit to what exactly additional stuff I'd get for the extra money, nor why my car would need these, especially when the last one was a Major service and it's now over 3 years old.  His "mutual resolution" was ultimately nothing more than an offer to deal directly with him in future, and to offer me the service for £159. 

 

No part of the conversation gave me any reassurance that anything would change going forward, and that any future dealings with Simpsons Preston (or their Colne dealership which didn't even bother to return my call) would be any different, and show any sign of improvement in Customer Service or Product Knowledge, to avoid similar scenarios again in future.

 

So my car will be visiting Vantage Skoda Morecambe going forward for any servicing requirements. The fact I'm prepared to make a 56 mile round trip instead of a 12 mile round trip, speaks volumes of the lack of service at Simpsons. I made an enquiry to Vantage and straight away I was told £159, without any non-existent exclusions, no attempt to overcharge me, or me needing to mention the Skoda Fixed Price Website. The chap seemed friendly and helpful too which was a pleasant breath of fresh air by comparison.

 

TL;DR - Poor Customer service, rude staff, staff provide incorrect information, and no sign of it changing.

[yosser65]

I'm on my second Skoda Yeti from these guys - purchasing and servicing has been realy good upto to now - but this year when I've been in contact about a Karoq its like they cant be arsed or something.

 

Previous sales experience has been really good from Simpsons but i note most of the sales staff has changed and this lot dont seem to be arsed, ignoring calls, not getting back to you etc etc - it will lose them business.

 

Service wise the girls have been great - really nice courtesy cars, even helped me with a warranty repair about a month just out of warranty and helped me get a Skoda 'contribution' towards it. The service team is better then the sales team IMHO - even when I had an alert on service said it probably could go a few hundred miles more before replacing pads/brakes. (which Ihad done cheaper at Kiwikfit).

 

Looking at a different dealer for my Karoq now as Simpsons still havent got back to me with deals/finance illustration/part ex etc. - and if you read this Simpsons - dont bother, you're too late now.

[Pob17]

Long story but bear with me... my tale of woe illustrating the shocking service (or lack of it) from this dealer.

 

Ordered a 1.0 SEL back in Feb with a 3rd week in May estimated delivery date.

 

Deal was cheap and I was keen to save the £60 a month over my current PCP.

May came and went with no sign of the car. 

 

Every contact was from me to the dealer. Not once was a promised update received. Every time I spoke to them they  blamed Skoda and claimed they got minimal updates from Skoda themselves.

 

Getting tired of this I contacted Skoda customer care, who were able to tell me exactly where the car was and how long it had been at each stage.

 

Essentially it was built by 26 April and sat at Emden until second week of July.

 

As keeping my current car for longer was costing me money on monthly payments, plus it has just turned 3 years so I had to sort breakdown cover, I asked Simpson’s for a goodwill gesture to go some way to cover the £200 or so I was out of pocket for the delay. Simpson’s refused point blank saying I would have to take it up with Skoda.

 

Come last Thursday I get an email saying the car had arrived asking me to call them to arrange to pick it up. I would have thought they’d have called me but there you go.

 

Anyway I told them I wouldn’t be collecting the car until they agreed a goodwill gesture. Again they refused, saying they were not responsible for the delay. 

 

I took the decision then that if I couldn’t work with the dealer during the sales process then there was little hope of decent after sales service, cancelled my contract and got my deposit back.

 

Subsequent to that I escalated to Skoda exec team to complain. Following an obscure comment in an email from Simpson’s where they claimed that Skoda customer care had lied to me about the reason for the delay and blamed Simpson’s, I pursued this with Skoda. Both Skoda customer care and the exec office have confirmed to me that the dealer had incorrectly tagged my car and that was the reason for the slow movement from build to delivery. In essence it wasn’t tagged as a customer car and therefore didn’t get priority for shipping, which explains why it spent so long at Emden.

 

skoda exec team have tried again to get the dealer to take some responsibility and to offer a goodwill gesture, have spoken to the dealer principal but they still refuse.

 

So the dealer messed up the order, caused the delay but refuse to acknowledge any responsibility or take any accountability.

 

I’ve had 14 factory orders over the years and have never experienced such appalling service from a dealer. It’s a real shame as I was looking forward to the Karoq but there is no way I am going to work with this dealer, and it is the only Skoda dealership within reasonable distance for me.

 

Long story I know but I wanted to share just how bad this dealership is with regard to customer care.

Edited 18 July, 2018 by Pob17

[Jimhem81]

42 minutes ago, Pob17 said:

Long story but bear with me... my tale of woe illustrating the shocking service (or lack of it) from this dealer.

 

Ordered a 1.0 SEL back in Feb with a 3rd week in May estimated delivery date.

 

Deal was cheap and I was keen to save the £60 a month over my current PCP.

May came and went with no sign of the car. 

 

Every contact was from me to the dealer. Not once was a promised update received. Every time I spoke to them they  blamed Skoda and claimed they got minimal updates from Skoda themselves.

 

Getting tired of this I contacted Skoda customer care, who were able to tell me exactly where the car was and how long it had been at each stage.

 

Essentially it was built by 26 April and sat at Emden until second week of July.

 

As keeping my current car for longer was costing me money on monthly payments, plus it has just turned 3 years so I had to sort breakdown cover, I asked Simpson’s for a goodwill gesture to go some way to cover the £200 or so I was out of pocket for the delay. Simpson’s refused point blank saying I would have to take it up with Skoda.

 

Come last Thursday I get an email saying the car had arrived asking me to call them to arrange to pick it up. I would have thought they’d have called me but there you go.

 

Anyway I told them I wouldn’t be collecting the car until they agreed a goodwill gesture. Again they refused, saying they were not responsible for the delay. 

 

I took the decision then that if I couldn’t work with the dealer during the sales process then there was little hope of decent after sales service, cancelled my contract and got my deposit back.

 

Subsequent to that I escalated to Skoda exec team to complain. Following an obscure comment in an email from Simpson’s where they claimed that Skoda customer care had lied to me about the reason for the delay and blamed Simpson’s, I pursued this with Skoda. Both Skoda customer care and the exec office have confirmed to me that the dealer had incorrectly tagged my car and that was the reason for the slow movement from build to delivery. In essence it wasn’t tagged as a customer car and therefore didn’t get priority for shipping, which explains why it spent so long at Emden.

 

skoda exec team have tried again to get the dealer to take some responsibility and to offer a goodwill gesture, have spoken to the dealer principal but they still refuse.

 

So the dealer messed up the order, caused the delay but refuse to acknowledge any responsibility or take any accountability.

 

I’ve had 14 factory orders over the years and have never experienced such appalling service from a dealer. It’s a real shame as I was looking forward to the Karoq but there is no way I am going to work with this dealer, and it is the only Skoda dealership within reasonable distance for me.

 

Long story I know but I wanted to share just how bad this dealership is with regard to customer care.

 

[Jimhem81]

*****