Penton Motor Group Reviews 775

Great friendly staff. Helpful could answer all questions. Made buying the car easy.
Mark at Penton Poole great salesman.

My partner & I purchased a 2022 Ford Puma ST Vignale from the Christchurch branch of Penton.

We dealt with Tom Browett, who from the start was extremely helpful in our dealings.

We took a test drive, and were impressed with the car.

Tom took us painstakingly through all of the options available, though in the end we decided to pay cash. He gave us a fair deal on our part exchange Ford Focus Titanium X.

Although initially we couldn’t agree on a final figure for the trade in, he was extremely sensible in his approach and eventually we agreed on a price we were both happy with.

He also agreed to a full service of the car, despite it having only been serviced a thousand miles or so before and a brand new MOT.

With many garages I’ve dealt with in the past, you get salesman who are quite arrogant, and won’t compromise on price and become quite condescending. This was NOT the case with Tom, we felt from the start that he would do his very best to arrange a deal we were happy with, and I am pleased to say that this was indeed the case.

Everybody we spoke to in the Christchurch dealership seemed extremely pleasant, and the showroom was very clean & tidy. First impressions certainly count!!!

We had an issue prior to picking up our Ford Puma, which unfortunately delayed the changeover. This was because a warning light appeared whilst they were servicing the car.

However, Tom arranged for the local Ford garage to diagnose the problem before we picked the car up.

As I was a worried about the warning light, Tom immediately agreed to increase the three month car warranty to 12 months for peace of mind. This was at no cost to me. Now that’s what I call customer service!!!

We did have a battery system warning appear about a month after having had the car, and I emailed Tom to inform him of this. He told me to take the car to Ford if it occurred again. That was over a month ago, and I am pleased to say the warning message has not appeared again since!

In conclusion, we are very happy with the car to date. It is refreshing to know that should we have a problem, we know that we can contact Tom who will no doubt help us resolve the situation.

Tom is a very personable salesman, who we enjoyed dealing with immensely. He made the car buying process fun and stress free.

He is extremely professional, knowledgeable, with a good sense of humour & extremely patient.

As a result, I would have no hesitation in recommending Tom & would be very happy to purchase another car from the Christchurch branch.

Picked up my first EV this weekend - a used/approved MG4 Trophy Long Range. For the viewing we had been late due to traffic but Sam Lever still managed to sort out a test drive for us and let me set off around Salisbury at 3:30 pm on a Sunday despite the closing time being 4pm.
The decision to buy was easy and Sam sorted everything else out over the phone and email.
According to MGEVS forum members, MG are very strict about servicing the car to preserve its 7 year warranty, and Sam went out of his way to provide full printouts of the car's service history for me.
The pickup went very smoothly and we drove away very happy with our fully charged new (to us!) car. Thanks Sam :-)

Mark twaddle from the poole branch was great in helping me find and choose a new (used) work van. Some new ply lining closed the deal and have been happy with the whole experience. Returned calls when I needed and the staff were really helpful with the whole process ,
Thanks

We recently brought a car from Penton Garage and had excellent experience from start to finish.
Scott was professional, friendly and incredibly helpful throughout the whole process. Nothing was too much trouble, and he made everything straightforward and stress free.
The car was presented beautifully, communication was great and the customer service was generally first class. We are absolutely delighted with our purchase and would highly recommend Penton Garage to anyone looking for a quality car and outstanding service. A well deserved 5 stars all round

I needed a new battery on my van. Unable to call branch direct so had a call handler and was told the branch would ring me back. I then emailed for a price. I received 2 emails back both saying someone would be in touch. 22hrs later I drove to the branch as I had not received any communication. They were unable to get the part as I was Friday but could do it Monday for £400!!!! Ouch. Bought one from a store and fitted it myself. You need to get rid of your call handlers and sort your price.

Matt Notley was extremely helpful. Not your typical pushy car salesman. He was very professional and I am over the moon with my new van! I would highly recommend Penton in Salisbury and Matt especially,
Many thanks

I came in to look at what cars they had in stock, and I can honestly say, they had some fantastic vehicles on offer. When I was looking round, a lovely chap said hello while I was browsing. Having spotted a MG I was interested in, I popped into the sales reception area and was greeted by Sam. He went to collect the key and said I was more than welcome to look round the car, sit in it and to take as much time as I needed and didn’t put any pressure on me. Having looked round the MG, I was throughly impressed and took this car for a test drive. Again, Sam couldn’t have been more helpful. I feel in love with the car and Sam took the time to guide me through the sale and the part exchange. Not only did I feel Sam was approachable, understanding and super friendly, he knew what he was talking about and answered any questions I had. Thank you so much Sam for your fantastic customer service and care. Even when I had purchased my MG and collected it, he still followed up to make sure everything was ok. He is genuinely a lovely chap and a credit to MG Salisbury.

Terrible company with equally terrible customer service.
I took my car in for its Mot - it failed on high emissions they then said they wanted £184 to perform a diagnostic test which was inconclusive they when asked my husband to fill up the car and drive it around the area by the garage to see if this would help with the emissions- it didn’t!
They then gave me a quote to fix the car which must of been guess work as the diagnostic test was inconclusive . The work was of course a lot- £ 6000 and a whole heap of things that of course weren’t covered by the warranty. I then the garage I had bought it from and they took it in and quickly diagnosed two issues which were covered under the warrenty and the car was fixed.
Since this I have contacted Penton on numerous occasions and have been met with the most ridiculous and laughable excuses as to why I was quoted the incorrect work.
Apparently the diagnostic test was because I had a faulty door which of course would not show up on a test!
I then received an email reply back from a lady called Lizzie painter which was describing an issue I had with my Car only the email was someone else else’s car and someone else's complaint. The company strikes me as being very slapdash. They don’t know what’s going on between the workshop and desk and the customer service is awful. I am yet to get a response but avoid Garage at all costs luckily I got my money back from my bank for the diagnostic test as I refuse to pay for untrue diagnostic.

Scot was great he made the car buying process very easy and helped me with every question I had. He made me feel very comfortable. 😁

Our salesman Scott Player was professional, friendly and so helpful. As we are the older generation he had patience and went through everything in great detail.
Would thoroughly recommend Penton’s of Christchurch.

I purchased an EV from Penton in November 2023. While I absolutely loved the car itself, my experience with the dealership has been appalling. I was completely misinformed and mis-sold about the real-world range; specifically, I was never told how significantly motorway driving drains the battery compared to city driving. As a new EV owner, you rely on the "experts" to explain these nuances, but I was left to find out the hard way that the promised figures didn't translate to my actual usage.

Beyond the car itself, I was mis-sold a 3-year Penton service plan (3 MOTs and 3 services, price £599 at the time). When I brought it in for its first service & MOT , I was told the car only needs a service every 2 years - meaning they sold me a plan I literally I did not need.

The aftercare is the worst I’ve experienced. I drove out of my first service with a tire sensor warning, only to be told I’d need to pay £200 for a diagnostic check. It turns out they simply hadn't inflated the tires correctly during the service. To be asked for £200 to fix their own oversight is daylight robbery.

I haven’t even tried to contact them directly about the service plan because whenever I’ve tried to challenge them in the past, like I did with the tires, I’ve been met with nothing but attitude.

My advice: The car was great, but do your own detailed research before buying. Don't rely on what the sales team tells you about range, and challenge every "additional cost" they try to slide past you. Avoid this garage if you value honesty and respect.

Scott at Penton in Christchurch was very helpful throughout the whole process of purchasing a new MG4. He was very professional and not too pushy. Also the manager Joe Hughes was very supportive while Scott was on vacation. One of the smoother handovers I’ve had, everything was prepared in advance and ready for when I collected the new car and they even remembered the mats without having to be reminded. Very pleased. Thank you.

I needed a bigger car for my wheelchair Penton was doing a very good deal Scott was so kind helping out with the problems I had and sorted them and when I ordered the car he has been there wi th any questions I had by email. Picked the car up and everything went so smoothly put us at ease.

Jack was a extremely helpful and nothing was too much trouble, always happy to answer questions and with honesty.

Excellent service again from Jack, this is the 3rd car I have been sold by him now. Nick was also very helpful. Top team keep up the good work guys.

A great place to purchase a car. Everything explained in great detail. Switching from a petrol car to an automatic EV is quite a leap. Still learning many things you can do, but hey I can drive it. Sam Lever is an excellent car salesman.

We purchased our MG through penton and the after sales was non existence and will not buy anything from this company.
I wasn't explained how anything worked or offered any information about the service plans.
We have now brought our other car from another Citroën garage and the service Plan through another MG dealer

Excellent service. Thank you.

Very good service. Knowledgeable agent who helped me through the process of purchasing the car.