18 months in a disgusting abyss
Pros
Money is okay. Company Car
Cons
Context to my comments: I am nearly 30, and have worked for various companies (including sales and retail) before Pendragon. My complaints do not come from lack of experience. I have no ongoing dispute with Pendragon. I wasn’t forced out or have any personal vendetta. It really is this bad. Everyone hates car dealerships, and it's easier to understand why after working in an Evans Halshaw. Deeply toxic place to work. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to experience the crushing jaws of capitalism with visceral, soulless familiarity – this is the job and this is the company. Working 11 hour days for 6 days and receiving calls to come back into work on the 7th day. Employment law apparently stops at the entrance to any branch of Evans Halshaw. The description of this job as advertised compared to what it actually is, is laughable. Attempts to bring this to the attention of the head office HR/Personnel team is met with feigned concern, but you will soon realise they are indifferent to it. Much in the same way they do not care about a customer once they have signed a contract and paid their money, once they have you in their clutches they care much much less about you. Daily use of racist epithets being used about customers behind their back. Open sexism in the workplace is effectively encouraged for ‘morale’ (be prepared to have to assess every woman that walks past on her appearance). Levels of homophobia are almost hysterical. The kind of homophobia that makes you think it stems from self-hatred and being closeted. Again, HR/Personnel are unconcerned. It’s very obvious why most of your colleagues will be divorced. You have no work-life balance and will be a deeply unhappy person. Asserting your right to a life outside of work is seen as delusional and bratty. Unions and workers rights never happened in Pendragon. Seeing vulnerable customers being exploited, and you yourself being pressured to contribute (through fraud, basically) to someone’s descent into poverty. Borderline criminal activity at work, sometimes crossing into actual criminal activity. I have seen plenty of colleagues drink and/or drug-drive during the work day. The longer you work there the easier it is to understand why people come to work drunk. Being bullied by your manager, and your colleagues. And not in a subtle workplace way. Imagine how bullying works among 8 year olds in a playground and it’s more accurate. Didn’t happen to me personally… but many people get paid late, or are underpaid, and disputing this is a huge headache, as you would imagine. You will be treat like a naughty child at a Victorian workhouse. Small rookie mistakes are met with contempt and shouting. Stay 3 hours past your shift to help your colleagues and you’re met with apathy from management. Everyone around you will be stressed out of their mind, and will give the impression that any semblance of humanity, or ‘soul’, was ripped from them as part of some car finance agreement with the Devil and Death Himself years previously, and all is left now is a money grubbing husk in the shape of a person. That person is every colleague and every manager. After your 18 month ordeal, you will look on Glassdoor and notice that Pendragon has the cheek to post blatantly fake reviews of themselves. I met approx. 12 other graduates in the scheme and they ALL left the job within 6 months because this scheme is a nightmare. I was an idiot for staying there longer and it probably took a few years off my life.
