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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Arnold clark after sales

30 replies

KissMyFatArse · 18/05/2015 14:51

I am beyond the end of my tether. Ongoing complaint since March and called today to see why no response and they have closed the complaint as resolved! Without telling me this or more importantly, bloody resolving the complaint.

How these companies are still in business shocks me. Aibu to think the only way these companies actually bother dealing with issues is if they're named and shamed?. Is this what people need to resort too? Has anyone had any positive resolution stories from dealing with large car stores? Losing the will to live with them.

OP posts:

LaLyra · 18/05/2015 15:03

Arnold Clark are appalling to deal with when something goes wrong. There used to be a website, not sure if it stll exists, solely dedicated to problems with Arnold Clark.

Have you spoken to the customer care people at Allison St? I worked for them many, many, many moons ago and some of the people who got the best resolutions were the ones who resorted to writing to Mr Clark himself, recorded delivery, at the HO on Nithsdale Drive. The more of a nuisance you make of yourself the better you'll get on, you shouldn't have too, but if there service is still as shit as it used to be it's what you'll have to do.

My college job was filing complaints. It was never ending. Mostly because we were a different garage and people didn't realise until after they signed paperwork and spotted the head office address that we'd been bought over by AC.

LindyHemming · 18/05/2015 15:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 18/05/2015 16:43

Thanks for replies. I've wrote to Allison street and they are beyond incompetent. Didn't know about the HO address and will write to there directly now.

I don't know how this company hasn't been fined to the hilt.

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mrsnlw2012 · 18/05/2015 16:52

Hi KissMy

I had a brief spell working at Arnold Clark. They are an appalling employer and the staff are sales driven and don't really give a toss once their sales are completed. Staff are "fined" for the following: Incorrect dress code (i.e. having a short button undone, shoes not shined), not getting enough email addresses from customers, not making enough sales calls. They are also "fined" if their sales do not hit a certain target therefore reducing their commission massively. Oh, and they get away with paying apprentice wages - £2.60 an hour at the time (only a few years ago) by saying you are a trainee sales executive.

I was utterly appalled by their ethos of driving sales. I was also asked in interview by one of the branches did my partner mind if i worked long hours or stayed behind and what if I had children and also how good their wage was... They then noticed I was looking for a job after being made redundant as an employee paralegal and the manager told the deputy to "Be careful what you say - she's in employment law"....

AssembleTheMinions · 18/05/2015 17:06

Sorry you have had problems with them. I had to threaten them with the sale of goods act before they would back down in my case. They did give me a full refund but not without a struggle.

I had had problems years ago when I was looking for a car and they tried to offer it at one price which I accepted, them when I was signing the paperwork noticed it was several hundred pounds dearer. When I questioned it he said ' I said what if I could make it £xxx? I didn't actually say I would do it at that price'

I have no earthly idea what possessed me to go back to an Arnold Clark. Never ever again.

Good luck

whippy33 · 18/05/2015 17:14

I would agree they are shocking. I bought my car and was told to bring the deposit. I asked if they accepted cheques and they told me who to make it payable to as my money was coming from an ISA so a cheque withdrawal was best. On the day they refused the cheque, I had no insurance to drive my old car as it had been transferred; I had no way of putting the money back into my account as it was made out in their name and it was half day closing being a Sat. They asked me to put it on my credit card which would take me over my limit but refused to give the car to me. I was faced with losing many thousands of pounds and my old car which was already signed over and all this being 50 miles from home....never again!

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 18/05/2015 17:31

Just had a useless email from them blaming system errors and human error for basically ignoring my complaint, and then asking for something I've already sent them which they confirmed they received.

About to blow!

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LaLyra · 19/05/2015 01:03

I'm not surprised by that. They are shit at complaints. I'd put something on writing to ho, send it recorded and then tell them you've done that. The branches hate visits from AC, so it might spur them on.

Mrsnlw did you also have the "pleasure" of buying your uniform? I was earning £364 a month and I had to buy a uniform (1 jacket, 1 trousers & 1 bloody scarf) that cost me £296.74, but it was ok because they "let" me pay it up... AC owned the company I had to buy it from & the navy trousers everyone had worn before we were ac were no longer good enough. There was only 1 supplier... Much like there was only one tool supplier allowed in to sell shit to the mechanics. AC owned that as well.

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 10:46

You had to buy your uniform?!?! Ffs they're clearly cash strapped then making employees buy their uniform and ripping customers off.

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BiscuitsForBreakfast · 19/05/2015 12:24

You have my sympathies. They are the most dreadful bastards. We bought a new car from them in January - never again.

Stinkylinky · 19/05/2015 12:42

I bought a car from Stoneacre Volvo last year, the Volvo side of things are fine but Stoneacre are terrible!

I'm sure you have to be interlectually challenge to work at their head office as no one has a clue what they are doing!

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 14:13

General consensus is they're useless from branch to customer services. How they can still trade is beyond me. I've involved trading standards now too.

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Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 20:59

Had another useless contradictory reply from them. Head office here we come! Useless incompetent lazy unprofessional and I'll just stop there

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AyeAmarok · 19/05/2015 21:17

No help but I agree Arnold Clark are pure shite. Horrible, horrible company. Will never buy from them again.

Bunnyjo · 19/05/2015 21:25

We have just bought a car this week and, in the process, visited a number of garages - Arnold Clark was by far the worst.

In fact, after visiting the garage and encountering the most arrogant, condescending and pushy sales exec. I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, we vowed not to buy from there.

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 21:42

Says a lot when not one person can report a positive experience. They are unbelievable and their after sales and customer services is probably the most incompetent and useless I've EVER Experienced.

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TheMasterNotMargarita · 19/05/2015 21:47

Nothing helpful to add apart from the fact they are indeed utterly shit.
The aftercare is abysmal.
Sympathies that you have to deal with them.

TheMasterNotMargarita · 19/05/2015 21:48

And the salesmen are a bunch of sexist bastards.

RJnomore · 19/05/2015 21:53

My dads a motor mechanic and I think he would disown me if I ever set foot in an Arnold Clark.

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 22:00

Haven't had any sexiest crap(that I am aware of?!) but had misselling, incompetence, faulty car/s, non existence customer service, wrong advice to name a few.

Forget speaking to their Cust services department. How they can be called customer services is insulting to actual customer services in RL. I know Id get my arse kicked for what they get away with.

Incompetent uninterested and unsympathetic staff who have no interests of helping as they're probably used to it so just deal with customers with contempt now.

Will take it up with head office and trading standards and will also get legal advice now cause theyve pissed me off so fking much!

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Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 22:00

Rj I'd disown you too!

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SistersofPercy · 19/05/2015 23:21

I can kind of report a positive outcome eventually...

Bought car (not new but £10k). Within 3 days notice major problem. Car goes back. Over the next three months they have the car on and off trying to fix the problem. Ultimately they had it in their garage longer than it was in ours. They spent thousands replacing parts, would hand it back claiming it to be fixed only for it to light up like a Christmas tree with error codes.

The manager told us, quite proudly, ac had never accepted a rejected car. Well, we changed that because after another failure we handed back the keys and have them the ultimatum it was either fixed by the weekend or we would collect a cheque for the full value.
We picked up the cheque, without quibble on the Saturday morning.

To be fair we'd expected a fight, we'd expected a sum knocked off for depreciation so getting the full amount with an apology and a 'no hard feelings' was better than expected.

Would never go to them again though.

Original poster

KissMyFatArse · 19/05/2015 23:46

Sister that'll be 2 rejected cars then! And then the replacement one was also faulty!

They can't even adhere to their own complaint procedure .

Will never use again and neither will my family or friends. Not just from original issues but the customer service department are appalling and need radically retrained. In customer services ...

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SistersofPercy · 19/05/2015 23:56

Ouch.
Funny thing was, the car disappeared for a year after we rejected it (no record of insurance etc). I found it earlier this year for sale in Enniskillen. It was being sold by an independent garage who claimed it had one owner from new (impossible, still have the log book here showing us as the second owners) and in 12 months it had just 20 miles more on the clock from the day we handed it back.
All very very dodgy indeed I thought.

How you mange to get it resolved.

Redglitter · 20/05/2015 00:31

I must have been lucky. I've bought my last 3 cars from them - 2 different dealerships and had no problems whatsoever. No.problem with after sales/servicing either.

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