Alank51

Thanks again for all the extra advice, at least most of it. I have today received a reply from Skoda who have changed tack somewhat and not surprisingly have rejected the appeal against their decision. They have though rejected the appeal on different grounds excluding it on the basis that a heated seat consists of a number of twisted wires which on Page 7 of the approved warranty booklet excludes faulty wiring. In light of this I have asked them whether an alternator, as it also consists of coils of wire around the armature is also excluded. I shall not let this drop however and will if necessary take it to the Small Claims Court but prior to that as has been mentioned I shall quote the CRA 2015 regulations to them and in a kind and benevolent way offer them the opportunity to put it right. I won’t hold my breath. It is such a shame that the car ownership which I generally have enjoyed is let down by the hassle of having to go through this process.

Unfortunately these days the avoidance of responsibility is all too common until the point of disaster is reached. In the scheme of things my complaint is minuscule but it is the principle. Skoda refused to accept that the fault was electrical and didn’t exclude it on the basis of it being the seat. They rejected it in their own words as “trim” which as James says it is certainly not.

Thanks again for all the advice and interpretations.

Thank you. Yes, I did read the booklet and saw the exclusions. I thought as there was an explicit mention of the seat frame and then reference to seat trim with no exclusion of the heated seat pad it was worth seeing whether Skoda would accept it as electronic equipment as opposed to trim. In reality it is a cynical use of the grey area of wording and I am in the process of arguing it with them. So perhaps I am being premature in suggesting they will reject an appeal against their initial decision. I did buy it from a main dealers and that may become an option to chase if necessary. To be honest it has become a matter of principle as much as anything else that grey areas in wording are always used to the detriment of the customer. My annoyance was exacerbated by on Christmas Eve some kind hearted soul with a tow hitch reversing into the front grille and in the spirit of Christmas had driven off. To find that it is a complete bumper replacement or bumper off and plastic weld a new grille has not put me in the frame of mind to accept nit picking over wording. Thank you everyone for your comments/ suggestions.

Thank you I am new so don’t know my way around yet.

Has anyone had a similar problem under warranty claim? 3 months ago I bought a 2017 Octavia Scout with just over 32000 miles on the clock. First time of turning on heated driver’s seat backrest worked fine but base cushion nothing. Diagnosed by Skoda Dealer as burnt out mat. Claim under Approved Used Warranty was rejected as the seat mat has been classified as trim. Surely it should be classified as electrical equipment and not trim? I always considered seat trim to be the covering. Cost of replacing seat mat £500 plus.