Kia Dealers.. Good..Bad ..or Indifferent?

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Colin Lambert
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 12:14 pm

Post by Colin Lambert »

On One of the Skoda forums, when I said that I would seriously be considering an E Niro, a member warned me that both dealers and Kia U.K . have (in general) a pretty poor reputation for good service (general, not necessarily mechanical) , Often not interested in warranty claims and that KIA U.K are proving less than helpful and have no grasp of 'lemon car' problems being generally pretty unhelpful.

Any comments positive or negative would be greatly appreciated and if any of you have experiences, good or bad, of Chalkes of Yeovil or Mere I would be even more interested as I am not prepared to use my local dealer as they ruined any chance of doing business with me regarding a Nissan some years ago.
Many thanks.
79 cars so far! Now 71 Reg eNiro 4+ Yacht Blue.
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jerrytaff
Posts: 120
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:28 pm

Post by jerrytaff »

I think that Kia dealers cover the whole gamut from awful to excellent. I don't have any experience with Chalkes, but so far my limited interactions with my local dealer - TowerHill (near Kings Langley, Herts) have been only positive.

Can I suggest you try the other forum ... https://www.kiaownersclub.co.uk/ ? They have a much larger user base as they cover the whole Kia range, with separate forums for each model. They also have a section dedicated to Kia Dealers - If you search there you are bound to find a thread or two about Chalkes.

Incidentally Kia Customer Services are active on that forum, and seem to be quite proactive in intervening to ensure a good outcome when people post about problems getting issues resolved with their local dealer.
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Colin Lambert
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2019 12:14 pm

Post by Colin Lambert »

Many thanks Jerry, I will do as you suggest.
79 cars so far! Now 71 Reg eNiro 4+ Yacht Blue.
Dip Mech Eng (automotive)
Mod Karoq & HR-V forums.
Deleted User 855

Post by Deleted User 855 »

One reason I was prompted to trade in my Toyota CHR was my more recent experience with Toyota dealers. It has been dire....two separate dealers. I live in rural SW Scotland so have limited access to dealerships. Both the two Toyota dealers I used lacked care, failed to follow up on my requests for quotes for a new car (!), one gave me old Fiat500 as courtesy car, were both complacent and inefficient. The Kia dealer has, so far, been helpful, courteous and perfectly reasonable. Toyota HQ were also difficult- fortunately I have yet had no need to contact Kia HQ. So I guess it’s a mixture of luck with all dealers, whatever make; some are awful, some are excellent. The Toyota dealer I used in NE Scotland, where we lived before heading south, was excellent.
jerrytaff
Posts: 120
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 8:28 pm

Post by jerrytaff »

took my phev in for its first service this week at Towehill Kings Langley. After i'd paid I realised that they had charged £157 even though they had quoted £150 on the phone. There were no unexpected extras on the invoice, so I queried it. I was assured that I'd been charged the correct amount, but as a goodwill gesture they have told me that they would take £10 off my next service.
2018 PHEV 3 in Gravity Blue :D
Previous DS (formerly Citroen) DS5 Prestige BlueHDi S/S Auto 2.0, Jaguar X type 2.0 S Diesel
h2onorth
Posts: 174
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2016 6:19 pm

Post by h2onorth »

Hi simongw . Note you live north of the border, I live just south of the same border, many of us here are looking to move across post Brexit! Dealers, around Newcastle, Carlisle I have found to excellent and when a mistake does occur are quick to apologise and refund. My only only criticism could be that minor services take all day,but hopefully that means it's thorough!
h2onorth
John pell
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Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2019 7:06 pm

Post by John pell »

Why did you have to bring Brexit up in a car forum ???
My19 Niro 3 Ocean Blue HEV
Deleted User 855

Post by Deleted User 855 »

h2onorth wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:11 am Hi simongw . Note you live north of the border, I live just south of the same border, many of us here are looking to move across post Brexit! Dealers, around Newcastle, Carlisle I have found to excellent and when a mistake does occur are quick to apologise and refund. My only only criticism could be that minor services take all day,but hopefully that means it's thorough!
h2onorth
Irony- a little while back my Kia dealer (in Dumfries) went bust. Carlisle may be the nearest now- a long way to go unless it's a warranty thing.
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