Stratstone - Mercedes-Benz of Lakeside Reviews 

Very poor customer service and communication.

I called the service department three times for an update on my car’s MOT, as I had somewhere urgent to be and needed to plan accordingly. Each time, I was left on hold for around 20 minutes with no response.

I then called the MOT booking line, and was assured that my message would be passed to the service team and that someone would call me back. Unfortunately, I never received a call.

I eventually called the sales line, but was simply told to call the same service number I had already tried three times. When I tried to explain my situation, the person hung up on me.

Overall, the communication, follow-up and level of customer service have been extremely disappointing. I expected much better support and consideration.

Extremely disappointing and stressful experience with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services

I honestly cannot express how disappointed I am with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. What should have been a straightforward end-of-contract vehicle return has turned into a long, stressful and extremely frustrating situation.

My Mercedes-Benz finance agreement ended in September 2025. I intended to return the vehicle and had every intention of doing so properly. However, I was not given a clear specific collection date and time when the agreement ended. I had to repeatedly contact Mercedes-Benz myself to chase the return arrangements, and only after I chased them was a specific collection date arranged.

Despite this, I am now being pursued for £789.04.

To be absolutely clear, I accept the genuine outstanding final rental payment of £419.76 and I am paying this. Following my telephone conversation with Mercedes-Benz Finance, I understood that I could pay a minimum of £10 per month, and I have already made payments and set up the standing order.

The remaining £369.28 relates to disputed vehicle return/late-return charges, which I do not believe are fair or justified given the circumstances surrounding the collection arrangements.

What has made this experience even more concerning is that I have been told that my previous complaint was not upheld and that I supposedly “escalated” the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service, who agreed with Mercedes-Benz’s final response.

I have no record of agreeing to any such Ombudsman decision, and I have asked Mercedes-Benz to provide the alleged Ombudsman case/reference number, decision and evidence that it was issued to me. I am still waiting for proper clarification.

I have also requested evidence showing exactly when and how I was allegedly informed of a specific deadline for returning the vehicle, together with the contractual basis and full calculation of the £369.28 charges.

What I find particularly unacceptable is the lack of transparency.

I have tried to communicate with Mercedes-Benz and resolve this matter reasonably. I am not refusing to pay the amount I genuinely owe. I am disputing charges that I believe arose because of Mercedes-Benz’s own failure to clearly arrange the vehicle collection, and I expect them to properly investigate this rather than simply demand payment.

For a company operating under the Mercedes-Benz name, I expected a much higher standard of customer service, communication and professionalism.

Instead, this experience has caused me considerable stress and frustration and has completely changed my opinion of the company.

A premium brand should provide a premium level of customer service — especially when something goes wrong. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.

I would strongly recommend that anyone taking a Mercedes-Benz finance agreement carefully keep records of every email, telephone conversation, payment and collection arrangement, because resolving an issue afterwards has been extremely difficult.

Based on my experience with Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, I would not recommend them.

Always made to feel like a valued customer.

I recently had my car serviced at Mercedes Lexside and I’m extremely happy with the service I received. Everything was handled very professionally, from start to finish. The communication was excellent, and I really appreciated being kept updated throughout the service, including receiving photos and even a video while the work was being carried out. The whole process was smooth, efficient, and very professional. I would highly recommend Mercedes Lexside and will definitely be returning in the future.

What an awful experience…. Buy now….. paid and paid the £450 to have my car transferred to me and because they were unable to navigate a teams call for authentication they cancelled by car sale after holding my £34,000 for a week.
Dreadful service- please beware if you are looking to buy and car and have it easily transferred to you….. Stratstone are NOT capable of this.
Very very poor service and very disappointing.

The staff members are very friendly and cooperative.

If you are considering buying here, read this first. What you pay to walk into the showroom has nothing to do with what you get once they have your money and actually need the service department. I have been treated appallingly three times running, and I am done staying quiet about it.

Twice now, in 2024 and again in May 2026, I booked my car in for a full service and specifically booked the MOT in as well on both occasions, and was told, only once I arrived, that no MOT slot was actually available. Not a phone call, not an email, nothing in advance, despite them knowing beforehand. Both times my MOT was due to run out within a day or so, and both times I was left panicking, trying to find somewhere else that could test the car in time just to keep it legal to drive. That is not a minor inconvenience, that is a main dealer creating a genuine legal problem for its own customers through sheer carelessness.

May 2026 was worse still. I had a full service and MOT booked, and on arrival I was told there was no MOT slot and not enough technicians, and I was essentially being sent home with none of the service done at all. I had to fight, embarrassingly, in the middle of the dealership, just to get them to actually carry out the full service that day. They only agreed once I pushed back hard. I specifically asked them to check my brakes, and was told they were 100 percent fine. Afterwards I was sent a video supposedly showing everything that had been checked, including the brakes. My car had not even done a few hundred miles since that service before the brake pad warning light came on. If that video was genuine, how does a brake pad go from 100 percent fine to needing replacement within a few hundred miles? Either the check was never properly done, or what I was shown does not reflect what was actually done. Neither is acceptable, and both are frankly worrying given brakes are not something you gamble with. I also have a squeak in the rear suspension that has never once been mentioned to me at any full service, despite that being exactly what a full service inspection exists to catch.

Then on 7 August 2026, weeks ago now, I booked a front brake pad replacement, the same brakes I had been told were 100 percent fine only months earlier. I could only get a slot over three weeks out, such is their availability. In all that time, with a known brake problem getting worse by the day, I did not receive a single call, email or text. My appointment was for 10am on 31 August. I drove a long way, paid the Dartford Crossing toll, and arrived before my slot, only to be told the service department was closed for the day and would not reopen until tomorrow. My whole day off was gone for nothing, and the brake issue is still unresolved. Three weeks of silence while a known problem got worse, followed by being turned away anyway, says everything about how much they actually care once they already have your money.

I stayed quiet after 2024 and after May 2026 because I did not want to make a fuss, and when you are paying this much you want to trust the people looking after your car rather than have to fight them. That trust is completely gone now.

I emailed the branch manager, Trevor Jones, directly. Nothing back, not even an acknowledgment. I emailed Stratstone customer services, who logged it as a complaint and gave it a reference, and nothing further since. I will update this review depending on what happens next, or does not.

If you are weighing up whether to buy here, this is what after sales actually looks like once they have your money. Go in with your eyes open.

Taz is exceptional at the reception every time I come with a smile and very professional and knowledgeable always!

Repairs carried out under warranty. All good and a great service.

Taz at the reception is very pleasant. She made my experience at Mercedes Lakeside enjoyable. She offered a pleasant smile and some hot chocolate drinks with biscuits.

Service done as planned

Very easy to book online, plenty of dates and times to choose from, kept up to date whilst the car was serviced, pleased with how clean the car was left after the service. All staff were very friendly and professional.

They are quick to take sale but not to fix the problem its been 3 mths since we brought the smart brabus to find we have a defective seat belt. Front console needs replacing as one of the compartments don't close. The promised key from the salesman has never been given to us. It's missing a parcel shelf.

On 15 July 2026, I booked my vehicle in to have a new key coded. During that visit, Mercedes-Benz carried out a health check on my vehicle and provided me with a quotation of £560 for the recommended repairs.

Based on that health check, I decided to have the work carried out and booked my vehicle in again on 20 July 2026.

When I arrived, I specifically asked to speak with Shelly, as she had previously told me over the phone to ask for her on arrival. Once she came to reception, I clearly explained that I wanted all of the work listed on the previous week’s health check to be completed.

Shelly informed me that the technicians might carry out another health check before starting the work. I made it absolutely clear that, regardless of whether another health check was carried out, I still wanted all of the work identified in the previous health check completed. I also said that if the second health check identified any additional issues, they could let me know afterwards. Shelly confirmed that this would be fine.

She then told me she would call me later that day with an update.

Unfortunately, I received no phone call or any communication throughout the entire day.

As the dealership was about to close, I returned at approximately 5:15 pm to collect my vehicle and find out what was happening. I asked whether the work had been completed as I needed my vehicle to get back to work.

I was told that Shelly would come and speak to me shortly. After waiting around 20 minutes at reception with no one coming to update me, I asked to speak with the manager.

A gentleman then came to speak with me and informed me that no work whatsoever had been carried out on my vehicle.

What made the situation even more frustrating was that I could clearly see Shelly in the office, yet she did not come out to explain what had happened or apologise.

When I explained to the manager that I had specifically instructed Shelly to proceed with the work regardless of another health check, he told me they had experienced problems with their communication system and had been unable to contact customers that day.

This explanation raises several questions. If there was a communication issue, why was I told I would receive a call later that day? More importantly, why was no work started on my vehicle despite my clear instructions to proceed? If your communication systems were not working, why did nobody attempt to speak to me before I arrived at the dealership at the end of the day?

I also wonder how many other customers were affected by this failure in communication.

I expect much higher standards from a premium manufacturer such as Mercedes-Benz. Sadly, my experience at Mercedes-Benz Lakeside has been extremely disappointing. The level of customer service, communication and professionalism fell far below what I would expect from a Mercedes-Benz dealership.

As a result of this experience, I wasted an entire day without my vehicle, received no updates whatsoever, and left the dealership with exactly the same issues I had arrived with. This was completely unacceptable.

I would appreciate a full explanation as to why my instructions were ignored, why no one contacted me, and what Mercedes-Benz Lakeside intends to do to resolve this matter and restore my confidence in your service.

Mostly good. No one ever picks up when selecting option 3 on the phone.

I was impressed with the speed at which the service and repairs were carried outa d the fact that I was kept up to date of the progress.