Lipscomb Cars Ltd レビュー 60

I’m loathed to even give one star. As of today,, I remain extremely concerned about the circumstances that led to our son’s injury and the ongoing lack of response regarding the safety of this vehicle. Fiat Lipscomb have confirmed liability of the fault.

We initially informed Fiat that the vehicle was experiencing problems with the locking mechanism. I had a conversation with Lipscomb Fiat Canterbury on Wednesday 11 February regarding this issue.

During that conversation, we were advised that the problem was likely due to the key battery. However, we made it clear that this was not the case. The key frequently had to be physically inserted into the vehicle in order to attempt to operate the locking system, and even then the locking mechanism did not consistently respond.

Due to the closure of multiple Fiat dealerships, the earliest available booking we were offered was Tuesday 31 March, which at the time was more than a month away. This left my wife and our three young children continuing to use a vehicle we had already reported as faulty. Despite clearly explaining the issue to both the Tunbridge Wells and Canterbury dealerships, we were not treated as a priority and there appeared to be no regard for the safety implications this fault presented.

Unfortunately, as a direct result of the locking mechanism failure — and Fiat’s failure to prioritise the safety concerns we raised — our son sustained a serious injury when his thumb became trapped in the vehicle door. The door lock would not release and we were unable to free him. After multiple attempts, the door eventually opened, but during this time he was screaming in agony.

My wife immediately took him to hospital, where he was assessed and underwent X-rays. We were informed that he had suffered a subungual haematoma and a fracture. Due to the severity of the injury, we were advised that treatment could not be completed there and that he would need to be transferred to St Thomas’ Hospital, London, to be seen by the trauma plastics team to determine the next course of action. I had to leave work immediately to support my wife and son. Following specialist assessment, surgery was deemed necessary.

Our son is now heavily bandaged and required to wear a sling. He faces a long recovery period and we have been advised that his recovery may take up to a year. This will have a significant impact on his daily life, including school activities, sports and normal childhood activities.

Upon returning to school, he will be unable to fully participate in the curriculum for several weeks due to the risk of further damage and infection. This has not only affected his educational progress but has also caused him significant emotional trauma. Additionally, I have had to take emergency time away from work to support my family during this extremely distressing situation.

Given that we had previously reported the locking fault and were left without timely resolution, we remain extremely concerned about the safety issues this vehicle presents.

On the advice of Fiat Lipscomb Canterbury on 17 February, before contacting Customer Services, I informed them of what had happened. They advised me not to drive the vehicle and to contact Fiat Recovery, which we did at the time.

As of today, we have still not received any communication from Fiat confirming that safety checks or investigations are being undertaken to determine whether this fault could affect other vehicles, or whether this incident is being treated as a wider safety concern rather than an isolated case. This lack of response is deeply worrying given the seriousness of what has occurred.

We would therefore expect an urgent response outlining what investigation is being undertaken, what support Fiat will provide to our family, and what actions are being taken to ensure that no other family experiences a similar incident.

I urge anyone considering a purchase from Lipscomb to be aware of the issues with Fiat Customer Services and that there are serious safety issues that need addressing.

Very poor customer service for new sales. Determined not to go out of their way to get you the information you need "everything is on the website, just check on there".

Puts me off the process of buying a new Volvo.

Requested quote for work on our Volvo, nothing heard, despite following up! Finally response received after making formal complaint through Volvo UK.
Quote was sent with errors, plus a load of excuses as to why they hadn't replied sooner.
Had a similar situation in 2022, when 'improvements' were to be made!
It would appear that Lipscomb do not
- Take customer satisfaction seriously
- Offer a quality service which befits a high quality brand like Volvo
- Monitor performance and quality of service, through metrics and routine reassessment (audits) of systems and procedures, to ensure standards are maintained.
- Undertake periodic reviews of complaints, to see where improvements can be made.
Basically, Lipscomb are not fit for purpose to provide a Quality Customer Service for Volvo Cars, buyer beware!

In February 2025, having previously bought a second-hand Jeep from the Canterbury branch of this company, I was misled by them into buying a brand new Jeep Renegade hybrid. The purchase was part-funded by Stellantis Financial Services (see separate review)
In March, I discovered that the digital speedometer in the car was faulty and couldn't be reset. I registered my concern only to be advised that this was a generic manufacturing brand defect but that a "kit" was being developed by Jeep whereby the fault could be rectified remotely. Despite repeated calls to Lipscomb over the course of many subsequent months there was no progress and no sign of the new technology. Meanwhile, I grew increasingly concerned about the dangers of driving (particularly in the dark and/or with children in the car) where the advised speed limit fluctuated alarmingly, (e.g. showing 30-35 mph for a 60 or 20mph zone). The speedometer was all over the place. Eventually, in September, I took the car to a firm of mechanics (Wilson's) utilized and recommended by Lipscomb and Stellantis - a journey of 100+ miles to Epsom from my home in Stratford-Upon-Avon - only to be told that there was nothing which could be done until the famous "kit" was forthcoming. Needless to say it still doesn't exist.
Despite regular conversations with both dealership and co-financier in which I made various suggestions for dealing with the matter, e.g. swapping a new model for an old one which was fit for purpose, I was repeatedly stonewalled and fobbed off.
In December, I woke up to find a crack in my windscreen which I was unable to fixed locally. The next day it had spread right across the glass and I was required to drive it in a dangerous state to be repaired by AutoWindows in Tewkesbury where the diagnosis was that as the car was less than a year old and the damage had not been caused by any external factor it was a pressure crack attributable to poor installation during manufacture and was a fairly common defect found in Jeep models.
I fed this into the Lipscomb and Stellantis conversations but this only led to further delay, prevarication and pathetic excuses, including each firm blaming the other for the poor internal communication between them.
Eventually, after another two months of chasing, I have been offered a pathetic compensation package which I'm not prepared to accept.
In short, Lipscomb tempted me into buying a new car by misrepresentation in the knowledge that it was defective and not fit-for-purpose and refuse to adhere to their (or to enforce Jeep's) warranties; and Stellantis have been complicit in supporting Lipscomb's position.
Both have behaved appallingly. They have left me significantly out-of-pocket and lumbered me with an expensive dud - but more critically - a dangerous product and neither give a damn. I hope no other consumer has to experience what they have put me through over the past year.
DON'T TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGEPOLE !

Picked up a new car on the 29/01/2026 overall the salesmen Ben was great, but 4 days later the I had a fault with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and the GPS stopped working followed all the steps in the user manual nothing.

So left it 48hrs to see if it sorted itself which didn't work either, so called up on the 4/02/2026 and I was told someone would call me back nothing so called up the next day told the same thing.

Still waiting on call back, ended up solving the myself by search on a Volvo online forum.

My partner and I left this shocking showroom because we could not drive the car we wanted as the sales manager does not want there car driven a used vehicle was offered. We have purchased another Landrover this afternoon. We will be contacting Volvo what a shameful experience never again.

Bought my XC40 a few years ago (2021) and had an amazing aftercare service for several years. I don't know what has happened in the last year in the Canterbury branch but the whole system seems to be broken. Paperwork from my service at Lipscomb wasn't sent through to Allianz, so when I broke down I was told I couldn't be rescued from the side of the road! 3hrs with my child in the dark and we had to be rescued by Highways and spend money on train tickets to get home on the last train. No company car offered for the week it took to fix or even an apology for not sending the paperwork, with a nearly £300 charge for a new tyre on top. Despite complaining at the time it hasn't been dealt with and I suspect they are hoping I have forgotten. Very shoddy "service" over the last year or so.

From start to finish this company really looked after me well. I was looking for an XC40 and James steered me through it all in a most professional, pleasant and enthusiastic manner. He got the balance between being friendly but not too familiar and he coped fine with the whole process in person and online. If you’re after a Volvo then I wholeheartedly recommend this dealership and if you get James Mac you’ll be fine. In fact it may be a bonus. Many thanks.

Absolutely unacceptable experience at Lipscomb Volvo Maidstone.

I booked my Volvo S40 well in advance for an ignition switch repair and an MOT. Instead of fixing the ignition switch properly or even providing a quote for a permanent repair, they carried out a bodged temporary fix with a screw and charged me £180 for it.

They then refused to carry out the MOT and presented me with an outrageous £2,600 repair estimate with little explanation. This felt like nothing more than an attempt to push unnecessary and overpriced work.

I took the car to a local garage afterwards, where all required repairs were completed for less than one third of their quote, and the MOT was done without any problems. That alone speaks volumes about the accuracy of their assessment.

I also drove 26 miles from London to this dealership, making the entire visit a complete waste of time, money, energy, and fuel.

I would strongly advise avoiding this dealership altogether and checking their Trustpilot reviews before even considering booking.

Lipscomb, Canterbury.

We initially arranged with Gary Dodd, to view a Volvo V60 for my wife, but despite loving the car, it didn't meet all her needs.

Having previously had a XC60, we decided to see what was available, and Gary not only went above and beyond, to fill our requirement's, meet our budget and specification, he showed extreme professionalism and patience, to both myself and my wife.

We had three visits overall, travelling from London, each time.

Would highly recommend them, and thank Gary for his efforts.
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Extremely disappointed with this Volvo dealer. I had booked my car for a new thermostat to be fitted. I said to the service department that I would wait and they told me it would take around 3 hours. I took my car in at 0900 as agreed only to be told that it probably wouldn’t be ready until late afternoon. I couldn’t wait so took it elsewhere to be done. When I phoned them just recently and asked whether they could check my car, they weren’t really interested . They just wanted money. I was thinking of changing my Volvo but I shall never go back to this company. I would not recommend this company.

Pre purchase was good Adam was sales person when car was ready he came and collected me from home. Payed £35000 for Volvo xc60 spent another £1400 on tow bar and paint protection which was £350. Two weeks later broke down wasn’t sure who to call rung Lipscomb phone went down called again eventually lady told me who to call. Couldn’t fault breakdown service said i had a module that wasn’t communicating to main brain. Five hours finally got going then had to book it back to lipscomb. Couldn’t get courtesy car so husband waited to take me back home asked Louise to speak to manager but couldn’t be bothered very rude for the money id spent and inconvenience of breaking down with my dog in boot in a cage that I couldn’t get out on a hot day. Reason for one star was for the arrogant manager. Service team explained all they had done and was brilliant. These cars obviously aren’t checked before being sold as this car when I test drove it had steering pulling n shaking needed brakes discs and tracking done. Plus this update done. Shame really

Your response for a relevant member of your team to discuss this with me was strange because I was in showroom for two hours and had asked to speak to her. The manager only had to say she was busy and at least book a time for me. She walked past us twice just bad management.

I would avoid using this dealership at all costs. Our experience was one of a dealership who are administratively incompetent, incredibly lax in communicating with customers at a sensitive time, and, disgustingly, willing to attempt to profit from a tragic situation.

My father bought a Volvo XC40, 22plate, with 12,000 miles on the clock for £30K on Tuesday 29th July. He sadly died on the Sunday (3rd Aug), having never driven the car.
On Monday (4th Aug) we contacted Lipscomb (as they had left a message following up on the sale) and requested that the sale be reversed/cancelled. (It was an upsetting reminder to have the undriven car on the driveway.) We were informed that this would not be possible, but John (salesperson) would consult with the manager and come straight back to us with an offer to buy back the car.
We made multiple attempts to contact them about this, but were fobbed off with more “we’ll come back to you” replies. An offer was eventually made 2 weeks later (15th Aug) of £23K. When we replied to express our disappointment at the offer (given that the car was in exactly the same condition as when it was sold to my dad), a “gesture of goodwill” was made increasing the offer by £500, which we found insulting, (especially as it was accompanied by a suggestion to contact webuyanycar instead).
In addition to this Lipscomb had made an “administrative error” when registering the car, meaning that they had registered it twice to themselves, adding another “keeper” to the cars’ history. This then proved problematic when obtaining valuations for the car elsewhere.

In stark contrast Tonbridge Volvo (HSF group) were fantastic. They were compassionate, professional, fair and efficient, going above and beyond to support us through their purchase of the car.

1-star Review: Poor Customer Service and No Accountability – Avoid Volvo for Aftersales

I brought my Volvo to Lipscomb Maidstone for a service on 30th May 2025, after receiving a dashboard warning light. I was quoted £381 and explicitly told — both on the phone and in person — that this included a full software update. I specifically queried this because I was aware my car is eligible for an Apple CarPlay upgrade. Despite this, I was later told CarPlay would incur an additional charge. I was mis-sold the service based on false information.

In addition, I was charged £174 for one hour’s labour to diagnose the fault I had already reported at the time of booking — a cost that was never disclosed until I arrived at the dealership and had already committed significant time and effort rearranging work commitments. Had this been made clear earlier, I could have made an informed decision about whether to proceed. No one from Volvo or Lipscomb offered to review call recordings to verify what was said.

After collecting the car, I immediately noticed a new warning: “Oil Overfilled” — an issue that did not exist before the service. I reported this and was told I would need to bring the car back in again. I did so on 20th June 2025, losing further time and incurring additional cost to rectify an issue they caused. At no point during this process — either when raising the fault, returning the vehicle, or dealing with their Service Manager — did I receive so much as an apology or an acknowledgement that the overfill error was their responsibility.

Volvo UK Customer Care was also contacted on 1st June 2025, but they refused to intervene beyond forwarding the complaint back to the dealer — citing franchise arrangements and distancing themselves from any responsibility.

Not only was I misled at point of sale, overcharged without consent, and handed a car with a fault caused by the service itself — but the overall response was indifferent, dismissive, and completely lacking in accountability. No goodwill, no follow-up, no customer recovery effort.

This experience has left me questioning Volvo’s integrity as a brand. If this is how they handle a basic service complaint, I strongly discourage anyone from buying a Volvo. The aftersales service is one of the worst I’ve encountered: disorganised, opaque in pricing, and wholly uninterested in customer satisfaction once the sale is done.

Called Lipscomb Maidstone to get a price for some fairly minor work on a Volvo V40. Was told someone would get back to me.
5 days later still hadn't heard, so tried again, again told we will get back to you straight away. Needless to say, no call back.

Lodged a complaint via their on-line contact form, that was a week ago. You've guessed it, no response.

I thought I would give this local family run business a go as I had considered moving the servicing of my V40 and my wife's new XC60 to them, and they failed this simple test.

Spoke to my current dealer HFS group who gave me a cost and booked me in on the first phone call.

My servicing of both vehicles remains with HFS, suggest if you have read this review, you do the same.

0 stars for customer service

I would like to thank Mark Reed ( service manager ) for his attention to a problem my son had with his Volvo, purchased from Lipscomb. Mr. Reed dealt with the whole matter, and brought it to an agreeable conclusion for both parties. His manner and attitude are praiseworthy. His service advisor Josh, should also get a mention for his cheerful and helpful demeanour. Many thanks to these gentlemen for the service they gave.

We traded in our car at this dealership and were looked after perfectly by Paul Lewton, who explained the whole process, kept us informed on progress and patiently showed us how the new car worked. I was dreading the whole process, but Paul made it all very smooth and easy.
The dealership itself was welcoming, friendy and even offers very good coffee!

Enough said. Thank you from saving me buying a Volvo XC 40
Bought a replacement Audi Q3 for my wife instead.

Lipscomb at Canterbury , Always give excellent customer service very efficient helpful and friendly
Adam wanstall , at the service desk I think that’s his name he has dark hair …..Has excellent customer service , he is always very efficient, helpful friendly and kind always …I would definitely recommend him …. Nothing is too much trouble for him
Thank you Adam …. For today
Kind regards Janet stock

Purchased a Volvo xc40 in September. After sale communication and support nonexistent. Subsequent valet showed up numerous scuffs and marks on the car. Disappointed.