Haddocks, Colchester, Essex

This company does not care one ounce about customer service !!! After getting home and noticing later my car was dented (wasnt there when i took it in) they denied liabilty because i had taken the car for less then a day (only had it on my drive) when i sent letters and called they stated they checked the car (but somehow missed damage that was already there) guess their checks are so poor or they would see it. They didnt want to know when it would cost them a couple of quid to fix it rather than hyundai, and management was rude. I have to say after we recently got a car from honda i will be going there for all future work. You get mugged off, budget quality for premium price!

Went in to purchase a new car and where I accept the salesmen were with other customers we were not even acknowledged. A smile or a nod of the head as we walked in or even a good afternoon we will be with you in a short while would have been fine but nothing. After 12 to 15 minutes someone finally come from a back office but by then the damage was done. The car market is highly competitive and we shall be going somewhere who wants our custom.

Had my car serviced on 3rd Sept. I am very pleased with your overall servicing .A very pleasant Nigel picked my car up and returned it having been washed and valeted looking very spruce!

Thank you to your servicing department I will certainly use you again.

Yours sincerely Mrs Jill Eagle

I have always found Haddocks to go that extra mile to help you out whether it be when buying a car or returning for a service. I bought an i10 from them last year and the sales team couldn't have been more helpful - no pushy sales tactics - just good old politeness, friendliness and invaluable help in finding the right car. By the way - the car is great - perfect for me ! When returning for a service I got the same treatment - the staff were very knowledgeable and I was happy with the cost which was explained to me beforehand. After visiting other main dealerships before purchasing my car, Haddocks were by far the best. Have happily recommended to family and friends.

My family and I have been buying cars from here for years and having them serviced/repaired as well. In my view, they give a personal service that you just don't find in other main dealers. I have to say I'm a little surprised at some of the reviews I've seen on here as they don't reflect my experience!

In my experience, they will always try and help out when the car needs a repair and, when my car broke down on a Saturday, lent me a car at very short notice which I didn't have to pay for when they clearly didn't have to.

I don't suppose they are perfect but the business is family owned and run and you can speak to the owners (as I have done on many occasions). This is a big plus over the big multinationals where you are just one of thousands of customers.

Been using Haddocks for many years for sales and service, and have not had a problem at all! Staff are all very friendly and courteous be it sales or aftersales, and the 5 cars we have had have been brilliant! Always ultra reliable in my opinion, any problems or issues have all been sorted swiftly while I sat in the comfortable, warm waiting area with a cup of tea watching Bargain Hunt! Wouldn't go anywhere else!

WHEN A BROUGHT A CAR FROM THEM THEY WERE THE MOST HELPFUL,BUT WHEN YOU TAKE THE CAR BACK BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM THEY WERE VERY RUDE DO NOT BUY A CAR FROM THEM

Sales person was rude before even asking for any details then when they called with valuation for part exchange was rude when I advised I wasn't in a rush to make a decision that day then pestered me with rude voicemails about a decision. Would not recommend going to this garage shocking service and rude sales person. Absolutely disgusted with service and attitude

I took a fairly old, cheap car I recently bought in for assessment of a possible suspension issue.

In the end I was informed two of the tyres were running at wrong pressures.

I was informed via the telephone that they would do tyre pressures, geometry and repair a broken handbrake cable - and they had found another 'fault' that two other professional inspections of the brakes recently did not find (and I received two conflicting reports about this problem from the same dealer during two phonecalls!)

I opted to have the cheap stuff done first, intending to test drive the car to see if it resolved the issues.

When I arrived to pick up the car, they had not truly done 'geometry' but instead had done basic tracking (which had already been done days before! Tracking is NOT geometry), the tyres had been put at the correct pressures, although the wrong pressures were originally quoted to me, and the handbrake cable had been repaired (they wanted to repair the other, which was not broken!)

A ridiculous fee of around £300 was charged including tax. I asked for an itemised breakdown, which they were unable to provide!

However they did divide it into repair and 'diagnostics' which amounted to 2 hours' work to have a quick look at suspension, brakes and steering. I have had this done before and it's usually a 30 min job and rarely does one get billed for it.

I asked to test drive the car prior to paying as I might have opted for more work if it had resolved the issues. However, to my surprise, I was informed they would not give me the keys until I paid the bill!

Therefore I resolved never to use this dealership again, despite their polite and professional manner and very kind offer of a courtesy car.

I also took up my legal right to inspect work done by having the tyre pressures checked They looked shocked that I requested this, yet it is my legal right!) while I observed to ensure the job had been done properly, which it had.

Overall I think this dealership does do a professional job and the staff are more trustworthy and polite than many dealers. However, I would advise anyone using this garage to provide advance written instructions not to exceed one hour of diagnostic work because they billed me for 2 hours for a job I would expect to take 30-40 mins. I would also never use them again, having been denied my own car keys until the bill had been settled. I will be doing the more expensive work at a garage that does not charge exorbitant diagnostic fees and ultimately this garage will lose that money. I had also intended to purchase a brand new Hyundai in the summer and will buy it from anywhere but Haddocks!

I'm sure they will recognise me from my story. Thank you guys for the work you did and the mechanics all seem very competent and pleasant but - come on! £300 for a handbrake cable and a quick look at the car, geometry (not done - tracking was already done!) and inflating the tyres is a bit ludicrous and if I could be bothered, I'm quite sure I could obtain some of that money back in a small claims' court. However, I can't be bothered!

Well let me start this review by saying that I've been a customer for 2 years now and only reason I go there is soi can keep a perfect dealer history stamps.

Now like it has been mentioned before "J" or let's face it JANE is indeed VERY unhelpful, doesn't care about what u have to say and is indeed patronising.

After charging me £250 for a service ( oil/fuel filter/ screen wash top up) I brought up an issue that a lot of people are experiencing with their ECU on my car ( Hyundai coupe forum) Jane kept huffing n puffing and said she had never heard of the issue and it must have been my fault and well, i would have to pay to get it sorted ( been confirmed to be a spread out problem originating from factory).even providing evidence of my claims, she never once looked and didn't seem to care as I had already paid the bill !!!

So NOT HAPPY AT ALL, and from now on I will not use them anymore, well done JANE, You've lost a customer !