Vertu Motors - BMW Sunderland Reviews 

From the second I ordered this guy it’s been a disaster. The salesman don’t know if the cars are for sale or not they’re rude non-courteous and don’t call you back. I would never buy a car from the dealership again as it is the worst experience I’ve ever ever suffered.

Absolute atrocious service experience. I bought a BMW Z4 from Vertu Sunderland last year, paying way over the odds on the basis that the car had a dealer warranty. My first attempt at warranty work came last October when the boot wouldn't close, and they couldn't get me an appointment for 8 weeks. I had to pay for the repair myself elsewhere to prevent any water damage in the boot.

Recently I had an issue with the drivers side windows not working, with a month left on the 12 month warranty. Rang their call centre, booked it in for warranty repair but they couldn't get me an appointment in less than a month, which took me past my 12 month warranty date. Don't worry, they said, you've raised the issue before the end of the warranty, it's still covered. However, turned up today to find out that they won't fix it under warranty because the warranty expired.

Absolutely shocking service, and I will never use Vertu again, and will actively advise people to do the same.

EDIT: Given the response from Vertu, and as I am unable to respond directly to them, let me just re-iterate - this is not a company you want to deal with. A 12 month warranty should be exactly that - not an 11 month warranty. If they can't book me in to have warranty work done in a reasonable timeframe, that shouldn't be my problem. It should be honored. And making up claims of abusive behaviour and threats of criminal damage is just desperate. AVOID these clowns.

Bought our brand new M3 Competition from this dealership and the service has been shocking overall. Had to fight to get a small amount of petrol put in before collection which we paid for. There was no effort made upon collection, not even so much as a cover put on the car and it was dripping wet, certainly not what you expect from BMW. We were then bombarded with messages etc regarding the customer service satisfaction email we were going to receive from BMW and how important it was to give 5 stars. After doing 5000 miles in the car we took it into Vertu to get it checked as the tyres were wearing excessively for how little it’s been driven. The technician lied by stating on video that our brake pads were 30% worn and that our tyres were only sent brand new with 5mm all round. After verifying the original video that was sent a month after collection for its running in service the tyres weren’t 5mm. We then took the car to an independent dealer and had the brake pads checked as it was very concerning on top of the issues with the tyres. They confirmed that they weren’t even 10% worn, and also stated that the tyres should have lasted much longer given the mileage and no signs of uneven wear etc. The service manager at Vertu also tried to lie regarding the tyres coming with 5mm even though she admitted “she wasn’t technically minded”. Complained to the manager and he wasn’t interested in how his staff conduct themselves at all. Not surprising that the overall attitude in this dealership mirrors those at the helm and if lying to customers is acceptable then that says it all.

The manager tried to offer me 20% off my next service if I bought it from them. I declined his very generous offer. I wouldn’t trust this dealership to put washer fluid in the right place!

I only bought my car from Vertu because it’s very local to me. You can get a better deal shopping around a little further afield and definitely better service.

That service department is an absolute joke!

Edit!

You were told to collect the tyres to be sent back to Pirelli, don’t make out like you were doing anyone a favour here. Pirelli stated they were within a “broad range” when I asked where that range begins and ends they refused to answer which says it all. They are known to be absolute rubbish which is why people state they “lost the tyre lottery” if they get them instead of Michelins.

It was not “misinformation” it was blatant lies which they recorded and sent me via video.

The two goodwill options were 1. To bring the car back to you for its next service and receive 20% off (when you know I paid for the service plan) 2. Have £100 towards merch in your dealership.

Notice nothing regarding any of the other poor customer experiences.

With this guy at the helm it’s no wonder they act the way they do,

involved in a accident hit from behind vertu repair centre Boldon Business park kept me informed at all times service excellent especially of Karen the Receptionist who was friendly and very Knowledgeable and very professional well done vertu motors Boldon BUSINESS park Tyne &wear

My review is based solely on BMW Motorrad Sunderland's service department.
29th march 2025

My bike was recovered to BMW Motorrad Sunderland twelve days ago. It has took twelve days to diagnose that my clutch is burnt out and to order a new one. I am now told that my parts are ordered and will be delivered to them middle of next week, I will not be holding my breath.

Every time I phoned for an update the phone is diverted to a call centre which they then send a message to the dealership. Sometimes it might take six hours to get a call back other times you don’t get a call back on two occasions I was told that they are too busy. (These calls are recorded)

Three days ago I also asked for a full factual report on their and Motorrad UKs findings that prove the issue with my bike was rider error, which I am still waiting.

To summarise I feel that this dealer ship is under staffed and has a result the customer doesn’t get the truth or service that they deserve.

Ordered car through NHS fleet. This was subsequently through Vertu. Car delivered 11 days ago with 5 scratches on the paintwork, large scratch on alloy, pen mark on steering wheel and chipped plastic panel interior. I did not accept delivery of the car. I am still chasing a reply and update on this from Vertu. After 12 days of multiple attempts to speak to someone they have made contact with me and are extremely apologetic. They have offered a gesture of good will and my car delivered next week in good order I’m told. Appreciate the gesture of good will but it should never have got to this.

My car was booked in for recall. It was booked nearly 8 weeks in advance having had multiple letters from BMW regarding the fault. Having took the day off from work to drop the car off and it being at the garage all day, I received a call to say that the work had not been completed due to unforeseen circumstances. There was no apology or any alternative vehicles I could have which resulted in me having to take the following day off work for the work to be completed. This is not the customer service I would expect from BMW and quite frankly I am disgusted with the attitude of the staff when I complained. Having lost 2 days wages for a fault with the car, I was offered a BMW backpack then issued with an invoice for the cost of said backpack. I am still awaiting a call from the manager. Avoid at all costs

DO NOT BUY FROM THIS GROUP

They are a joke!! Selling faulty brand new cars and not rectifying the issues

Had an awful experience even trying to collect my brand new car and then reported it being faulty after only owning it 2 days. They have tried to fix it twice unsuccessfully and are now trying to tell me that all cars manufactured after July 2024 (not just mine or BMW) the forward facing collision detection should deactivate in daylight, dusk, dark, mist, fog and rain and flash on and off like a Christmas tree or just stay deactivated making the cruise control very dangerous

I rejected the car in the 1st 30 days, they have tried to buy me out the car which they are saying isn’t faulty but not give me a full invoice refund. BMW financial services are now involved

This has been the worst experience I’ve ever had buying a car and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone!!!

Just visited the Boldon showroom and I’d strongly advise you to go elsewhere. The staff were appalling. There were around 6 members of staff in, yet not one of them approached us to ask if they could help. We asked to see the inside of the boot of one of the models but were told that the battery was dead. No offer to form a solution, no apology, no alternative suggestions. We asked to see another model to be told “it’s been sold, you can come outside if you like”. To try and find the same model in the carpark I presume? Followed the guy outside to be told “we’ve got none.” No further help or assistance offered. Asked if it was possible to test drive an i4 and told “we don’t have one”. End of conversation. Do these people actually want to sell cars?? Seems unlikely. Didn’t ask for our details, just wasn’t interested so we’ll take our business elsewhere and urge others to do that too. Absolutely appalling customer service. No wonder the place was empty!

Well where do I start with my experience with this company.

I had a warranty issue with my alloy wheel which had prematurely started to corrode. So I called the garage and spoke with the warranty clerk who said to just drop in as there was no need for a booking as they would just look at the alloy and take some photos of the concern.

I called into the garage and was then told
I needed to book in as what the warranty clerk had told me was wrong.

After booking the car in and leaving with them it was confirmed that the wheel was indeed faulty and would be replaced under warranty.

So I waited until the wheel came into stock and booked the car in again for the repair. This time I just left the wheel with them and used a spare wheel I had. After receiving a call to state the wheel was sorted I came to collect and was having a coffee in their reception area. The technician came out with the wheel and kindly said he would put it in my car whilst I finished my drink. So I didn’t check the wheel over at the garage. So a day or so later I was ready to fit the wheel to my car and thought I would check it to make sure it was ok. I noticed there was a small mark on one of the spokes of the wheel and also the centre hub also was damaged. I called the garage to explain this and was told to bring the wheel back to the garage. I took the wheel back and left it with them and then I waited and waited… no contact from the service team or manager. So I reached out to them and they said they were dealing with it. I then waited again and was then told they were going to repair the wheel which was brand new. I rejected this and said I wanted a replacement as it was received damaged.

They gave me some cock and bull story saying they would have to speak to BMW to ask them if they would replace the wheel. After another long wait they agreed. I was told the wheel was ready to collect and called
In to collect the new wheel. Unfortunately the wheel wasn’t actually ready and they said they would fit the tyre to the wheel so I had to wait again for this to be sorted.

I viewed the new wheel with the manager & technician and we checked over the wheel which I found had marks on the hub area (exactly where the original wheel had corrosion), I was assured by both of them that this wouldn’t affect corrosion. So I took their word for this, as I had been waiting over 6 weeks to collect the wheel and was running on a spare wheel (again I explained this to the garage but they were not interested in my safety)

I have reached out to BMW about this experience and they have said as they have gave me a goodwill gesture in replacing the damage warranty wheel they are unable to do anything to rectify my shoddy experience with their Brand! I have also not received my customer survey which surprise-surprise is a tactic they use to avoid getting poor CSI ratings.

All in all I would avoid giving this company your business and look elsewhere!

If I could give a minus score I would. I’ve never experienced such awful customer service ever. The garage was unbelievably rude and Mini head office customer service ( where you escalate complaints to, were even worse).
I have driven Mini’s for years but after this, I will never go near a Mini garage again, especially the Sunderland branch. Women beware!!

Dealt with Nicki price he was a true gentleman and very professional it was a pleasure from signing to handover he kept me informed by email and videos links he was the reason I ordered my car would recommend Nicki to everyone he is a credit to vertu and I won't hesitate to highly recommend him.

I bought my car brand new from this dealership.

Over a 2-3 year period, I had a recurring issue with the speakers in the car and the amp, and despite the car being covered by warranty the first two times, the third time, I had to pay over £700 for the exact same issue that should have been covered by warranty.

I was told it wasn't covered despite it being a recurring issue caused by damp affecting the amp, and the fault is caused by a known common fault with that car that allows the amp to get damp and it eventually has to be replaced.

I can prove this as I found documentation online and I proved this to the dealer. They actually build the car differently now to stop this very common fault from occurring.

However, what makes things worse is that the fault has still not been repaired despite being in the workshop for over nine weeks in total over 2 visits. Yes, I went 9 weeks without a car, as you wait weeks for your car to be booked into the dealer if you need a courtesy car.

So now I am over £700 out of pocket after paying for a fault that wasn't repaired and I have lost all faith in BMW.

But get this, I was told if I bought a new car they would give me the £700 back as a discount. Talk about rubbing it in...

Not one person from BMW has contacted me about this experience or seemed to care, and the dealership would not even let me speak to a manager as they were so busy.

The lady who has been dealing with me has been great (I don't want to reveal her name in case it stops this post from getting approved), but she said she could do no more to help and asked me to contact the official complaints department. I did this over three weeks ago and am still awaiting a response, so even the chain of command high up seems broken.

BMW, and especially the Sunderland dealership, have no concern for their customers, and for a premium brand, they really need to up their game.

The car has now been sold, and I'll never buy a BMW again.

I’ve just obtained a BMW 310r which I intend using for commuting to work purposes. I bought this excellent machine for a bargain price. It’s a 72 plate which just over 400 miles and it’s in a pristine new condition. Once again my point of contact for obtaining this bike was Steve, as always he sorted out all the finer details prior to delivery to my address (obviously didn’t want to get her dirty), great guy to deal with. Also big shout out for Darrin for delivering my 310, who knows my location quite well 😂 also thanks to all the other lads who checked my bike out prior to delivery. Also nice touch filling up the tank with fuel 👍

Bought a Mini Cooper from Kathryn in Sunderland. Great service and the car was immaculate. Picked us up from the train station and we were in and out and on our way in no time.

if i could give 0 stars i would.
I recently (1.5 weeks ago) purchased a water pump for my 2015 1 Series.
1 week after installation the part has failed and has cracked causing all of my coolant to pour out of the water pump. the reservoir itself will NOT hold coolant which means I cannot start my engine due a massive risk of cracking the head.
I phoned BMW Sunderland where I purchased the part to be told the only way I could have a replacement part was to DRIVE my car to BMW to have a tech check it had definitely failed. Problem being I CAN'T START MY CAR due to not having any coolant because the water pump EMPTIED the reservoir, and it won't hold coolant.
I told the guy on the phone we have already removed the part as the car is stationed outside of my home, to be told there is nothing he can do as they will not replace the part unless it is on the car, and I drive it to them. He did not want to listen to the fact that I CAN'T start my car my engine will blow. Now I work in the automotive industry and personally think this is absolutely appalling service, especially when I paid over the odds for the part itself.

I had a fantastic experience purchasing my 21 plate Mini Countryman All Four JCW at Vertu Motors (mini) Sunderland. Due to me being unable to view the car in person, Sales Advisor Josh Winter provided me with further detailed images and video, answering all of my questions and kept me updated about the progress of my sale. He answered any queries I had timeously and collected me from the train station for the short journey to the dealership.
Josh was knowledgeable, cheery and he made my car buying experience a great one.
I cannot praise him highly enough and would definately buy from Josh/ this dealership again.
Thank you for my wonderful (as described) car.

Extremely overpriced, unprofessional and misleading.
Do not use this garage.
There are a number of other German car specialists in the area that will give you a professional 5 star service without misleading you.

Purchased a car for my daughter from Josh in vertu mini, very easy and pleasant transaction from start to finish. Josh was extremely helpful and stayed in touch throughout the entire process. Highly recommended.

When looking to change to a mini countryman all my questions were answered by Paul Martin . He went above and beyond to ensure we were happy with the car. The handover was not rushed at all and clear explanations given . Very pleased with customer service and would definitely recommend to family and friends.