Thames Motor Group Avis 

When I decided I needed a new van
I searched from many ads and companies.Then
I came across an ad for a Fiat Ducato RO20WAJ offered from Thames Motor Group. I contacted Ms. Rita Mehra.
Everything happened quickly and accurately for her company the client / respectively me /. The Final Purchase and the paperwork of the van was done by Mr. Robin.
Perfectly conducted business deal from the beginning of the contact to the end.
Thanks to Mrs. Rita Mehra and Mr. Robin. Pleasure, professionals and creativity.
Angel Georgiev

I purchased my 5th car last month from Thames Motor Group - as always it was a smooth and easy purchase. The difference this time was the click and collect service, these guys have nailed it! the best thing of all was the handover video I received showing me around the car and all the controls before it was delivered to my home. ***** THANK YOU *****

We recently purchased a car from the Thames Motor Group in Tunbridge Wells. The service from start to finish was professional and seamless. Shane was excellent at answering all our queries and home delivery during these difficult times was much appreciated. A fantastic service and experience all round.

After 60 years experience of buying cars I have just made my first on line purchase.[ from the Slough Branch.]
It was with some misgivings having previously always tested and inspected the car and assessed the competence of the dealership.
The car was delivered on time today and in the condition described and seen on video and in photos.
The communication from the sales consultant was exceptional and all queries answered and phone calls returned. I would have no hestiation in purchasing another car from this branch.

*This review was my last resort and since my initial posting on Google, I have been told that I have been removed from their customer database while I still have an active agreement. They cancelled my service within a few days notice, and told me to remove the review. Sorry Thames can’t handle the truth, I am well within my rights to publicly share my experience when I have granted them very reasonable opportunity to make amends with me, especially regarding the vehicle tax. It’s shameful that their only attempt at resolution is to remove all trace of me, but nothing they do surprises me anymore!*

The worst customer service of any garage that I have experienced. Thames motor group are kind up until the sale is completed, after this you may as well not exist. I do not usually write reviews, but their poor service and lack of care for my situation has caused me to resort to this platform in sharing my discontent.

This was my first new car and I went to Thames with high hopes as my family had bought multiple cars from them before. Needless to say, none of us will be returning. I had also hoped to have no mechanical issues for at least 3 years, but again, this couldn’t have been further from the reality.

When I got the car home, I noticed scratched wing mirrors and front bumper damage. Thames tried to deny this was present when I bought it, the first red flag. I received no real apology and I had to return the car to Tunbridge Wells to be fixed at my inconvenience, using my petrol and mileage.

Within weeks of buying my car, a serious power issue became apparent, which meant I couldn’t drive the car. This did coincide with the first COVID lockdown which I was understanding of, but I had a new car parked for over a month which I couldn’t drive as the engine would cut out which would leave me in potentially dangerous situations. When garages reopened, after trips to Brighton and Tunbridge Wells at least twice, the problem was identified as a broken oxygen & crank sensor. I was without my car for days at a time again at this stage.

However, the most serious error that Thames have made is with changing the ownership of the car. When I bought the car, I paid an additional £145.00 for tax for the first year and was assured that this was all arranged ready for me to take the car home. As this was my first PCP car, I was not accustomed to the usual process in receiving the log book etc.

In December, upon wanting to put my private number plate on the car for the first time, I realised by absolute chance that I had been driving the car UNTAXED, when Thames should have done this until March 2021. I notified them of this error, which they attempted to blame on me as well as COVID, even though the sale of my car was finalised 3 weeks before the first national lockdown.

I went on to contact DVLA to understand the cause of the error, and they advised that usual processing times was 3-4 weeks normally and 6-8 weeks during COVID so obviously this should have been completed well before December! They did also advise that they had received nothing at all from Thames regarding the sale of my car, and that they had not received the change of ownership application until DECEMBER! Thames knew this error had occurred, yet failed to let me know that I was driving an untaxed car!

Not only was I driving around unknowingly untaxed, it would have made my insurance null and void as I had told them that I was the registered keeper when I was not. This was truly the last straw for Thames, they are a terrible organisation who just do not care once they’ve got the car off of the forecourt and again I had to fight to get them to reimburse me for the tax I had ALREADY paid for! It was excuses after excuses. The WORST type of garage.

The whole process has been very stressful. You pay a premium for new cars and the process should be relatively problem free. It has been the exact opposite experience for me and others should know of Thames’ incompetence. I have given them more than reasonable opportunity to make amends with me and be honest in their errors, but at no point have I felt I have received a genuine apology.

Avoid them at all cost if you want any level of competence or professionalism.

Been in to Tunbridge wells a few times now and have not been satisfied with the customer service I’ve received on 2 occasions. My car went in for warranty work. A rip in the seat and while waiting to drop the car off the other seat had ripped in the same place and a noise that was coming from my car. I got told by their head technician that nothing sounded wrong ( I also got told by someone in the service department to drive it until the noise got worse)I insisted that someone look into it. When I dropped my car off to be inspected i was told the car would be there all day and that they had no courtesy cars available and there was nothing they could do, considering I live 35 minutes away I thought it was appalling that they just expected me to make my way home. When I took my car back to actually have work done they had my car for 4 1/2 weeks waiting for parts to be delivered there WAS something wrong with my car. Faulty oil pump and it had swarf in the oil filter (could of been a big problem if nothing was done). The courtesy car I had been given had greasy finger marks on the buttons and a MacDonald’s bag of rubbish in the glove box so I went back in and asked the man I was dealing with if he could take it out, he chucked his pen on the table and walked to the car and asked me in the most sarcastic way “is there anything else you want me to get rid of”. At this point I’m wondering what I had asked that was so wrong by the attitude I was getting. When I eventually got my car back, 3 days later the passenger seat ripped again so I then had to take it back. I took my car back this month and it was done the next day. I got a phone call from a lovely man that works there letting me know it was ready and the seat cover they had been given before was faulty. When I went to get my car this time I wasn’t dealing with the lovely man I spoke to on the phone I was dealing with the same man I had dealt with previously. As soon as I sat down I could feel the tension in his voice when he spoke to me. I gave the car back and he told me that there was considerably less fuel in the car when I got it given to me. I wasn’t rude and I explained that I had put fuel in on my way there and it had just clicked down a bar. He tried telling me the car was nearly full when I got it but I took a picture and it was 1 bar less(that had just gone pretty much as I pulled in) he didn’t even acknowledge what I’d just said and asked me if I wanted to pay cash or card and I asked how much it would be, £10! For 1 bar of fuel considering the fuel tank of an Abarth doesn’t take a lot to fill it up I couldn’t believe what he’d just said. I then told him I would fill it up myself and bring the car back. I put £5 in and that gave me more than what was in the car when I got it and I had driven it 10 minutes there and back to the petrol station. Unfortunately I don’t know the names of the men. I hope that I never have to go back to this dealership again because I’ve never received such awful customer service.

WOW, who knew we had gone back to the 1940's. I bought a car from Thames Motor Group 2 years ago and was really happy with the service and sales process. Have since been in to look at upgrading options and found the sales guys great. Went in today and met Paul, I explained my situation and what i was looking for. He started his conversation with how they have never had it so good in car sales. I started asking about new cars, residual values, second hand cars - the options, the discounts available. I know what I am talking about, however I got spoken to like some stupid women. Clearly didn't like me asking or questioning the discounts/prices etc. He said to me, 'what does your husband do?', I said carpenter. He said I'll explain it to you, 'if he buys a piece of wood for £20, he would then sell it £40, that business,'!! All because I questioned the discounts and residual levels and his differing explanations. Completely sexist, arrogant and condescending, when I questioned him he didn't even attempt to apologise - just rude!! Never had any sales person speak down to me like that - clearly business is so good so you can be rude to your customers!!

Took my car in to get a rust spot on my roof fixed, wasn't happy with the work so they refunded the money which I felt was very good of them so left happy enough but it wasn't until the next morning that I noticed while they've had the car that the drivers side of the rear bumper is now covered in scratches this is now going to cost a fortune to get repaired will never go back

I contacted Thames one evening about a second hand car, and after a few e-mails back and forth I popped in late on a Saturday to go through it in person. I was dealing with a lad called Shane and couldn’t be more helpful. In the end he got us a brand new car for a difference of £10 a month from a second hand car. He got it all completed in 2 weeks what was great and couldn’t recommend more. Cheers Shane top work.

Amazing professional service great cars great prices Highly Recommended.

I bought my car in 2017 and thought the staff were friendly and helpful but since then there have been a series of events.

1. They are no longer a Citroen dealer
2. I purchased a 3 year service plan . They can longer honour this as they are not a Citroen dealer so I need to travel from Tunbridge Wells to Uckfield or Maidstone
3. They did not enter the 3 year service plan into the system so Citroen are unaware
4. They entered the wrong house number on the DVLA registration docs , which has caused other issues

I have now spent hours trying to sort this all out!!

The sales person is no longer with them. Whilst I appreciate circumstances change the other Citroen dealer told me that they have had several customers with similar issues. They have the equipment they should honour the services

My daughters Fiat 500C Twin Air developed a fault & it had to go in asap. They arranged for a courtesy car, but typical my daughter had lost her drivers licence, so that was that, her fault not theirs.. They checked the status of the vehicle & it was almost due a service & its first MOT, which they arranged. They diagnosed a fly wheel fault & as it was under warranty got it approved by Fiat & fully repaired in 2 days flat. A great achievement on their part. The staff were very helpful & kept us informed at all times. Great Service & very much appreciated. Highly recommend their Service department. Andy & Beau Brett

In went into Thames showroom in Slough back in February to upgrade my beautiful campovolo grey Abarth 500. Although the car only had 5000 miles on the clock, it was 4 years old and soon needed a service. I wondered if that money would be better spent on upgrading the car. Big mistake!

That day, I actually ordered a Turismo in campovolo grey with red leather. As the car was at dock, it only took a couple of weeks to arrive. On the day of hand over, I noticed the car had light scratches to the paint that looked like an ice rink. I complained about this to the sales person, and the car was quickly taken away for a polish. When I saw it again, it was outside, and as it was a grey day, although the scratches were still there, they didn’t look that bad. I reluctantly accepted the car and drove away thinking I could polish them out myself. This was not possible, and over the next few days with better weather, it became apparent that the entire car even the bonnet and roof (which would have been covered in factory protection film when it arrived at the dealer) was scratched. On reporting this to the dealer, we had a conversation about sending the car to a repair agent to rectify.

I took the car to 2 paint detailers, including 1 suggested by Thames. Both quoted £500 to fix which Thames were reluctant to agree to. They asked me to speak to a 3rd bodyshop, but this company refused to guarantee removal of the scratches with respraying!

Finally after more awkward conversations, the sales person at Thames finally agreed to offer £300 towards the £500 repair bill, meaning I would have to fork out £200 towards the repair myself. On the day I was planning on taking the car to the repair company, I noticed a split in the driver’s leather seat and finally decided after 3 weeks of ownership to return the car.

Thames gave me a full refund, but the sales manager offered to get me another car and allow me to see the car as it arrived with its factory protection. So, I took the chance that lightning doesn’t strike twice, and factory ordered another Turismo in campovolo grey with red leather. This took around 2 months to arrive.

True to his word, the sales manager took delivery of the car, asked his guys not to clean it, and stored it carefully in an upper showroom until I made it over to see. I went on Saturday 1st June, and the car was in amazing condition. Although it was dirty from its journey from the factory, there was not a scratch or mark on it. So, I agreed to take the car, and returned on Monday 3rd of June in the afternoon after it had its PDI and number plates fitted. I had asked once again, that the car not be cleaned.

On returning home, the front number plate had partially fallen off as the PDI guys had stuck it onto dirty paint, so I decided during cleaning to remove both number plates. At this point, I discovered that the rear number plate had holes drilled in the wrong place, and when attached to the car had damaged the tailgate hole where the screw goes, bending the metal and splitting the paint.

Once again, I reported this to Thames, and was offered a repair. As I was reluctant to have a brand-new car resprayed, I investigated through my own bodyshop options to fix. The bodyshop stated it was an awkward repair, and the cars corrosion warranty in that area would be null and void if the tailgate wasn’t fully repaired. Ultimately however, they refused to work on it, stating it was best done by the dealer to avoid any warranty complications in the future.

Finally, after speaking directly to the bodyshop that Thames suggested, I decided to once again return the car. This was because the bodyshop were planning on respraying the tailgate without removing the rear glass, which as it overhangs the tailgate metal would surely leave a tell tail area of overspray in the paint.

So, this experience has left me:

Without my original Abarth as this was sold in px to Thames back in February.
Without a car now for over 4 months!
A new Abarth Turismo is now more expensive than it was back in Feburary, having had 2 prices increases since my original purchase.
Fiat dealer contribution on this car is now zero. Back in February, it was £1250. This means another brand new Turismo would in theory be over £1400 more expensive than I paid in February
To add insult to injury, I noticed a couple of days after I returned the second Turismo, that Thames were selling it on Autotrader priced at £16,995. I had paid £19,800!

I feel completely bitter and upset over the experience, miss my old car that I sold to Thames back in February, and have little enthusiasm to start looking all over again for a 3rd replacement from another dealer. Thames have ruined my love of the brand, and I am not sure what I will do particularly due to the price increases.

In reply to the motor dealer response:

Many thanks for your response. Yes, Thames did offer repairs in both cases, but the fact remains that the damage on both occasions was caused most likely by carelessness.

For the first vehicle: The scratches were not just visible in direct sunlight. A professional paint detailer was offered by Thames, but I had to pay £200 of the £500 repair bill. The damage was not my fault, so why would I have to pay anything? I had reluctantly agreed to have the repair undertaken and pay the £200, but changed my mind at the last minute as I discovered the leather on the drivers seat starting to split.

The second vehicle. The tailgate plastic lug was damaged simply because the number plate holes were drilled in the wrong place, but the technician tried to fit it anyway.

A tailgate swap was discussed but ultimately not offered, as there were no Campovolo grey cars available at the time. The only other option was a full tailgate respray. My own bodyshop refused to undertake the repair as they felt the car was so new I should let the dealer sort it. I spoke to the bodyshop that Thames had organised, but ultimately decided to return the car due to the explanation of how the paint repair was going to be done, this being particularly relevant when the car was only a couple of weeks old.

SHOCKING experience.. I was called on the 12th June to book a test drive - the scheduled appointment was on the 22nd June.. only once I arrived at the dealership, I was informed that they didn't have any cars for me to test drive and all the cars that were at the dealership were not drivable due to mounting blocks. I even recieved an appointment reminder text on the 21st June!

A waste of time and a drive (48 miles round trip) for nothing... I will never deal with this group as clearly a courtesy call to notify clients is too much effort!

I contacted this company today to enquire about a servicing matter with my Fiat Panda that I purchased from them 4 years ago. This was to do with a cambelt matter. The helpfulness and efficiency here shown by Lee was outstanding. Even though it was difficult to get through to the servicing department at the outset, the colleague who answered the phone did her best to find someone who could help me as I was a little bit anxious about my car. The wait turned out to be worth it and they fulfilled their promise to call me back. They were very good four years back also. Thank you

Absolutely the best service I have had. I was a Mercedes customer for decades downsized to my Abarth. My salesman James Reynolds is the best sales person. After sales service is no less! They treat you the same as they did when you walk through the door for the first time.

shockingly bad experience. They might be good if the car has no problems, but if you buy a car with problems, you're on your own.
They lost their Citroen franchise. Hopefully the others will follow soon.

Absolutely terrible experience. I went there for a test drive, booked it for next day since it was not possible at the moment. Next day went there only to be told that the car was gone. They didn't even bother to inform me beforehand, so as not to drive there, despite the fact I gave my phone number for that reason. I was also not given any option to reserve the car. Absolutely terrible experience, no respect whatsoever to the client. 'Served' by Liam.
0 stars if possible.