KevM

My insurance company (Admiral) suggested that I use Auxillis to handle my no-fault accident claim because they would be able to arrange for the repair of my car and provide me with a “like for like” replacement in the meantime. When I spoke to Auxillis they didn't have a suitable car available so I agreed to help them out by accepting an unsuitable car for a “couple of days” until they could source a more suitable replacement. 14 days and numerous emails, phone calls and complaints later and I still have the temporary vehicle. I have been told 5 times that someone will contact me and still I have heard nothing and have to continually chase.

The thing that really riles me is they are charging the third party's insurance company over £500 PER DAY for this car, whereby a quick Google search shows that I could hire the same vehicle myself for less than £500 per WEEK! In the meantime my car has not even been assessed for damage repair. Far be it for me to suggest that Auxillis would purposely drag their feet but there's clearly no incentive for them to hurry the repair process along whilst they're making over £400 per day on the rental car fees.

This is why our insurance premiums are so ridiculously high, folks! I'd seriously think twice about using Auxillis if I were you.

I will keep this case updated with any developments.

I just needed to get a sworn affidavit signed so I phoned Jennings. I was fitted in with an appointment the same day and advised that it would cost £10 (50% less than anywhere else quoted). The signing was quick and easy and best of all I was told that payment wouldn't be necessary.
I take back all the things I've said about solicitors. (Well, some of them.)

IMPORTANT UPDATE3:

NOW I REALISE WHY ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS FOR SUPERBIKE FACTORY DISAPPEAR.

I just received an email from Trustpilot stating that SBF have said that they "don't think this review is based on a genuine experience" (despite claiming to have resolved it) and that the review will be removed unless I send them evidence of the transaction. Please bear this in mind when you're deciding whether to use this company. Total bandits.

END OF UPDATE3.

Absolute car crash of a company.

Having seen a bike that I liked the look of online, I decided that it was the one for me. I spent 4 weeks initially trying to buy it but nobody would respond to my emails and it's almost impossible to get to speak to anyone on the phone. The one occasion that I did get through to someone they promised to phone me back and never did. In the end I had to go into the showroom and despite my reservations I went ahead with the purchase. That proved to be a big mistake.

I would’ve liked to have had the bike delivered but SBF operate a £200 flat fee for delivery and as I only live 20 miles away from the showroom I wasn’t going to pay that amount. (Most other dealers would’ve delivered that short a distance for free.) Anyway, I arranged to pick the bike up and paid my deposit. So when I arrived to collect the bike I was informed that I owed an additional £99 admin fee on top of the £11,350 purchase price and then when we sat down to sign the paperwork I had to get my card out again to pay an additional £120 to tax the bike. Why not try advertising the full and final price in the advert! That way the customer is not left with a nasty taste in their mouth. Adding those little extras at purchase time just makes SBF seem like the RyanAir of the motorcycle world.

So I was shown to the bike only to find one of the sales guys in the process of tightening one of the mirrors with a spanner. That was the first hint that the bike had not been through the promised 120-point pre-delivery inspection. It certainly hadn’t received the promised valet either because it was filthy, covered in dust and crud just as it was when I first saw it in the showroom. I was keen to get going as I’d been kept waiting longer than was necessary already so jumped on the bike and started for home. Lo and behold, 15 miles into the journey and the check-engine light comes on. Fantastic! When I got home I investigated the engine fault codes and found that there were 3 separate issues, related to the exhaust actuator, oil control valve and (more worryingly) the ABS. I also discovered that one of the 4 bolts holding the front light cluster in place was halfway out and another was totally missing.

So I emailed SBF the following day (I couldn’t get through on the phone!) and received a response telling me that someone would be in touch. To cut an even longer story short, SBF arranged for the bike to be collected for repair the following week and promised to let me know what was going on. After a further week with no progress or information I decided to exercise my right to return the bike for a full refund. I very stupidly left my (brand new) crash helmet in the top box when the bike was collected - at the time I was expecting it to be returned to me after repair. When I advised SBF that I didn’t want the bike back but would come to collect my helmet I was informed that there was no helmet in the top box. I assured them that it was there when the bike was collected and they said they would have another look and get back to me. That was 9 days ago – I’m still waiting.

I mentioned earlier that I had reservations about the purchase: well that was mostly based (initially at least) on the hordes of negative reviews that I’d seen on TrustPilot (other review platforms are available!). However, what’s particularly interesting is that the overwhelmingly positive reviews that appear now seem to outweigh the negative ones. I know that people had reported being encouraged to change their minds by SBF employees and remove their negative reviews but I’m certainly not going to suggest that there’s been some sort of publicity campaign going on to improve the company image but what I find most remarkable is that all the recent positive reviews are written in perfect English, almost like a professional review writer would have written them. When was the last time you saw anyone write anything online with no grammar or spelling mistakes?

It strikes me that the company modus operandi is to spend as little as possible in the sales, prep, service and delivery process and focus all their efforts in customer appeasement. Too little, too late I’m afraid.