Appalling Aftercare Service
I have never felt the need to leave such a negative review before, but after five months of unnecessary stress, inconvenience and frustration, I feel other customers deserve to know about my experience with Station Garage (Horsham).
Between myself, my husband and a close friend, we have spent almost £100,000 purchasing vehicles through this dealership. To be treated in the manner that I have is nothing short of disgraceful.
I was led to believe my service plan was included with my finance agreement. Over a year later, direct debit payments suddenly started being taken from my bank account, leaving me to spend months trying to establish what had gone wrong. I was passed between Station Garage, Volkswagen Financial Services and Škoda UK before the garage finally accepted responsibility and paid for the service plan. This should never have happened.
I was also asked to send my V5C to the dealership so it could be forwarded to the DVLA regarding the taxation issue. I paid to send it by recorded delivery. My V5C was never returned and, after months of chasing, I was told I would have to contact the DVLA myself and pay £25 for a replacement. Although the dealership eventually reimbursed me, this was only after yet more complaints. At every stage, I was the one left doing the chasing.
To make matters worse, I was never informed before registration that my vehicle price had increased above the £40,000 threshold, leaving me liable for the higher rate of Vehicle Excise Duty. Had I been told at the time, I could have made an informed decision. Instead, I was left paying hundreds of pounds more in road tax than I had expected.
The after-sales service has been, without question, the worst I have ever experienced.
I sent a detailed formal complaint by recorded delivery to the owners of Station Garage on 17 June. More than five weeks later, I had not even received the courtesy of an acknowledgement. Škoda Finance also referred my complaint to the dealership for investigation, yet again I received no response. That level of disregard for a loyal customer is simply unacceptable.
The only reason any of these matters were eventually resolved was because I repeatedly chased Volkswagen Financial Services and Škoda UK. Had I simply accepted what I was originally told, none of these issues would have been corrected.
The most disappointing aspect of all is that this entire experience has completely destroyed my confidence in both this dealership and the Škoda brand. My Škoda Karoq was only just over a year old, yet I have already traded it in and purchased a brand-new Lexus because I no longer have any confidence whatsoever in Station Garage or the level of aftercare they provide.
A dealership should be judged not by how it sells a car, but by how it looks after its customers afterwards. Unfortunately, Station Garage failed that test at every opportunity.
I cannot recommend this dealership to anyone. If you value honesty, communication and proper customer service after you’ve bought your vehicle, I would strongly encourage you to consider purchasing elsewhere.
24. Juli 2026
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