I purchased two vehicles from Stoneacre Lincoln Volvo, and both experiences were plagued with…read moretechnical issues, dishonesty, and incompetence. My recent ordeal involved the Financial Ombudsman securing a refund, but it's the pattern of negligence that's most striking.
The first car had persistent issues, including a crunch from the rear that caused a loss of electric drive. Stoneacre dismissed this and a misfitted bumper, which they didn't fix before reselling the car. I had also requested the removal of the 'Polestar Optimised' package due to higher insurance costs. Despite assurances, the package was never removed. They also forgot to supply a charging cable, requiring a return trip. When I left a middling review, I received an aggressive and angry call from the sales manager, Brett.
Despite these problems, I stuck with Stoneacre for my next purchase--a new Volvo S60 T8 Ultimate on a PCP finance agreement.. The car arrived with incorrect floor mats for a left-hand drive vehicle and a blank Pre-Delivery Inspection form, indicating no proper checks. Within two months, the car began losing drive power intermittently, shifting into neutral while driving. Stoneacre's attempts to diagnose and fix this were futile.
On June 13th, despite claiming they had worked on the car all morning, the GPS tracker showed it hadn't moved or unlocked. They eventually replaced the Battery Electric Control Module (BECM) and claimed the issue was resolved, but the problem reoccurred soon after. Additional issues surfaced, such as a rattling door speaker, a misaligned charge port flap, a popped-out headliner, and 12v battery warnings.
On my way home from yet another failed diagnosis attempt, the car lost drive power again, making it unsafe. Brett blamed my driving style and refused to allow me to reject the car or have it collected for inspection. I had to call Volvo breakdown services for recovery instead. I then initiated the rejection process with Volvo Cars Financial Services and filed a formal complaint with Stoneacre, which was ignored.
After the car was recovered to Stoneacre, I had to chase them for nine days for a courtesy vehicle. Stoneacre then claimed they test-drove the car and found no issues, but the GPS tracker and odometer readings proved otherwise. They backtracked and promised to have an employee take the car for an extended test drive, but again the trip was much shorter than promised. Stoneacre ultimately gave up, leaving me no choice but to collect the vehicle. I then installed a GoPro camera to record the fault.
Finally, after catching the fault on camera, an independent inspector confirmed the vehicle was faulty. Despite this, Volvo Cars Financial Services refused my rejection claim, stating they had a right to attempt repairs. I escalated the issue to the Financial Ombudsman, who ruled in my favour, allowing me to return the car.
Despite this eventual resolution in terms of the vehicle, Stoneacre has never acknowledged or apologized for their conduct. They almost never returned calls whenever promised and were just generally terrible once you've signed your money away, and the entire experience means I'd thoroughly recommend anyone avoids purchasing a Volvo, and especially having any kind of dealing with the Stoneacre group. I'm sharing this detailed account to help other potential customers avoid the frustrations I've experienced. My hope is that Stoneacre will take this feedback seriously and improve their service for future customers. Shockingly, the faulty car is now back on their forecourt for sale. Given their past behavior, I doubt they've genuinely repaired it. If you're considering buying, or have already bought, the 2023 Thunder Grey Volvo S60 Ultimate T8 with 'midnight zinc' wool interior (license plate FX23 MUB), I strongly advise against it. If you've bought it and discovered its faults, please contact me and I'll do my best to provide the evidence you need to fight Stoneacre for knowingly selling you a faulty vehicle.
