My Dad and I would like to say a HUGE thank-you to the Lookers Park Royal in London dealership, especially Spencer Lang for the excellent service whilst my Dad bought his new black Freelander GS.

I'm going to write a bit about our buying experience below, in the hope that other members use them and get the amazing sevice as we did, and that the fact that they could be at the other side of the country is not a problem to them for prospective buyers.

Here goes:
My Dad wanted a Freelander GS and trade in his 53-plate disco, so off we went to our local dealership in Newcastle (Stratstone). Now, my Dad was pretty certain that he wanted the GS model and nothing else.

We waited over 2 hours to be seen, and when we eventually were, my Dad was told that all they would offer him was a black special edition, but he 'had to do the deal today or tomorrow'. The price wasn't right for him, especially since that was not the model he wanted, and he felt pressurised into doing the deal.

I’d been searching a few forums for him over the past few weeks, and came across this forum, and had read good things about Lookers Park Royal, so I suggested to my Dad that I’d get in touch with James via PM and ask him if there was any chance of a deal.

I got a message back the same day, and was told that someone would be on the phone that day to go through some details with us.

I received a phone call from Spencer Lang who totally knew where my Dad was coming from in that he wanted a GS, rather than the Special Edition, and said to give him a day or so to set us a price.

To speed things up, I faxed him a copy of our proposal from Stratstone, and also a few pics of the Disco.
The Next day, a deal was on the table – they had a Black GS with Full Size spare wheel coming in. The price? – same to what Stratstone would offer for the Black special edition....a no-brainer in my Dads eyes, but, with the long distance between us, he was unsure.

I asked Spencer about this, and he reassured me that they do deals all over the country with people, so it wouldn’t be a problem. From the info I got from the forum here, I showed my Dad and from the excellent dealer feedback, it convinced him.

So, a deposit was taken over the phone, which secured the car, and the finance was sorted out. Spencer told me he was off the next day, but Barry Palmer, the finance manager would be in contact to make sure we were happy. True to his word, he contacted me and I told him everything was fine, and my Dad was happy.

The only sticking point was signing the finance agreement, but they told me they had sent the documents via recorded delivery to a dealership near to us, and informed their finance manager that my Dad would be visiting to sign the documents. They emailed over the details of the dealership, and the name of the finance manager, my Dad arranged a time with them, and went to sign the papers.

Again, the next day I was contacted by Spencer, who brought us up to date with developments, and told us that we could have the car at the weekend. Wow, thats quick, my Dad exclaimed!

So we began our journey with the disco to trade in yesterday at 5.00am. We got down to the dealership at 10.30, so waited for Spencer to arrive. As we walked into the dealership, there was my Dads new Landy, in the showroom....wish you could have seen my Dads face.....it was a picture!!!

That was definitely an excellent touch by Lookers, as it came across that our custom was extremely valued.
Spencer introduced himself, showed my Dad everything about the Freelander, and then went through the paperwork etc etc.

It was good that the freelander was inside, as it was bucketing down, and we would have all got wet!!!
So, once everything was finished, we left the dealership, with many a thank-you to Spencer, and a promise that i’d post on the forum about how first-class and professional everything was.

The only time my Dad stopped grinning on the way home, was when I took over the driving, and he fell asleep....it was a long day!.....but entirely worth it. The cruise control was a welcome feature with all of the 50mph speed cameras on the way back North I can tell you!

So, in conclusion, if you are thinking about buying a new Land Rover, I would not hesitate to recommend Lookers Park Royal. I can not begin to emphasise how much more professional their service has been than at other dealerships, both Landrover, and other.

Don’t worry if you live miles away – it’s worth a try. If they can do you a deal, they will. If they can’t, they’ll tell you, and thank you for your enquiry.

Spencer – you’re the man. You’ve made my Dad very very happy, and convinced him that it’s worth going the extra mile (or 300) to get what you want. It’s been a shock to the system for him for how good the service was.
Thank-you guys!!!

If anybody wants any further info, just PM me.

A great report jeffacus and one which I'm convinced will help LPR get more business (Spencer - it's time to ask for that pay rise )

Well done Lookers at Park Royal,

Just A pity we in the North East have to Travel 300 miles to get good service.

S----- stone could learn from this ???

All the best jeffacu.

jp wrote:

Just A pity we in the North East have to Travel 300 miles to get good service.

Great to hear spencers still da man

I dealt with James and when the deal was done handed over to Spencer to finish things off, great atitude, great service too

makes the journey down and back a pleasure  Former Mod/Member, with the most post & Chicken George Arch nemesis

jjasper,
YES, Sorry your right, Kent dale in Kendal, Plus Team Valley in Gateshead have Given me Outstanding Service.

jeffacus,

Thank you so much for the reccomendation and what a brilliant and comprehensive write-up. I apologise that I wasn't slightly more involved, however I had regular assurances from Spencer and Barry that everything was 'under control'.

I'm glad that we were able to put a suitable deal together for you, and it was handy that we had a suitable Freelander coming through.

I can appreciate that transacting over such a distance and giving a deposit to a dealership whom you have never visited, let alone met face to face! I appreciate that it was a brave move to commit your father to us, however it sounds like we didn't let you down!

As you summed up...... Give us an opportunity to do a deal, and if we can't then we will say so. Sadly there are instances where there are mitigating circumstances where another dealer will be prepared to go further still on price. The one thing we will always try to do is to look after each customer properly, with respect and meet (or hopefully exceed) their expectations.

Thank you again for your business and please pass on our thanks to your father. Spencer will be calling today to check that all is weel, however if you have any questions before he does then please let me knwo,

Regards,

James

What a thoroughly heart warming story

I've not felt so teary since I watched Lassie come home

Me too Junior, although I'd rate it along side as emotional as big Yello dying, Bambis mom getting shot. It cetainly brought a tear or two to my eye. Off to Walmart today, they are running a special on 12 gauge shotguns. Why this hasn't caught the imagination of Tescos or Morrisons in the UK I don't know, but then again, there might be fatalities in the parking lots over the disabled spaces or mother and child spots.