Howards of Carmarthen Reviews 17

Let down at the last minute
I booked my Ssangyong in for its routine service some weeks ago only to receive an email this afternoon (the Friday before the bank holiday) cancelling the service booked in for the Tuesday after the bank holiday and advising me to go elsewhere as they ‘are no longer working with KGM / EMAC Service plans’. Such poor customer service that they haven’t had the decency to provide more notice to allow me to book my service in elsewhere before it exceeds the guidance mileage as they must have known that they were going to withdraw this part of their offering. I guess they don’t mind letting customers down at the last minute.

Excellent customer care team. Very helpful. Went above and beyond. Very happy. Will definitely use them again if need be.

Extremely helpful staff, always professional. Both my wife and I have used them to MOT our cars and when my car required work. Highly recommend.

Superb experience from Walt Dillon and the team at Howards Carmarthen. Absolutely professional, friendly and so helpful. Walked me through the whole buying process including some tricky finance, giving me absolute confidence. Would highly recommend.

I have never used Howard’s but I was enquiring about a service record for a car I had recently bought elsewhere.
I was really impressed with Jamie on how efficiently he was able to help me with the enquiry.
If I lived locally and based on how I have been dealt with would definitely use Howard’s.
Thank you once again Jamie.

We are on our 3rd car from Howard's , fantastic service, 5 star all the way , any issues we have had and just a couple of dead batteries while in warranty have been sorted straight away no faffing about. I have recommended them to a few of our friends and they have bought cars from them and very happy . Keep up the good friendly service

I have used Howards for the past 2 years on my 2 cars, spent 1k last year on repairs, service etc. Took my Mini cooper in last week for an electrical problem, £114 later still had the same problem when I picked it up, plus a flat battery. Left a message on their machine, never even replied. Won't be using them again.

I would never have believed it would be possible to buy a car nearly 400 miles away without seeing it or driving it, to receive outstanding customer service and communication and attention to detail and within a week, have the car dropped off outside my house.
From my first communication with Richard last Tuesday, then Walter over the weekend, I very quickly knew I had made the right decision and the whole process was professional, friendly and efficient. I felt that my custom was valued and the distance was no barrier to having my beautiful new car delivered to me this evening.
I would have no hesitation in commending Howard’s of Carmarthen to anyone looking to buy a vehicle. I know that I will look nowhere else in future.

Where to start. Bought a ds 4 from these. The main man said one onwer so I went ahead and bought the car. Only for the paper work come and it had 3. 1st day if driving it all engine management lights came on so I called them up to say what had happened for them to say have you put cheap desiel in it and to drive it back with all lights on dashboard and engine in shut down. Fixed under warranty. This happened 4 times in a year of having the car. Also mot was up so I went back to them to have it done under warranty for them to put extra parts on without saying anything that it had failed and charged me for the parts. Got home with the car and all of a sudden ejector gone again. So I went down the road of regection. After buying the car for 6k to be told its only worth 2k then regection was accepted. And for them to be selling the car on again for 6k. Jokers never again would I buy a car from these

The best customer service I can remember having from a car dealer, from viewing to collection nothing was to much trouble, and the attention to detail prepping the 2nd hand Isuzu truck I bought was outstanding. A pleasure to deal with such genuine people, especially Walter. I highly recommend this friendly welcoming team.

This was originally a 1-star review, the only negative notice I have left anyone. I either give praise or keep quiet. But that was unfair, and I'd now recommend this family business. My visit was a learning experience for us both.

I left a Subaru Legacy 3.0 for a 100,000 mile service. I thought I was doing the right thing by taking my car to a main dealer.
It came back from Howards with the engine oil overfilled and the brake fluid topped up to full without a spanner going near the calipers, even though the rear pads were worn down to a level that left most of the discs rusting and untouched.

Two mechanics I showed the car to afterwards were shocked.

I had left the car for a week, giving plenty of time, and no one even called to ask if I wanted the rear brakes changed (I'd have said yes). It seemed to the independent mechanics, who are too far away to be rivals, that Howards changed the oil, topped up the fluids, gave it a once-over, prepared the bill (£287, which was less than I expected) and kicked it out into the car park.

By now 250 miles away, I paid a Subaru specialist the same sum again to use a vacuum pump to remove the excess engine oil, renew the engine coolant and change the rear brake pads.

So why was the review unfair?

First, Howards was not to blame for something the original review mentioned (a low coolant level on the day the car was collected from its service). This was an undiagnosed fault and the Subaru specialist missed it too.

Second, I appreciate the courtesy, professionalism and simple good judgment with which Howards dealt with my slating of their business.

Talking to Mike, who runs the service side, I realised that this is a main dealer that tries to look after its customers by not doing unnecessary work. That's quite rare and is to be recommended.

He and Walter, the business owner who replies below, have made changes after my visit to ensure that customers are advised of any recommended work before they collect the car, giving them the option of having everything done in one appointment.

Howards has only recently added Subaru to its portfolio and has realised that, unlike customers for mass-market brands, Subaru owners tend to prefer preventive maintainance to be done sooner rather than later.

Taken together, these points mean that I expect my next visit to be four or five stars.

I can't justify four stars for my first experience with Howards -- but it is only right to give three.

Thank you to Walter and the team at Howards for an excellent service recently. From the initial phone call to the collection of my car the care and welcome was second to none / Diolch i Walter a’r tîm yn Howards am wasanaeth clodwiw. Roedd y gofal a’r croeso yn amlwg o’r alwad ffôn cyntaf hyd at gasglu’r car. Diolch o galon.

Fantastic and prompt service, whether it's Mike Davies and team for servicing and warranty work, or sales, where Richard Sutton pulled out all the stops to help me find and supply exactly the car I wanted.
All this and smiles all round.
Thank you Howard's

Today it is a real pleasure to find a business that does what it says on the tin. An absolute miracle when you find one that goes above and beyond. Howards is one such company, they pulled out all the stops to help me when I was waiting for my Motability car to come through. Great staff, and really great cars ( I got the Peugeot 2008 of my dreams, fantastic car)

Always Excellent service. Thankyou