Dick Lovett refutes claim ex-Michael Jackson bodyguard was ‘ignored’ in Ferrari showroom

A Dick Lovett Ferrari experience manager has refuted a claim that an ex-bodyguard of Michael Jackson was “ignored” by dealership staff because he was wearing a tracksuit.

Wiltshire Live reported that Matt Fiddes and his wife Monique had visited the AM100 car retail group’s supercar showroom on Frankland Road, Swindon, with the intention of spending up to £500,000 on a pair of Ferraris but left empty handed due to their treatment.

Fiddes, who now owns a string of martial arts studios, claimed that they walked around the dealership for around 20 minutes last Saturday before actively seeking out a member of staff for help.

And he suggested that staff had perceived him as a potential “time waster” due to his informal attire.

Speaking to Wiltshire Live, Fiddes said: “I’m in track suits 99.9 per cent of the time because I am a fitness guy, that’s who I am.

“I think they saw me in the tracksuit and probably assumed that’s what I was doing.”

The visit to Ferrari Swindon was captured in a number of smartphone pictures captured by the pair, including images of Fiddes sat inside a Ferrari in the dealership’s showroom.

Dick Lovett Ferrari experience manager Adrian Burke denied that Fiddes and his wife had been ignored by the dealership’s staff, insisting that they were greeted and shown a number of vehicles.

In a statement, Burke said Fiddes was initially greeted by a showroom host and shown a selection of our Ferrari Approved range of cars following a and following a "brief delay due to high levels of showroom traffic".

He added: "Dick Lovett prides itself on maintaining a consistently high level of customer service for anyone who visits our showroom, regardless of their appearance or clothing."

The scenario allegedly encountered by Fiddes at Ferrari Swindon echoes a story relayed by Ken Choo when he described HR Owen owner Vincent Tan’s reasons for buying the luxury car retail group in 2013.

Choo told a dealer profile with AM that Tan, also the owner of Cardiff City football club, was so incensed by his treatment during a dealership visit that he resolved to buy the entire business and reform its customer experience.