In a world full of truly awful car dealerships, Jennings Ford is a reasonably pleasant surprise.
I originally went to them when looking for a Puma (see my review of this car too), but was put off by their bog-standard new and used prices, which were typically high. After eventually buying my Puma from Motornation in Wigan (quite a trip from Newcastle, but worth it - see another of my reviews), I went back to Jennings when it needed its first service. Even if their car prices were high, I had been impressed by their web-site which boasted that my local branch had recently won awards for customer care from Ford's European operation. I was pleased to find that they appeared to deserve it.
Every time I've been to Jennings, their customer care has put every other garage I've patronised well in the shade. You're attended to quickly, treated well, and generally made to feel valued. They even gave me a lift to and from work when my car was being serviced and they had no free courtesy cars. That staggered me - it's not as if I work just around the corner, as it's over 30 minutes each way.
Price-wise, everything I've had done so far has been relatively cheap. New tyres that have been £80 elsewhere have cost me only £56 at Jennings. Services have been cheaper than expected, too, although I wish they were a little more thorough - just because it's a new car doesn't mean you should overlook certain things (the dial on my heater wasn't working for one service, but they missed it).
Overall, Jennings are a breath of fresh air. They deliver what the consumer should be able to expect rather than what the consumer usually gets.
UPDATE Jan 2002: Jennings have gone down in my estimation over the course of my last 2 or 3 visits, almost entirely due to their Parts and Accessories department. Whereas the main reception always acknowledges your presence as soon as you arrive, the parts department does its absolute best to ignore you, to the extent of avoiding eye contact. The quickest way to get their attention is to get your mobile phone out, call the main reception and ask them to put you through to Parts. I'll not be going to them again - Patterson's on Scotswood Road, Newcastle have a much better service in this respect. In fact, I might use them exclusively from now on.
BTW, there's a big distinction to be drawn between Jennings' Parts department and the branch of Rapid Fit at the same site. Rapid Fit are still pretty good in my book. Jennings as a whole, though, go from 4 stars down to 3.
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