Gates Automotive Reviews 

Paul Arkell @ Gates.

I Purchased a car blind from the Autotrader. Paul checked car over and confirmed the great condition. (He even sent me a picture of a small scratch that is virtually invisible to the naked eye). He sorted the finance and delivery and kept me informed all the way via phone and email.

Very competent, completely Trustworthy and a nice bloke.

The way I felt, you’d think I brought a New Bentley- not a used Ford.

Ryan Brown was very helpful showing us round and didn't try to pressure us into any decisions. He was great with our son and gave us a discount we didn't ask for which was great. We would go back to Gates Ford for our next car.

Once again I went to see Ryan Brown (based at Fords Woodford) and once again his level of customer service was excellent. Nothing is too much trouble and I was encouraged to contact him if I had any problems or concerns after the sale. He listens to what your requirements or wish list might be, for your new car, and he delivers. He is also a genuinely nice guy.
Well done Ryan Brown you smashed it again!

I had my Ford Ranger in for a full service around 2 weeks ago. Driving the car just after the Ad Blu warning light came on so I added 10 litres to the system. The warning light still did not turn off. I phoned Gates of St Albans and the young lady I spoke to on the phone said that I should add more Ad Blu and this would clear the warning light.
The light still did not clear so I went into Gates of St Albans this morning. I was told that it would be £139.00 to investigate the problem. I was called about 2 hrs later to be told that it was all sorted and that it just needed a software update. When I picked the car up I asked if the software update should of been covered in the full service that had just been undertaken, I was told no. Then a colleague of the person dealing with me said that it wasn't the update that had caused it but my overfilling ( which i had done under direction from one of their staff on the phone). I am really disappointed that they changed the story that I was told on the phone when I challenged the cost of the diagnosis to blamed me for the fault.
With cars becoming more driven by computers I would of thought that a simple software update would be covered in a service because how am I meant to know this.

First of all I had no issues with the actual service of the car, but admin and paperwork was poor.

first of all when you book for a service on-line, and ask for the car to be collected and returned, it asks you for a specific time you would like the car picked up. Unfortunatly Gates Waltham Cross only operate on a time window between 08:00am to 12:00pm. I had a hospital appointment at 10.30am that day and had to cancel, as the car was not picked up till nearly 11:00am. I was advised that an email had been sent explaining the pickup times, but I checked my email account and spam folder and could not find it. If I had know it was a time window at the point of booking, I would have chossen a different day for the service.

Next when I booked the service, I asked if they could look at the Start/Stop system, as it had not been working for a while. When I got the car back, there was nothing in the paperwork to say they had checked it, and its still not working.

Lastly I have the Ford service plan, as part of that plan I should get my Ford roadside assistance extended for a year. The report does not show it has been extended, and I have no documention to show it has been extended.

I can't Thank Ryan Brown for his Knowledge and Professional Services which made the Experience of buying my Ford PUMA Stress free from start to finish.
He has also provided an ongoing support and assistance dealing with the DVLA paperwork.
I can't Thank him enough,

Update 24/11/24:
Gates @ Harlow had my car for 3 weeks as they were waiting on a part. Not a problem. However, I am having to take the car back to the dealership tomorrow as they STILL haven’t repaired the door seal, even though I’ve been told by several people the car shouldn’t have even been sold to me with the issue. Extremely angry to be having to take the car back.

My car was collected yesterday morning (23/10/24) by the Harlow branch. I bought the car 2 months ago and started having issues a month ago with water in the passenger footwell, broken heater, and condensation. Already not happy as I’d had the car for 6 weeks before problems started. On collection of the car yesterday, I was told it would be returned to me around the same time today (~8.20am). Someone called to say my car had arrived safely at Harlow but “was going to cost £130 just for diagnostics as water ingress not covered on warranty”. I think NOT seeing as other Ford Focus’ have been recalled for this issue, I won’t be paying a penny. I had a call a few hours later, asking if I’d had the windscreen changed since purchase (no), and that was all the communication on that day. I started worrying as, had this not been checked before I bought the car? I also found one of the door seals TAPED on a week or two after I bought the car. I am a disabled person and very reliant upon my car. I woke up early especially, on my day off, ready for the car being returned. 10.30am arrived, still no car, so I called Gates and asked for an update. “Call back at 12 if it still hasn’t arrived”. I called back at 1pm, and the receptionist asked the relevant person to call me. Still no call by 2pm so I called again; the receptionist would chase it up. 3pm, still no call, I spoke to a lady called Georgina. She was the most helpful person who I’d spoken to - she said I wouldn’t be getting the car back today and mentioned something that needed fixing. Still no full explanation regarding what was actually wrong with the car, but I understand that isn’t her role. She said she would chase up getting a courtesy car sorted for me. I still haven’t had an update as she is waiting on the Sales team regarding this. My car has now been with Gates of Harlow for 33 hours, with no update about having it returned or what the problem is. The small amount of info I DO know, is because I have had to call them FOUR times today. I have had to cancel an important appointment today because I still have no car. Very VERY poor communication from everyone involved.

Update: it is now 6pm and I’ve had no call regarding a courtesy car. I’ve just tried to call to chase it up and all phone lines are now closed. I’m disabled, with no access to a vehicle, unable to navigate public transport, and Gate of Harlow have left me with no explanation as to where my car is, what is wrong with it, and no courtesy car. Really disgraceful.

The knowledge and professional service from Ryan Brown made the purchase of buying my car so easy from start to finish I can't thank Ryan enough.
Your an asset to this company. Thanks again.

A while ago I reported an issue which turned out to be complicated. It required trying new parts and then me driving it for a while would be the real test to find out the actual cause. Unfortunately it turned out to be an expensive fix. Mihai the local mechanic went above and beyond in respect of the fact my issue started within the warranty period and continued outside of it. He managed to get me an incredible discount saving me a significant amount of money which was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise.

This whole process was smooth and stress free, largely down to the excellent customer service I received from Ryan.
He was very patient with me and nothing was too much trouble. A true gent!

Booked a 48 hour test drive...turned up 5 minutes early.
I walked about seems the receptionist was having a private phone call..5 minutes later I was approached and told the person dealing with me was busy with another customer 5 minutes later he had concluded his meeting but just disappeared !
After 25 minutes of waiting I decided to leave, 20 minutes later I gained a call asking where I was.
This complete lack of respect towards a potential customer is far beyond my comprehension

Now you are requesting that I contact you...sorry you have wasted enough of my time.

Excellent service at Gates Ford Waltham Cross, Shamari was very professional and knowledgeable in helping me part exchange my car from start to finish.
Would highly recommend using this company top quality service.

Fantastic customer service from Ryan. Always put our needs first. From the first chat to handing over the keys it was a very easy, relaxed and pleasurable process. Always willing to go the extra mile.

I had a great experience at Gates. From first getting in touch with Ryan he was thoughtful, patient, and truly dedicated to helping me find the perfect car I wanted. He took the time to understand my needs and went above and beyond to ensure I found exactly what I was looking for. His willingness to answer all my questions and guide me through the process made it stress-free and enjoyable. I couldn’t be happier with my new car, and would happily recommend the Gates Ford dealership.

Ryan was very helpful and accommodating. He was easy to talk to and explained everything clearly. I would definitely rate my experience with him a 5/5.

Ryan was a really cool guy, I ever felt as if I was being sold a car, I felt as if I was buying one-for me that is how it should be.
He spent time explaining stuff about different cars to me.

The staff are very friendly, but the support you get once you've brought the car is not so good. Took them five months to sort out the problem with my Sat Nav. Then the wheelchair hoist in the back of the car packed up. Went back to Gates and they explained that as they did not install the hoist it was not their responsibility. Yet they were the one's who got Brig Ayd to install the hoist.
The service manager is never around, always in meetings????
I certainly won't be going back there when it comes to renewing my car

I recently attended a 4-day event at Ford Gates of Woodford and was lucky enough to be assisted by Ryan. I went in with a set budget and jokingly mentioned that if he could get me a Mustang within my budget, that would be great. Well, Ryan worked his magic and actually found me an amazing deal that fit my price range!

He was incredibly helpful, walking me through everything with a positive and approachable demeanor. The entire process was smooth and stress-free, thanks to Ryan’s professionalism and genuine enthusiasm.

Huge thanks to Ryan – an absolute legend for making it happen! Great service all around, and I couldn't be happier with my experience. Highly recommend Ford Gates of Woodford!

Ryan Brown was my sales agent and he has been absolutely brilliant. He knew I was looking for a particular car and he sourced me exactly what I wanted and within my price range. Great service, great company.

Ryan made the whole experience very easy for us done in matter of days thank you