Howards Motor Group Avis 1 043

Thank you to Simon Martin for making our car search journey smooth and painless!

We called into have a look at the Suzuki S-Cross and ended up reserving one to collect next month. Steve was really helpful in showing the car and made the paperwork easy. No pressure, just professional, friendly service.

Having a look around at Hyundai wsm I was approached by Steve. He invited myself in,sat down upon mentioning about the motor ability scheme I found Steve to be very knowledgeable and I felt very much at ease. Everything I asked was delt with a prompt professional manner whilst dealing with my many questions. Knowledgeable of all 3 cars I was interested in. Happy to say that we ended up with a beautiful i20. Which we pick up in 4 days. Many thanks Keith.

Used the online chat function and 'spoke' to someone called Isabelle. Generic replies that made no sense because they hadn't read my simple request. This was my first interaction with Howards group and it will be my last unfortunately purely because of this chat

Fantastic service at Howards Honda, Taunton. They had to diagnose a fuel filter alert which meant a lot of tracing of wiring to isolate the problem and identify the sensor as defective. The part had to ordered in which meant I kept their loan car for an incredible five days. The service department were friendly, informative and made it clear that I was welcome to keep the car for all that time. They successfully claimed on my Honda extended warranty and I ended up paying nothing at all. I'm going back for my car's next service of course. Thanks especially to Mark and Kayleigh. Superb!

I did not purchase my car from Howards, and had only recently received it, but whilst on holiday it developed a fault. Howards at Dorchester was, fortunately, the closest main dealer. I only dropped in for some advice but Alison took control of the situation and within an hour had arranged recovery of my vehicle and a courtesy car through my local dealer, some 80 miles away. This act allowed my family to continue to enjoy a restful few days holiday. I highly recommend Howards, Dorchester Branch for their outstanding help and professionalism.

Outstanding customer service from Ed at Howards Citroen once again. As a returning customer I would highly recommend this dealership. No issue is ever too big or too small. Ed consistently offers a professional and friendly service and is very knowledgeable about every aspect of purchasing. Thank you!

We purchased an Inster under the Motability scheme. Steve was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. He organised the car the adaptation and the home charger.
The whole process was made very easy for us.

Josh went above and beyond helping to fix my car cannot thank him and Alison enough for all their help absolute legends so helpful and kind

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I had such a wonderful experience buying my new car from Peugeot Taunton, thanks to Martin. He was so thoughtful and genuinely took all the pressure off the process. Everything was made so easy — from the paperwork to the regular updates, he kept me fully informed every step of the way. I especially appreciated the short video he sent on the day my car arrived — such a lovely personal touch! Martin simplified everything and made the whole experience enjoyable and stress-free. Thank you so much, I absolutely love my new car!

My car went in for MOT, service, this car runs smoothly, I was advised by Howard Peugeot Taunton to do a Timing belt which is due when the car is 10years old, all this with one other repair amounted to £1700ish. My car came back with an “engine fault needs repair” at almost every start of the vehicle the sound of the car has become so bad you can hear something making a weird noise. I called to ask the receptionist told me I will have to pay again, my question is how do I trust that when I take it back in and make another payment which is not cheap, will all the issues be fixed….. my trust for Howard group Taunton is broken,

I went in to Howard Hyundai in Weston super Mare to look at the new Inster. Steve was incredibly helpful and friendly. I was able to test drive this delightful little car and have traded in my Kia Sportage (much too big for my lifestyle). My new car will arrive within the next couple of weeks. Thank you Steve and Hyundai!

We paid a £99 holding deposit and travelled 45 minutes each way to view a Citroën DS3 at Howards UCC Yeovil. That alone should have demonstrated how serious we were about purchasing the car — yet what should have been a straightforward viewing of a reserved vehicle turned into the worst dealership experiences I’ve had in over three decades of car buying

Unwelcoming and Dismissive from the Start

From the moment we arrived, the salesperson made it clear she didn’t want to entertain our time unless we were already committed to buying the car. just a cold, transactional energy. She was abrupt, defensive, and showed no willingness to understand our position or build any kind of rapport. Honestly, I think she was completely out of place in a sales role. Her colleague seemed to have the same “couldn’t care less” vibe, which suggests a potential cultural issue.

Misleading Pre-Sale Presentation

A walkaround video was sent ahead of the visit — but it conveniently skipped every notable issue we later spotted in person:

All four diamond-cut alloys were lacquer-peeling and water-damaged

A dent in the passenger-side sill

Paint damage on two panels (rear right and front left)

And most worrying of all — engine coolant clearly below the minimum level

The issues with the body and paintwork damage were not disclosed in advance, despite being obvious and were certainly not reflected in the advertised price. When we raised the coolant issue, we were told it would be “looked at if we bought the car.” That’s despite being told the car had already passed a full inspection, including a wet belt replacement. If low coolant is missed during that full inspection, what else was?

No Test Drive Unless You’re ‘Committed’?

This was the real shocker. We were told — repeatedly — that we couldn’t test drive the car unless we were already “committed to buying it.”

That line genuinely blew me away. It’s not a Ferrari. It’s a used Citroën DS3 in yellow.

I’ve bought cars from Porsche dealerships, independents, and private sellers across the UK — never once have I been told I need to make a buying decision before I’ve even driven the car.
It’s not just unusual — it’s completely backwards.

How on earth are you supposed to know if a car suits you until you’ve driven it?

Walked Away With Zero Confidence

In the end, we walked. Not because of the price (we had the cash in the bank and we were ready to make a deal if the car and the approach felt right) but because of how the whole thing was handled. Hopefully the deposit is refunded quickly and smoothly (but that's not happened as yet)!

Summary

We lost trust. Between the undisclosed damage, the low coolant, and the saleswoman’s pushy, dismissive attitude, we had no confidence in the vehicle, the process, or the people.

What should have been a straightforward purchase turned into a frustrating, dead-end experience. Yes, I opened with a low offer — as any buyer would when clear cosmetic and mechanical issues are present — but rather than engaging in a reasonable discussion, the saleswoman completely blindsided it and resorted to pressure and intimidation tactics to force the sale. It was like being strong-armed rather than attempting coming to an agreeable deal.

We won’t return — and I’d strongly advise others to avoid wasting their time here, (unless of course you enjoy being talked down to, pressured, and strong-armed into a sale).

Looking at the wall of 5-star reviews, maybe I caught them on a bad day — but that still doesn’t excuse the dismissive attitude, the pressure tactics, or the fact I left with zero confidence in the car or the people selling it. They won’t be getting my money — or my family’s — anytime soon.

Travelled from Birmingham to this dealership and spoke to Matt Huxtable who arranged a test drive in a 600e & 500e abarth and we purchased the 500e and he was very helpful from the start the the finish with the process the car was fully charged and ready to drive home to Birmingham on the Saturday afternoon when we collected it. Thank you to Matt for all his help & support.

We spent a solid few hours with Steve at Howard's in WSM, and came away with an i10 ready for collection in a few days. We had 2 test drives, all our questions were answered and there was no hard sell. A very productive morning. Thanks Steve.

From the very first phone call when looking for our new motorbilty car we had a wonderful experience. Marcos was very polite, knowledgeable and kind. He kept us informed about the delivery date of the car and then when we went to collect the car, went through everything with us. Marcos has since rang us to confirm that everything was OK. My husband has terminal cancer and Marcos was sympathetic without being patronising. An asset to the company. If you are looking for a Peugeot then ask for Marcos.

Great experience at Howards Toyota WSM when I took my car for an MOT and service recently. The drop off process was easy and, because I intended to work while I was waiting, I used the new desk seating area which was really comfortable. Nice to have hot drinks and biscuits there too. Becky was incredibly helpful, kept me informed throughout and checked in on me from time to time. A very pleasant experience all round. And I was very happy with my car too. The video explanation of what's going on with it is brilliant

Update from the Manager has apologised and has now changed the process regarding buying a car from Howard's .so it would not happen for new purchased from Howard's group.

Very unprofessional service , visited site in Weston today , we were shown a car ,took it for a test drive,we agreed on a price with the salesman Inc all the extras with the car .
Me and my daughter waited 15 mins to be told the car was not available .in total I waisted a hour of my time .
I was so angry,Howard's have lost a £9000 sale .

The knowledge and help of the staff. Excellent service. In particular Mark Atkins