CMG Reviews 59

Shocking communication. I had to wait weeks for a quote to come through after chasing and being told it would be done several times.

Since the quote has come through I've attempted to contact Cotswold BMW Cheltenham via three different methods and not managed to get anywhere.

This is really disappointing service from what is supposed to be a high quality brand.

On the plus side the responses were quick to start with and getting the vehicle booked in and checked in was fairly straightforward - other than the dealership not even attempting to open the doors until 5min past opening, then not being able to do so and forcing everyone to come in through the Mini entrance.

Absolutely superb Mini sales. Sam was efficient, polite and extremely knowledgeable when we went to view a second hand Cooper. The mechanic we met who was preparing the car was a delight as well. My daughter had had a very stressful experience when her previous Mini was written off in a flood so this was an unplanned purchase. We are buying the Mini as a direct result of such professional service. BMW Arden Tunbridge Wells and Vines Mini Crawley - this is the benchmark I would expect from the BMW/Mini franchise

I booked on line service of my motorbike .
When I went there i was told that they don’t take booking online because itsn’t working .Ok no problem .
So I booked for 1 month later( just for 12.000 miles routine service ) and I called them asking for final price (like always I do )it was £377. .
I dropped my motorbike and when I went to collect it .The price was £504 .instead £377.
Of course I asked why ,They told me that the first price they gave me wasn’t included VAT and the air filter either.
They told me that it was my mistake and that I ordered air filter as well saying ‘YES” when I was asked .
They are no honest at all and very bad BMW standard .
For a routine service £504 they don’t even bother in adjust the chain or clean the motorbike(normally is courtesy of BMW but I can’t complaint about it. )
If you go there you need check it out twice if not they are going to rip you off .
They don’t want little jobs.

I am very vocal in publishing negative reviews of bad service and should be equally vocal on complementing good service! The service received from Cotswold Group (Mini) has been superb from the MD through to the entire sales team. Whilst Cotswold Group have been badly let down by Mini production issues they have gone above and beyond in exceeding expectations. It restores your faith in quality service and fair minded customer dealings. Thank you to Paul, Tom and Ed in particular and others in the sales team not forgetting the cafe bar team too!

Bought a 72 plate 340i Touring from them a couple of months ago. Firstly on drive home the tyres were not up to the correct inflation! Like a fool I pad for ceramic protection! What a mistake huge waste of money. They did not do any of the door shuts and they were still dirty from being untouched. Same inside the boot area. Water stopped beading after about 4 weeks. They did offer to redo it but have no confidence in them whatsoever. Better off doing it myself, ex staff car with loads of scratched in the paint work. Know doubt was washed by BMW! Please do not waste your money for a sticked on your windscreen. Take your car to a detailer to have it done properly and with care, not by a 18 yr old spotty kid on his/her mobile!

i purchased a 2019 bmw 320i from cotswold bmw 13 months ago and complained constantly that there was something wrong with the engine, as there was very little power and i didnt think the engine sounded right. after i returned it to them to investigation the problem, they said that they had carried out an investigation and it was normal for the age of the car ! i returned the car to them on two more times over the 12 months saying the same thing hoping they would find an issue and repair it before the guaratee expired, only them them to say the same thing. 1 month after the guarantee expired the car broke down. when i asked if they would be prepared to help me with the repair, they asked me for the reg of the car, and then said that the guarantee has expired so as far as there concerned its not there problem ! it turned out that a pipe in the engine was cracked (very common in this car). it cost £607.00 to repair, then i sold the car for £8500 less than i paid for it, having done only 6000 miles since buying it !

Not only is cotswold bmw the worst company ive ever delt with, but it was the worst car ive ever had having cost £22.500 (for a piece of crap). i wouldnt recommend anyone to buy a used car from these people.

Impressive facilities at Cheltenham BMW, sad to say the purchasing experience does not match the building.
It seems that the only thing they respond to is the order or payment.
Purchased a car over 40k , so would hope for some sort of customer service.
Drove just over 2 hours to collect the car, paperwork was done with no issues.
Would not say the car was particularly well presented , water marks over the car, not particular clean.
As an ex demo the car was only a few of months old.
Just about to drive off and I noticed the rear parcel shelf was missing. A hunt took place and after a short time it appeared.
I would expected the car to be checked before being delivered to the customer.
On the drive home noticed the BMW voice control would not work , and the Sat nav operation was not correct.
If you ever need to contact the sales team , don’t get your hopes up for a response.
Having had the car a few days , had a couple a questions about the idrive 9 operating system, tried to email and phone with no response.
Left it a couple of days, nobody replies.
Eventually phoned reception and managed to speak to the salesman who sold the car.
Having had a number of BMWs from various dealers over the years, I was was surprised to learn that Cotswold don’t have a BMW technical support specialist ( I was told he left and has not been replaced).
The advice I was given was look it up on u tube !!!!
Premium brand customer service Cotswold , I don’t think so !
In the end spent hours sitting in the car going through and downloading the English language version of the operating system . I assume that somebody had done a full factory reset on the system as it was an ex demo car , deleting all the uk settings.

I got a letter from BMW to go to them for a recall because they need to replace the egr, etc. I gave them a working car in March, since then the engine light started to appear every now and then. While stopped at traffic lights, the car would shake strangely. I went to my favorite garage to the mechanic who has been repairing my car for years, and he said that it was too expensive a repair, that I should go to them or BMW because it was their fault. I went to them. Apart from the fact that I was unpleasantly served, I had an appointment for 10:00, then when I arrived no one took care of me but I had to wait in the waiting room. I came in, said that I had an appointment at 10:00 and the woman to me "what for?". After some time she assigned me to some woman at the desk named Jess if I remember correctly. This Jess tried to Squeeze me, that what I have written in the documents that my mechanic printed out for me (computer readout) that it is not related to this recall at all. That it was in March, now it's August and too much time has already passed, because if it was from what they repaired in March it would have come out right away. She kept telling me that they could do an investigation for £180 and then they would see what was wrong. When I asked her why then my mechanic didn't want to fix it for me I only heard "I don't know". Why then she did not call any of their mechanics who could explain to me if really what they did in March is not related to the engine light that keeps appearing to me. This is not the kind of customer service I expected from BMW. Going to them with a complaint, they referred me to their price list. It is ridiculous and I will continue to complain. I will not leave the matter like this

I purchased 2021 MINI approved used vehicle from Cotswold Cheltenham MINI in Nov 2022. I dealt with John Corlett. The vehicle was purchased outright for over £23k. Upon my arrival we took a look at the vehicle. John stated the vehicle had been cleaned and was ready to go however, upon my examination both the interior and exterior did not appear to be recently cleaned. I requested that the vehicle be recleaned. He honoured my request but did not appear to be happy about it. After collecting the vehicle, I drove it back home which is approximately 90 minutes away from the dealership. Once I arrived back in the city, I could hear what sounded to be a grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle and a smoky smell. I promptly reached out to John via multiple emails and calls to make him aware of the issue and in hopes of getting it resolved. He is extremely unprofessional to say the least as he has not replied to date. I have been dealing with the local MINI dealer and have put the vehicle in the shop multiple times however, they have not found the issue as yet as the noise happens sporadically so trying to determine where exactly it is coming from has been a challenge. The issue is when I hear the noise, I have to wait a few days for an appointment and then they get the car and test drive it however, it does not seem to make the noise once it is in their possession for them to fault it. This has not only been an inconvenience; it is becoming a financial problem as each time the vehicle is put in the shop there is a £156 diagnostic fee assessed. At this point I would never do business with Cotswold Cheltenham MINI again as they do not take care of their customers after the purchase of a vehicle. Not good business.

Over a period of about 6 months, my experience of Cotswold BMW has been a series of failures and broken promises that goes all the way to the top, at times leading to putting the safety of me, my young family and other passengers of my new car at risk. I could accept a single mistake, but a pattern is a sign that things are not right; no attention paid to customer service if anything goes even remotely wrong.

Timeline of events:

November: I purchase an X5 from Cheltenham branch, that I am told is in stock.

December: Told via email that the car is no longer available. I respond to express my disappointment and receive an automated response stating that the sales rep has left the company. No one at BMW contacts me. I make my own phone calls and eventually find the car I was promised had already been sold to someone else.

I decide I have lost faith in the Cheltenham branch, so I find a similar car at Hereford branch. This time the sales experience was smooth and hassle-free. The salesman at Hereford (Tom) is the only person I've interacted with who has bucked a disappointing trend, and he is the only reason I'm giving this review 2-stars instead of 1.

April: I report to Hereford that the head unit in the car is faulty. It occasionally switches off altogether, meaning I sometime have no instrument display (e.g. speedometer). This is an obvious safety issue I would have expected to be dealt with as a priority.

The technicians confirm the issue, they are now waiting on BMW Technical (Germany) for advice on next steps. I am told should be a day, maybe two.

Several days later, no response so yet again I have to chase up. The service rep is on-leave/away at short notice. No one else knows what’s going on.

I’m advised to ring BMW Assist. I contact BMW Assist, who say they will arrange a courtesy car. I am told someone will be in touch. I wait at home all day (had to take the day off work) and receive no further phone calls. It later transpires that the hire car company were passed an incorrect contact number by BMW Assist (which I had confirmed several times verbally over the phone, and which is recorded on my BMW customer account).

After many phone calls to BMW Assist throughout the day, I receive several apologies and I am told someone will be in touch with me first thing tomorrow. No one from BMW Assist has ever contacted me since.

May: In exasperation I ring Hereford branch again. I eventually get through to a manager and explain the history. She is apologetic and promises she will [a] get the issue fixed, and [b] find a way to make amends for the situation once this is all over with.

When I drop the car off I ask the rep if, while the car is in, could we also look at two additional issues; [1] some bodywork damage, [2] persistently squeaky breaks. He said these things can be looked at while they wait for the replacement head unit to come from Germany.

Over a week later I pick up the car. I enquire what has happened with the body work damage and the squeaky brakes, since it is clear on visual inspection that nothing has happened. The rep who deals with me has no knowledge of anything that has happened to my car so cannot answer any of my questions. She promises to get back to me by the end of the day.

A week later, I hadn't had a response so I complained to the Corporate Sales Manager, Chris Howard. I get a holding reply "I've passed this on to the relevant department... someone will be in touch shortly". Another week goes by, and I've heard nothing.

I am tired of constantly chasing for answers and the broken promises (we'll make amends for this... we'll be in touch, ...) so I am now close to giving up. Genuinely thinking of selling the car.

Fantastic experience buying a Mini Countryman recently at Cotswold Cheltenham BMW/Mini !!
Buying a car is usually stressful but we couldn’t fault the service and attention to detail from Joe in the sales department.
It was a real pleasure - he listened to what we wanted, gave us all of the relevant details and left us to a relaxed, informative test drive. He even made our dog very welcome ! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this dealership to friends/family.

ISLAMOPHOBIC AND UNPROFESSIONAL - BMW Cheltenham

1. Disrespectful Treatment Towards Family Member: During my visit, my cousin accompanied me to the dealership. Shockingly, Raj made a derogatory remark towards my cousin, suggesting that he should return when they can afford a car like the one I was purchasing. This blatant display of classism and disrespect towards a family member is utterly unacceptable and reflects poorly on the professionalism of BMW Cheltenham.

2. Islamophobic Comments Directed at Me: As a Muslim, I was appalled by the Islamophobic comments made by Raj regarding fasting during Ramadan. Despite my fasting state and having travelled for 2 hours, Raj proceeded to make offensive remarks, claiming that Ramadan is bad for health and expressing disapproval of the practice as he is a personal trainer. This insensitive and discriminatory behaviour not only ruined my experience but also left me feeling deeply hurt and marginalized.

3. Rude and Unprofessional Behaviour: Throughout the interaction, Raj displayed a consistently rude and unprofessional attitude towards me. His demeanour was dismissive and disrespectful, creating an unwelcoming and uncomfortable environment. Customer service should be a priority for any reputable dealership, yet the treatment I received fell far short of acceptable standards.

4. Lack of Accountability and Follow-up: Despite lodging a complaint with the retail manager, Stuart, I was deeply disappointed by the lack of accountability and follow-up from BMW Cheltenham. Stuart's offer of £150 compensation felt like a mere token gesture and failed to address the severity of the situation. Furthermore, promises made by Stuart, such as sending new wipers, have not been fulfilled even after two weeks, highlighting a lack of commitment to customer satisfaction.

5. Impact on Future Purchases and Personal Well-being: This distressing experience has left a lasting impact on me, both emotionally and professionally. I now firmly believe that I was a victim of Islamophobia during my visit to BMW Cheltenham, an experience that no individual should ever have to endure. As a result, I have made the decision never to purchase a car from BMW again, and I will actively discourage others from doing so.

In conclusion, my visit to BMW Cheltenham was marred by disrespectful treatment, Islamophobic comments, and a complete lack of accountability from the dealership's management. This experience has shattered my trust in BMW as a brand and has left me deeply disillusioned. I sincerely hope that BMW Cheltenham takes this feedback seriously and implements measures to address these issues to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Purchased a used M2 Competition. The sales executive, Maruf, was very professional throughout the whole buying experience. We were not local to Cheltenham and the information provided remotely was excellent. Maruf also handled our impromptu visit very well when we were in the area unexpectedly, even though he was very busy with other customers. We would not hesitate to purchase again from BMW Cotswold and are only disappointed that we live quite some distance away so will not be able to use their servicing.

Having made enquiries about a used 3 series I was keen to purchase the vehicle but as I live 90 miles away I requested a px value for my current vehicle, that was over 8 days ago I'm still awaiting any reply from their salesman Kevin Taylor.
Don't bother with this dealership it appears too much trouble to update a potential customer.

Purchased a pre-owned described "as new" (6,000 mile) car from Cheltenham branch following some discussion with them as I live 120 miles away. The premises must be the most impressive in the uk. On the day of inspection/collection the car was indeed better than expected and perfectly described, and matched the great images I had been sent. At no time was I under any pressure or time restraints, the few additional questions of history I had thought of on my journey were answered with no hesitation. The communication up to and since from Mark M the salesperson has been exemplary I would buy again from this dealership in a heartbeat.

I called the dealership this morning, after seeing a vehicle available online. They informed me that the vehicle in question was indeed still available and booked me in to come and see it. I made it clear I was very interested and for all intents and purposes would be purchasing today with a view to part exchange my current vehicle. I told the sales rep Matt, I’d be driving the 55 minutes and would see him around 2pm.

We arrived early at 1pm - myself, my wife and 4 year old son. Matt saw to us and gave the keys for us to look at the car. He then allowed us to test drive it, so he could finish his meeting and we could take the next steps once back.

After the test drive, we agreed we’d go ahead with the purchase and settlement figures etc were sorted for my current car.
All happy at this point.

After having then waited a further 10-20 minutes, Matt arrived back and told us he was very sorry but the car had just been sold whilst we were out on a test drive, to someone who had previously agreed to buy it the week before, but had to halt the sale due to finance application reasons.

The car had since been re-listed and here we were ready to buy, having gone through the motions.

So after an hour drive, sitting around the dealership for near on two hours in total, a test drive, confirmation it was FOR SALE and a vehicle appraisal, we were now being told nothing could be done and that was that.

Although not being Matt’s fault, but the final decision of his ‘manager’, I feel disgusted that they have wasted a day of my family’s weekend, after trying to sell me a vehicle under false pretences.

What a joke.

Had a recall at Cotswold Hereford and dealt with it swiftly and professionally . Always a pleasure to walk into their showroom when greeted by polite staff. Thank you

Rarely leave reviews unless positive, but I enquired about a specific car, received email acknowledgement and was due to be contacted by phone. Nothing. Chased again during which time the price increased. Sales manager apparently assured the telephone receptionist that the original price would be honoured and I would receive a call within minutes. No response for the rest of the day. I was trying to buy a car and I will move on, but I am disappointed in the apparent complacency and disregard for customer service.

I purchased a used 2023 Mini Cooper Electric Hatch. The sales rep, Toby, was honest, speedy, and the car was delivered as promised in showroom new condition.

Thank you Toby.

Took mini in for MOT. Dropped keys in box after online check in at 8am. When I called at 4pm they had “just found” my keys stuck in the drop box. Blamed me for not closing it properly!! They then started mot and called me to say too much wrong to complete MOT test so abandoned. Estimate for £1600. Took to local garage, it passed!! Shocking service, very stressful experience. Never returning.