A man is facing a 50-mile round trip to service his car after his booking was cancelled at a York garage at risk of closing.
Andrew Mortimer said he was shocked when the Vertu Mazda garage in Layerthorpe called him to cancel his annual service around a week after booking it.
He added he was disappointed to have been told to contact the Mazda garage in Harrogate which was inconvenient for him.
A spokesperson for Vertu said they had made the tough decision to look at closing the Layerthorpe site due to the state of the economy.
Mr Mortimer said he received a call from the garage on Thursday, 9 July shortly after booking his yearly service which was set to take place in August.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service : “The person who phoned told me that the garage was closing at the end of July.
“He recommended that I get in touch with the Mazda garage in Harrogate to re-book the service as it wasn’t something he could do.
“The call was somewhat of a shock as I only booked the service a week or so ago.
“Having to do the 50-mile round trip to Harrogate is inconvenient for me and I am sure many of the other Mazda owners in the York area.
“I chose Mazda for my car as the garage is local and convenient for repairs and service so am very disappointed with what has happened.”
Vertu’s spokesperson said the state of the economy was requiring them and other businesses to make tough decisions.
They said: “We are carefully reviewing the financial viability of our Mazda York dealership and have made the tough decision to enter consultation with our colleagues, with a view to potentially close the site.
“It would be improper to schedule customers for servicing beyond the date of the consultation.
“However, we are providing customers with details about meeting their ongoing service and warranty requirements.”
Vertu runs the BMW, Dacia, Mini and Renault dealerships in Clifton Moor Gate, along with an accident repair centre there.
It also operates Vauxhall and Volkswagen showrooms in St James Retail Park, Knaresborough, the Mazda garage in Harrogate and a number of sites in Leeds and further afield in Yorkshire.
