Review
Our Mazda2 long-term test car has undergone an annual service. However, after years of excellent treatment by our local dealership, we’ve experienced a slight glitch.
Booking the service at Donalds Mazda in Peterborough was easy. Its website allowed us to easily identify the annual service the car required, and to pick a morning or afternoon from plenty of available dates starting within a three-day lead time.
A free text box enabled me to request our usual preferred collection and delivery from and to AM’s offices, some six miles from the dealership. And within minutes of clicking to make the booking, a slick, branded email confirmation arrived from its NetDirector Service Booking system re-stating the details and providing a total cost. A few minutes later, a service adviser emailed me directly to confirm that collection and delivery was possible.
So all good. And come the day of the service, all was good too. That was until I realised that evening that when I’d paid the invoice before the car was returned, it was £18 higher than the ‘total cost’ stated on the booking confirmation.
To Donalds’ credit, the dealership was quick to act when I pointed this out to service reception, and immediately refunded the difference, which was apparently due to an engine flush and a fuel system cleaner which wasn’t on the original booking.
The speed at which the dealership responded and rectified the issue, plus the years of good service we’ve experienced previously, means we can forgive the error. And now that the Mazda2’s air-conditioning seems to be on strike, I’ve been more than happy to book the dealership to investigate it.
An award-winning journalist and editor, with two decades of experience covering the motor retail industry, and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) plus the National Council for the Training of Journalist (NCTJ)
As editor of AM since 2016, Tim is responsible for its media content, planning and production across AM's multiple channels, including the website, digital reports, webinars, social media and the editorial content of AM's events, Automotive Management Live and the AM Awards. His focus is on interviewing senior leaders of franchised dealer groups and motor manufacturer national sales companies to examine latest developments in UK motor retail.
Factsheet
Price £15,045
Engines 1.5-litre petrol 89bhp
Performance 0-62mph 9.4sec, top speed 114mph
Transmission 5sp manual
Efficiency 62.8mpg combined; 105g/km CO2
RV 3yr/30k 38%
Start mileage 716
Current mileage 9,011
Rivals Ford Fiesta, Vauxhall Corsa, Renault Clio, Peugeot 208