We recently bought a 2.1/2 year old Honda Jazz from Northampton branch, and found the salesman really helpful and not pushy. As we had already made up our minds on the make and model we wanted, we were delighted to find exactly the right one on the day we visited. However, when we got the car home we discovered that the Tyre repair kit was missing the filter hose, valve remover, and the side cover (trim item which conceals compressor). My husband phoned several times and was promised they would 'look around the workshop and call back a.s.a.p. This did not happen! On reading through the thick Honda manual, we have also discovered that we need radio code info' in case the radio fails. Irritating things that spoilt our experience with Carshop. BTW allow plenty of time when you go to pick up your car, - you have to travel to a local post office to get a tax disc, and we had to try two before we found one that had any in stock. You also need to carry out a long check list which took ages. All in all, it took us 4 hours before we eventually drove away,

Free ice cream was a nice touch, they make you feel special, give you plenty of time. Spoke to me and my partner for a long time to make sure we fully understand. Very good if you're not entirely sure what you're looking for as they have a database to filter down the options. However MASSIVE negative that they were REALLY pushy with the extra stuff - trying to sell £300 car seat protector to us. We said no at least 20 times, told them we were not interested AT ALL and were still forced to watch a video on the product. After that we were bamboozled with a lot of extra products ie gap insurance, warrenty, mot, servicing, and when we said we did not need them we were told we were making a mistake, disapproving head shaking, and cold silent looks. And so, they are good when you are agreeing with them but be careful when disagreeing as they soon turn. I would use them again but only because they promise to beat all other finance deals. Also - you must have proof of the previous APR you were quoted for them to beat it. Luckily we did.

I bought a car from Carshop Northampton on Saturday 2nd March. A synopsis of my experience, (to date): PRE-SALE: I live quite a distance from Northampton and during an inquiry call to [name removed] in the sales team, decided to reserve the car. I was given a ball park trade in value for my old car, comparable to what I'd been offered else where. Very friendly, efficient service. [name removed] left me feeling quite assured with my choice and the forthcoming customer service I would receive. Also I decided to take the 'video tour' of the car. This proved difficult to set up and eventually, Stuart emailed further photographs and talked me through a walk round. Again, very friendly and willing to answer my questions, even though it was quite late in the evening. SALE: Early Saturday morning, I was immediately met by Jodie. Parm, who I had spoken with, also introduced himself and so did Stuart. Knowing that I wanted to complete the transaction and drive away the same day, Jodie wasted no time in retrieving the car for my inspection, valuing my car and beginning the sales procedure. All done in a very efficient , courteous and relaxed manner. After a thorough test drive, she allowed me as much time as needed to look at the car alone; no pressure and kept me topped up on refreshments. I noticed a couple of faults with the vehicle, which Jodie duly noted. She called for assistance from one of her colleagues - Toby, who again responded quickly in examining the faults. I decided to proceed with my purchase. A minor fault is a damaged dashboard vent. I was advised that normally this would be rectified before collection but it could probably be fixed at a local Halfords Autocentre, close to where I live. Disappointingly (which I must state at this point), the car was NOT as advertised; i.e: NO BLUETOOTH connectivity. Also, I noted NO car mats, or owner's manual. Having completed her part, Jodie handed me over to the finance team, who quickly dealt with the financial aspects of the sale. I was offered finance packages and extras; again - no pressure and all carried out quickly and efficiently. At collection point, the car was thoroughly valeted and GardX applied. Very quick! A lovely lady, who's name I do not recall, dispatched the car and tried to get the faulty vent rectified, before my departure. She was unable to do so but suggested that I should call Customer Service, on Monday 4th March. I duly did so. AFTER SALE: This is where I feel really let down by Carshop; my experience on Monday would deter me from subsequent purchase and recommendation. I have 20+ years experience as a Customer Service Trainer for a leading airline and as such I know the full value of effective service recovery, to the individual and the company. Monday 4th March - p.m. I called the customer service number listed in the literature. The phone was answered and immediately disconnected twice. I then rang the sales team who gave another number to call, for the Customer Service Manager. The phone was answered in a hurried, impatient manner, with no introduction given. I discovered by my own efforts, I was talking to Matt. I explained the events of the purchase and that I had been advised to give him a call, by the collections team. This, he exclaimed was completely unsatisfactory, incorrect and "not how things are done". Placing much blame on the people I had met on Saturday, he explained that the advice given was incorrect, the fault should have been fixed before the car was allowed to leave and he would look into it. Someone would call me back but the fault would not be rectifiable at a local Halfords. I would need to return to Northampton. So far, the "Someone..." (I was told in no uncertain terms it would NOT be Matt), has not called back. Now I feel that Carshop have had my money and my trade in and the rest of my concerns are history. I don't suppose I'll call back, as I don't really know what to do next! Sadly, the service given by those, before and during the sale has been marred by the poor communication and lack of service recovery techniques of the 'Customer Service' Manager.

Looking for your 1st car or a replacement for your current car, The Carshop give a fantastic choice, helping to compare various vehicles in one go on one site. The sales team are over zealous in trying to help you in to a vehicle, and a lone female is deemed to be a target and attracts at least 3 pushy sales men all telling her it is the best car since the wheel was invented. If you are firm and stand your ground " i just want to look around and I will grab someone when I am ready " they do seem to back off and let you perouse the the wonderfull array. Have a price in mind as your maximum budget, and if buying on finance ask / demand that is that your best possible finance deal. Do not be lulled into how much a month can you afford as then a package can be put into placethat costs you more and the sales person gets an even bigger commision. I really do like using the web site to look at cars and create a wish list this lets you compare between cars and various car shop locations. and they keep you informed if any one else is watching or if it sells. A good car and a good deal can be had from the car shop just remember it is a second hand car, one lady owner or pool car one company owner several rotten drivers. Not sure get an independant inspection it is well worth the money, as you usually are making a substantial saving over main dealer forecourt prices.

Traded in a 07 reg mini cooper, after some haggling got an average trade price against car that I wanted, just stick to your guns and dont let them try to add on little extra prices or say your trade car is worth less. Go online and use webuyanycar.com to give you an idea of what your car is worth. And don't tell them your budget, make them work at giving you a good/decent deal. Good points: 1.Test drive as many cars as you want and able to compare them side by side. 2.You can leave with your new car on the same day as long as you bring all the docs for your old car. 3. Drive away insurance offered. Bad points: 1. Prepare to haggle before they give you a decent deal. 2. They tried to add on extra costs after agreed deal, read before you sign and stick to your guns! 3. The whole process takes ages prepare to spend 1/2 a day there. Would I use again... YES. They are no better or worse than other car supermarkets.

Well I saw the car online (Toyota IQ) I was in Plymouth at the time so sent my parents along to view the car. Was told the car was dirty because it had just arrived....so my dad said no worries and went on the test drive, he was pleased with it and went ahead an bought it. Fast forward five days, I arrive at the car shop to collect my new pride and joy, the girl behind the counter quickly filled out the forms gave me the keys and pointed me to the car!! So I went over and was very dishearten to find the car was filthy! Especially as I had to sit on an overnight coach! so I asked for the car to be cleaned as this was not except able. So while it was being cleaned I read through the paperwork a bit closely to find the car had been in there possession since January! They lied to my dad and lied on there website stating the car had only done 16,800miles I collected it with 17,600. May not seem much to some but there was no reason to lie. Overall they service received was ok. The car was reasonably price and it does everything I need. But I'll be going to a main dealer next time.

This was our 5th purchase from the Carshop and pretty well know the format of their sales techniques. Once you understand how they operate it will make your experience a little more acceptable, although it still takes far too long to process the transaction - I waited nearly half an hour just to make my deposit payment. The car I purchased was great value, and nearly £2k cheaper than anything else on Autotrader and still under warranty :-) So far the car BMW Z4 has lived up to my expectations. The sales guy I dealt with was pleasant but did fall into the trap of being too matey, swearing in conversation isn't really acceptable or professional. The chap at the car handover was excellent, friendly, polite, helpful etc etc Overall, I would give them a 3.5 - they just need to sort out the waiting times. Oh, and Gard X is a waste of money - had to buy this to seal the deal. The product itself is good but at £288 is a rip off.

I had more or less decided what type of car to have before arriving so the deal was half done,I felt that not enough technicaly was known about the vehicle, it was covered in scratches which I had to ask to be removed and dents that were not a good advert.(would not happen in a normal garage). On that note I bought the car and have been very happy with its performance.

I was exasperated by the time it took to buy a car! I knew what I wanted so after test driving it, it should have been straightforward. I spent 3 hours in the showroom trying to finalise the deal. The sales person tried to persuade me to take finance (which I didnt want), then pressurised to take paintwork and upholstery protection (which I also didnt want and had to say NO umpteen times after which I was STILL told to watch a video on it!), then on to extended warranty etc. Its a shame, I am pleased with my purchase, but the whole thing would have been so much better if my wishes had been listened to and surely if someone says NO that should be it? The collection department were great, the lady I saw was friendly and efficient-no complaints there. The price of the car was good too(Vauxhall Zafira). One other point, I was not shown any other vehicles other than the one I bought-ok for me as I had made my mind up anyway, but it would have been nice to have had a couple of options to compare! I have said 'yes' to the recommend a friend bit, but it would be yes with reservations!

The experience with buying a car from the CarShop was good. Was greeted by a friendly adviser who showed us around the car. Car was in good condition but noticed some scratches, was told would fix that. Came back the next day to buy the car. Took a long time to get the paperwork completed. Met with a Business Adviser who was very helpful and sorted out more paperwork and insurance for us. Went to pick up the car where we realised the scratches were not taken care of and by that time was evening. So have to go back to Northampton to this fixed. Overall Good Service, but could have improved by better communication from sales team and the collection team.

Arrived to look at a few vehicles, though having been met at the entrance the salesman wasnt going to allow me to walk round! That said having test driven a couple of vehicles made a decision on which car to purchase and throughout salesman was very pleasant and helpful. They were happy to review p/x price and uplift based on more details having given me an earlier indicative trade in price. Usual sales of add ons were offered though in fairness no pressure to purchase once refused. Private registration plates were an issue, conflicting advice given with regards to best route but had to sort these myself. Had one or two queries / minor issues post purchase and always found it difficult to get to speak to the right person, quite often a got a blase answer that what i was suggesting would be fine and in fairness in the end it was though it would have been nice to get beyond the person that answered the phone to the right department as it was clear when things were sorted that my prior phone calls hadnt actually been communicated at all, though the matters still got resolved. Overall though i would return, but i do think the customer service side needs to be more integrated across the various departments.

After selling my car pretty quick, I was left with no car, so obviously i was pretty keen to get a new one. I knew what car I wanted and had a set budget in mind. After searching various sites and looking in local garages i decided to check the car shop online. I had already been into the car shop previously and said that I have the money to buy and told them what I wanted, they had the cars but would not budge even £1 so in the end I just walked away and continued to look. Well after no joy finding a car within a reasonable distance I went online so see what the car shop had. I also remembered them saying if I found a car with the same spec and roughly the same milage they could price match. I found several cars cheaper through other garages and after a few discussions over the phone we agreed a price that suited both parties. That evening a salesman came to my house with the car so I could have a look around and a test drive. The salesman was excellent and wasnt pushy in anyway. I basically paid £300 deposit and agreed to pick the car up a few days later. There were some small issues with the car. 1x alloy was in a really bad condition which they said they would fix and the car was pulling to one side. the tracking was sorted and the alloy was referbed which was a little dissapointing as the other alloys are near perfect but again they car shop wouldnt budge on this. On collection of the car there was no fuel in the car and trying to get the car to the petrol station was a bumping ride as the car was juddering all ther way. I also notice the driver seat was no working as its electric. The car went back to the car shop, they couldnt fix it so i took it to ford which the carshop had booked in. They fixed the seat and the carshop covered the cost. Customer services was well organised and polite and got everything sorted as soon as they could. Would I buy from the car shop again. MAYBE. Always try and price match and also make sure there is some fuel in the car at least to get you home. If you have any issues with the car after buying let customer services know asap. DW

I have to say that all of the staff were very friendly and helpful, we did indeed get a good deal on a new car and they certainly have a large choice. My advice to perspective customers is to make sure you allow yourself plenty of time, I don't think we hwve ever spent quite as long filling out paperwork and being asked so many questions about add on services they try to sell to you. You will also have to allow about an hour to pick the car up, this too can drag on a bit. They asked for profe of service on the car we were trading in, but when we got home with the new car the service book was empty, I think they should follow what they preach. But if you have the time to spend on this I don't think you will be disappointed with the deals they have to offer.

I had been searching for a particular car (volvo XC90 Sport) for some time and nothing was comming up. I noticed that The Car Shop had the exact car in stock, right colour and spec and also within my budget and although 160 miles away i called them up. They were very helpful on the phone and offered me a live video tour of the car via my computer and their website. This is a handy tool if you are not local but you must make sure to direct the tour and cover every millimeter of the car or as i my case they may miss out a few chips and scuffs. I decided that the car looked fine so took the next step and went through the finance details. At this point they check your credit rating which establishes the APR. I have a good history of borrowing and paying back but was still rated as average. I arranged to drive to Northampton to view the car in the flesh and arrived at the Car Shop at 11.30am where i was met at the security gate and advised where to park and that someone would meet me there. After being shown to a seat in the showroom the sales person evaluated me and asked various questions regarding finance and part exchange, it took about half an hour before the car wad brought to me (the salesman said that the delay was due to the fact that they gave it a quick wash due to leaves and dust etc although i had earlier phoned and booked an appointment to view the car) I was offered a test drive and was able to drive quite a way and in varying conditions. On returning i examined the car in detail noticing that the badges denoting make and model were missing from the tailgate. I was aware of a small crease that had been repaired which was fine but the salesman when asked about replacing the missing badges said he could do nothing about this even though they were present in the photo's on the website. I pressed the issue to no avail. I also pointed out that although legal,the tyres were a bit worn and affecting the handling and again there was no movement. Next they valued my part exchange and the price quoted was very close to the price supplied on their website so that was fine. The salesman then attempted to make me watch a video informing me of the benefits of purchasing some kind of bodywork and interior protection to try to add this to the sale, not happening here! Finalizing the finance i was hit with further sales pitches for warranty as in their words