Good & Bad VW Dealers - We need your feedback!

[ArunAlec]

Birmingham van centre, although identical to most, seems to and claims to specialise in Californias. They took the one we bought from them off another dealer “who didn’t know how to sell the California”. Birmingham seemed good, and knew the model, but then, how hard is it to become familiar with a vehicle? How can some not do this?! When I contacted them recently, the email addresses for the sales guy we used and the very good main dude who did a good job of explaining all the bits and bobs before I drove away, both bounced back, which was a bit disconcerting, but anyway, they seemed like a good enough outfit.

Given the demand for recreational VWs for the life of me I don’t understand why all VW commercial showrooms look so boring and sterile (and supposedly professional). They’re so…90s. Why not make them fun, welcoming, and on-brand and in tune with the spirit of adventure and fun that we all buy into when we pay top dollar for a VW van instead of a Bongo or Merc etc.? They really are missing a trick. The showrooms and the sales guys generally speaking are often a hurdle to buying into the brand that you have to overcome rather than a catalyst in helping you make the purchase.


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I would guess that from a sales point of view it’s a lot easier to sell a workhorse Transporter than a California. The Transporter buyer is going to be low maintenance deal where as the California buyer will probably demand lots of the salesman’s time and energy with lots of questions.
The California customer would be better served if the California was sold through the car dealership. Or better still specialist centres!
From an after sales point of view, the California must be a nightmare for the dealers, compared to the Transporter..

 

[Perfectos]

Birmingham van centre, although identical to most, seems to and claims to specialise in Californias. They took the one we bought from them off another dealer “who didn’t know how to sell the California”. Birmingham seemed good, and knew the model, but then, how hard is it to become familiar with a vehicle? How can some not do this?! When I contacted them recently, the email addresses for the sales guy we used and the very good main dude who did a good job of explaining all the bits and bobs before I drove away, both bounced back, which was a bit disconcerting, but anyway, they seemed like a good enough outfit.

Given the demand for recreational VWs for the life of me I don’t understand why all VW commercial showrooms look so boring and sterile (and supposedly professional). They’re so…90s. Why not make them fun, welcoming, and on-brand and in tune with the spirit of adventure and fun that we all buy into when we pay top dollar for a VW van instead of a Bongo or Merc etc.? They really are missing a trick. The showrooms and the sales guys generally speaking are often a hurdle to buying into the brand that you have to overcome rather than a catalyst in helping you make the purchase.


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I find it frustrating when you go into a dealers and the sales guys come over to give you the sales patter, particularly when it very quickly becomes apparent that the sales person simply has no clue as to the product they are trying to sell.
A recent discussion I had with a sales guy regarding the two current Beach options had him telling me things that simply were not true Or accurate. When I corrected the guy he simply gave out more and more BS, I assume purely because he could not bear to admit he could not answer, so he chose to make up answers to fill the uncomfortable silence that would have followed Or the embarrassment of admitting he didn’t know the product he was selling !
This lead me to ask more questions which again were answered with made up and incorrect answers.
the answers were very plausible, (had I not known the answer before asking) but none the less they were not accurate and could have influenced my decision had I been looking to buy a new Cali.
This must lead prospective buyers to develop lots of incorrect assumptions, cause false expectations and confusion.
Why are these sales guys not trained extensively and properly in the product they sell?
I bet very few sales persons have ever been in a Cali outside of the show room, let alone used one for camping? ( There are obviously a few exceptions but only a very few.)
When buying a camper many customers rely on the dealer to be the Experts and rely on the facts that you are told by the sales person to be wholly accurate, not some BS to make the sales person look like they know what they are talking about.
when the information coming out of the sales persons mouth is blatant BS, to cover the fact that they simply don’t know the basics of the various offerings, let alone the intricacies of the product they are selling it’s quite frankly insulting to a prospective customer who is potentially going to spend their life saving on a vehicle.

 

[Cali Phillip]

I would guess that from a sales point of view it’s a lot easier to sell a workhorse Transporter than a California. The Transporter buyer is going to be low maintenance deal where as the California buyer will probably demand lots of the salesman’s time and energy with lots of questions.
The California customer would be better served if the California was sold through the car dealership. Or better still specialist centres!
From an after sales point of view, the California must be a nightmare for the dealers, compared to the Transporter..
Dealer California specialists should have and use one from work.

I spoke to one salesman when test driving and was the fleet contract salesman, they dealt with contracts for 100+ vans in a single contract.
California’s are high cost, high staff time and (were) slow to sell. Less profit in them.

 

[be1t0n]

My Ocean was purchased from Liverpool. They were great and have been very responsive to any queries I've contacted them about.

My local dealer on the other hand (Manchester van centre) have been a right PITA.

1. Warranty repair to cutlery drawer front that hadn't been screwed on (3 trips to sort).
2. Warranty repair for leak in roof. Ignored everything I was telling them about this issue until they'd had it in 3 times already and not fixed it. Eventually told me they would strip the roof back to check a couple of things but would put it back together so I still had se of my van.....then told me they couldn't do that and would need to keep the van until parts arrived.....which there was no ETA for. In the time they had it I was told a number of times that it would be ready in the next couple of days only to then be told by someone else that they still didn't have parts.
3. Keep contacting me about booking in for a service then telling me that a service isn't due.

Probably just going to take it to Liverpool when i need anything sorted.

 

[BeagleMum]

My Ocean was purchased from Liverpool. They were great and have been very responsive to any queries I've contacted them about.

My local dealer on the other hand (Manchester van centre) have been a right PITA.

1. Warranty repair to cutlery drawer front that hadn't been screwed on (3 trips to sort).
2. Warranty repair for leak in roof. Ignored everything I was telling them about this issue until they'd had it in 3 times already and not fixed it. Eventually told me they would strip the roof back to check a couple of things but would put it back together so I still had se of my van.....then told me they couldn't do that and would need to keep the van until parts arrived.....which there was no ETA for. In the time they had it I was told a number of times that it would be ready in the next couple of days only to then be told by someone else that they still didn't have parts.
3. Keep contacting me about booking in for a service then telling me that a service isn't due.

Probably just going to take it to Liverpool when i need anything sorted.

Liverpool is only 24 miles round trip for us but we choose to do a 124 mile round trip to use Llandudno. Nothing but poor service from Liverpool nothing but excellent service from Llandudno.

 

[Magic Bus]

We bought our van from Liverpool, as they offered the best deal, had availability (was offered a choice of 3 brand new Cali’s within our budget), and they sell a lot of Cali’s and know the product. California Chris on YouTube is the Sales Manager.

It’s too far to take it to Liverpool for servicing, so we take ours to Marshalls of Lincoln. We’ve only been a couple of times but they have been efficient enough and it’s easy for me to get to, just up the A46.

 

[be1t0n]

Liverpool is only 24 miles round trip for us but we choose to do a 124 mile round trip to use Llandudno. Nothing but poor service from Liverpool nothing but excellent service from Llandudno.

Always had good experience in Llandudno VW to be honest. I’m originally from Conwy so have had many a car from them over the years

 

[Digger]

Liverpool are excellent. We have bought and had excellent service from them for several vans. Building a relationship with staff has resulted in us sending several friends from Scotland also to Liverpool. Some are just unlucky maybe.

 

[BeagleMum]

Liverpool are excellent. We have bought and had excellent service from them for several vans. Building a relationship with staff has resulted in us sending several friends from Scotland also to Liverpool. Some are just unlucky maybe.

We have a wonderful relationship with our local Toyota dealer from whom we have bought numerous cars over a thirty year period, they know how to look after customers. The least we expected from Liverpool was courtesy and professionalism, we got neither. Against our better judgement we gave them a second chance, that was a huge mistake nothing had improved, the absolute worst dealership we have ever encountered in a lifetime of purchasing cars, of which there has been many. Speak as you find, our recommendation for Liverpool, stay well away.

 

[SusiBus]

Perhaps it might better to have a few specialist California sales centres, where the staff know what they are talking about. Currently Breeze in Poole, and Liverpool van centre might be contenders for this. What happens when you just a minor California related repair requirement. Where do you go? All the way to the specialist Centre because they have mocked up up all California trade?

 

[Mr B]

Our personal limited experience of researching and purchasing a Caravelle/California are as follows:
JCB Sittingbourne. Several visits. Very helpful but the poor young chap who showed us around a Caravelle on the last occasion hadn't got a clue. He did phone back later with the answers to our questions though.
JCB Ashford. Only one visit. Never again. The salesman made it very clear that we were an inconvenience and that he had better things to do.
JCB Eastbourne. Very similar reception to that of JCB Ashford. Disinterested to the point that they told us to go to their other branch in Guildford. All this was after we had made an appointment and driven miles to get there!
Hereford Garages. Extremely welcoming, business like and very helpful. They didn't put any pressure on us to make a decision there and then. Highly recommended.
SMG Tonbridge. Absolutely brilliant. Couldn't have been more helpfull. Their staff really know the California inside and out and obviously enjoy selling them. We purchased an SE and a Beach six months apart and on both occasions we were looked after by Laine Watts. He is clearly a California enthusiast and he went the extra mile to ensure that we got a good deal. Both vehicles were spotless and complete on collection. Both have been faultless since and my limited experience of servicing with them to date has been very positive.
CVS VW Commercial Canterbury. Despite being my local dealership I have very little experience of this garage. They appear very freindly and efficient but the customer/dealer relationship bombed when I looked into purchasing a low mileage Audi TT Cabriolet for Mrs B. It turned out to be a CAT C insurance write off. They said that they didn't know anything about that!!! It had been on their forecourt for ten months.

Hi Borris

I live in Canterbury and wondered if you have any advice about taking my Ocean a reputable dealer.

I keep getting a Stop/Start Error with the Flashing Glow Plug symbol and without VCDS have no way of seeing what the actual underlying fault it.

The Van is however under warranty.

I went to the CVS Canterbury branch for some free Adblue as I have 10 free fill ups but wasn't that impressed and after reading your reviews I guess SMG Tunbridge is the place to go? Although you posted that a long time so wondered if there are any nearer alternatives?

I completely agree about JCB Sittingbourne - unbelievably bad service when I had a Caravelle. They hadn't even plugged in my Speedo or Radiator fans after I picked up the van when it was serviced.

Never going there again!

All the best

 

[Stu@rt]

Hi Borris

I live in Canterbury and wondered if you have any advice about taking my Ocean a reputable dealer.

I keep getting a Stop/Start Error with the Flashing Glow Plug symbol and without VCDS have no way of seeing what the actual underlying fault it.

The Van is however under warranty.

I went to the CVS Canterbury branch for some free Adblue as I have 10 free fill ups but wasn't that impressed and after reading your reviews I guess SMG Tunbridge is the place to go? Although you posted that a long time so wondered if there are any nearer alternatives?

I completely agree about JCB Sittingbourne - unbelievably bad service when I had a Caravelle. They hadn't even plugged in my Speedo or Radiator fans after I picked up the van when it was serviced.

Never going there again!

All the best

Just @ing @Borris for you. (With a vested interest as a fellow SE Kent dweller.

 

[Phil P]

We are currently building a list of preffered VW Commercial dealers as the most common complaint we get is from people who take their Cali into a dealer and receive bad service or the service department will not be familiar with the VW California.

We already have a few dealers on board but we want to try and build up a nationwide network so all members will have a trusted dealer nearby.

Here is the plan:

- You tell us which dealers are good and which are bad
- The club will contact the dealers that get the best feedback
- We request from them a named point of contact within the service centre
- They have the option to offer a VIP discount of between 5-10% off servicing
- If they fail to offer good service and start to receive bad feedback, they will be removed from the list

The ones we have already spoken to were more than happy to offer the above so we hope the others will follow suit.

All we need now is your feedback please so we can start this database. ( Please remember we only want feedback on servicing and not sales )

Liverpool van centre have been great for me!

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

In my experience:

Eurovans Crawley were good during the purchasing process and Vic & Mike very friendly and helpful with a few subsequent requests. They also proactively performed a software update on a recent visit.

Citygate Wooburn Green, being nearer to my home are my chosen Service Centre. They were very professional in quickly dealing with a warranty issue. They have also fitted lowering springs for me. Professional and pro-active.

 

[Borris]

Hi Borris

I live in Canterbury and wondered if you have any advice about taking my Ocean a reputable dealer.

I keep getting a Stop/Start Error with the Flashing Glow Plug symbol and without VCDS have no way of seeing what the actual underlying fault it.

The Van is however under warranty.

I went to the CVS Canterbury branch for some free Adblue as I have 10 free fill ups but wasn't that impressed and after reading your reviews I guess SMG Tunbridge is the place to go? Although you posted that a long time so wondered if there are any nearer alternatives?

I completely agree about JCB Sittingbourne - unbelievably bad service when I had a Caravelle. They hadn't even plugged in my Speedo or Radiator fans after I picked up the van when it was serviced.

Never going there again!

All the best

Well most of the experiences reported in my above mentioned post were during our research phase some six years ago. Since then we are now on our third Cali, each purchased from SMG Tonbridge. Re Sales, they have always been brilliant to deal with. As far as servicing goes, I have only had limited experience as we haven't kept the vehicles long enough to need much in the way of servicing. SMG Tonbridge seem to be good in that respect and have carried out all of the necessary servicing for us. (After our previous experience I won't use CVS at Canterbury).

Six years is a long time though so don't read too much into my previous comments. Management, staff and working practices may all have changed at those garages since then.

However, I have had some issues relating to warranty claims with SMG Tonbridge. The service manager at the time when these faults occurred tried to tell me they weren't warranty items when clearly they were. In all cases these issues were resolved in my favour but only after referring these matters to VW Customer Services. If it's still under the original warranty or the extended factory warranty then with a few exceptions, it should be covered.

 

[Karlos]

Always had good experience in Llandudno VW to be honest. I’m originally from Conwy so have had many a car from them over the years

Only ever had excellent service from Liverpool, even got the workshop manager to come and discuss options when I wanted my T6 LWB conversion lowered.

 

[Mr B]

Well most of the experiences reported in my above mentioned post were during our research phase some six years ago. Since then we are now on our third Cali, each purchased from SMG Tonbridge. Re Sales, they have always been brilliant to deal with. As far as servicing goes, I have only had limited experience as we haven't kept the vehicles long enough to need much in the way of servicing. SMG Tonbridge seem to be good in that respect and have carried out all of the necessary servicing for us. (After our previous experience I won't use CVS at Canterbury).

Six years is a long time though so don't read too much into my comments. Management, staff and working practices may all have changed at those garages since then.

However, I have had some issues relating to warranty claims with SMG Tonbridge. The service manager at the time when these faults occurred tried to tell me they weren't warranty items when clearly they were. In all cases these issues were resolved in my favour after referring the matter to VW Customer Services. If it's still under the original warranty or the extended factory warranty then with a few exceptions, it should be covered.

Ok thanks Borris.

I'll try SMG Tonbridge.

 

[patflash]

I have been happy with Citygate at Woburn Green Buckinghamshire.

I must have caught them on a bad week. I found them to be a total shambles.

 

[Moore288]

I must have caught them on a bad week. I found them to be a total shambles.

Me too. I’m suspicious they have more than a bad week. I avoid now. Maidenhead Cordwallis are worth the extra drive in my experience. Although for real shambles try Beadles at Hatfield. Shocking


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[Perfectos]

can you guys share any reason re Woburn green ?

 

[None]

Just had service at Ventu Volkswagen Hereford.
Very efficient, free check shown on Videoclip to phone.
Small but clean and tidy customer waiting area, free hot drinks.!
Staff pleasant and helpful.

Have had no issues with ocean t6 to date so cannot comment

 

[Moore288]

can you guys share any reason re Woburn green ?

I went twice - they seem only to know the base van and have no techs (or interest) in the camper parts. They also gave me incorrect advice on my warranty and could not fix a basic electrical issue with rear number plate light. All sorted in less than 24hrs by Cordwallis.


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[GrumpyGranddad]

I went twice - they seem only to know the base van and have no techs (or interest) in the camper parts. They also gave me incorrect advice on my warranty and could not fix a basic electrical issue with rear number plate light. All sorted in less than 24hrs by Cordwallis.


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Sorry you had a poor experience @Moore288.

Opposite experience for me at Citygate, Wooburn Green @Perfectos.

1. Sorted out the infamous ‘stuck rear bench’ when our van was brand new. Diagnosed the problem, but ordered in ALL the spares they might need if anything unexpected was found.
2. Another visit for supply and fit of VW 30mm lowering springs was a good experience.
3. Lastly, they are pro-active. For example they call me if they get an ‘over the air’ warning light alert. Has happened 3 times but all false alarms as far as i’m aware. They have made a note to investigate further when my van goes in for service or for other work. (I suspect it might be the SOS only red light that many of us occasionally get?).

Note, They DO have a California specialist.

 

[andyinluton]

As they had ou

Sorry you had a poor experience @Moore288.

Opposite experience for me at Citygate, Wooburn Green @Perfectos.

1. Sorted out the infamous ‘stuck rear bench’ when our van was brand new. Diagnosed the problem, but ordered in ALL the spares they might need if anything unexpected was found.
2. Another visit for supply and fit of VW 30mm lowering springs was a good experience.
3. Lastly, they are pro-active. For example they call me if they get an ‘over the air’ warning light alert. Has happened 3 times but all false alarms as far as i’m aware. They have made a note to investigate further when my van goes in for service or for other work. (I suspect it might be the SOS only red light that many of us occasionally get?).

Note, They DO have a California specialist.

They were supposed to have fixed our sagging roof last week, it was in for a few days due to parts being needed. It’s 3 trains, one tube and a half hour walk each end to get it there & collect. Extremely unimpressed to have the fault repeat within a week.

They can come and get it this time & bring it back when they have sorted it properly.

 

[patflash]

This was the note I wrote Woburn Green.


Apologies for disturbing you on a Saturday but I’m having a rough time with your team at Woburn Green. I booked my new California in for an update to solve a few software issues I was having. The experience I’ve had so far has been pretty awful.

1) Walked into your dealership yesterday morning and waited a good few minutes at the service desk for a couple of your team to finish arguing pretty unprofessionally.

2) Was told that update should only take a hour or so and I’ll have the van back later that day. I hung around the area all day and was not given a call to update me. I rang for an update to be told ‘software takes a long time to download’ which wasn’t informative or useful. They couldn’t give me a rough eta but assured me they would get back to me shorty with one.

3) I rang back at 4pm looking for an update, no one answered the phone. Same at 5pm. Same at 9am Saturday morning.

4) Finally got through to someone, and was told the master technician hadn’t look at it yet and software takes a long time to download. I expressed I was pretty disappointed with this answer and I was hung up on, honestly shocking.

All I asked for was a clear estimate on when the vehicle would be ready so I could plan my time and I’ve only had vague and misleading answers from your team.

I’m writing this simply because If I was managing this team I’d want to know about service issues like this. I came to Citygate Woburn Green based on it’s good reputation and so far I’ve been massively unimpressed.

Please let me know if you receive this email and when I can expect my vehicle back.

———

after I sent this I got an email full of excuses. I eventually had to call another 2 times to pick up on Monday afternoon having been assured it would be ready in the AM.

the guy I picked it up from appeared clueless, he told me that none of the software updates could fixed the issue with my hanging discovery media pro system and I’d have to wait to see if VW issued another software update. So I was pretty exasperated at that point. Got in the van to find it was in fact working!
All in all a bit of a farce… and a wasted couple of days.