Upper class for the masses
 Dec 18th, 2002
Advantages:
Everything about the place
Disadvantages:
Relatively expensive
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Price
Service
Efficiency
After sales service
more
  ndf9876
About me:
Yo Ho Ho and a bottle of Rum!
Member since:09.07.2000
Reviews:83
Members who trust:37
Review rated by 34 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
This review received a counterstatement by a party concerned
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I was recommended to L&C BMW when I bought my MINI Cooper (yes, I have written an opinion on my lovely car!) roughly a year ago. Before I go any further, I can say that so far, my dealings with the dealer have been nothing other than pleasureable. I'll explain.
STAFF
The human aspect of any car dealership is, in my book, one of the most important aspects when looking to purchase a car. When purchasing my MINI, I did in fact intend to buy the car from a local dealership (L & C Tunbridge Wells is a good sixty miles from where I live!) but was put off by the unprofessional attitudes of the staff there – I won’t name any names here (perhaps another opinion on the dealership is needed!). Anyway, I’m very pleased to say that all the staff at L & C Tunbridge Wells are courteous, professional and best of all – well informed about their products and services on offer. This doesn’t just include the sales representatives
and technical staff – this goes right down to the reception personnel. I was suitably impressed. Another thing that pleasantly surprised me – I’ve always been greeted with a smile and a handshake. Whenever telephoning, I was never kept waiting; callbacks were made in a timely fashion and any queries I have had thus far have been answered completely and thoroughly. Written correspondance has, likewise, been excellent; all documents in order and letters well written. So their staff are definitely up to scratch. But what about the products on offer….?
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Being a car delaership, they sell cars. Bit of a no-brainer, that one. Don’t forget though, that they also carry out repairs, and sell after-market accessories, as well as various sundry items including the BMW Formula 1 range of clothing, toys and books, for the big kid and car afficionado alike!
When entering the dealership, there is a wide range of the BMW range of cars to look at; all are clean and tidy, with clear information on each model provided by way of a plaque next to the car. What’s better, they are all unlocked, and you are able to have a look round these cars at your leisure. In fact, staff are only too pleased to give you a little sales pitch on the vehicles on show – well, come on, they are trying to sell their products, aren’t they!
When you buy a car from this dealership, it really does feel like you’re getting the ‘red carpet’ treatment. For example, when I went to collect my MINI, it was displayed in the showroom (locked of course), with a plaque next to it with my name on it, and the make, model and specification of the car. Yes, it is an attempt to sell more cars, but it still makes you, the consumer, feel special. And that’s important when you’re trying to sell £30000 worth of metal to someone, isn’t it?
OK, so this is a BMW garage, you might expect that sort of treatment from them…after all, the BMW brand does have a certain ‘image’ attached to it, I think! Well, expect it you might, but as far as the presentation of their product range goes, L & C are better than most I have come across.
As far as aftersales service, this is also excellent. Any work done on your vehicle is to the highest standard; no dirty marks or footprints left anywhere. Your car will even be washed and vacuumed free of charge as a courtesy service, after work on it has been completed. Shoddy workmanship? Not in this dealership.
LAYOUT Unimportant in a car dealership, you might think. Not if it’s laid out well…..behind the reception desk, you can see straight into the Servicing / Mechanics department, and actually watch your car being worked on. On one occasion, I was introduced to the mechanic working on my car, and listened as he explained what he was doing and how he did it. Call me cynical, but I thought you only got this level of service when purchasing a car for £130000, not £13000!
I digress. You can never get lost at the dealership (you might be tempted with all those cars around!) and there is (thankfully) a coffee bar and lounge, equipped with a television, a childrens’ play area and a member of staff to serve you coffee or tea while you wait. Lovely – it beats standing around in a queue waiting to be seen!
The décor is suitably German; polished metal, black and silver adorn the chairs and tables. Not a trace of untidiness in sight – this is ultra-modern through and through, yet very comfortable to be in at the same time. It doesn’t even smell (as many dealerships do); in fact I tell a lie, there is a faint smell of new leather from the many show cars dotted around inside the showroom!
To sum up, buying a car, or even having it serviced / repaired at L & C Tunbridge Wells, is quite a pleasant experience. Actually, it’s very pleasant. Being a BMW Main Dealer, it is relatively expensive; but in this world, I am firmly of the opinion that you get what you pay for.
Well worth the sixty mile trip to get there, and well worth paying the slightly higher prices, if only due to the fact that I know that my car will be in the best possible hands when it's there. Higher praise than that, I can't give. Almost forgot the contact details - contact as follows -:
internet - http://www.landctunbridgebmw.co.uk e-mail - mail@landcbmw.co.uk
Address - L&C Tunbridge Wells
BMW House
St Johns Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN4 9TP
Telephone - 01892 548877
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05.09.2008 13:17
Nice review, covered about all points..
16.04.2004 21:34
well, the best dealer was found had the cheapest prices, and bmw is good performance cars, but the exceptional was the high value price to fix a bmw car, so buyers should be aware of that and carefull with the car.
20.02.2004 14:30
Great Op. Unfortunately out of my price range