A comedy of errors from start to finish
I booked my Mercedes in for an MOT, A Service and additional work. Unfortunately, what should have been straightforward turned into a rather lengthy comedy show.
The initial quote seemed expensive, so I called to query it. I was then told my registration brought up no records. After providing both registrations and waiting several minutes, my details were eventually found — but the vehicle on the system was apparently the wrong car.
Alarm bells.
I asked about a B Service because some of the additional work I required would be included. The B Service was only around £15 more than the A Service quote. Had I not asked, I could potentially have paid considerably more by having an A Service and then paying separately for additional items.
I was told they would have recommended the B Service to save me money. If that's the case, I'm not sure why it wasn't suggested when the original quote was prepared.
I then requested a revised quote. It came back missing work I'd already booked. Another call, another revision — still incorrect. This happened several times.
To make matters more confusing, I received conflicting explanations about whether the original quote was based on the correct vehicle, whether the service was discounted and how the pricing had been calculated.
At this point, my concern wasn't simply the price. It was the lack of confidence in the accuracy and consistency of the information I was being given.
I also found the overall pricing difficult to justify. I appreciate garages have overheads and labour costs, but when genuine Mercedes oil, an oil filter and cabin filter can be purchased for around £80, being quoted around £320 for an A Service — which I was told could take around an hour — didn't feel like good value.
I ultimately decided not to proceed. As a new customer, I expected a straightforward quote for the correct vehicle, clearly explaining exactly what was included and what I was paying for.
Instead, I got multiple quotes, repeated corrections and contradictory explanations.
There are other independent garages offering Mercedes servicing, and after comparing options I found considerably clearer pricing and better value elsewhere.
I won't name another garage here as this is a review of my experience with this one, not an advertisement for somebody else.
In short: I went looking for a straightforward Mercedes service and somehow ended up starring in a comedy of errors.
Perhaps everything would have been fine once the car was in the workshop, but the quoting process alone left me without enough confidence to hand over the keys.
My advice: shop around, compare exactly what is included, and make sure you know what you're paying for before booking.