Stratstone - MINI Harrogate Avis 

Mini Harrogate was a first class service, professional and a pleasure to buy a car from. Claire was always communicating what was happening and helpful in every way. See you next time. Cate

Where do I even start with this?

I was on the lookout for a used Mini Cooper S and the perfect one appeared on Stratstone Harrogate's site... Luckily it was still available so we put a reservation down and visited the dealership the following day for a test-drive (20/08/2023). Staff at the dealership went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and we felt like we were in great hands.

The car was everything we imagined it would be (besides a couple issues that needed fixing) and we decided to go ahead with the sale...

We pointed out the chipped windscreen, front discs that needed replacing as they were corroded and paint on the alloys was about to start flaking away... all of this was agreed to be fixed before we were due to collect the vehicle 6 days later.

After leaving Stratstone, we didn't hear anything through the week so expected the vehicle to be getting sorted - we received a telephone call on the evening before collection, saying everything had been done and that the vehicle would be ready to collect in the morning. They just requested that we'd be there 1 hour later than planned as they had another handover before us, which we said was absolutely fine.

(26/08/2023) We drove just over 1 hour to collect the vehicle, all excited to have a shiny (used but new to us) car waiting for us on the forecourt. Disappointingly, we arrived at the dealership and the car was nowhere to be seen - our salesman informed us that the car only went in for its MOT that morning and had failed.

It failed the MOT because the discs were corroded - an issue we pointed out 6 days prior and was promised to be fixed before collection. The chipped windscreen had luckily been sorted but the wheels hadn't been touched and obviously neither had the discs. They explained to us there was an internal conflict between themselves and the Mini workshop.

After apologising and promising to have the car ready for us 5 days later, the dealership offered us a paid for meal out of courtesy. The salesman also offered us a free tank of fuel and all-weather car mats for the inconvenience and told us they would have the car delivered to our home address via trailer to avoid us having to drive all the way back when the car was ready...

We left extremely disappointed that we'd made the journey to not get the car but were hopeful that we'd have it the following week.

The salesman told us he'd be in touch 3 days later with an update but 4 days rolled by and we still hadn't heard a single thing. I didn't want to bother them but we had no idea if the car would be arriving the following day, so I called up and was told the salesman's days off that week were Tuesday & Wednesday - maybe he'd got his days mixed up when he said he'd be in touch?

I expected him to be back the following day so left it at that and waited for the update...

We still heard nothing 2 days later (01/09/2023) so I chased again for an update, where I was told the salesman was actually off sick and they weren't sure when he'd be back in the business - still no update on the car.

I pressed to find out when it would be ready and was told the wheels were getting refurbed and we were appointed a new salesperson who would be in touch with an update the following Monday (04/09/2023).

At this point, the new salesperson also offered us a free tank of fuel for the inconvenience.

Monday rolled around (04/09/2023) and we still didn't get an update on the vehicle so we called up on Tuesday and turns out that salesperson was off as well...

Starting to lose patience with false promises, we rang up and demanded an update on the car - it had been 16 days at this point since we test drove and purchased the vehicle and we were just being passed around person-to-person without getting any answers.

It wasn't until we kicked up a fuss that we got somewhere. The vehicle was finally booked in for delivery via trailer (or so we were told) to our home address on 06/09/2023. We were told it would be with us by the afternoon so I spent the entire day working from home, awaiting the arrival of our car on the back of a trailer...

The car didn't turn up until 7pm and somebody had driven it from Harrogate to ours. We were glad it was finally with us but disappointed that we'd been lied to once again. If the vehicle couldn't have been transported via trailer, why were we told it would be on 3 occasions?

We were also lied to about the all-weather car mats and full tank of fuel - not that these matter to us as we just wanted the car but lying to customers isn't very good for a business.

We also found a piece of rubbish in the glovebox when the vehicle was handed over, which was a nice treat.

This dealership made buying our car a nightmare, it's felt like a burden for us having to chase for updates and completely dampened the excitement for us getting it.

I wouldn't recommend Stratstone Mini Harrogate to anyone.

I have just purchased Mini Countryman from this dealer and found the level of service excellent. From the minute I arrived at the showroom I found the level of service, professionalism and attention to detail fantastic. Oliver who seen my purchase through from beginning to end was amazing. I’m a very happy customer.

Having purchased another car from this dealership, it has now created a whole load of problems for our business, due to dealership not clearing down the previous finance agreement correctly, which has now impacted on the impeccable credit rating we are proud of for the past 36 years. We will never purchase another vehicle from Stratstone or ever recommend them as a company, this has turned out what should be a great experience into a living nightmare for our company! I would really like to speak with the dealer principal regarding this matter.

I would have rated this 0 stars if I could. Having purchased a vehicle from this specific mini dealership I can safely say it is the worst service I have ever received.
This all began when I bought the vehicle in May. Throughout the sales process everything went well and smoothly with some delay which is understandable.
Having purchased the vehicle I noticed after the 'SOLD' sign was removed that there was a chip on the windscreen. I brought this to Mini's attention within a day to simply be told I was now liable to cover this. This was a deal breaker for me and was seriously considering returning the vehicle and looking for another one. I was then told that I was unable to return the vehicle as I had done 100 miles. After the 14 day cooling off period ended I was then advised that this was not correct however I could not return the vehicle now.
During these two weeks I noticed there was a squeaking noise when I used my breaks. I raised this with Stratstone and was told to simply ignore it as the car had not been used in a while and this would go away within two weeks. This continued within the first week of purchasing the vehicle and the vehicle then started shuddering. I was told this was normal however I asked if they could have a look at this. This vehicle was then taken in and it turned out that the front break pads were not in any usable condition. Within 5 minutes of driving away from the Stratstone the squeaking noise was still happening. I immediately drove back and explained my concern once again. Throughout this experience I continued to be told that MINI was a premium service and to rest assured things would get resolved. Having explained that I was self employed and would use the vehicle to go work they asked me if I would be okay driving an automatic vehicle. I explained I had never driven one but could ask my partner to take me to work. This was not acknowledged at all and was handed the keys to an automatic countryman (the complete opposite vehicle to what I had purchased).
Turned out that the rear break pads were also in really bad condition. It was bad enough that these checks were not initially done before the vehicle was sold to me but the fact I had been told to ignore it and that the vehicle had been taken in twice whilst not acknowledging this problem was really concerning to me.
I am not one to make complaints but I have spent £15000 on this vehicle and no one has got back to me regarding a complaint which I have raised and continuously chased up since the end of May.

Every time I have gone in I have been met by whispers and looks by the staff as I try and resolve this problem.

I have always had minis in my family and chose to buy from a Mini dealership as I know they are reliable however this experience has completely changed my outlook on this. Due to the neglect on this issue I am now having to speak to the financial ombudsman.

Thanks to the team at Stratstone Mini Harrogate. Claire Brooks was so helpful Can’t recommend her enough, she went above and beyond for me. Love my new Mini thanks Claire

The service team on front desk are first rate! I have never before in a big dealership experienced such professionalism and humanity in equal measure. They are consistently friendly, helpful and honest. I always enjoy their fun customer relationship and look forward to taking my car to this garage. I always feel they have my best interests at heart even though this is a big financial business. They always provide a 5 star service and I think it’s important their managers know this.

I called for a next day MOT, and Izabela managed to fit me in even though they were on a really tight schedule! They even collected me from work so I could pick up the car from its MOT! Huge thanks to Ryan for his friendly service. Nothing seemed too much trouble from anyone! Thanks again😊

We were looking for a pre-owned Mini One as the first car for our son who’s about to take his driving test. The car also had to be automatic with low-millage. Claire Brooks at Stratstone found the exact car for us in tip-top condition at a reasonable price but it was at another showroom. She arranged for the car to be brought over so we could test drive it. The whole process was really smooth with excellent customer service. We highly recommend this dealership. The team at Strastone are friendly, helpful and accommodating without trying to be pushy.

I can only reiterate what I have just said....in short, complete satisfaction with all those involved in facilitating a satisfactory experience.

I had problem with tyre sensors and media and was wonderfully helped by the service department at Mini Harrogate by Richard Evans who was wonderful! What a polite personable man. This is why I will always have a mini in my family! We had a Mini One when my sons learning to drive for 10 years and I now have Mini S Cooper which I love and I love Harrogate Mini!

Excellent reception and help with battery problem -delivery was as promised.

Very helpful staff and efficient service.

Excellent service, everything clearly explained and all the staff were friendly and attentive.

This is our 2nd Mini, We’ve bought from Stratstone Harrogate, so obviously they must be doing something right- and We travelled 90 miles for the pleasure of dealing with them. Oliver was an absolutely gem, he looked after us from beginning to end making the whole process so easy. Despite Oliver being the newest of staff, we were very impressed with both how he handled himself and how knowledgeable he is about the Mini. Nothing was a bother for Oliver and we think Stratstone are lucky to have such a bright, intelligent, polite young man in their sales team.

During 2022, I have had two occasions where Mini Harrogate have withheld funds when they have been trusted to send these to Mini Financial Services. Despite numerous phone calls and promises that these funds had been sent, they could never provide evidence and subsequent discoveries found no such transactions had been made.
They have caused immense stress and anxiety over months trying to get this resolved.
At present, there continues to be issues with this.

Fantastic experience with Oliver. He was just the best, attentive but not pushy. He really wanted us to buy a car which suited us and to top it all he made a very good cup of tea… especially for a Southerner 😂. Would highly recommend Oliver and the team there, they really treat us as a valued customer.

Very friendly staff. Made to feel special. Communicated with me when car was completed. Very clear paperwork.
Thank you Stratstone MINI Harrogate.

Best dealership, for sure: always gives professional, prompt, friendly and efficient service. Customer since 2014.

I collected my car yesterday and all went well, until I noticed that some scratches haven't been fixed as promised and that I only have enough petrol to do 2 miles. I asked if the deal can include a full tank of petrol and I was told that "I will try my best to get something in for you".
Now I need to book the car back to get the paint work sorted.