Samanatha C

Broken Promises and £1,000 in Faults—Dee

I don’t usually leave negative reviews—it’s genuinely not in my nature to complain. But the experience I’ve had with Lancaster Volkswagen has been so disappointing, I feel compelled to speak up. I would strongly caution anyone considering a purchase from Lancaster Volkswagen. We purchased a second-hand vehicle from the dealership, expecting it to be roadworthy and properly inspected. Yet within less than a week, the engine management light came on, along with a “unable to drive in 700 miles” warning—a serious fault for any car, let alone one just sold by a Volkswagen main dealer. We were asked to take the car for a diagnostic check, which revealed 36 faults. The garage initially agreed to cover the cost of rectification, and the car was sent to a local Vauxhall dealer. However, once the Vauxhall garage identified a further £1,000 worth of necessary repairs, Lancaster Volkswagen refused to pay anything towards those, despite their earlier commitment. Further issues were uncovered, including a rear exhaust mount failure, and yet the dealership continued to misrepresent our right to reject the vehicle, showing a clear lack of understanding of the Sale of Goods Act and basic consumer protection law. We were told by Geoff Stothert, Group Sales Director, that Russ Jones, Area General Sales Manager, would be handling our case—but we’ve never heard from him. Communication has been poor throughout, and promises have not been kept. We also paid £49 for diagnostics and £20 for a loan car while ours was in the garage—£70 out of pocket, with assurances that this would be refunded. Weeks later, we’re still waiting. This doesn’t even account for the time, stress, and inconvenience of being unable to drive the car for over a week. This whole experience has been deeply disappointing. I know people often take poor reviews with a pinch of salt—but buyer beware. If you’re considering buying from this dealership, I strongly recommend getting everything in writing and being prepared to escalate. Our trust has been thoroughly eroded.