I had booked a test drive for a specific automatic car. When I arrived, I was told it was reserved and unavailable for a test drive, which Cormac said he deliberately did not informed of beforehand as he wanted to get me in to view other cars. I wasted an hour travelling each way for no reason as I had no interest in viewing any other car. I was then shown a car that he said was “brand new in that day,” which was another lie as I had already seen on your website the week before. I was given conflicting advice about automatic vs manual cars, which felt misleading and patronising. Overall, the experience was frustrating and disappointing and I would not recommend Charles Hurst Dundonald to anyone.

I am writing to make a formal complaint regarding my experience at Charles Hurst Dundonald on the evening of 15 January with salesperson Cormac.I travelled from Dunmurry for a 7pm appointment to view and test drive a specific automatic Peugeot 208, which I had enquired about on Tuesday and booked for a test drive over the phone on Wednesday. My partner travelled from Portadown to attend with me. Between travel time and the appointment itself, this resulted in close to two hours spent travelling and attending.Prior to attending, I had been very clear that I was keen to purchase the vehicle if the test drive went well, with the intention of leaving a deposit on the night and paying the remaining balance over the weekend. I also declined another car viewing to attend this appointment.Only after arriving at the dealership was I informed that the automatic vehicle I had travelled to view was already reserved and therefore unavailable for a test drive. Cormac stated that he had not informed me in advance because he “really wanted to get me down” to show me a different car instead. Had I been told this beforehand, I would not have travelled.I was then shown an alternative Peugeot 208, which was a manual, had very high mileage, and was visibly damaged. I had already viewed this vehicle online a week previously and had no interest in it due to the mileage.I was also given contradictory information regarding automatic vehicles. The day prior, I was sent a personalised video and had a phone conversation strongly promoting the automatic, including being told that once I drove an automatic I would not want to return to a manual. However, in person I was told that an automatic would not be suitable for me as I had never driven one before, and that I should stick to a manual vehicle. This contradicted the information I had received previously.After the appointment, I was told that the automatic vehicle was reserved on finance and that if this fell through, I could return on Saturday for a test drive. However, my trust had been broken due to the lack of transparency, and I have no interest in engaging further with this salesperson.I feel this experience was misleading, a significant waste of time, and involved pressure to shift dead stock. This falls well below the standard of service I would expect from Charles Hurst, and I felt it was important to raise this formally.As a reputable dealership, I would expect transparency, honesty, and professional guidance for serious buyers. I would appreciate confirmation that this complaint has been received, along with details of any formal action taken to prevent this type of situation in the future.Kind regards,Aimee Donnelly

My problems commenced upon leaving the dealership, the break pad light was on, I was told this would turn itself off after a number of miles, needless to say this didn’t happen and after much back and forth the car was booked in and a replacement car arranged.Now here we are 5 months down the line, 7 warning lights are currently displayed on my dashboard, a problem that was reported back in November on the day it occurred, it took a further 2 weeks to get the car in with yourselves at the earliest appointment available, luckily I had just had surgery and was off work so being without a drivable car wasn’t a huge issue. The car was booked in on 9/12 we are now a further 5 weeks from this date all 7 lights remain on my dashboard with no date for repair in sight. Having paid for the extended warranty but also being less than 6 months from date of purchase I am disgusted with the length of time this has taken and seriously questioning the safety of me driving this car. I was led to believe paying for extended warranty was going to offer a no issues solution to rectifying any issues, this couldn’t be further from the truth. How is it possibly acceptable for repairs to take this long, I have a newborn baby and a second child to get to school in a car I do not believe is currently safe to drive.Customer service was great until the moment that I had out payment down for the car and since then I feel as if nobody has wanted to help which had left a particularly sour taste. I have never had issues such as these when purchasing cars direct from Audi, I am hugely disappointed with the customer service I have received following purchasing this car and think it’s completely unacceptable that I have been left with what I deem to be a car not fit for driving for 7 weeks. I would appreciate being contacted and a resolution to this problem being supplied asap.

Jack was great, he explained everything thoroughly and was very knowledgeable and helpful with all my enquiries. I didn't have to wait long for a test drive and he followed things up with me allowing me time to consider my purchase.

I found the salesman very pleasant but quite pushy, wanting me to pay for a deposit before seeing a car and then including £25 for petrol in the final price. I didn’t want finance and had voiced that but still had to sit through a finance discussion. I left the discussion as I had to get back to work and talk to my husband. I was amazed and quite disgusted to see that the price increased by £400 that evening. Not the type of practice I would expect.

Friendly and helpful staff.

>> I purchased a VW T Cross reg Pf69epk in October 2024. When buying a was advised that I would have 6 months warranty but could purchase longer period. I was informed that for the warranty to be valid it needed to be serviced at an approved dealer but that each year you receive a service with the warrenty and only have to pay for any work that was needed. When my husband brought the car over to Dundonald dealership in oct for service we were informed that service had to be paid for and was not included in the warranty. I would not have purchased a warranty at the cost of 949.00 if services were not included. I was clearly told that services are included in the policy and is a great deal even if nothing goes wrong with the vehicle. Which I agreed.>> I would not have taken the extended warranty if I had been given the clear facts that I had to pay the service via an approved dealer on top of the £949.>> I believe I have been mis-sold and I would like a refund minus the 1 year that I have already held the car.>>>>>>

I am extremely disappointed with the recent car purchase and the conduct of salesperson Jack. He quoted £10,500 for the vehicle and gave a clear reason for the reduced price, which we both recall. Later, he falsely claimed he meant a different car.He promised a valid MOT and full tank of fuel, yet Taisie was charged £20 for only 37 miles’ worth of petrol, and the MOT was never booked. Jack pretended he didn’t know the MOT was due, despite discussing it and asking for email details.The car was described as fully serviced, but the oil warning light came on the first day, causing Taisie to take time off work.Requested Actions:Full investigation and written explanation.Reimbursement for fuel and oil-related costs.Confirmation the car will be serviced to promised standard.Goodwill gesture (e.g., complimentary service/valet or voucher).Please respond within 7 working days.

Jack,Thanks again for your reply. I just wanted to share that the overall experience is coming across a little rigid from a customer point of view. When I ask about delivery, I’m told it isn’t available; there’s no flexibility on pricing due to policy; I need to view the car in person; and even a deposit is only valid for 24 hours.I fully appreciate that policies are there for a reason, but it would be great to feel a bit more accommodated or valued as a customer — sometimes even a small sense of flexibility or goodwill makes a big difference.I also noticed your website lists the price lower than the Auto Trader advert that i was looking at, and it mentions delivery is available, so I just wanted to clarify that as well.Thanks,Garry

Waited all day for follow up call, after giving details for hp clearance, no call , had to ring back next day, decided this was unprofessional, and bought from another dealer.