First experiance of bad service

[Jimb0]

Took my car in for some warrenty work on thursday.

Booked it in about 4weeks ago, 4 week wait as i needed a courtesy car to get back to sixthfrom.

Work to be carried out:

- Finding and resolving the noise from the engine when changing from 2nd to 3rd.
- Replacing the flaking vRS and Fabia badge on rear.
- Fixing the intermittant problem with the rear offside light. (tap it and it comes on)

So i pick up the car in the morning, a 1.2 fabia estate (brill i throught), 'we will give you a call when its ready', i was already told they had ordered the replacement badges which would take about 30mins to change, replace the light cluster would take the same, just depends on the engine noise.

Get a phone call at 4pm 'its ready sir'.

Pick car the car up after a whole day in repair, work carried out:

- replaced one bulb

excuses:

- "Couldn't locate the noise"

My thoughts: 'yes the noise has pritty much gone, whatever was making the noise has worn away, so i want to know what has worn away and what your going to do about it, i came in and reported the problem about the noise 4 weeks ago but you said there was no-one who could come test drive it with me to hear it, your problem not mine'.

excuses:

- "We forgot to order the badges"

My thoughts: 'is that new fabia vRS outside sold? no? ok well that has a vRS badge on it, take that one off, and put it on mine eh?'

Got into the car that night, has the light cluster issue been fixed? no.

What p1sses me off more, is that the courtesy car had absolutly no fuel in it, so i had to put £10 in it for me to get to collage and back, which it JUST did.

Im told i have to book it back in next week, should i ask for my fuel money back or a courtesy car with fuel already in it for my inconviniance. Or is this what i should expect from customer service from Skoda? (*cough* Capitol Skoda, Newport *cough*)

Just annoyed me so much during a week of high stress with exams, sadness as our horse died, and futher more i broke up with my girlfriend.

Not a happy chappy at the moment.

Sorry for blog.

[ScoobyChris]

If you're not happy with the way the dealer treated you, get in contact with Skoda Customer Services and let the dealer know you are doing so. You may find the dealer become a bit more helpful

Chris

[VRS_AML]

One of the reasons I got rid of mine - Skoda's are good cars but the service is appaling.

[sotonjoe]

If you reread your thream jimbo I think you may find one or two places that you're expecting a little too much.

Not saying you're 100% in the wrong but they're only human. They can't sort out a noise that they can't hear. Perhaps you should have made the effort to get them to go out on a drive wiht you once they did have someone thre as opposed to just booking it in - esp if you knew that the noise would 'stop' in the meantime.

With reagrds to swapping the badges over . did you set out your concerns to them whilst you were there and give them a chance to sort it?

Also, I've never been given a courtesy car with anything other than a dribble of fuel in it. They don't expect customers to return it full so why should they send it out full everytime. It's supposed to be to allow you to try and get on with your normal business, it's not a 'free ride' as it were.

[TeflonTom]

citygates is chichester are like that. took my fabia back to them because it had an erratic idle, but when they looked at it they said "they're supposed to run like that" they told me they changed the ht leads but they've obviously never been off before. it's a shame that dealer service departments are like this.

[Jimb0]

ok, i did ask them if someone would come out with me to hear the noise, but they didn't have time. I didn't know the noise was going to stop, and tbh i can still hear it at the right rpm.

I dont think im asking too much, its a brand new car, im 19 and ive spent for me a **** load of money on somthing i take so much pride in and i want it spot on. I was always under the impression the dealers would bend over backswards to help out their customers, they do so when they are trying to get you to buy it.

Maybe im just being very picky as im in a bad mood.

[VRS_AML]

JimbO - IMHO you're not being picky. If there is something on the vehicle that is not as it should be and you're unhappy with it, you have every right to expect it to be fixed. Especially if the dealer agreed to look into in by booking your car in for the warranty work.

Also I don't agree with Sotonjoe's comments on the courtesy car - when you hire a vehicle, does it come with an empty tank? And before you say that a courtesy car is free, where do you think some of the original purchase price and servicing costs go towards...

Good luck JimbO - make a bit of a fuss with the dealer and failing that, contact Skoda UK.

[sotonjoe]

Originally Posted by VRS_AML

JimbO - IMHO you're not being picky. If there is something on the vehicle that is not as it should be and you're unhappy with it, you have every right to expect it to be fixed. Especially if the dealer agreed to look into in by booking your car in for the warranty work.

Also I don't agree with Sotonjoe's comments on the courtesy car - when you hire a vehicle, does it come with an empty tank? And before you say that a courtesy car is free, where do you think some of the original purchase price and servicing costs go towards...

Good luck JimbO - make a bit of a fuss with the dealer and failing that, contact Skoda UK.

Maybe my dealer is really 'bad' then for never filling up courtesy cars. It's nothing like a hire car - they come with full tanks and you are expected to return them as such.

If dealers are going to start filling up courtesy cars then they would have to make you return them full also. I'd much rather collect one empty and put enough in to get me round for the day before returning it with whatever is left in it!

If you've had a number of courtesy cars in the past that have all come with full tanks of petrol you hsould think yourself very lucky imo. I've had numerous cars from honda, volvo and skoda dealers and I've never had one 'full up' yet.

[Jackoskoda]

I have never had a courtesy car with any appreciable amount of fuel in it and my local main dealer also wanted to charge me £12 per day for one (something to do with reducing the £1000 excess I would be liable for).

I recently left my car with this dealer (not using a courtesy car ) and told them they had to call me if any chargeable work was required, got a call to say car was ready and how would I like to settle the bill . This was the same garage who wanted £700 for a cambelt change and service on my last car . Took it elsewhere cost £360 !!

Sorry about the rant but I do think there is a huge difference to how much various dealers will do for you (or try to fleece you). At the end of the day if you are not happy with the dealers efforts/explanations get in touch with Skoda UK and copy the letter to the dealer.

[DRJ]

Originally Posted by Jimb0

What p1sses me off more, is that the courtesy car had absolutly no fuel in it, so i had to put £10 in it for me to get to collage and back, which it JUST did. Im told i have to book it back in next week, should i ask for my fuel money back or a courtesy car with fuel already in it for my inconviniance. Or is this what i should expect from customer service from Skoda? (*cough* Capitol Skoda, Newport *cough*)

I think that's entirely reasonable. I don't want service costs to be loaded on account of having to fuel courtesy cars. I am given a free courtesy car and accept the small cost of the fuel - which I'd have to use in my own car going to work in any case. Fortunately the Skoda dealer has a BP garage so putting fuel in isn't a problem.

I find the situation with the Skoda dealer MUCH better than the BMW dealer which gave out courtesy cars, but you had to arrange your own insurance cover on them!

The Subaru dealer and the Land Rover dealer would both collect the car though rather than me have to drive to the garage, something the Skoda dealer won't (I think).

[fordfan]

Noises are very tricky and time consuming to trace, intermittent noises are even harder to sort out.

Forgetting to order the badges, that is poor - you can't easily swap them from one car to another.

Fuel in the courtesy car, well where is the inconvenience?, if it has none you have to put some in, if it is full you have to re-fill it before taking it back. It is a courtesy car, which is meant to take out some of the inconvenience of your car going wrong. They are provided out of courtesy by the dealer at the dealers' expense.

At least the dealer is showing some common sense by not invoicing you for the bulb - which is a non warrantable item.

Best thing to do is get them to order replacement badges and a rear light bulb holder, get them to phone you when they have them and then arrange a time to have them fitted while you wait.

[Lummox]

Originally Posted by VRS_AML

One of the reasons I got rid of mine - Skoda's are good cars but the service is appaling.

Pretty harsh that. You been to all 130 odd dealers?

[Jimb0]

ok let me remake my point - they didn't actually fix anything on the car and asked me to take my car back next week.

Basically it cost me £10 (in fuel) for them to replace 1 bulb (which is still broke) (and and and.. its not the bulb thats faulty, its the whole light cluster! which is a warrenty job).

The argument that i would have used my own fuel anyway is null - i wouldn't have covered anywhere near that sort of milage, the dealership is 25miles away from me.

Now yeah £10 doensn't sound alot to loose, but at 19, full time student, part time job which just pays for your car (pride of your life), it is alot. Now i have to do the 50miles trip next week again.

Maybe im being over picky, lets call it the male version of PMS at the moment.

[Jimb0]

AND and and.. im not going to mention the fact that i had to have a £1500 excess on the bloody insurance provided on the flipping car, Eventhough i had my insurance documents on me which cover me to drive the car with my £400 excess, they wouldn't accept it, gees like i want to pay an extra £1100 when ive already got cover for it.

[HotVRs]

Originally Posted by VRS_AML

One of the reasons I got rid of mine - Skoda's are good cars but the service is appaling.

Couldn't agree more. I've tried 4 Skoda dealerships, 2 were very marginal, 1 certain dealer not far from Manchester City Centre was utterly dreadful and the worst customer experience of my entire life, the 4th is tolerable - just.

[agbasey]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your bad luck. All I can say is persist and be forceful (but fair). Skoda UK are def worth a call.

I have used two dealers since moving. The first mucked me about and i had to pay to isnsure their loan car. Whilst they did a good job on the service they were not that interested in warranty work esp rattles!!

Whilst I have had a few problems with the current dealer i am using (changed due to the other one not being up to scratch) they have to date solved all of them and Jim the after service manager has been top class (shamless plug for JCB Skoda Essex).

[cheezemonkhai]

Originally Posted by VRS_AML

One of the reasons I got rid of mine - Skoda's are good cars but the service is appaling.

One of the reasons I'm considering putting a focus on the drive to replace this octy rather than a new octy. Lovely car, but some (not all) of the dealers are utterly useless.

[HotVRs]

I'm thinking along the same lines, my supplying dealer didn't even fit the number plates correctly, and their response to a call regarding a fault was to swear down the 'phone. If it wasn't for the fact I have a requirement for a criminal record check to keep my job, a Manchester dealer would have an employee with a fist shape in his head.
The second dealer I drove away from after seeing one the mechanics get in a customers car (just seen them drop it off) and go wheel spinning up the road in it.
The next didn't order parts twice, so 2 wasted journeys, though to be fair they did spot a fault I hadn't noticed and made the brakes much better, and they didn't swear at me)
The last I visited was for parts which are held at the seperate service centre, where I witnessed mechanics drive in cars and handbrake turn them in the workshop to align them with the ramp.

This is why I'll never buy another Skoda, but then again, are the other networks any better...

Not saying all dealers are bad, just at least 3 of 4 I've visited. I feel sorry for those that do try to be accompanied by such cowboys, I thought they were meant to be relics from the bad old days.

Oh yes, Skoda UK are a waste of oxygen too, in my experience.

[sotonjoe]

Originally Posted by Jimb0

AND and and.. im not going to mention the fact that i had to have a £1500 excess on the bloody insurance provided on the flipping car, Eventhough i had my insurance documents on me which cover me to drive the car with my £400 excess, they wouldn't accept it, gees like i want to pay an extra £1100 when ive already got cover for it.

That's standard in my experience also.

[HellFire]

DM Keith in Leeds are excellent IMO. My car has had a few faults and is modified but they have never quibbled about fixing things under warranty that prehaps they shouldn't bar the seat base which whilst frustrating at the time I can see their point and in the end it was fixed anyway.

No complaints here, i've owned it for 18 months but feel like a change shortly, probably this time next year i'll be saying bye bye to my vRS for something different, but more than likely it'll be another Skoda or certainly a VAG (or if I get carried away a Megane 225 cup ).