Dean B

I rarely leave a negative review

I rarely leave negative reviews, however after everything my family and I have experienced, I feel compelled to share our honest experience with Mercedes-Benz of Tonbridge and the wider handling of this matter. We purchased a brand new Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S E PERFORMANCE in good faith, expecting the level of quality, professionalism, and customer care associated with a premium luxury brand. Unfortunately, within approximately 2,000 miles the vehicle suffered a catastrophic engine failure and has been off the road since 30 January 2026. Following a months-long investigation involving AMG Germany, Mercedes-Benz has now formally confirmed that the engine failure resulted from an inherent defect and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services has accepted rejection of the vehicle. Whilst the defect itself has finally been acknowledged, the overall customer experience throughout this process has been extremely disappointing. Over several months we were repeatedly passed between Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Mercedes-Benz UK, customer service departments, executive office teams, the dealership, and AMG Germany, often without continuity or clear ownership of the situation. Communication throughout the process was fragmented and frequently required us to chase updates ourselves. During this time we continued making substantial monthly payments for a premium AMG vehicle we could not use, whilst being supplied with a series of replacement vehicles which were nowhere near comparable to the vehicle purchased. One courtesy vehicle supplied to us contained a mouse nest inside the glove compartment, which we immediately reported and photographed. What concerned us further was that we were informed the vehicle had already been sold and was due to be collected by its new owner later that same day, yet no acknowledgement appeared to have been made regarding the condition of the vehicle. What also disappointed us greatly was the wider handling of the matter at dealership management level. Throughout parts of the process, we found the communication, attitude, and overall customer handling from both dealership management and senior management to fall significantly below the standards we would reasonably expect from a premium automotive retailer. At times, rather than feeling supported as customers dealing with a catastrophic failure on a near-new vehicle, we were left feeling frustrated, unsupported, and continually passed between different departments and individuals. What should have been an exciting ownership experience ultimately became months of stress, uncertainty, inconvenience, and disappointment. I fully appreciate that mechanical failures can happen with any manufacturer. However, for me, the true measure of a premium brand is how situations like this are handled — and unfortunately I do not believe the overall customer experience reflected the standards expected from Mercedes-Benz. I sincerely hope lessons are learned from this experience for future customers.