SMC Ford Reviews 

Wow what can I say? Took delivery of my new car today I’m 61 now and I’m like a kid with a new toy but putting the car to one side. The service I received from Alex. The salesman has truly been the best experience I’ve had in purchasing a vehicle. And I’ve had a few of them the attention to detail and where I own my own valeting company many years ago the level of the valeting and the whole handover procedure was a most enjoyable experience experience 10 out of 10 customer service will not hesitate to recommend this place.

SMC SLOUGH
I recently brought an approved Ford Fiesta from Shah at the SMC Slough Branch. From the day we just walked in to browse to the purchase of the vehicle and aftercare, Shah provides excellent customer service. The care and attention he gave us was the same as if you were purchasing a brand new car, very pleased with the support from Taylor the Branch Manager. The whole team provided an excellent service. Thank you.

Purchased my EcoSport from SMC Ford Gravesend in March 2024. With the purchase I also took out the service plan which included the MOT. Ford contacted me in December to book my service & MOT. This was booked for the earliest they could do - 30th January for a full service & MOT to be done while I waited. (My MOT expired 30th Jan 25)

Firstly as the car was coming up to 4years old they recommended a brake fluid change, for £89, which I agreed to. Whilst waiting and listening to the staff booking in services, every customer was advised to have a break fluid change? Did I really need this? Probably not. Then it gets worse, apparently both my back tires were worn down to the cord and as a result it would fail the MOT, but not worry they had the tyres in stock and can replace for £200. So I waited, bearing in mind I had to get to work, which they were aware of. An hour passes, and still no car, no MOT and guess what no tyres in stock, but they could have them delivered for the following day (more time off work), but now my car is without MOT!! I explained this.

I now have received the details of the service which they advised my suspension is failing, but would cost another (nearly £800). I asked if this happens overnight as I only purchased the car 9 months ago from them, probably shouldn’t have sold the car in that state? And my tyres were not down to the cord, they had way over the legal limit of tread (wish I could attach photos from the service). But they wouldn’t pass my MOT without the new tyres. And several second opinions have all agreed that my tyres were in fact legal.

Anyway my point is AVOID this place. I have since part exchanged this vehicle and will NEVER purchase a ford again.

Excellent service.Friendly and helpful staff.And like to say Denaie Owden went above and beyond with getting me my new car.Could not of asked for anyone better.

SMC Ford Gravesend - Complaint Regarding Poor Customer Service and Vehicle Handling

I am writing to formally express my dissatisfaction with the customer service I recently received at SMC Ford Dealership. I am the owner of a Ford Focus ST-X, 73 plate, and I brought my vehicle in on Monday, 27th January 2025, due to a persistent 'Battery State Low' warning appearing on my dashboard.

Upon my arrival at the service area, I was met by Sharon, who was responsible for booking my car in for an investigation. However, my initial interaction with her was far from professional. She appeared preoccupied with paperwork, failed to make eye contact, and did not offer me a seat while she completed her task. This lack of basic customer service was disappointing from the outset.

I explained the error message to Sharon and provided details about my driving habits, including my regular 300+ mile round trips to Birmingham and local driving in Gravesend. However, before conducting any checks, she hastily assumed that I was not driving the car enough, dismissing and brushing off my concerns outright. I have owned Ford vehicles for over ten years and have never experienced battery issues before. Despite this, she immediately suggested that the issue might not be covered under warranty, implying that I would incur costs before any proper assessment was conducted.

Later that afternoon, I called Sharon for an update and was informed that the battery was fine but needed charging, and I would be charged £120 for the inspection and battery charge. While I understand that some services may not be covered under warranty, the immediate presumption of cost, without a thorough investigation, raised concerns and a red flag.

The most frustrating part of this experience was the poor communication and lack of updates. I had to call Ford every day for an update, and each interaction with Sharon made me feel like a nuisance rather than a valued customer. She was condescending, dismissive, and failed to provide clear timelines. By Thursday, four days later, I still had no indication of when my car would be ready. When I inquired again, she brushed me off, stating that other batteries needed charging before mine and still could not provide a timeline.

At this point, I requested a call from her manager, Emma. While Emma provided some additional information and explained that the workshop was dealing with an unusually high volume of battery-related issues, her response did little to reassure me. I then escalated the matter to Rob Ryder, who was far more helpful. He took the time to explain the situation in detail and, for the first time in this process, I felt genuinely listened to as a customer.

To summarise, my experience with SMC Ford was extremely disappointing. The customer service, particularly from Sharon, was unprofessional and dismissive. The lack of communication, reluctance to provide clear updates, and immediate assumption of customer fault without investigation were unacceptable. Rob Ryder was the only individual who provided a satisfactory level of service, but by that point, my confidence in SMC Ford had already been severely diminished.

Due to this experience, I will not be returning to SMC Ford Gravesend for any future servicing or repairs, and I will not recommend this branch to family or friends. I expect a formal response to this complaint and an explanation of how SMC Ford intends to improve its customer service to prevent similar experiences in the future.

Found a second fiesta online and went into my local branch in Uxbridge, where I met with Steve Major. Steve was an absolute delight to deal with, he explained everything involved clearly and didn’t sugar coat anything, he was an absolute pleasure to deal with. When I’m thinking of upgrading my car, I will sure to contact Steve.

Avoid SMC Ford Gravesend at all costs. This has been the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced, and it’s put me off Ford for life.
I purchased a car from another Ford dealership last year, and just over a year later, the engine failed. Since my local garage couldn’t take it, the car was sent to Ford Gravesend. Although it was only a month out of warranty, Ford agreed to cover part of the repair costs.
The car broke down on July 19th and went into the Gravesend garage on August 14th. From the start, I was met with constant delays, poor communication, and complete disregard for my situation. I was repeatedly told conflicting information about what was wrong with the car. On top of that, they ordered the wrong parts, with each mistake adding another week to the repair while they waited for new parts. By the time my car was finally being worked on, it was late September—over two months after the breakdown.
During this time, I was offered no courtesy car and was expected to pay £30 a day to rent one, despite still paying for my vehicle. Every time I called for updates, I got conflicting information or was made to feel like an inconvenience. Even after the car was supposedly repaired, it overheated during a test drive, causing further delays.
It wasn’t until December 6th—three months and 22 days later—that my car was finally ready. When I arrived, I was met with rudeness and indifference. Sharon, who I had dealt with before, didn’t greet me or explain the charges. The entire experience, from start to finish, was appalling.
If you value your time, money, or sanity, I strongly advise against using Ford Gravesend. This was a truly traumatic ordeal, and the lack of care or professionalism from the team was unacceptable

If I could remove this star I would… Vehicle gets booked in for wing mirror replacement, new battery and air con motor… Day 4 nothing done day 7 nothing done.. On day 14 they tell us they haven’t even got the air con part and it won’t be here for at least another 8 weeks.. so we just tell them to leave it and vehicle will be picked up only to be told battery and wing mirror haven’t even been done.. finally picked up on day 19 minus air con motor they even charged for testing existing motor which is a joke in itself..we had to keep ringing them for progress updates.. place is a joke keep well away.. Go elsewhere..

Great work from Steve Major in sorting out my issue. No quibble and efficient service from everyone.

SMC Ford Crayford. Absolutely amazing service from start to finish. I’ve never had to purchase a car on my own & Matt Newnham made the process less daunting. I told him my budget and we found the perfect used car. Matt was in communication throughout the process & 1 week later I collected my car. Matt explained all the controls & even paired my phone. Can’t thank you enough.

Whilst I can't fault the work done at SMC Sittingbourne the booking and communications are nowhere near the standards of a few years ago and leave a lot to be desired. You used to be able to phone the branch you wanted and book direct. Now its all centralised with a number that doesn't get answered and an online system that doesn't tell you if you're booked in or not. You have to wait for an email to confirm. Then you have to do an online check in. It used ro be a phone call to check you're still coming and at what time. It's all so impersonal. And when you do get your car in, no-one bothers to call to update you. I dropped my car in at 08:15 and I doubt anyone would've told me I couldn't get my car back until the following day unless I'd chased it up. And to cap it off, my car was returned with mud/scuffs on the dashboard, seat and arm rest, allegedly done by the valeters?!? Just seems to have gone too corporate to give customers the care they used to.

From the minute I first spoke with Steve, I knew I was going to have a great experience with getting my new car sorted. I live a fair way from the branch however nothing was ever too much trouble or hassle.

Steve communicated with me frequently to update me on the what was going on. All paperwork was sent over via email speedily and paperwork sent in the post was also very efficient.

As I live far from the branch, I requested a video of the car so I could have a look round. Nothing was too much trouble for Steve and this was sent over asap.

I am really pleased with the experience I had, thank you!

Had the pleasure of collecting my new car today 😀 the service from the salesman (Steve) what a lovely bloke really helped with the running up to the car delivery.
Steve was very honest and kept me updated all the time really nice bloke great to talk too and dill with . 😀😀😀

The hand over was great showed me all the little bits on the car I needed to know about on the car thank you Steve . 👍🏻

I would recommend Steve to anyone who wants someone who is an all out great bloke from start to finish easy to talk to and listens to what you want and get the best deal for you .

Yesterday, I picked up my 3rd car from the SMC Ford in Crayford. On every occasion, the staff have been exceptional and ensured that I had the best experience. Previously, I had decided I wanted an ECO sport and then decided that it was not the car for me. The team worked with me and allowed for me to change the car, the customer service was amazing. Stefano during the service inspection was always supportive in the process.

On returning the the event in august Daniel ensured that I was given the time and the best deal in order to work with my finances. The communication throughout has always been outstanding. Although the sales member was not available on my chosen pick-up day, I was welcomed by Brian who completed the handover. He was informative and ensured that I was given a walk through with the car, so I was confident to drive away.

I will definitely be returning in the future and recommending to my friends and family.

My wife and I came to SMC Ford Slough over the weekend to start our journey of looking for a new car. To say we were pleasantly surprised with the level of service is probably an understatement.
Sales person Dee was attentive, patient and knowledgeable whilst still having a laugh and joke with us. That in itself is a breath of fresh air compared to some other uptight sales people we have encountered. My wife and I felt instantly at ease and should we decide to go with a Ford we will certainly be back to see Dee.
If you want a real down to earth and great experience go and see Dee at the Slough branch

SMC Slough, Ford dealer. On Sunday, 18 Aug., I put down a deposit on a car, intending to test drive it in the ensuing couple of days. On Monday, 19 Aug., I changed my mind, and cancelled the purchase via telephone (with Dee). I asked for my deposit back. Dee refused to credit my debit card, citing company policy, so I gave her my bank details. Two days later, I phoned, again, about getting my deposit back, and Dee took my bank details, again. On Friday, 23 Aug., I phoned, yet again, and Taylor claimed that they have a 3- to 5-working-day policy on returns. What with the bank holiday factored in, that 5-day return policy was exceeded yesterday, 27 Aug. I still do not have my deposit back. Please give me back my money, SMC Ford at Slough.

Update: Today, 28 Aug., on the 7th working day after I asked for the return of my deposit, I phoned for a fourth time, asking to speak to the manager at SMC Ford Slough. He declined to speak with me, but told the receptionist that he would talk to accounts. It's nice that he's going to have a conversation with someone, but I'm still out my deposit. Will keep you posted.

Update #2: (29 Aug.) Manager(?) Taylor phoned about 1:00 p.m. and said he credited my debit card. Also said he would send an email with details of refund. As of this writing, no such email has appeared. Added one star back into review for courteous and responsive communications.

Update #3: (30 Aug.). My refunded deposit hit my account a little before noon, today. So, I'm giving back another star--three-stars for getting there in the end, albeit with some considerable and inexplicable delay. (Also corrected some dates.)

Paid via bank transfer, can't get the car back from them

Just bought our first company van with SMC - Gordon. Hopefully it won't be the last! Seamless from start to finish!

Thank you Shah - SMC Ford, Slough

Amazing Service from Shah at SMC Ford, Slough. Shah went above and beyond and nothing was too much trouble - he made it a great experience for me from start to finish.

Really pleased with the car Shah sorted out for us, would highly recommend.

I bought my Ford Ecoboost into Smc Ford Uxbridge due to it losing water in Jan’24 . I was informed they carried out pressure test unable to see any external leaks, carried out a block test failed advised I required a new engine. They could not tell me when they could get a new engine due to no availability at that present time. I would also like to note that there was no smoke coming from the exhaust or signs of water in the oil. My husband used the vehicle to go to work after two months still no smoke or oil but still using water. Decided to take it to another garage for second opinion. I was informed that heater pipes were leaking and i didnt need a new engine. Also they had to remove a broken bolt from the sump as i have always had my car serviced & repaired by smc ford Uxbridge I was very surprised to hear that. I phoned to speak to the service manger told by sales lady he was not on site but would phone me either that day or the next that was a week ago still waiting!!!. As a customer that has always used them for my car and my husbands car would I use them now knowing
What I do now absolutely not.
UPDATE: I have been dealing with Jamie he enlightened me that the Health check emailed to me on the day of investigation into losing coolant was different from what was on his computer where mine said immediate attention his said attention in the near future.
For the new engine I required. Jamie has admitted it was a admin error ????
I have since taken the car to another garage to have a block test done and all is ok. Six months on car is not losing coolant no water in the oil , no smoke coming out of the exhaust and the block test was fine no gases escaping.
I am glad they were not able to supply another engine because I would have had the work carried out by them and being none the wiser that I didn’t require a new engine just new heater pipes in the engine bay. I am left wondering over the years they have had my car in and they have said work needs to be done if the work needed doing????
Jamie’s way of dealing with this was to offer me compensation for the coolant reservoir of £62.50 this showed up in December’s annual service slight stress crack on coolant reservoir. Which seems strange the mechanic could see a slight crack in the reservoir but not see the heater pipes in the engine bay leaking in January. If it wasn’t for misdiagnosis's of the mechanic informing me I needed a new engine I would not have purchased another car. Going forward I would get a second opinion if they say you need a new Engine.