All smiles and friendly when buying the vehicle, but if something goes wrong!!! Good luck no backbone with this firm

Took my Ranger in to replace one tyre pressure monitor. Left birchwood with 3 not working including the one fitted by them. Despite trying to resolve the issue in an amicable manner, the service manager and dealer principle were completely rude and just stated it’s not their problem. It’s disgusting that customer can be treated this way and I would use this company

I purchased a used vehicle for £16,900 and paid extra for delivery. They said it needed a part changed due to a fault code generated. 4 weeks later and I am still waiting for the van that I need for daily use as a self employed builder. Negligent and unprofessional has been my experience these last 4 weeks. I am very angry, upset and disappointed with the poor service i have received. I expected more from a main dealership. I wish I had seen all these other poor reviews before I used the dealership

I have previously written a review, however as of yesterday I deleted this due to being intimidated and bullied into removing by Birchwood Ford which is being treated as review gating. After seeking further advise I have been advised that I am able to express my review without hindrance or intimidation based on my experience. Not to mention my surname was mentioned which is in breach of GDPR. I have copied below the response received which has also been forwarded to the Motor Ombudsman - "Mr ***, whilst we appreciate your frustration, in our previous written communications both parties agreed to a resolution to your dispute. You are now posting inaccurate and misleading reviews, to which we request you cease and desist immediately from your trolling activity. Should you wish to discuss, please contact us direct." - This is just one of the multitude of examples of the customer service that has been presented during this investigation. Additionally, for the record, the dispute has not been resolved and remains with the Motor Ombudsman for investigation. In November 2020, my car went for a service and MOT at Birchwood Ford in Hastings, when dropping off the vehicle, I reported that the break were squeaky and that could they check these during the service. The car needed new brake discs and pads as well as one new tyre which meant the vehicle was in for a few days. Around 5 miles after leaving Birchwood Ford, I heard a large bang from one of the tyres, I was 2 minutes away from my house so I stopped the vehicle to see the plastic wheel arch underneath the car had come away and started digging into the tyre, I called Birchwood Ford back to get this recovered as it was unsafe to drive. To then be told by both Birchwood Ford and Ford Protect my vehicle did not have breakdown recovery. I had to then unsafely drive my car to Birchwood Ford in Hastings and pay for the damage caused which meant my vehicle was in for 2 additional days. I was also told on my arrival that I was covered for breakdown recovery (this is disproven later down the line). Evidence has been provided in order to support this claim. At the time of sale I was told by the Sales Agent that the car had breakdown cover included, I have only recently found out that this is neither included on the Fixed Care nor Warranty as the breakdown cover only covers Ford vehicles, the sales agent did not inform me of this which means I have been driving without breakdown cover for over three years, not impressed to say the least not to mention missold. During November 2021 my car went for a Service and MOT at Birchwood Ford in Hastings. This was completed within a day in which it passed its MOT. A minor oil leak was reported at the time and the service team explained that they would call back to book this in. This then led up to late December with no call back. I called as I knew the importance of getting this done. This was then cancelled a few days beforehand by Birchwood Ford in Hastings. I then rebooked this into Birchwood Ford in Eastbourne in order to get this fixed. I dropped the car in at 0800 to receive a call at 1630 to explain that they couldn't find the oil leak and it would need to be booked back in, this then delayed the process by another month. The service team were then able to find the leaks (Nearside head gasket and oil sump) so there were two minor leaks. They explained the car was safe to drive and they would refer this to the warranty company as well as Toyota. The warranty company (Ford Protect) refused to fix this due to it being classed as 'Wear and Tear' (I am in the process of obtaining a letter from Toyota to explain this was mechanical failure and not wear and tear meaning the warranty company and Birchwood Ford would be liable).The warranty and fixed care also cover car hire, however, there was an unnecessary charge for this during the point of servicing and MOT. I did challenge this at the time to receive the response from the Birchwood Ford Service team 'our policies have changed and drivers now incur a fee for car hire' bearing in mind I have a contract in place that stipulates this. This was also questioned when the car was due to potentially go over to Toyota for the repairs. When speaking to Birchwood Ford in Eastbourne in relation to the warranty company refusing to cover the costs, they asked me to contact the warranty company directly to dispute this. To which I explained to the warranty company about the conditions set out in the warranty certificate and contract. Ford Protect was not prepared to pay for the necessary parts due to mechanical failure. A few days later I received a letter through the post from Ford protect offering for me to renew my warranty which clearly shows Cylinder Head Gasket as unnecessary costs that may be incurred. Not only is this misleading but it is classed as mis-selling.

O.k so please anyone who considers thus garage fir a service turn back now. My experience was upsetting. The cost was excessively ridiculous. O.k so I can accept that. However one thing I won't accept was the time it took carry out the service and repairs. They sent invoice after invoice and the information was hard to understand. Why should you have to make immediate payments to have your vehicle returned? Just to add insult to the equation. After receiving my car back I had to call out the AA because the incompetent work carried out on my Car put my 7 yr old boy and me at a serious risk. They forgot to clamp my hose to the air coolant and my engine was over heating. It's lucky I responded immediately. I have proof of this and I'm going to take further action.

First time ford owner, First time booking service - Birchwood cancelled my booking with no explanation.. no phone call... What a crap dealership! I didn't realise the circus was in town! Had I known then I would have worn my big shoes and a red nose! Time to go to a real ford dealer not this mickey mouse setup.

Absolutely disgusted with how my daughter and son in law were treated. They recently bought a 67 plate Ford Kuga(their first newish car purchase). They picked it up having been assured it had been through the workshop and fully valeted. They came to my house to show off the car. There were stains on the rear seats, large gouges under the front bumper and a handle above the door missing. There was also found to be a whole chocolate bar melted between the seats. The Ford salesman seemed to think this was acceptable with one of the other salesmen heard to day "what do they expect its second hand" Personally I would have given it back. My daughter paid to have it valeted and the stains won't come off. So far they have list three other potential sales through this treatment. My son in laws dad will no longer use Ford, my other son in law has had three Ford cars and is now going elsewhere,my close friend has always bought his vans(3 so far from Birchwood) but has now gone elsewhere. My suggestion is to avoid this dealership until they're standards improve.

I purchased a new Ford Fiesta 3 weeks ago so therefore during lockdown, I could not fault the service and Robert Innes explained everything in detail as most of the transaction was carried out by phone or video calls. This was my first experience of Birchwood Eastbourne and would highly recommend them. Robert could not have been more helpful.