I recently had an incredibly frustrating experience at Volvo Northampton, which has significantly tarnished my view of their customer service. I booked a £1250 service, including a Polestar Optimisation. Knowing my financial limits, I arranged to use Bumper payments, split over six months, to manage the cost comfortably. Despite a clear history of punctual repayments on similar plans, my Bumper application was inexplicably declined this time. This, however, was not the core issue. When I informed the service manager that I could only afford £600 at that moment, with a promise to pay the remaining £650 within three weeks, the response was both rigid and unsympathetic. The manager outright refused my proposal, insisting on full payment before releasing my vehicle. This demand was both unreasonable and impractical, especially considering my current financial strain and the necessity of my vehicle for daily family commitments, like driving my 5-year-old daughter to school. In a desperate bid to reduce the bill, I had to request the removal of the Polestar Optimisation, a service still under a trial period. Thankfully, Angela at the service desk handled this situation with the professionalism and urgency it required, adjusting my bill to an immediate payable amount of £590. This situation could have been handled with much more empathy and flexibility. It’s disheartening to see a reputable dealership cling rigidly to policies without regard for individual circumstances. A message for the management: please consider more compassionate solutions in the future. A little flexibility can go a long way in maintaining customer loyalty and respect. Today it was me, but tomorrow it could be any one of us facing a rigid 'no' that could have been a reasonable 'yes.' This is how you lose customers :D Recommendation: Management Training Refresher.