READ HERE WHAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY
ARNOLD CLARK AUTOMOBILES LTD
the horror stories are true. I was once bollocked by the service manager for
taking the wheels off a year old XR3 to check and adjust the brakes. He said
there was no need as the brakes would be ok. The wheels were seized on and the
wheel cylinder was leaking fluid onto the brake shoes.
The majority of the technicians were very good when I worked there. What used
to piss us off was getting an engine or gearbox job that had been stripped by
someone else weeks ago. How many "spare parts" do you think there were when the
job was finished?
One service manager was sacked for telling a "persistent" customer who had a
gearbox problem that the gearbox had been rebuilt. It had been lying hidden in
the workshop untouched for two days. Unfortunately for the service manager, the
owner had marked the bolts with paint. Oops.
It is a sad fact these days that almost all garages have targets to meet. The
easiest way for the service department to make their target is to "find" faults
during a service. Some may be genuine, but some are invented or unnecessary
work. If in doubt, ask another garage.
I was interested in the customer who took their car to Kwik F##K to get their
shock absorbers looked at after a visit to Arnies. Be aware that these cretins
are famous for squirting oil on the shockers to make it look that they are
leaking. Another scam is having to replace the whole exhaust when only one
section is required. My advice to you is GET A SECOND OPINION before getting any
extra work done on your car. You have been warned...
Chances of me buying a car from AC? None and f##k all. . I know what they do behind your back to make money....
Well... apparently Arnold likes young guys with a bit of an education. Don't know why, as most of his staff are as thick as two short planks. I worked there for nearly a year as a "Trainee Sales Manager" (HA HA!!!) The majority of staff in the company are under the impression that they are the main men, the wheeler dealers, the wide-boys etc etc, but having worked in a few place in my time, I can honestly say that 99% of them are losers who are only there as they cannot get a better job, not very bright, and have a mouth and attitude on them that allows them to vastly over estimate their own self worth and self importance.
I clocked the company for what it was within a couple of weeks of working there. My successor clocked it in his first day. The job description might sound good, but all jobs at Arnolds are basically for gofers and errand boys. They promise you a new company car and it turns out to be an ex-rental heap. They talk up the salary/commission but for the hours you have to put in (1 weekday off per week) and the boredom you have to put up with, the "big-earning" salesmen are actually on a good bit less than your average Mon-Fri 9-5 job.
Poor company, poor service, poor pay, poor quality colleagues.
XC90. A date and time were arranged. ( Date and time removed by webmaster)
.I arrived at 10.25 to be told the car and the
salesperson were not there, but would return in a few minutes. 15 minutes later
still nobody or car so I walked out. This is not some old banger selling for a
hundred quid. I was about to spend around £30.000 !
I thought perhaps someone just might telephone to apologise and invite me
back, but not a cheep. So have written a few letters and plan to place my order
elsewhere..
put my car in to arnold clark for a service & when i picked it up they said "it
needs a new emissions filter".
when its jobs other than the norm i get a mate to do it so i go to another
garage for the part - they look it up, look at my engine and say "this car
doesn't have an emissions filter & its not supposed to have one".
they were going to have me give up my car for a day & charge me for a non
existent job!!.
Due to absence of any accompanying paperwork and the failure of the car to be registered with Network Q I suspected that the list of checks had not been carried out and that even though the car was eventually registered in April 2001 these checks had not been carried out. I was told at various times by Arnold Clark staff: -
1. That the checks had been done and that the registration would take 2 weeks after the purchase (9th Feb at purchase).
2. That the checks had been done but it was not normal to send documentation to the customer (5th March by telephone).
3. That the checks had been done but the documentation had been lost between the Linwood garage and Network Q (23rd March by telephone).
4. That the checks were done but that all documentation relating to the work was confidential and could not be copied to me (29th March by telephone). I contacted Trading Standards in Renfrewshire and was told that if Arnold Clark had sold the car as being covered by Network Q but had not carried out the checks then they had committed a criminal offence. The Trading Standards Officer contacted Arnold Clark and was told: -
5. That Arnold Clark had a ‘special’ deal with Vauxhall and could register cars on the Network Q Warranty without doing the checks. I chose to confirm this personally with Vauxhall who denied the fact. It was then, after prompting from Vauxhall that Arnold Clark contacted me and offered to carry out the checks. I would like to note that: - · Point 1 is correct in that documents should reach the customer in 2 weeks. · Points 1 – 4 state that Arnold Clark told me the checks were done in preparation for the purchase when they were not. · Point 2 is incorrect. The customer receives written proof. · Point 3 is incorrect as Linwood register the car by telephone and keep the written records themselves. · Point 4 is incorrect. The customer receives written proof and is entitled to ask for additional items. · Point 5 is incorrect, as Arnold Clark has no special agreement with Vauxhall. It should also be noted that point 5 was told to a Trading Standards Officer, who had informed me that the garage could have committed a criminal offence, and who then relayed this information to me. In the last 5 months I have sent 3 letters to Arnold Clark to which I received no response. I also made countless phonecalls to Arnold Clark (Linwood and Nithsdale Rd), Network Q, Vauxhall and Trading Standards. I have made two further visits to the garage in my own time and I am still out of pocket.
All this to rectify a problem which Arnold Clark wished to neither acknowledge nor apologise for. I am disappointed that an organisation as large (and getting bigger) as Arnold Clark treats individual customers so poorly. I am equally disappointed that Trading Standards although helpful, sympathetic and interested, appear to have few powers beyond recording their dissatisfaction with retailers and requesting that they behave more correctly. Especially when it was Trading Standards who originally informed me that Arnold Clark might have committed a criminal offence. This is more or less a letter that I sent to my MP and MSP. It contains all the facts. The second and more senior of the 2 trading standards officers I spoke to noted that Arnold Clark got their own way because they were so big. My last contact with AC was with the Branch Manager of the garage who had no intention of apologising for his staff lying to me, and one occasion lying to a trading standards officer. I should point out that the car has so far been a good buy. If I have missed anything please let me know. Good luck with your website. Have AC ever been on WATCHDOG ?
motor store' put a hundred pound deposit on ford focus [6988] was the price for
the car, agreed to go back a week later for car when finances were sorted out lo
and behold the next day the salesman phones up and wants us to send a cheque for
the full amount explained no money in account till following week ,he then
wanted us to send an unsigned check for the auditors that wasn't the real reason
it was because it was the end of the month and he wanted his commission!] he
didn't get it. two weeks later we arranged on the Wednesday to pick the car up on
the Thursday evening when we get there the salesman we had been dealing with
previously was not there [had to shoot off i wonder why?] paid for car went to
drive it home and it had not been valeted had a flat tyre and there was a
rubber missing off the lock on the boot hatch, left car with them to sort it was
then delivered on Friday salesman in to much of a rues!
h to check car over. when he had gone we noticed a plastic trim missing off
passenger seat, piece snapped off on steering wheel cover and door trim
loose. the car gad been valeted but it was****** my 19 month baby could have done
better. I decided to phone the head office and air my views we shall if it gets
sorted or not! the motto of this story don't go to ARNOLD CLARK even if its the
last car garage in the universe.
could buy a reliable car to travel home at weekends to see my family.
I went to Arnold Clarke Honda in Ayr . I bought a 3 year old Rover
216 for £5000 . As it was only 3 years old and an ex - disability
car ( or so i was told!!) I didn't expect any problems. 8 weeks after
buying my car the cylinder head gasket blew , i went to AC and they
told me they would look at it . They quoted me £585 to fix it. I told
them not to do anything until i 'd shopped for quotes, I asked a
garage near by to collect the car as they gave me a quote of £300 .
The garage went to collect the car and were told by AC they would not
release it as i owed them £98 for sending the head gasket away- Which
i had not given them instruction to do. They said they had sent it
away and all it needed was skimmed I paid it so as my repairs would
be done ASAP. My "other" garage looked at the head gasket and it had
holes in it. How the hell did AC miss these- if they had it looked at
all?!
My car eventually got repaired for £480 ( a terms food budget!) as
the head needed lots more work done on it. I have been left in severe
financial difficulties after this and will NEVER EVER use Arnold
Clarke again. I really wish i had found your site before purchasing
my car but you live and learn.
I brought a car from Arnold Clark in December 02. at first everything seemed fine ( for 24hrs ) then over the next couple of weeks ( in order ), the following happened. all three locks on my car simultaneously seized. an engine pre-heat pipe needed replacing. i found the engine oil at bare minimum. I also found the coolant level at below minimum. and two weeks outside of my warranty, i now need to replace the cylinder head gasket so that my engine doesn't overheat at an estimated cost of 300 pounds ( at an independent garage ). I will never by a car from those people again. RW Falkirk
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