As a first-time car owner who got my vehicle through Cinch, I was genuinely excited and proud to have my own car — a big milestone for me. When Cinch referred me to Wessex Garages Nissan Gloucester for an ADAS repair, I never imagined the experience would leave me feeling so completely let down, frustrated, and disheartened.
From the moment I arrived at Wessex Garages Nissan Gloucester, the treatment was cold and dismissive. I was told there was no appointment for me in the system and spoken to with a tone that made me feel like I didn’t belong — especially compared to how warmly other “new” customers were being greeted. I began to question whether this treatment was because I came via Cinch and wasn’t buying a new car directly — or even because I’m a woman, unfamiliar with how garages work and simply trusting them to do the right thing.
When I returned for my rearranged appointment, I completed all the paperwork and left my car with them. The treatment this time was no better — just the same dismissive attitude but from a different member of staff. They kept insisting that I would need to pay for the repairs myself because, according to them, Cinch wouldn’t cover the cost. I showed them written proof from Cinch confirming that the repair would be fully covered under my warranty, but they still pushed back, saying they wouldn’t accept the repair unless I agreed to pay at the end. Feeling pressured and frustrated, I signed the documents stating so — only because I was confident Cinch would honour the warranty, which they thankfully did in the end.
After picking the car up, I discovered that the SD card — which runs my navigation system — had mysteriously vanished. My navigation had worked perfectly before, and now the system showed an error. I immediately tried to contact the garage, but they didn’t answer the phone for days. Initially, I thought it might be because it was the weekend — but I later found out that they do work weekends, which only made the silence more frustrating.
I even contacted Cinch, who said all they could do was message the garage to call me back — which, of course, never happened. Eventually, I got through to someone at the garage who promised to follow up — but no one ever did. I had to chase them again, only to be told they “didn’t remove the SD card” and that there was nothing they could do. No accountability, no investigation — just denial and dismissal.
What makes this worse is that I clearly must have appeared like an easy target — a young, first-time car owner, trusting the process, not knowing how garages work. It honestly feels like the SD card was removed from my car and they thought I wouldn’t notice or couldn’t do anything about it. And now I’m left with no SD card, no working navigation system, and zero support from Nissan or Wessex Garages.
This entire experience has left me with a sour taste not only for Wessex Garages, but for the Nissan brand and car servicing in general. I now feel completely hopeless about taking my car to any garage in the future — constantly worried I’ll be dismissed, ignored, or taken advantage of again. What should have been a proud and exciting journey with my first car has turned into one filled with stress, mistrust, and disappointment.
I hope others — especially first-time drivers or those referred by third parties — take this as a warning to be cautious and to document everything. I wouldn’t wish this experience on anyone.
After going through all of this, I decided to read through other reviews of Nissan UK — and sadly, I now realise my experience isn’t an isolated one. It’s extremely disheartening to see that others have also faced poor treatment, lack of accountability, and inadequate customer support.
As someone who was excited to be a first-time Nissan owner, this experience has completely shattered my confidence in the brand. I never expected to feel so dismissed and unsupported. What should have been a positive and proud milestone has instead made me anxious about ever trusting a dealership or service centre again.