The Donalds Group Reviews 91

easy, price as quoted, good service, pleased with results, will use Donalds again

We purchased our Kia K4 from the Ipswich branch.

Liam Wade, our salesperson, was friendly and welcoming from our initial contact and answered questions with competence . He was genuinely interested in helping us make the right decision without any pressure. He took time and care in explaining our various options regarding finance and part exchange and when we finally decided on the particular model to purchase, Liam ensured the whole experience was straightforward and altogether, a pleasure from start to finish. We highly recommend Liam

We were very impressed with the member of reception staff (Sophie blond) who attended to our need immediately on arrival to bring the car in for service. Not only was she pleasant and courteous but also very technically knowledgable about the couple of queries I raised and explained each to my full satisfaction.
See you next time. Best wishes Sophie.
Francis Muldoon (EX 30 J50FJM)

I visited Kia Ipswich today with a specific budget and model in mind (a used Niro EV). While the initial greeting and the salesperson were polite, the experience fell short. After narrowing down the stock, I was told a test drive wasn't possible on any vehicle—including the higher-priced models—due to a large delivery taking up staff time. Having driven an hour to get there, it was disappointing to be turned away from a test drive, especially as other local dealers I spoke with found the situation unusual. I ended up testing a competitor's vehicle elsewhere instead. Unfortunately, I won’t be returning to this branch.

Took my wife's Kia Niro hybrid, which we bought from this group in Ipswich, to be serviced at Bury St Edmunds. The staff at the reception are very polite and friendly but the servicing, and I use this terminology lightly, was not what we expected. After the service, bearing in mind that fluid checks were supposed to have been caried out, I drove up the road a few hundred yards and checked that the fluid reservoir caps were secure. Three of the caps were just sitting on the reservoirs and, judging by the dust lying on top of the fluid in each reservoir, had clearly been open since we bought in two months earlier. Not a garage I would return to.

Keep it up super job 😀

Excellent service staff courteous, knowledgeable, friendly. Car was ready at appointed time.

Donald's have always been reliable to deal with and the staff are very knowledgeable and helpful. It would have been five stars if I did not have a forty five minute drive to get there.t

First and foremost the reception service staff are first class. That's were it begins and ends.
I bought my Kia Ceed 1.6 Diesel from new (a forecourt display model) and I've had 2 5yr maintenance agreements. Under Marshalls everything was fine but under Donald's I wasn't so happy! After one service I happened to mention that I'd just has a service under the maintenance agreement to which he replied I bet they haven't changed the oil. As he knows far more about cars than myself I got him to have a look. No was the response. I rang Reception and they asked me to go back to Ipswich (about 30mins from where I live). I was informed that unless a certain mileage is done they don't change the oil. They have recently sent me 2 reminders for my next Service/MOT, I rang to ask for the Manager but was told they don't have one. The person I spoke to asked why I was ringing, I said because I was unhappy about the standard of service I wouldn't be going back now that my Service Agreement had ended. Ne said someone would ring me, needless to say no one did!!!!!
Also noted who ever did the service couldn't be bothered to complete the log book and stamp it to say the service had been done.
Note date approx.

As usual, great honest service at Ipswich Volvo.Car was serviced and valeted as I would expect.
There was no pushing for anything extra.

Amazing service. Traveled over 2 hours to get to the dealership.well worth it! Everyone was so friendly especially the service department.
My wife is so happy with her new wheels
Thank you.

Excellent service. The staff are very friendly and the servicing of my care was quick.

Purchased my Kia Sportage from the Bury St Edmunds branch.
Tristan Macgregor handled my enquiry from start to finish and it was a very easy and stress free experience.
I was delighted with the overall experience.
George Foster

Dear Andrew,
I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for your outstanding support in resolving the issue with my vehicle’s rear brake discs and pads. Your prompt, professional, and customer-focused approach in addressing this matter has reinforced my confidence in the Volvo brand.
This not only highlights Volvo’s commitment to quality and safety but also demonstrates genuine care for customer satisfaction. I truly appreciate the transparency and efficiency with which this was handled, and I’m delighted to continue being a Volvo owner.
Thank you again for going above and beyond—it’s this level of service that sets Volvo apart and why I invested in a XC60 in the first place.
Kind regards
Adrian

After leaving a review on google, I was advised Mazda would be looking into this matter, 3 weeks have passed and I have heard NOTHING …

Extremely disappointed with the management at Donalds Mazda Group – particularly Simon – despite excellent service from Rhys and Kevin.

Back in December 2024, I treated myself to a Mazda CX-30 for £16,000 from Donalds Mazda, (not cheap!)after owning a reliable Mazda 2 for over ten years. I’ve always trusted Mazda for quality, efficiency, and reliability, and both Rhys and Kevin in sales provided excellent service — they were friendly, professional, and made the buying process smooth. Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end.

Not even a year later, and after driving only around 5,000 miles, I took my car to Pinnacles Automotive for an MOT (purely out of convenience), only to find that it failed due to worn brakes and tyres just above the legal limit. I was shocked, as I hadn’t been made aware of any issues when I purchased the car. Upon checking the previous MOT history, I discovered that advisories had already been flagged at Donalds Mazda — none of which were disclosed to me or corrected before the car was sold.

When I contacted Donalds Mazda to discuss the matter, I asked to speak with Simon, the manager. Unfortunately, his customer service was rude, dismissive, and condescending. He repeatedly told me what he wouldn’t do anything to help and made it clear that because I had chosen to use Pinnacles instead of returning to Mazda, there was “nothing he could do.” Even though Mazda in fact use Pinnacles for many of their vehicles.

At the time, I had no choice but to proceed with the repair, as the car was unsafe to drive and I needed it for work. Pinnacles later discovered a seized bolt issue linked to the previous fitting or manufacturing of the brakes — something that again raised concerns about the car’s prior condition.

Despite explaining all this to Simon, his only “gesture of goodwill” was to offer me a free MOT in the future, which frankly felt insulting given that I had already paid an additional £800 in unexpected repair costs — all for issues that existed before I even bought the vehicle. Which they would have known full well the next MOT was likely to fail. You cannot say this is just “general wear and tear”!

To summarise:
• I spent £16,000 on a car trusting Donalds Mazda’s integrity.
• I was not informed of existing advisories that caused my MOT to fail less than a year later.
• These issues were not corrected before the car was sold.
• I had driven only 5,000 miles since purchase.
• I received zero accountability or empathy from the manager, Simon.
• The after-sales support was non-existent.
They could have atleast offered to fix and repair these advisories and given me the option as an extra cost but they lost out here also!

It’s a real shame, as staff like Rhys and Kevin uphold the Mazda reputation, but the management’s attitude has completely ruined my confidence in this dealership. I would strongly caution anyone purchasing a used vehicle here to check all previous MOT advisories and not rely on their transparency.

Excellent test drive, excellent help and advice from Tristan Macgregor at Donald's Garage, Bury St Edmunds. Very pleased with new Kia Sportage.

Donald’s Bury St Edmunds. Would recommend this garage to anyone looking to purchase a vehicle.
Excellent service over the phone, with Tristan giving 5 star plus service, even sending a short video to show me the condition of the vehicle. Arranged a fautlesss delivery for me and made follow up call to make sure I was happy with the car.

Used Mazda CX5. We were not sold this car, we wanted it, and that is how to sell cars! Sam was happy to show us as many cars as we wanted and to take as long as needed. We had intended to view three but quickly decided which one was our favourite. We were able to test the boot to see if a disability buggy would fit. It did, comfortably. We then took the car for a 1 hour drive on our own. At no time was there pressure to buy and I would happily recommend Sam at Donalds Mazda Norwich to friends and family. He even picked us up from Norwich station when we returned to collect the car. It was beautifully prepared and felt like a new car.

Efficient and engaging staff that met what they promised. Car was completed on time, to budget and communication by both admin staff and mechanics throughout the process was excellent. Also, loan car provided.

Always so professional helpful and friendly