STAY CLEAR. went to view a car on Saturday and got accepted for finance. it's now Wednesday and after many calls to different finance managers and them saying "you have been accepted the cars yours" sending over four times my ID, I show up at the showroom because Evolution say they haven't even had an application and to see what's going on - get told it's declined. read more

AVOID - DREADFUL PLACE Went to Carshop Cardiff looking for a family car, spotted a Mercedes we liked. We noticed there was overspray on the front alloy, a massive diagonal scratch across front emblem and bad fogging/blurred xenon headlight. Car also had slow to retract rear seatbelt and a very tough/stiff clutch. Mentioned this to the used car sales manager Sam, he immediately muttered 'It's going to be one of those days'. He begrudgingly agreed to fix the overspray and driver's headlight but said the scratch and other issues would be too expensive to fix. He said the clutch being tough is 'just how these models are'. We gave them nearly a week to fix the issues, and on collection spent roughly 40mins attempted to be sold an extended warranty for the vehicle at a cost of an extra £1000. We politely declined this, and went to the collections desk. I queried if the car had been valeted and the girl said 'I don't know, I think so' which didn't give either of us much confidence. I was then handed 3 sheets of badly photocopied A4 paper as the entire service history. I asked where the manual was and was told 'there wasn't one'. The car was driven to the exit and my wife said I should check the agreed work on the front had been done. I could see to my horror literally nothing had been touched. The wheels didn't even have basic tyre dust caps on them and their handover checklist was completely blank too. We were asked 'What do you want to do'?. We were told all the managers had gone home for the day and there was nobody to speak to. We decided we didn't want to take the car and were shocked as we explained that previously Sam had said the car was currently in the workshop with the issues being worked upon which clearly was a lie. We ended up coming home extremely stressed, with a new keeper slip, over £10k out of pocket and without a new car. What followed was further visits to undo the tax, return the 2nd key and wait very patiently for our money to be returned. Numerous other phonecalls were made to the used car manager who was continually extremely rude and unhelpful on the phone. He decided they now wouldn't fix the headlight as previously agreed as clearly it was too expensive and tried to say the alloy could be fixed at an undetermined later date, excuse for the work not being done was a 'family emergency in the workshop' even though the car was left with them for 4 days. We were going to argue that the agreed work was actually written in black and white on the sales order but in the end myself and my wife agreed that this was no longer about the car, it was about customer service. We had to call them, nobody contacted us, and the only person that eventually apologised was the business manager Les. Instead of communicating with us that the issues couldn't be fixed, they just told us everything was ready and hoped that we wouldn't notice. I'm sure some people will go to Carshop and have a straightforward sale with no issues, but judging by the lack of care and honesty, quality and customer service we can both solidly say that Carshop Cardiff has an extremely long way to come before it becomes a place anyone should go to purchase a car. We are particularly disappointed that Sam's lack of customer care and attitude wasted our time and also the time he wasted of the dealership's business manager Les who despite the longwinded warranty pitch was actually a very pleasant and helpful individual to deal with. We were also assured a call back from the regional sales manager due to our appalling experience, it's September 6th and all of this happened on July 16th, so nearly a 2 month wait with no phonecall. Go figure. We have since bought a new family car the same model in immaculate condition with 20k less mileage on the clock, with full Mercedes main dealer service history and mountains of paperwork with a leather bound manual, and a clutch that is buttery smooth for £500 less with double the free warranty through an independent local dealer. Do yourself a favour, give them a miss! 0/10 read more

Our car was faulty (a terrible vibration when on the morotway once over 60mph) when we drove it back home after buying. Took car for balancing and check tyres following day. Didn't fix the issue. Then took car back following day for refund as a fault on car. Told by Carshop that we couldn't have a refund as the fault wasn't checked with a mechanic and told to ask a mechanic to check it out. Booked into a local mechanic who couldn't fix the problem. (Mechanic assessment- faulty) This wasn't good enough to have a refund even though we were asked to do this by CarShop. We had to take it back to Cardiff and told that they needed to check it our. The issue could not be fixed there and they would like to offer us £200 to take the car back. 5 weeks on still waiting for a refund. The service and customer service is atrocious!!!!! DONT USE CARSHOP!!!! read more

DANGEROUS STAY AWAY. Who knows what happens behind the closed doors of The Car Shop and their dodgy dealings. The vehicle I originally purchased was painted and appeared to have been in an accident no proof arose to state otherwise, as well as this several other issues such as the roof rails lifting from the vehicle, the rear bumper being loose, the parking sensors not working, the Bluetooth not working and more were highlighted within days of purchase. To put right the paint issues of overspray and cracking/peeling paint alone I was quoted nearly £1300.00 for the work that was visible in a 30 second check around the vehicle. I therefore rejected the vehicle after less than 14 days and returned the vehicle to The Car Shop, on the way to return the vehicle, THE REAR BUMPER FELL OFF AT SPEED this was into THE FAST LANE OF THE MOTORWAY. Further to this I was then under the impression that I was receiving an exchange vehicle the same day of the return, this never happened, I was told to pay a further £400.00+ for the exchange vehicle the day after the return, even though the new vehicle was only £16.00 more expensive. EVEN AFTER ALL THE ISSUES AND MONEY FOR FUEL I HAD SPENT making trips to The Car Shop, even after retrieving the damaged bumper from the middle of the motorway in heavy traffic, they forced me to walk away from the deal due to not compensating me in anyway shape or form for their issues, expecting myself to just find nearly £500.00 down the back of my sofa..... My part exchange had been sold and was not going to be returned to myself even after I stated I wanted the deal unwound, which now leaves me WITHOUT A CAR. When returning the loan vehicle that was provided to myself after the bumper incident, the remarks and the way the staff made me feel was awful, I had done nothing but try to buy an honest car and resolve an issue with a vehicle that The Car Shop had sold me. The staff seem to take ages in any instance and theres lost of waiting around for different departments to have their say on your sale. I would advise anyone to STAY AWAY from the car shop, I will not be returning for one, their dangerous vehicles and sly underhand tactics are very bad and cause a danger to its buyers and other road users. read more

By far the worst customer service I have ever received! From both a member of the sales staff (Amy) and the Cardiff General Manager. Rude, disrespectful, and very disregarding of me as a customer. I went in to enquire about a very nice looking Golf, that I found online, and i was met with hostility immediately. First, I was quite forcefully encouraged to take out a finance package, before I even saw the car, and then sighed at when said I would buy outright. When I finally saw the car it looked really nice!! But they then wouldn't let me see the service history, or tell me when the last service&mot was when I noticed an altered lead in the bonnet. The Manager then came over and laughed at when I mentioned selling my current car to my partner instead of them! He then refused to let me test drive the car unless I put down a deposit for the car today!! Stating, "unless you can by it buy the end of the week there's no real point..." I was then told to go test drive a Golf at another garage and come back and buy their car here! When I then complained about their customer service, stating that I felt like I had been treated unfairly and disrespected, the manager proceeded to imply I was the issue, saying "no one else has any issues.." This was a real shame as I really liked the car, but I have been totally put off purchasing from them due to the terrible customer service. I hope it was just a bad day at the office for these 2, and I really hope others don't get the same kind of service I was given. read more

Visited the car shop to purchase a car on finance, amazing service with free hot drinks, the staff were very welcoming and weren't pushy, I really enjoyed my experience here and would recommend to everyone!! Thanks the car shop :) read more

Bit like dealing with Boris. Much promised but not delivered. Buying day went of very well. Flat tyre needed pumping up before test drive and noticed a few very small bits missing. No trade in and cash purchase and no pressure for hire purchase. Arranged to pick up car later in week. 'Just ring' and car will be ready to pick up. Phoned and arranged for 3.pm pick up next day. Confirmed by email. Arrived 2.50pm and finally drove away at 5.40 in the dark, wet and rush hour. Told it would be ready in 5 minutes many times. No manual or service record in car, girl had to use he phone to find petrol filler catch. Promised manual would be posted (still waiting). Just about got to nearest petrol station with engine stopping 3 times on way. Next morning noticed tyre was still flat and bits still missing. Had to waste afternoon getting tyre repaired. Promised some compensation (still waiting). Contacted 5 times by email since but no response. Hope car was serviced as promised and body/inside treated but know way of knowing! read more

The car shop does business a little different from other dealers and having worked there I can see the advantages and disadvantages of the system. Firstly you're greeted the minute you walk through the door, some people can be really put off by this but remember the salesmen are only doing their jobs, there's another reason too. There is a massive selection of cars, over 1000 in stock at any one time and they're absolutely everywhere, indoors and outdoors. If you were looking for something specific you'd have a hard time finding it put it that way. The salesman immediately sits you down and takes a few details before bringing up a selection of cars that suit your needs. At this point you're free to have a wander round. All the cars are locked and if you need to find out details such as mileage, service history etc, then you will have to ask someone. I can understand how this 'in your face' way of doing things isn't to everyone's tastes but they do have the lowest prices guaranteed and so it's worth it because it wil save you money. read more

Car Shop - Credit: http://www.thecarshop.co.uk - Car Dealers Near Me - Cardiff, CRF

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AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Went in here today as we'd seen a Range Rover discovery sport we wanted to look at. Got greeted at the door by 'Stephen' who asked for us to come sit down. Slightly annoying as we just wanted to look at the car but went along with it. Asked general details which was fine until we were asked how much we want to spend a month. When I said we wanted to buy the car outright (a combination of savings and bank loan) he was flabbergasted. He then tried to advise us that's not how we should be spending our money as the car will depreciate in value and asked if we have a mortgage (none of his business). When I said yes he told us we should pay more of that instead and I stated I already pay the maximum I can a year. He then said his car finance rates can match any loan - when I said 'oh so you can match 2.7% apr?' He became very sheepish and tried to say Car finance was safer than an unsecured bank loan if anything was to happen to the car- This is not true - car finance does not care if you've written off your car and can't afford payments, you still owe them. He then carries on saying if he had £20,000 he would put it somewhere and take car finance, luckily I'm much more money savvy than that idiot and know a max savings rate of £1.8% and a massive car finance at approximately 5%+ will leave me financially worse off than just buying as much of the car outright as possible and using a low rate bank loan for the rest. He then asked how long it took for us to save that money- at which point I had completely lost interest in giving him a penny of my money, told him it was none of his business and left. He just lost out on a customer buying a £30,000 car outright - congrats to him. I am incredibly concerned other people who are less financially savvy and less confident will be persuaded by the snakes that work here. If you are reading this DON'T go here, and if you do, get a bank a loan NOT car finance, they will try and convince you otherwise, that's how they make their commission. You will be financially worse off that way I can guarantee you. read more

Awful customer service, if you want to speak to them don't bother ringing the store as they don't answer! Bought a car and after about 2 months the elements in my heated seat (driver side) were broken. When I finally spoke to someone after phoning, being thrown from pillar to post and being hung up on by members of the store I took the car back and they "fixed it". About 8 months later they had gone again even though they said they had replaced all of the parts. Took it in for a diagnostic and was told they would phone me at mid day to let me know what was going on, I phoned and spoke to main office around 1pm and they said they would contact Cardiff and get someone to call me back and guess what - no one called me back. When I phoned back at 3pm they told me it was a 24 hour call back service and I explained that they had my car and someone told me they would contact me she told me that I would have to wait for them to call me. They had my car for almost 8 hours and answered none of my phone calls to ask when it was being completed. I went in around 4:30 and it just so happened to be finished the moment i went to the desk. I booked in for it to be fixed again and took it in about 9am. No one contacted me during the day despite phoning NUMEROUS times in the afternoon and unable to get through. I went in at 5:30 (workshop closes at 5pm) for them to tell me that they hadn't finished the job and needed to keep my car overnight ..yet no one had contacted me to tell me this even though the garage had shut!? I was told "well it was booked in for an all day job" yet it had been all day and was yet finished. I then find out they needed it the next day to finish off replacing the passenger side heated seat elements even though there was nothing wrong with them and was booked in for the driver side to be fixed. He said there was less than an hours work to be done and at 8am my car was first on the list. The next morning I tried NUMEROUS times to contact the store again of course, no luck. Around 10/11am I contacted the main office and they informed me my car was completed and when asked why no one had contacted me they had no answer for me. Every time they have the excuse "it's one of those days" or "people have been off" if that's the case then at least have the courtesy to contact the customer to let them know what's going on! Wish I had shopped around a bit more before purchasing a car from here, if I had known the customer service was this awful I wouldn't have bothered! Save yourself the bother and shop around too! read more

Fantastic service at the carshop in cardiff. Many thanks to Leon Dutton, Shaun Saunders & Amy richards 5* service provided.

After visiting some local car sales places that morning, I arrived at Carshop Cardiff on Penarth Road around 12:20 pm on Friday 28th October. I had driven past the warehouse and it caught my eye so I looked online at the cars and saw a few I liked, but I was unsure on the exact car I wanted and my exact budget. I popped in to have a look around and see if I could sit in or test drive a few of the cars I liked. I was in the store for over two and a half hours. I was shown just two cars. I left in tears. For reference, I am a 24 year old female. When I arrived I was taken to a computer desk with Pete. He asked me what kinds of cars I liked and what my budget was. I said I was looking at a few cars including Ford KA, Fiat 500 and Mini. By "budget" Pete explained that he actually meant "how much can you afford to spend per month?" I didn't know this. I had money to put down as a deposit but I wasn't at all sure about finance. I explained that I could perhaps stretch to around £150 per month maximum. I was then left alone while Pete went to choose some cars to show me. I didn't feel like I had much choice in the matter. He came back and uploaded four cars onto the screen. One was very much over budget, a Ford Focus which was very big and I had no interest in let alone want to pay for. I was also shown a Fiat 500 - one of the cars I saw online and I was interested in having a look at. It was within my price range as well, but high end. When Pete took me outside to look at the Fiat, I found the interior was not to my taste. I asked to go back inside and look at some Minis. Pete sighed, but agreed. While walking back inside, I noticed another Fiat. Why had I not been shown that? It was cheaper than the one I had been shown by the salesman. I figured that Pete was trying his best NOT to show me cars that were within my budget, but trying to squeeze as much money out of me as possible. We sat down and Pete showed me ONE mini at the computer. "Do you want to have a look?" I agreed although I was sure there would be more than one mini in stock within my budget. It was a nice car. We looked inside and I said I would like to test drive it - after all that was what I was there for. We arrived back from the test drive and Pete took me back to the computer desk. He looked at the finance and explained that the car would be £177 per month - more than my original budget. I said "Oh, ok." I was then asked "Are you happy?" To which I replied yes I was fine. Apparently, this to Pete meant that I had just agreed to buy the car. I was very quickly shuffled off to another seating area where I was told I would meet with a "Business Specialist" who would look at finding out exactly how much the car would be according to my Credit rating, and discuss the options. Great, I thought, so I haven't been manipulated into agreeing to anything yet as I'm still to get a proper accurate quote on the finance and price. I was very wrong. I was then taken to a very small room and introduced to a man named Jon for my quote. He gave me a few different options and ran a soft credit check to let me know the monthly rates, and how much deposit I could put down to change that. I wrote down the different figures on a card Pete had given me. I then looked to dismiss myself, I advised that I would go and mull over the prices at home and discuss the purchase with my partner, and if I was happy I would come back later and confirm the sale. I was then literally glared at by Jon. He stared at me for a good 5 seconds before letting out a huge visible sigh. He advised me that the reason I was in that little room was because I had already agreed to purchase the car. It had already been taken off sale online. I was confused, surely they couldn't be that manipulative? Jon left the room and Pete walks back in. What's wrong, what are you worried about? He asked. I explained that I didn't realise I had "agreed" to buy the car. I was then angrily told I had said I was happy. I had said I had the money. I felt very intimidated and began to get quite stressed. I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and I suddenly felt bullied and trapped. I had been tricked, and I was now being pressured. I was in that room for ages, with both Jon and Pete (at one point BOTH stood over me as I was sat down) trying to tell me that I COULD afford it, I had said I had the money, I had said I was happy, I would NEED to put down a £300 deposit AT LEAST today. I was silent. I desperately wanted to leave but I was being told that I had done something wrong. I even apologised for messing them around, which I later felt ridiculous about as I had been totally manipulated. After two and a half hours, at around 3pm, I eventually was allowed to leave. I awkwardly had to ask for my car to be driven out of the warehouse for me as I apparently couldn't do that myself. As Pete drove my car out, I explained that it was a very big decision for me and IF I decided on the car I would come ba read more