Meridian Milano, Portsmouth

I have used this Garage for the service and maintenance for my current and previously owned Alfa Romeo's, for five years. It is not the closest to me as I live 40 miles away, but I find their knowledge and working standards to be the best I have encountered in my many years of motoring. The Cars are always ready on time, they let me know how things are going and when it is ready to pick up. They give accurate quotes over the phone when booking ( Service and MOT ) and should anything else arise they let me know straight away , again with an accurate quote. Courtesy cars are also offered straight away.

Last week my daughter's Alfa Giulietta developed a problem - it's heater packed up. Booked it into Meridien Milano, Portsmouth, to get a price for repair. They came back to tell us that the heater blower was faulty and that it would cost.......... well over £ 900 for them to fix it. Ouch, not expecting that. Especially when the web describes this 'known problem' and how it can be fixed. Time for a second opinion. When we contacted Meridien Milano to let them know we were not happy about their proposed charge they announced, That's OK, just pay the £ 126 fee for diagnosing the fault and you can take the car. I felt I needed to take issue over this for three reasons. First of all, the chap at Meridien Milano who booked the car in never mentioned an hourly rate of £ 126 to be able to give us an estimate of the cost of repair. It wasn't written anywhere, it was never mentioned, and it was certainly never agreed. Secondly, from a little bit of Googling I found the likely fault and it was not that the heater blower had failed. It was a wiring problem, and at worst a small component would need replacing. Thirdly, the idea that the car was now theirs until their 'bill' was settled was quite unreasonable and untrue. In fact, there is no lawful right to require payment before the car is returned, even if the charge had been incurred with prior agreement unless a lien exists. Small Car Services, Bishop's Waltham were surprised at the size of the repair bill presented by Meridien Milano. One of their experts quickly found the fault - the connections had come loose - and fixed it, IN 5 MINUTES, FREE OF CHARGE.

I found the service in this garage average, and the prices high. The receptionist always says he's tried to ring me to let me know the car's ready, but its never resulted in my phone ringing. That has happened on more than one occasion. Best part of £180 for an oil change seems a tad expensive? Oh, it did have a new sump bung; must have been gold plated eh? I dislike putting up poor reviews, as its easy to criticize, but it may help other people making choices about who they use.