Servicing Stop - May 2026

Watchdog has been hearing from a number of Servicing Stop customers who say they've been charged more than initially quoted, in some cases, more than triple than it should have cost.

Nikki meets Sue who paid Servicing Stop £148.12, for an MOT and service at a garage in Cheshire. She didn't think anything was wrong with the car but then received a bill for £1600. The extra charges were for service advisories, which may be recommended during a service, but aren't essential. Sue says that Servicing Stop didn't make that clear to her.

Nikki also meets Claudia from Gloucester who had a similar problem last year. Servicing Stop charged £161 for the full service, but after Servicing Stop called Claudia and told her that there would be some additional charges, and that the total price would be £660. Claudia contacted the garage and it told her that the total cost for the service and advisories should have been less than £170. Claudia was offered a refund of £250, despite overcharging by nearly £500.

When we wrote to Servicing Stop, it told us it acts as an intermediary and any additional work identified by a garage is always presented to customers for approval before proceeding.

It told us that it has a duty of care to give feedback to the customer about any items that have been recommended by the garage, including items that may cause a safety risk in the future if left unattended.

In relation to Sue and Claudia, it told us that in line with standard procedure, they were advised of the recommendations prior to any work being carried out, and they gave their permission to proceed.

Finally, we were told that the cost of a service with Servicing Stop is cheaper than one from a franchise dealer, and that the company continues to support many thousands of satisfied customers.