Website: https://www.availablecar.com
Phone: 0800 804 6568
Address:
Station Road
Castle Donington
DE74 2NL
About company:
A family business of over 20 years At AvailableCar, we are a family owned and operated business established for 20 years. Our family values are at the heart of our business, and since opening our first Store in 2002 in Castle Donington, our family business has grown to become one of England’s largest and most successful used car retailers. Our unique approach, offering our Customers a hassle-free and relaxing but friendly and helpful car buying experience, and our wonderful Staff, have earned us our incredible reputation for outstanding customer service, and over 250,000 satisfied Customers to date.
I looked at a low mileage car in ok condition but was dirty filthy but a sign in the window did say under preparation, i only aked for a valueation on my car thats all i wanted to see what budget i had, the salesman was pushy and insisted on a test drive, all i wanted to know is what my car was worth ???? when the valueation came back i was shocked a low paltry £500.00 for an 08 plate focus diesel, the salesman had the kuga outside without asking me for a test drive and usherd me in to it. On driving it felt vague on the steering the stop start didnt work the air conditioner took forever to come on i thought a swift exit here but the salesman just dropped me back at the sales office the manager went in to selling mode ??? going on and on about extended warranty ( they only give 3 months) then trying to sell dash cams and paint enhancer. I left and threw all the paperwork in the bin would i go back ….NO WAY WOULD I GO BACK TO AVAILABLECAR.COM CASTLE DONNINGTON SAVE YOUR MONEY AND GO TO A MORE REPUTABLE DEALER WHO KNOWS ABOUT THE CAR THEY ARE SELLING. Most of the cars on availablecar come from auctions they have no idea about the history they could have come from driving schools hire companies etc etc. Look for the white paint in the corner of the windscreen it tells you where the auction car is from ie…… Bellevue is manchester auctions Bca is brith car auctions Man is manheim auctions etc etc All in all best to avoid this company they are like a wolf in sheeps clothing ….SO BEWARE.
Following a visual inspection only (car still in the prep centre) we purchased a 16,000 mile 2018 Vauxhall Corsa GSi VX68 YSF with a generous options list. As the vehicle was such low mileage, being subject to a 78-point mechanical check and prepared to main dealer standards before collection we were confident so agreed to pay for the car in full before collection. The collection day test drive however revealed a car that had a misaligned steering wheel and pulled badly to the left. The car also felt mechanically much older than the 16,000 miles would suggest. Returning to the dealer was not a pleasant experience, we were spoken to in an unprofessional manner and when pushed the only explanation given was that the vehicle must have suffered some damage whilst being manoeuvred around the parking lot, the wheels were however unmarked. We were assured that a comprehensive inspection and road test had been completed prior to collection and that an MOT was completed so the car was all good. They agreed to try and fix this issue over the next week (we had absolutely zero confidence in them by this point) and we could make another 70+ mile round trip. No apology given or good will gesture offered apart from a ¼ of a tank of fuel so we declined and left upset and disappointed. After some research we are pretty sure the vehicle was a Vauxhall press car, this explains the high specification. A quick scan of the internet reveals VX68 YSF as being used by YouTubers #sidnorth corsa gsi for a hill climb event and a hand brake turn demonstration among other reviews. This probably explains why it feels so old for the mileage. Just want to make others aware of the appalling attitude demonstrated by the people we dealt with at Sutton-In-Ashfield but more importantly to approach this particular vehicle with caution. The 78-point check on this occasion was not enough to rectify a significant fault.
Bought Astra 21st Jan 2019. Just used airconditioning properly today 17th Apr for first time. Doesn’t work at all. Just blows ambient air. It so happened I was passing Available car Donnington. Took it in. Had to wait well over 20mins for after sales person. Then had 10mins of patronising fobbing off. What really angered me was the incredibly co-ndescending manner which I was spoken to by aftersales First because I have done more than 3000 miles they are not interested. I explained I hadn’t used airconditioni g since I bought it less than 3 months ago. Aircondit has not had 3000miles worth of use. He the said I should have turned it on 3 or 4 times a month to lubricate seals. (Handbook says turn on 1x month) the aircondit hasn’t failed because I haven’t turned it on 2x since buying! I have turned it on to demist windows a few times but as these were on very cold mornings I couldnt tell if it was working properly. Though I did think it took longer to clear window than my last car (hindsight!). Was told it had measured 7.6deg on 4th Dec. I asked if someone had switched aircondit on 3 or 4 times a month before I bought it 7 weeks later, He said it would have been tested before I collected it. I asked what did it measure on final inspection? He said the results are keep in workshop. (Why is results from 4 Dec on computer but Jan inspection Not?) Also if tested in a cold garage in Dec. How do they know it’s working? Inspections are not thorough as my rear windscreen wiper blades was so worn the rubber wiper was hanging off. I mentioned this to after sales guy who replied in an incredibly patronising tone. “Well did you report it to us”. it’s a 30mile round trip to Donnington through the whole city of Derby. So it wasnt worth the effort, I didnt report it. The point is, their inspections are not thorough enough to TRUST what they tell you. Then he said they would take a look but they would not be regassing or repairing. The 1st date was 2 weeks. They would need to have the car all day and then said I would have to bring it in for 8:30am he was very specific and adamant I had to be there at that time. I said if you got it all day why do I need to be so punctual. He said we have a lot of bookings so I have to make my time slot. I asked why give me a specific time slot and then tell me you need the car a day? (THEY ARENT GOING TO TO DO ANY REPAIRS, JUST LOOK). to get to the other side of Derby I will need myself AND someone else,to take me home,to leave by 7:45am at latest. And wont be back until 9:30. Then do the same later (no doubt in evening rush hour knowing they are not going to attempt to repair. I have to take a day of work! And find someone to take me home. I believe the consumer rights cover fair usage regardless of the 3month 3000mile warranty. Aircondit that has failed with next to no use will be covered. Will have to wait and see how much more of my time AVAILABLE CAR ARE GOING TO WASTE.
Bought a car from the Leeds branch. We live in Sunderland. Excellent sales service, very attentive. However on purchase we were invited to purchase a warranty which we declined due to the distance between the showroom and our home. We were advised by that we would be able to take the car to any VAT registered garage if there was a problem. So we bought the warranty and headed home with our new car. 40 miles up the motorway at 7pm in torrential weather the engine light came on. We rang available cars the next day numerous times and were told the warranty company would cover the fault. We rang the warranty company numerous times as the warranty had not been activated by Available cars. When the warranty was eventually activated we were advised to obtain reports regarding the engine problem which we did from two garages. As the first garage stated it was a specialist fault we then booked the car into a Halfords garage as they have an account with the warranty company, However when Halfords contacted the warranty company it appears that the fault would not be covered by them and Halfords estimate the repair could cost up to £1000. So… we are now in the process of attempting to speak to the after sales team at the Leeds branch who are ‘not available’ when I explained that I was on my dinner hour and asked to speak to the manager the receptionist described me as ‘threatening’. Oh and the gentleman who sold me the warranty forgot to tell me that for the first 3 months or 3,000 miles the car would have to be returned to the showroom in Leeds for any problems. To sum up we had a problem less than an hour from purchasing the car, we have had the car into two garages in the 10 days since purchase, we have spent hours on the phone, we have been miss sold a warranty and we were not offered the correct information regarding repair of the car within the first three months of purchase.