Servicing Stop - Avoid at all costs!!

Cookiepops

having recently moved house and not having a garage local to me I did some research and saw the site for servicing stop. MOT at half price and I opted for full service too. They came and took my car away at the allotted time (though I was a little concerned no paperwork handed over or check of my car for any current damage). Within 2 hours my husband received a call from servicing stop with a list of items that had 'failed' the mot. Then tried to do the sale for add ons to the full service. He agreed to the change of brake fluid but not the other add ons (air con recharge). Total cost nearly £600!! (I so wish I hadn't purchased the service!) Then they send me a link which I have to pay in order for my car to be released that day (bear in mind, I've not received any actual invoice like you do at a garage before paying). I was out walking the dogs so couldnt pay straight away, Im talking literally half an hour and they phoned twice for payment and I felt very harrassed. So I pay and within minutes of paying they phone to say they can't get the parts (despite their previous 'guarantee' of getting my car back the same day) and need to keep my car overnight. Oh and because I pay by credit card, there is a 2.5% surcharge! A few hours later I get the invoice and notice one the items Ive been charged £75 + VAT is an MOT advisory! When I get the car back the next day with the MOT paperwork, there are 3 MOT advisories. 1 is for chip in the windscreen which I know about and has been repaired. The other 2, according to the servicing stop invoice, I am charged for as an MOT fail and the advisory - both of which we were told on the phone were MOT fails! Long story short, don't be fooled like myself by the convenience of them collecting and returning your car and the 'cheap' MOT and service offer - they more than make up for it via other means. The cherry on the cake is that my car which had just been cleaned came back like it had been on a building site, caked in thick dust and the roof covered in bird cr*p.

weeowens

Seems like others have had issues:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3279126

http://www.rac.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?20883-Servicing-Stop-Ltd

weeowens

http://incompetencetoday.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/servicing-stop-reviews.html

http://incompetencetoday.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Servicing%20Stop%20Ltd

arcon5

What did it actually fail on?

jstan1984

Hi reading this post i have to 100% agree, i had my car booked today through servicing stop and the garage collected had a call mid morning and surprise surprise same thing you brake fluid need changing guy i spoke to joshua said has water in it needs doing blah blah blah i said no leave it ill get sorted i knew this was absolute rubbish he got so arrogant and rude then said needed fully synthetic oil i said last service i had elsewhere didnt advise this and he went on to say why did i bother using servicing stop and just go back to the previous dealer i advised i didnt like how he was speaking to me and he didnt care i advised i was hanging up was confirming oil with kia and would phone back to speak to someone else which i did kia said needed full synthetic i spoke to the lady at servicing stop said go ahead she sent a link to pay but before i did i rang the garage dealing with my car to find out about brakesnto be told that the first chap joshua had phoned them said do no work and return the car which i had not said to do but they had already left i then had another call from servicing stop different person saying the garage had phoned why did i cancel and did i want to reschedule, well you can imagine the rest , absolute con merchants

tykesi

jstan1984 wrote: »

Hi reading this post i have to 100% agree, i had my car booked today through servicing stop and the garage collected had a call mid morning and surprise surprise same thing you brake fluid need changing guy i spoke to joshua said has water in it needs doing blah blah blah i said no leave it ill get sorted i knew this was absolute rubbish he got so arrogant and rude then said needed fully synthetic oil i said last service i had elsewhere didnt advise this and he went on to say why did i bother using servicing stop and just go back to the previous dealer i advised i didnt like how he was speaking to me and he didnt care i advised i was hanging up was confirming oil with kia and would phone back to speak to someone else which i did kia said needed full synthetic i spoke to the lady at servicing stop said go ahead she sent a link to pay but before i did i rang the garage dealing with my car to find out about brakesnto be told that the first chap joshua had phoned them said do no work and return the car which i had not said to do but they had already left i then had another call from servicing stop different person saying the garage had phoned why did i cancel and did i want to reschedule, well you can imagine the rest , absolute con merchants

In English?

bod1467

With punctuation.

dannyrst

tykesi wrote: »

In English?

man unhappy with cheap service. man hang up phone. man ring other person. man no get work done on car.

rich13348

dannyrst wrote: »

man unhappy with cheap service. man hang up phone. man ring other person. man no get work done on car.

After garage tried to scam money out of him work that didn't need done.

AdrianC

arcon5 wrote: »

What did it actually fail on?

If you're not certain what it failed on, look it up...
https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

But the garage are the ones you have the problem with. They aren't "servicing stop". Servicing stop are a company who sign independent garages up, and centrally process bookings for them.

A garage who has a good local reputation won't need to go through somebody like that to drum business up. They'll be busy without much marketing at all.

Robisere

General rule when trying out a new garage:
When you call, ask when you can book in for whatever work you want. If they are too busy for a couple of days, or even a week, you know they are popular. May be worth even driving or walking past the garage, looking at activity.

I use this general rule with lots of places for Goods and Services. Eg: looking for a good pub and/or restaurant - are there plenty of cars in the car park?