He's more concerned they've been tracking his locations when working. They're in trouble if they have been.

Rather worrying, but in my experience (reading post-sales accounts of problems with cars, not just Mazdas), not the first time that chain of dealers has come up associated with less than stellar practices.

I recall wondering why cars sold (nearly new ones) by said group always appeared to be a decent amount under the competition, and I'm seemingly getting a good idea why.

I'm also wondering whether the buyer in this case should've also pushed for more than just a full refund, but compensation for time spent, fuel costs and punative damages, and perhaps they need to pass their experiences on to the authorities in order to investigate further.

I may speak to my local dealership (different franchise, thankfully) about this as they may not be aware of the situation (or at least to let them know that customers increasingly know about it) and to take steps to avoid such issues when PXing cars previously sold by AC or leased to that secondary firm.

What is odd is that when I checked the stock of second hand cars at my local main dealership, there was a Mazda3 that had a reasonable spec and not that old new (2019 latest model), but was listed about £2k - £3k less than other very similar models in stock, some older as well with higher mileage. Then I noticed that the car had 3 previous owners - that's barely one year each. I then started to wonder...

One thing I did mention to the OP on the other thread - admitedly after the fact (apologies as I should've mentioned it up front [and have done in the past]) that Mazda dealers are, in my view, like Ford dealers, very variable in quality, and you always need to do your homework to check to see if those you can potentially use are decent or not.

Unfortunately for the OP's brother, they made a very quick decision (more than I expected) to go for that Mazda and possibly got caught out. I do recall on the owners forum site some less than stellar reviews of AC and tales of poor experiences, and I'm glad that back in 2017 I did not choose to buy a (new / nearly new) car from them (I wasn't just considering a Mazda3, but a Golf and others).

The above is just my own personal opinions based on things I've read over recent years.I know that there are many decent Mazda dealerships out there, and sometimes it can be a matter of luck (with any dealership / make), including which sales person or mechanic you get at any one time.

This particular large dealer chain have in recent years lost the local Honda and Toyota franchises due to substandard customer service and now in my town they’ve also lost Ford which was a very busy dealership. When the man himself left the business it was clear very quickly that the money men were in charge. Previously the firm was known for offering good value, particularly on new or nearly new cars which they bulk bought then offered substantial savings to the public. Latterly they’ve not been any cheaper than rivals despite not offering a standard 6/12mth warranty (unlike most rivals) and in fact they’re usually dearer when you add in this cost. The standards of prep their used stock goes through has always been subpar but at least they were cheaper in the past, not now though. Speaking to one dealer principal a while back regarding the poor condition of some of his stock revealed that they are charged a fortune (near retail) to do paintwork repairs by their own body shop nearby. This deters dealers from properly prepping cars and minor paint defects are left as they are. They get a bare minimum through the workshops too, the least they can get away with. If a timing belt is due then you can be guaranteed that it won’t be done for example. The founder of the firm will be turning in his grave.

Indeed i bought a pre reg Golf GT TDI from them at a very decent discount approx 15yrs ago ( still own it ) . On the day i collected it from a Glasgow branch SIr A .... C himself turned up and during his walkaround inspection of his dealership spoke to my salesman and also thanked me for my purchase . The salesman advised that he turned up unannounced at one or two of his dealerships each day much to the various branch managers irritation . He was getting on even them but kept them on their toes . They were indeed excellent for pre reg deals for a good few years but not much else . Times seem to have changed