Just over a month ago, I received an enquiry from a local lady whose daughter has Down Syndrome and severe autism. She was asking if she could ‘rent’ a Phantom to take her daughter to her Prom.

Of course, we would never dream of ‘renting’ her anything and agreed for me to collect her daughter on Wednesday evening and for me to take her, her daughter Grace and Grace’s dad to the Prom.

Charlotte immediately volunteered to help me out, organised flowers, a prom gift and some make up for Grace and also came with me on the evening to help out – which was welcome considering there were around 60 people outside the house when we arrived – I’m pretty sure she’d have driven the Phantom herself had she been over 25!

The customer sent Charlotte & I the email below that evening, along with some lovely photos that I'm unable to attach here, but have forwarded to Lara via email. Dear Craig and Charlotte We really can’t thank you enough for the amazing evening you have given Grace (and me and Martin ). The car was amazing,  Grace absolutely loved it and you really went above and beyond with her beautiful gifts and flowers. Grace has spent a fair amount of time in and out of Great Ormond St children's hospital so tonight was a big thing for her. You made it so special. Many many thanks again. Kind regards Jo, Martin and Lady Grace
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A customer came to the dealership for the 60th Anniversary drive out but as his Lamborghini failed was going to attend in his Range Rover so as to not miss the day. Chris offered to go out to the customer on Saturday and attempt to get it started. Chris went out and got the car started. The customer then drove and caught up with the other Lamborghinis resulting in the customer being part of the 382 recorded attendance! The customer came over to me at the event and was buzzing to have made it to the event in the car. The customer has also left a 5-star Google review.

The customer in the past had purchased a purple Rolls Royce Dawn and the customer had painted her nail to match the colour.  Renee got the colour swatch of the Aventador the customer has chosen  and then  purchased the matching colour nail polish! She then arranged for the polish to be put in a presentation box along with a picture of the customer’s Aventador!
Class act!

Handover is on the 28th of April but knowing the customer quite well she/they will be so pleased with this thoughtful gift.
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Jake had collected our customer’s vehicle from home on his way to work in the morning. During the conversation, the customer had outlined their plans for the day as it was his wife’s Birthday. They had planned a champagne breakfast at a nice restaurant in Derbyshire. This customer had spent circa £4k with us in the last two years.

Jake called the restaurant and agreed for the account to be settled by our accountant (circa £70.00). When the customer asked for the bill when they had finished, the waitress announced it had already been taken care of by Aston Martin Nottingham. Both the customer and his wife were overwhelmed and called from the car park to say that nothing like this had ever happened to them before! Absolutely delighted.

Overwhelmed, delighted and made a special day even more special.
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Ewan & Megan came together to create a memorable handover for one of our Top clients.

They were in collecting their 2 of many cars they have (a collection of over 20 including Bugatti)

Ewan set the cars up in the showroom, blocked them off with ropes and poles creating a VIP section in the showroom.

Ewan had remembered from his interaction with the client, he is building a garage and calling it his Bakcave ( all his plates are BAK***) He found the client’s logo and put it on the big screen for his arrival.

The client came with many friends and family, and they were all blown away.

The family commented saying, they have collected many cars, but never experienced anything like this. The client reached out to Sid separately to thank the team for going above and beyond commenting the whole family will remember along with their social media followers as they streamed the whole thing.
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We recently delivered a new Ferrari 296 GTB to Mr Jordan. Mr Jordan is a well-known Sytner customer locally and has a collection of supercars all from Sytner including Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini with a collection of around 15 cars which he changes regularly.

As the customer has a very individual specification and he was enjoying his new Ferrari so much he can’t stop driving it, we felt that we wanted to recognise this with something different. Bethany is a keen artist in her spare time and she decided it would be so special to draw him a personalised picture of his Ferrari. Bethany spent over a week drawing a stunning image exactly to the customer’s specifications, down to the finest detail including his cherished plate. We then framed the image and presented it to him on his next visit. The customer was clearly overwhelmed by this gesture as nobody had ever done such a thing for him before.

Mr Jordan was amazed by not only the thought but also the detail in the image. He couldn't wait to show his wife and friends and that the picture was going "take pride of place in his car storage unit"
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Our sales team recently sold a McLaren GT in early October. It is the customer’s first McLaren and after a few days of ownership, he rang Aftersales concerned about why the car would not start and a few other questions.

Sam ran through the procedure for the key with the customer but could sense that customer had lots of technical questions rather than operational ones. On hearing the call Andy offered to visit the customer in Darwen (approx. 2 hours from the dealership) and run through the systems. Andy did this the next day and spent over 2 hours with the customer.

The customer rang me on 31/10/22 to say thank you for sending Andy. The customer said he answered all his questions in a professional and knowledgeable manner and couldn’t have been more helpful. He didn’t rush and spent as much time as was necessary. The customer said this was beyond any service he had received before and was now confident with his McLaren and was enjoying his ownership experience.

One of our very loyal and lovely customers Mike collected his fantastic new vehicle.  Julie discovered it would be his birthday a couple of days later, so she and James, the Sales Executive, wanted to give him something special and personal.

Julie popped out to a local farm shop and handpicked items to produce a lovely bespoke luxury hamper that she knew he would love including champagne, Truffles, Gin etc ….

He was so delighted he invited Julie and James to his birthday celebrations 
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Mr Gill worked with us to pick his Taycan up today – his first car with us. He really wanted a 911 turbo but isn’t quite there yet so Alex helped him spec up his Taycan just like the 911 he would eventually want…

The customer has brought his family down to collect the car and loves it. Alex gave him a personalised handover gift – his favourite bottle of whiskey…. Not only this but he has had the bottle engraved with the customer’s name to commemorate the special day
Honestly, the customer welled up and I’m sure is a customer of Alex’s for life!!!

Mr Gill Said to me personally " Alex has been the best person I have dealt with in any business not just car dealerships, He's taken service to the next level "
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Our customer Mr Phillip French had been looking to change from his Jaguar to a Bentley for a while. He came into the business but the car he initially was looking at had been sold. Arran with much tenacity found a special car for Mr French and he went for it.

During the transaction, they had spoken about Burton On Trent and how Mr French likes the local ales. When the time came to collect the car, Arran chauffer drove him here in our Bentley Flying Spur which blew the chap’s socks off.

To conclude Arran arranged an engraved tankard and some local ales as a handover gift. The client was blown aware and very emotional…
Great job Arran.

What a wonderful experience buying a car from this company. Everyone has been a pleasure to deal with during the whole purchasing process. In particular, my special thanks go to Mr Arran Ashman who has been an absolute delight to deal with and has gone over and above to ensure everything went smoothly. I’ve no hesitation in recommending Arran and the team should you be considering joining the Bentley family. Philip French.  24/09/2022 20:12
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We had this email come through to the dealership early July. We had no idea who it was until we went on to CCTV and found out it was Rob. Something so simple and kind but clearly meant a lot to this person. Well done Rob!!!

I would like you, if possible, to convey my thanks to one of your employees. I’ll try to keep this bit short. At 08.30 this morning I left B&Q which is around the corner from you carrying 3 tubs of fence paint (36 litres). Not the best idea for a man of nearly 60, I was going to Honda dealership to fetch my car. At 09.00 I reached your dealership, I had to keep stopping to let my heart rate slow down and fingers to start working again. Anyway at 09.00 one of your staff was pulling away from the yard in a grey Maserati, he saw me and stopped, wound his passenger window and asked me if I was ok. I told him what I was doing and why I was struggling and he told me he thought I was having a heart attack and was checking if I needed help, he then offered to let me leave all my fence paint at the dealership so I could fetch my car and come and pick it up. All the way from B&Q to Honda I was in difficulty due to the weight and size of the tubs, (my fault for doing it) but your staff member was the only person who stopped to check on me and make sure I was alright. Please can find him and thank him. He is a credit to your company.

Mr Skilton was experiencing charging issues with his Taycan, Andy dealt with the customer from start to finish and worked with the customer to identify the issues. This involved visiting the exact chargers the customer uses in Maidstone and Cobham to identify if it was an issue with the car or chargers. None of these chargers were local and Andy offered to do this in his own time during the evenings. Going above and beyond is an understatement.

On 2 occasions Jamie has wowed customers who have wanted to see the workshop. Firstly, a McLaren customer came to see his McLaren being worked on by Jamie and brought along his grandson. Jamie not only explained the work carried out to the customer but made a special fuss of the grandson finding out he one day wanted to be a technician. Jamie then presented the grandson with a toy McLaren car which he keeps on his workbench. The grandson sent a lovely thank you card to Jamie.

On the second occasion, Sam Britland-Jones spotted on CCTV a young boy and his mum every night peering through the gates at the cars on site. He investigated and found out it was a local resident who has an autistic son who is fascinated with cars. Sam contacted them and told them to call in during working hours. He gave the mother & son a full tour and again, Jamie spent time with the son explaining how cars work and even letting him sit inside a McLaren Senna. Jamie again presented the son with a model car from his ramp and he was delighted.

We have been down to  oneValeter at Ferrari. Angus comes in really early every morning and leaves well after his finish time. He has ensured our standards have been maintained as well as ensuring the cars in the showroom are still valeted.
He has given up his weekends to ensure no car is left.

He has not compromised on standards. Angus is always looking to ensure cars are ready on time.

Angus really is demonstrating a one-team ethos and we wanted to recognise his hard work and commitment.

Fantastic Job by Georgia encapsulating the Making It Special process:

Dear Nick,

I wanted to write to you to give you some feedback and to recognise some of your outstanding team at Graypaul Maserati Nottingham. My experience over the last two weeks has been the most impressive experience buying a car ever. I would like to particularly recognise Georgia Snowden who orchestrated the sales process. She was very ably supported by Emily who managed the test drive, Lee who managed and lead the team onsite and Gareth who managed the financial aspects. Everybody we met exuded pride in the dealership and created an excellent, efficient and friendly environment. Nothing was too much trouble.

I will tell the story in brief with bullet points to try to be as succinct as possible.

• Did initial research on the Maserati used car site and came across the Levante that had the colour combination and spec I was looking for after looking on and off for a while.

• My wife contacted Georgia to enquire about the panoramic roof to check if it was an opening roof. Georgia confirmed this and, unprompted sent a very nice video of the car with a focus on the roof and blind operation. No pushy follow-up, just the video and any questions contact me.

• Rang Georgia to set up a test drive which was done quickly and booked at my convenience.

• She asked in advance if we had a car to exchange as she wanted to make things easier administratively if so.

• We drove up from Reading to Nottingham and we were warmly welcomed by Lee and then met the reception staff and we were looked after with coffee by Emily at the reception desk. They created an excellent first impression and realised we had driven a good distance so they let us settle in and gave us time to enjoy coffee etc.

• Emily arrived and managed the insurance particulars and Lee advised that Georgia was on her day off but was coming in especially to meet us. That’s going the extra mile.

• The test drive was thorough and efficient with an excellent overview of the car’s features and I was able to drive on roads to get a good feel for the car.

• Back in the dealership we had another coffee and Lee completed the financial details with a fair price for my Range Rover Sport. Without being pushy he carefully explained the gap insurance and the value of GTechniq protection for the interior and exterior of the car.

• We concluded the deal and Georgia was on hand with all the paperwork to make it a smooth and seamless transaction.

• Date for the collection was agreed and four days later I arrived at the dealership for collection.

• Final paperwork was signed quickly. My Range Rover details were confirmed and then to the Reveal.

• I had a 45-minute business call I had to take so I was given a lovely private meeting room and coffee.

• I have never either buying a new or used car had a reveal where the car was fully draped and a plinth saying reserved for collection Mr and Mrs Colehan.

• The car looked stunning and the prep had been outstanding. Georgia gave me a full run through all the controls and set up my phone connection to the car and we ran through all the key settings. Ready for off.

• If that was not enough Georgia presented me with a Jo Malone gift for my wife and a Maserati mug for me.

• Journey home was fabulous and a call from Georgia 24 hours after to check all was ok was the final part of outstanding service

• Life is great with my new pride and joy, the Levante.

I wanted to write in detail and you might say… “that’s the service we give all our customers at Maserati”

For my wife and I, it was truly a unique experience so much more personal than at BMW, Mercedes Jaguar and LandRover where service is efficient and courteous but transactional. The team in Nottingham made us both feel very special, helped us buy into the Maserati brand and cultivated a special customer relationship.

I do hope that you will recognise the team for the outstanding work that they do. This was the best experience I have had buying cars over the last 35 years anywhere.

Best wishes to you and the team Nick.

Kind regards

Damian

For my wife and I, it was truly a unique experience.
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Emily wanted to make the purchase of a client’s first Ferrari extra special on handover.
The client had been in several times and was born and bred from Rotherham. Whilst chatting to the client, the conversation got on to famous people from Rotherham, and the Chuckle Brothers came up. Prior to handover, Emily had ordered the client a personal video message from Paul Chuckle congratulating him on the purchase of his first Ferrari. The reaction of the client was fantastic, saying that no one had ever done anything like this for a car before and was blown away.

Congratulations to Emily for thinking outside the box of the “usual” handover gift.

Our customer has had multiple cars from Sytner, so the handover gifts become harder and harder.

He does however love Ferraris and his Granddaughters more than anything.

Lucy has arranged for two Build-a-Bears to be made for the client. She has then sent the T-Shirts away to have them stitched with the client’s granddaughters names, a Cavallino and the Tricolore.

What an amazing gift and will bring the clients love for cars and being a grandfather closer together.

Thanks
Stuart

Feedback from the customer that Andrew met during a road test and fuelling a Lamborghini. Please see below the email sent to the dealership from the customer.

Hi Dominic

I would like to acknowledge one of your members of staff. The member was called Andy and is one of your mechanics.
My son Josh met Andy when he was filling up a Lamborghini at the petrol station.

Josh is 9 and is a really really big fan of Lamborghini. We were on our way back to Edinburgh sick Children’s hospital where Josh has spent the last 17 weeks after having a bleed on his brain which left him paralysed down his right side. He has managed to regain most of his right movement back but not all. He has been through two brain surgeries and was due to be discharged last Friday after a routine scan. Unfortunately on the scan, it picked up an abnormality and he was told he would have to have yet another brain surgery on Wednesday, hence the reason for our return to the hospital.
At the time Josh was so happy to see the car and asked me if he could have a look, I asked your mechanic and he said Josh could but to be careful. I lifted Josh over to see the car, Andy was so nice to him and chatted to us and asked Josh if he liked the car and Lamborghinis. We were chatting and Josh told Andy a bit of what had happened to him.
Andy was so nice and understanding and took time out of his day to show Josh the car and make a young boy’s day. This may not mean a lot to some but to him it really has. It has made him that little bit happier on what’s not a great day for him.

There is a lot going on but trust me when something deserves recognition I will always do so. What Andy did today has really made Josh’s day and show that from a brand like Lamborghini anything is possible. You should be so proud of him as an employee, he didn’t have to take the time but he did. And also thank you for taking the time to respond. We very much appreciate it.

I would also like to say it’s a real credit to you, your garage and your staff for being so approachable and friendly.
Again could you pass on my appreciation and thanks to Andy the mechanic for his time. Hope this is ok and you can realise just how good this is and for a big brand to do.

Thank you

Ben

Over the past 2 years a customer Lord Royale has become a friend of the dealership regularly visiting Sam for a coffee. A few months ago he purchased a ride on McLaren 720 for his Granddaughter as a present. Before he had the chance to give the gift they suffered a tragic suicide in the family. Lord Royale and his family were devastated. On one of his weekly coffee visit 2 weeks ago Sam reminded Lord Royale of the ride on car for his granddaughter and suggested they make a fuss of his Granddaughter and create a special handover. This quickly escalated into the ride on car being built up and delivered to the McLaren showroom for the Granddaughter’s 3rd birthday. Sam and Julie purchased balloons, a caterpillar cake and banners and even put her own private number plate on the ride on McLaren. This morning the Granddaughter, her parents and Lord Royale were invited to the McLaren showroom where Sam and Julie unveiled the 720 ride on. Hazel, the granddaughter was absolutely delighted and there wasn’t a dry eye in the showroom. What made it even more special for Sam was Lord Royale’s daughter actually pulled Sam to one side and thanked him for looking after her Dad who since the suicide has been extremely lonely and really appreciates the time he gets to spend at the dealership.

Jordan recently contacted Mr and Mrs Bowley, longstanding Graypaul customers from the Loughborough days, to discuss the benefits of the My Ferrari App with them. Despite numerous attempts to download the app and not being very tech-savvy, the Bowleys were struggling to activate it. Jordan understood their frustrations and for a quick resolution that wouldn’t put the customer out, he offered to visit them on his way home one evening to try and troubleshoot the issues they were having, Mr and Mrs Bowley were delighted with this and they arranged a convenient date and time.

Jordan visited the Bowleys on Friday 2nd December at their home and ahead of his visit even sourced them a Ferrari gift to thank them for their patience with the app. Within a few attempts, he managed to successfully activate the app for them, they were delighted that they could see all of the previous Ferraris they have owned and enjoyed reminiscing about the ‘good old days of Graypaul Loughborough’ with Jordan over a cup of tea.

During the conversation, Mr Bowley happened to mention a slight concern with his 458 and so Jordan immediately rang a member of the service team and passed the phone to Mr Bowley so we could offer advice and assure Mr Bowley that all is ok with his much-loved prancing horse. The visit was ended with Mr and Mrs Bowley being incredibly happy and Jordan has had an invite for tea and biscuits anytime!