Joe Duffy Group Reviews 96

Avoid this garage at all costs. We bought a car from them, paid in full (not on finance) to tune of €25k. Nothing but issues since we bought the car. Continuous false promises to fix said issues (when they finally answer the phone), tell us the issues are fixed when they are not. We have lost so much money and days in work from arranging to get the car to the garage to "fix" issues, and back, taxis to work etc. Wish we had read the review before buying the car. Would not recommend this garage to anyone. One positive thing to say is that the girls on reception seem very nice, its just a pity that they have to deal with the guys in service and have to act as the go-between

Called sales and inquired if they are willing to buy my Volvo Xc60 and they said they are and to bring the car for evaluation, since I couldn't download photos in their app ,on 19th may I went there, given evaluation, which below my expectations, and the sales person ( I keep his name) said they can't offer more, ,so I agreed and he said you want to go ahead ,Yes
So great ,he went to his office, came back and told me ,he has to to ring the BOSS, and after few minutes came back and said give me your phone number and I will call you ,today is Thursday and never ring to say they don't want to buy ,or even an apology, mind you I always service my car in Airside garage, Never again

I had my car serviced last week and I had to write this review to compliment a staff member. Cameron checked me in and out! He had such a lovely manner and was so helpful throughout the process. Top marks to him. The whole process was very easy and efficient.

You company is doing everything well. I was at Joe Duffy BMW Finglas for a recall today 14th of May . I was extremely impressed with your staff. Your Macanics are top notch. Not only was my car checked for everything. It was washed and hoovered. And replaced my wipers I could not be more greatfull. Thank you very much.

1. Lack of Customer Care: There has been a noticeable disregard for my time, effort, and overall experience as a customer. On several occasions, I was asked to bring the vehicle in, only to be turned away with statements such as, "We do not have the necessary software for a car this new," requiring me to return at a later date. Furthermore, after a three-hour service appointment, I was informed that the issue had worsened, and I was asked to leave the car and return again.

2. Unprofessional Conduct: Basic requests, such as obtaining repair bills or summaries, require persistent follow-up. Proactive updates are not provided, and escalation appears to be the only method to elicit a response.

3. Lack of Transparency: This has been a particularly problematic area. Despite promises of a vehicle replacement due to the ongoing issues, I was subsequently informed that this would involve paying the full cost of a new car. Adding to the confusion, I received conflicting information regarding a potential downgrade to a lower trim level, which was later retracted by another representative after escalation.

4. Disrespectful Treatment: I have been subjected to unprofessional remarks, including being mockingly referred to as "famous." No apology has been offered for this behavior. This was made in front of people in the lobby.

5. Denial of Issues: There has been a consistent denial of the vehicle's problems, even when another dealership acknowledged them. Compounding this, a Volvo technical service bulletin existed for the very issue being denied. Specifically, Joe Duffy disregarded a steering noise during turns, which was subsequently addressed by another dealer who replaced the mounts. An explanation for this discrepancy is warranted.

Volvo has released a technical service bulleting for same issues. How can a dealer be ignorant about it or was it wilful?

6. Misrepresentation of Facts: Similar to points 4 and 5, the dealership denied any existing issues with the vehicle after repairs were performed by another service center. However, both Volvo Ireland and the other dealership confirmed that the problem persisted. I was informed that the dealership had consulted with the other service center and that all issues were resolved, which directly contradicts an email from Volvo Ireland stating that the issue was only reduced. Furthermore, their interpretation of a replacement vehicle necessitates paying for a new car while retaining the original, problematic vehicle. The continued use of the original vehicle was a direct result of the dealership's months-long denial of the issues and failure to perform adequate repairs.

7. Treatment as a Problematic Customer: Expressing concerns or filing complaints has resulted in being perceived as a troublesome customer.

After nine service visits and counting, Volvo has now asserted that the steering issues are characteristic of the vehicle. This raises the question of why Volvo would release a technical service bulletin and invest in replacing expensive parts if the issue was indeed a normal characteristic. Furthermore, the fact that the vehicle pulls to the left under braking is being disregarded.

Overall, my experience with this dealership regarding this new vehicle has been exceptionally poor.

My observations align with similar accounts shared by other customers, highlighting recurring themes of unprofessional behaviour. Having lived in numerous countries, I can attest that this represents the worst and most unprofessional service I have encountered."

Extremely Disappointing Experience at Joe Duffy Volvo Swords

I had an incredibly frustrating experience with Joe Duffy Volvo Swords over the past nine weeks, and I feel compelled to share my concerns.

1. Poor Customer Service
• Reaching someone over the phone is nearly impossible, with hold times lasting hours. When you finally get through, the responses are vague and unhelpful.
• Communication was severely lacking, requiring constant follow-ups from my side, with little to no response.

2. Delays and Lack of Transparency
• My car was towed to Joe Duffy Volvo Swords due to a handbrake issue and a suspension warning light. I was initially assured they would diagnose the problem and update me.
• On January 15th, Annabel Hughes provided a long list of necessary repairs along with an invoice. However, at no point was I informed that the process would take this long.
• After four weeks, I was suddenly told that Volvo parts were unavailable across Europe and that I would need to wait another six weeks—something that should have been communicated much earlier.

3. Incorrect and Incomplete Repairs
• The initial invoice included a charge for replacing my car’s rear wiper—despite my car not even having one. When questioned, they admitted it was a mistake.
• Despite performing a full service, they failed to change the fuel filter, which is essential for a diesel car.
• After waiting nine weeks, I was informed that the air compressor had been replaced, yet the warning light remained on. Now, they suspect another issue and want more time—raising serious concerns about the accuracy of their diagnostic checks, for which I was charged €140 each time.

4. Unprofessional Attitude and Lack of Accountability
• Frustrated by the endless delays and lack of communication, I decided to collect my car, only to be told I couldn’t take it because they were still waiting for parts, and it would need to be towed. However, when I arranged for a tow, they suddenly changed their stance and said the car was drivable—which seemed highly suspicious.
• When I arrived at the dealership, I was told my car was parked at the back and that I would need to wait at least another hour to collect it. However, when I walked around, I found my car myself, and it wasn’t even in a tight spot. I even asked a staff member from Joe Duffy Kia if they could move a car that was blocking mine, and they said it wasn’t an issue.
• After I confronted Annabel Hughes at reception about the delay, she appeared visibly frustrated and dismissive, making remarks about how busy they were instead of offering an apology.
• Upon inspecting my car, I noticed the boot floor and cover were missing. When I brought this to their attention, Annabel Hughes showed no accountability, saying, “Well, you can’t wait any longer, and we are very busy.” Eventually, she retrieved the missing parts without acknowledging the oversight. Later, another service staff member took my car and fixed the issue in less than 20 minutes—something that should have been checked before handing over the car.

Final Verdict

After paying over €4,000, several requested repairs remain incomplete, and I have completely lost trust in their service. The way Annabel Hughes and Terry Gallagher treated me as a customer was unprofessional and dismissive, as if I was an inconvenience rather than a paying customer.

If I could give less than zero stars, I would. Unfortunately, that’s not an option, but I strongly advise others to avoid this service center at all costs.

Joe Duffy car depreciates 10k in 10 weeks And that is by their own valuation.

Purchased a BMW 5 Series from Joe Duffy BMW on December 5, 2024, for €48,000. While there was nothing wrong with the car itself, I quickly realised it wasn’t the right fit for me.

On February 21, 2025, I inquired about trading it in for a Z4 they had listed at €49,000. To my surprise, they offered me just €38,000 for the trade-in, essentially a depreciation of €10,000 in just two and a half months. That equates to a €1,000 loss per week, despite the car being in the same condition with very low additional kilometers.

While I understand that dealerships offer less than market value on trade-ins, a €10,000 drop in such a short time feels excessive and unreasonable. This kind of pricing practice raises concerns about fairness, transparency and their ethical values.

To find a fair middle ground, I made an offer of €9,000 plus my 5 Series as a trade-in, effectively valuing my car at €40,000. This was still an €8,000 depreciation from what I originally paid, yet my offer was point-blank refused

On Saturday morning the 14th of December I travelled from my home in Cavan down to Blackrock in south Dublin to collect a desk, for this journey I used my 2012 VW Caddy 1.6 TDi.

I’d like to start of by stating that I do not use the VW caddy very often, probably once or twice a week locally and I look after it and it recently in November passed its CRVT TEST without issue, anyway on my way back to Cavan after collecting the desk in Blackrock my caddy started to stutter and a warning light came up on the dash so I pulled into the hard shoulder and turned on the hazard lights.

After assessing the situation I called my insurance company to get breakdown assistance sorted but need to get a garage local to where I was to get the caddy dropped off for repair, so I googled the nearest VW garages that were open and all the nearest garages were Frank Keane VW with the closest being the Sandyford garage.

I broke down on the M50 where the sandyford junction meets the M50 so I broke down in Sandyfordy, so I rang their number and spoke with a lady, I told the lady what had happened, it’s about 10:40am and she seemed very help which is exactly what you want when you breakdown and need help.

Anyway I gave the lady at Frank Keane my details and registration and she then informed me that Frank Keane VW only excepts tow ins using the VW tow in service and that the only way to get that service is to have used the garage in the last 12 months so they would not be able to except my van being towed to their VW garage for repair??

As a longtime VW driver I found this to be very offensive considering where they are based, I may live is Cavan now but I’m from Sandyford!!
I literally felt in that moment pure snobbery from Frank Keane VW Sandyford!!

I was left high and dry by your dealership in Sandyford as I sit in my VW Caddy on the side of a very very busy and scary motorway!!

I then rang another VW garage as I want VW to repair my Caddy it’s as simple as that, so I looked up another VW dealership and the closest apart from the Frank Keane Garages was Joe Duffy VW garage in Finglas on the very fair end north on the M50 so I called and expected to be told the same again as I assume this must be a VW policy.

I call Joe Duffy and the lady that answers was very nice and put me through to the service department, the man that answered was very friendly and asked me what had happened and what Vehicle I was driving, he already had my details up I front of him because of my phone number and told me not to worry that I could have my VW towed there for assessment and repair and that it might take a few days which I was already aware of and happy to except.

I can’t tell you how much of a difference there was between the two VW garages!! Which now brings me back to that snobbery comment I made about Frank Keane in Sandyford.

When I arrived at Joe Duffy VW in Finglas the staff were so kind and friendly and warm, this is how VW should be treating their customers, not turning up their nose at them in their time of need!!

Now about my VW 1.6 TDi 2012, I’ve had it a good few years now and I know about the problem this model has with fuel injectors, it’s a nightmare and the fact VW didn’t fix the problem is ridiculous, and the only reason I do not get rid of this VW Caddy and continue to fork out crazy money on replacing fuel injectors is this and you may or may not understand, but I’ll tell you anyway, my beautiful dog and real best friend that got me through some really bad times was put to rest in the back of this heap of junk so I can’t get rid of it because of that attachment and even though it’s super unreliable me and my buddy had great times together going to the lakes and forests for walks and swims.

Boomer passed away on the 11th of August last year, he is the main reason I got the Caddy because he was to big for my car, so to make life easier for him I got this Caddy, that’s why it’s not used much and as a matter of fact it did less than 3000 miles a year.

It should not matter to VW if a person buys a second or third or even fourth hand VW, you shouldn’t be treating them any differently to the person who lives in a well to be suburb on the southside of Dublin that has a new VW, life is to short for this kind of bs and it’s just not right.

Also I like to point out that I’m retired, I’m young but retired due to my mental health which is another reason to why the van is now important to me as to the connection with my dog, sorry for the long review but my recent experience compels me to get this off my chest.

I’d like to finish by saying the Joe Duffy VW garage has been fantastic and as I say that now without knowing how much the cost of repairs will be, I say that because kindness matters.

i have had previous problems with joe duffy group land rover and as my evoque was unreliable, i decided to change to an audi. unfortunately audi sales in ireland are also through the joe duffy umbrella. car (q3 sportsback) is ok even though it is just a VW golf in a different suit. i do not do high mileage, but noticed noisy rear brakes as if there was a rough rear discs. car went back to dealer and even though i listed a few minor problems. when car was returned, i was told that there was nothing wrong with the brakes and the other small problems were not addressed. even their collection driver was aware of the noisy brakes. on a new car, especially an audi, there should be no noise from rear brakes. the main importer (vw ireland) say that it is up to the sales garage to sort out the car. checking on google i find that where people have reported the problem, new discs and or pads are fitted. joe duffy management need to sort out the service provided by their franchises

I recently left my id4 in for a service to joe duffys in airside swords, and in all the years of dealing with car companies getting my cars serviced these were the best,especially Darren in the service department who couldn't have done enough,he even organised a lift home for me as my car was in for the day,and Monika on the reception was so helpful too,these are the people who make it worthwhile to trust leaving your car in.They even washed my car as a gesture too.They really deserve this review.
Superb service

Great experience, highly professional. I purchased a second hand BMW at Joe Duffy Charlestown (off M50) in 2016 and have had it serviced there since, the cost has not been as expensive as I would have been led to believe. The car is a 2013 '3 series' with zero issues until recently when the timing chain failed and a major engine rebuild was required. Although the car is over eleven years old Joe Duffy Motors made a case, on a goodwill basis, to BMW who agreed to provide the parts free and cover eighty percent of labour costs. I've just got the car back and am delighted with everything. When I initially emailed the garage with the problem, Bobby phoned back within an hour, explained the process and felt confident that they would get most of the costs covered. Bobby phoned me regularly during the whole process, keeping me updated and delivered as promised. My experience has been great with them and Bobby took the time to sit with me in the car and bring me through all the display information on the cars computer when returning the car, answering all my many questions. Fingers crossed the car now keeps running ! thank you

I only give them 1 star because you have to give at least one to leave a review. Never have I come across such a bad aftersales service liars liars liars don’t believe a word they tell you. My daughter was told her car would be returned to her at 4pm on Thursday she rang at 4 to see how far off they were to be told it’d be next Wednesday before they could drop it back so that’s 2 weeks off work for her .. we live in Cavan and my daughter works in athlone so she’s in limbo

if i could give 0 for customer service i would. The main problem here is the customer service staff and how they interact. I consider myself to be a reasonable person, but i was incensed with how they interacted with first my wife and then me. The staff seem to think that its ok to utterly mislead customers as to how items will be charged & what is actually being charged for. I bought several cars here under the mcallister name, but I will NEVER again use them for any kind of service or vehicle purchase whatsoever.

If I could give a 0 star review I would. Joe Duffy Cork seems to be as bad as the others garages that they own. Absolutely no respect for buyers after the vehicle has left the forecourt. Empty promises about replacing missing part. When they say they'll ring back,they don't,same goes for emails. The most frustrating & unacceptable company I have ever dealt with.AVOID AVOID AVOID.

If you are looking for a horrendous pre and post sale customer service experience then look no further than Joe Duffy Motors in Swords. From the very outset these guys lied and misled me regarding the sale & readiness of a second hand vehicle. The sales experience itself took over three weeks and now four weeks post sale and I still have the unfortunate experience of having to deal with these guys (to get a matter closed out) who have absolutely zero concept of how provide good customer service. Avoid this garage at all costs, I wish I had.

Due to lights coming on in the dashboard of my volvo, I took it to J Duffy Motors Airside for a Diagnostic review.
After a costly full service, timing belt change ect I got it back expecting the issue to be resolved.
After 2 days the the same issue arose. Another diagnostic test (which I had to pay for )to identify the original issue before the matter was resolved.
It took 3 working days to speak to the relevant person . Joe Duffy motors Airside do not listen or take heed of the customer issues or follow their statements of "Value Promised/Quality Guaranteed"
MKeane

Had to book appointment with Joe Duffy Volvo Swords, due to safety system problem on 18th June. Only having appointment after two week time which was 3rd July. Went there for investigation on the day, told the guy from service team the door from driver side and passenger side were not able to lock key, paid 160 euro, been told by reports doors were ok, been told door problem is related to safety system, once system restored, the doors will work well, told me on the phone booked in 11th July, after we went there on the day, Gus’s what he booked in the system on the 18th July, this is unbelievable as we had to take day off from work to get job done, and you booked me the wrong date!!!

Of course we have to go twice as he told me one date and booked for another, never received call back, even I called back to confirm, was not even apologised for his mistake, instead, lied to us that we got the wrong date to came, and he booked us on the 15th, come on, that’s your colleague Sarah fixed your mistake to put us on the 15th instead your 18th.
After part fitted and system restored, the doors still not working, also usb socket not working too. Am I fxxking paid for someone to break my car or what? Spoken to them, been told they gonna call me back, never happened.

Avoid, Avoid, Avoid………

We had booked a test drive on a new Audi Q2 automatic last Monday at Audi North Road, when we rang on Monday morning to check we were told that the car had been sent to Drogheda, why when a test drive was reserved still hasn't been explained to me.
We then reserved a test drive for today at noon. My wife was dealing with two salespeople and confirmed yesterday that two cars were available on site. When we arrived at Audi North Road today, neither of the salespeople we had been dealing with were available as they were on a training day, which neither of them mentioned to us, nobody seemed aware of the rest drive we had booked but one girl did check with the sales manager who told us that there were no Q2 automatic on site, even though this had been confirmed yesterday. We left the showroom extremely annoyed and told the sales manager that we would not be returning. To add insult to injury the sales manager rang us twenty minutes later to say that he had made a mistake and that both cars were on site and available if we wanted to return, obviously we didn't.
Obviously Audi North Road feels that they do not need the business and most certainly will not be getting any from me in the future.

Where to start? I could write an essay, needless to say they damaged my car and returned it to me with parts missing and damaged, missed over a week's worth of work having it back and forth to replace the items that were missing only for them to do more damage, avoid avoid avoid avoid and remember I told you to avoid especially Joe Duffy Athlone

A recall call service was needed and I contacted Joe Duffy M50 in February as well as my local BMW dealer. Both Appts were in June 24 as parts were not to hand until then for either dealership. 17/06/2024 car was dropped off to Joe Duffy M50 as my local dealer had messed up appt date and could only offer me a date in Sept 24.
I could not fault the customer service of Joe Duffy. Promptly seen to, kept informed of progress, complimentary vehicle check, replaced wipers FOC and even offered to provide a Taxi which I did not require. They also replaced another recall issue which I was unaware of. My local BMW dealer could not provide anywhere near the reliable service I experienced with Joe Duffy Motors.