Lipscomb Cars Ltd Reviews 60

Excellent customer service and experience from the Fiat / Abarth service team - Thank you.

Advertised mileage was materially incorrect. When I raised the point they said they could do discount but would continue to use the car as a demonstrator. Not trustworthy in my view. And this was the manager.....

Had my XC60 in for service today and rear brake pads changed.
Was promised that all software/applications and maps would be updated, but when the car was returned to me not all maps were updated.
Maybe a small thing but when you pay out over £600.00 you expect all things to be completed as promised.

I'm a bit disappointed about the service provided at this volvo service centre. I took my car for services and I told one of there customers service attender that esc light keeps coming off and on and the car do skids on a small waterlogged. On Thursday 03/10/2024 I received a call from Joshua telling me they have checked the car and it was discovered the the whole 4tyres are beyond legal limit that I need to change them as soon possible which I refused to do with them, I said okay I will sort that out and the service and esc done. To my surprise again he rang me around 16:28 telling that gear oil is so low that it has affected the gearbox. I said this is not what you told me earlier why are telling me this now. My tyres were totally changed to damaged tyres from there workshop. I did the mot with them on April 2024( the mileage on the was 48000) there now advisory or recommendation on any of the tyres than the oil leaking around the engine which is one of the reason I took the car back to them to fix the oil leakage they discovered back then. I will advise anyone not to leave their car with them unless you are going to.be looking at what they are doing. You will spend more than what you bargain for. They will reaped you off, I was trying to upload the pictures of the driverside tyre I took 2months ago but I couldn't do that here.
I challenged them to have access to the CCTV in the service area not the edited clips after they have damaged the car further

Purchased a jeep compass just over a year or so ago from the Canterbury branch, which is now currently back up for sale with them (as of 26/09/24). There was never a handover and I was literally handed the keys, and told to go tax it myself at the post office, I then had to highlight it had literally no fuel in it. Throughout the brief ownership it took over a month to get the slice in the drivers seat from point of sale rectified. The wheel bearing failed in the first few days and they had to have this for a good few days just to sort this as apparently the new one was louder than before which never made sense to me. This was returned with black stains in the headlining and a deep chip in the drivers door which had to be rectified, a courtesy car was never offered and they had this for over a week. This was followed by numerous visits back due to intermittent steering clicking, serious gearbox droning and numerous ecu and alarm failures paired with the vehicle cutting out in the middle of the road. This Jeep was and likely still is riddled with faults which they failed to rectify. This was put back up for sale after only 7 days of them having it back following rejection. This was formally rejected through the finance company as it was deemed to have serious faults by a Dekra inspector - with the gearbox and steering. Lipscomb were never willing to work with me and I was more than fair, yet they continued to be dismissive. They were adamant it was all just a “Characteristic” which it certainly was not and I was told by Dekra if left the gearbox would only get worse. Lipscomb told me that they had discussed with Jeep tech engineers to review the issues however when I asked for the reference of this they backtracked on that statement. They said all along i should’ve just lived with it, All very well when it’s not your hard earned money or car your spending hours in each day. There was always a lack of response from sales and the director told me to basically try rejecting it and see where it goes, backfired to say the least….
Please never buy from them, you’ll only be disappointed and I’ve never heard anything positive from others - poor stock, poor prep standards, Poor customer service, and a sense of arrogance from management. The finance company also stated that Lipscomb were difficult and unwilling to cooperate, this took a financial ombudsman ruling to make Lipscomb cooperate.

Somehow managed to take 10 days to even process deposit refund all the while not answering emails or returning calls despite “taking great pride in delivering personal and outstanding service to all our customers“. Makes you wonder what they would be like if they weren’t so proud of taking someone’s money and then having to be chased to give it back. Unpleasant experience and stereotypical used car dealer behaviour.

Terrible attitude phoned up about a car for sale asked about changing the cambelt as due this year was told NO fair enough but not even offered a price for it to be done not interested at all good look selling with attitude like that your sales people need a lesson in customer service shocking

The pre-sale service was excellent, but from the moment I signed the agreement, the service dropped dramatically, and again even more after I collected my Volvo. I ordered a sunshade which has never been provided, despite reminding it to the sales person I dealt with, also my emails regarding other queries (headset) remained unanswered.
The worst thing was that Volvo tried to pay less than what’s agreed for the car I traded in, and it took a letter to the MD and a prospect of contacting Financial Ombudsman to get my money back. The whole experience was very stressful and frustrating.
I love my Volvo but would never use Lipscomb Canterbury again.

Updated on 26 Feb
I would have believed your story about blaming Volvo UK if it wasn’t for the numerous emails to and from Lipscomb who refused to accept my arguments and honour the financial agreement. I also wonder who sent the wrong settlement figure to Volvo UK in the first place.
I truly hope that you took some time to review this internally and hopefully got some lessons learnt from this.
You are meant to be professionals who know what they’re doing and can be trusted by clients. I shouldn’t be one the one to correct you!

Put my my daughters Fiat 500 into Lipscomb Canterbury for works and I couldn’t be be happier with the service Clara Hawkins gave us, she kept us updated every step of the way and was so helpful and friendly.

Placed a deposit on a car online, was contacted by Jack Dunne via email in which he wrote things that weren’t true. Cancelled deposit as a result, it took a week and I had to contact other staff to get anything done after Jack Dunne refused to sort refund out or even answer emails. Ignorant and lazy.

Unbelievable Experience with Lipscomb: A Warning to all Alfa Romeo Car Owners!

I can't help but express my sheer disbelief at the abysmal customer service I received from Lipscomb, particularly from the Service Manager, James Oliver. My recent encounter with this garage left me questioning the competence and integrity of their entire operation.

To start, Lipscomb managed to misdiagnose a repair, a mistake that could have led to potential engine failure! As if that wasn't enough, they somehow forgot to replace the engine tray, further contributing to the damage. It's baffling to think that such oversights can occur in a professional automotive service.

Be cautious when dealing with Alfa Romeo Lipscomb; there appears to be a pervasive atmosphere of secrecy and dishonesty from the top down. It's disheartening to believe that a business entrusted with vehicle repairs operates in such a closed-shop environment.

But that's not all – brace yourself for Lipscomb's exorbitant hourly labor costs. It's evident that they're out to rip you off, with inexperienced mechanics and a knack for misdiagnosing repairs. If you value your time, money, and, most importantly, your vehicle, I strongly advise you to look elsewhere for reliable service.

In my honest opinion, Alfa Romeo Dartford seems to be a far more trustworthy choice. Save yourself the headaches, frustration, and potential engine disasters by steering clear of Lipscomb. Your car – and your wallet – will thank you later.

We visited Lipscomb Maidstone (Volvo) at the end of Sept 2023 to place an order for another XC40 as we already have one & the PCP was coming to an end. The salesman was good (to be fair) and the order was placed there & then. He had an extensive look over our existing car & was amazed at the condition it was in. People always say their car is immaculate or in showroom condition, but our was/is. We were offered a good price part exchange for our car & was told this would go straight onto their forecourt & sold by them because of the condition it was in. We were also made aware that the part ex price could change 'slightly' between now & delivery, give or take a few hundred pounds. Therefore, you can imagine our despair and upset, when we received a call on Monday saying that the new car would be due at the dealership within the week, but they would now be offering us nearly £4000 less for our existing car part exchange. We were put into the position of trying to find that huge amount of money in less than a week or we will be unable to pick up our new car. We have tried negotiating with the dealer at Maidstone to see if they would meet us halfway maybe, but they will not budge. If they knew that used car prices were supposedly decreasing that rapidly, why didnt they contact us sooner, rather than give us less than a week. I feel that this is totally unacceptable & outright greedy to be honest. They just want to make more money out of our existing car when they put it on their forecourt. At present, I am in dispute with the dealership and am waiting on an amicable solution.......

Fiat at Maidstone are greedy and unscrupulous. Avoid this dealership at all costs. Was let down by this dealership for a second time and been left with a nasty taste in my mouth. They failed my car on its MOT due to an “insecure exhaust at the front pipe”. Turns out all they had to do was tighten the screws on the clamp holding the front pipe, a small action that would have taken no time at all at the time of the MOT. However, they did not do this and chose to fail my car instead. Had I not sought a second opinion I could have faced large bills for unnecessary diagnostics fees and unnecessary work. Avoid this garage at all costs, it puts profit over good quality customer service at a time when the cost of living crisis means every penny counts. The staff fronting the customer service desk are bullies and don’t like to be challenged or are not ready to talk in a reasonable way, they just peddle their lies and expect you to swallow them. I would recommend taking yr car elsewhere. There are a number of one star reviews on this website in respect of this garage and I would take notice of them, they are there for a reason. My 2 experiences have put me off owning fiats and alfas for life now as I don’t want to give them anymore of my hard earned money.

This is the second time I have visited for a service, the first time was okay. However, this time the service took a lot longer than I was told which was no big deal but just left me hanging around for an extra hour or two. But, a repair was required under warranty which overall took six weeks. I don’t blame Lipscomb for the length of time the repair took however the wrong part arrived and they had to hold onto my car over the weekend which was a bank holiday weekend while the correct part was sourced. The service department told me they do not check the parts when they come in because they might damage them when they open them. This was a water pump. Because The warranty on the car ran out during the time the pump was being changed, i was told by the service desk that the pump and the work has no warranty whatsoever and if the car broke down on the way home, I was told there was nothing they would do about it, this filled me with no confidence whatsoever. When I got my car home, I noticed a scuff on the drivers seat as if somebody had sat in there with keys in their back pocket, and even worse a nasty chunk of paint out of the drivers door where the door had clearly been opened into something like a wall. I was going to contact Lipscomb and send them photos but I just can’t be bothered to deal with them. I’ve had the car three years and never so much as scratched it. I get the feeling there is no care given to the customers cars and also the whole experience was a big let down. I would definitely not go back to this dealership under any circumstances, even if they were giving out free servicing. As such, it’s put me off getting a new Alfa even after owning about nine of them. The only positive thing is they gave the car a good clean both times it was in. Things will probably change regarding my desire to drive alfa Romeo’s but at the moment, no chance! I will probably carry out my own services from now on.

Took my car in for a full service two weeks ago. It came out with a problem went back in yesterday with my air-conditioning. They looked at the car free of charge, checked it all over and the air-conditioner working. Couldn’t think of enough very helpful and everything I’ve done.

Shocking after sales service , bought a new Abarth 7 weeks ago that needed work, still waiting after multiple phone calls to be told ‘we can’t find the paperwork’. Promised call backs NEVER happen. This used to be a good dealership. Not so much these days, they literally do not care once they have your money. Shame.

Lipscomb’s – my helpful and reliable Volvo dealer
Twice this week I’ve experienced minor problems – a wheel nut disappeared, and then a mysterious knocking sound could be heard when cornering left. Each time I phoned the Service Team, went to the service bay and was sorted – same day. A single wheel nut was found, the knocking was traced to a water reservoir that had come loose – and each time I enquired ‘How much doI owe, and each time the Team said – 'nothing – you are a valued customer – nothing, that’s fine'. I have been a customer since the early 80’s – you can see why! Thank you Adam, Mike and the Service Team at Lipscomb’s Canterbury

Appalling customer care.
After the rear window of my fiat 500 becoming loose. I returned to Fiat expecting them to fix the problem as a rear window shouldn’t just become unfixed for no reason. So clearly a manufacturing fault. Their response was to tell me I had to pay for the repair and that I would need to contact their customer care team if I wanted to take it further regards a refund. What Fiat don’t tell you when you buy a car from them. (Or two in our case) that you have to contact Fiat in Italy for any customer care problems. Yes Italy!! I don’t know where to being. Their automated phone system is awful, you struggle to hear the options. When I got to speak to someone they were hard to understand. They said they would raise an enquiry and I had to call back on the morning of taking my car in. Which I did. I had to explain everything once again to be told someone would get back to me in 48 hrs. But what do I do about payment today? They couldn’t answer this. When I collected my car I way informed I would have to pay and Fiat would reimburse me. But I’m stood in a Fist dealership. Ridiculous is an understatement. When I am contacted by Fiat (Italy) I am told they do NOT refund customers. They give a goodwill gesture to the amount in stead, which can go against a service or extras. What the service that is £150 more than other reputable garages I can go to?? So I’m still out of pocket. The battle continued until two weeks later Fiat (Italy) agree they will reimburse. But they have to refund Lipscomb who then refund me. Is it me or is this complete madness. So a month later and I am still having to chase. Lipscomb have not returned my calls on two occasions. So I go into the dealership in person. We are dealing with it! I would disagree. Nine days later still no contact from them. The only contact I’ve had from Lispsomb has been when they have called to try and get me to book both mine and my sons Fiat in for services. Today after a frank discussion with their service manager and threatening to take both cars back. I have been told I have been refunded but yet to confirm the transaction on my credit card. I can’t believe this ridiculous customer care situation. When do you have to go to the country of the manufacture as opposed to the company you have purchased from. Potential Fiat buyers be aware it is making me rethink the make of my next car after this appalling and frankly ridiculous service.

Absolutely disgusting service from this dealership!
After purchasing my vehicle in October 2022 its been back into this garage 4 times and yet they still cant solve the issue, The service iv received from them is awful, They cant do their job correctly and continually lie to their customers! The manager doesn't seem to care about anything, whenever I call and request to speak to him he is always busy, meanwhile the receptions seem to think they know it all...They take your money, promise you a years warranty but yet they don't deliver!!

Shocking communication ! My brand new car stopped working 2 months in , 2 starter motors ( apparently !) then a new engine . Alfa Aylesford Maidstone absolutely useless . How does this business survive . Seeking compensation currently