Hmmm - suspect Big K will have something to say about these posts. From my humble point of view

(flame suit on):

1. If you buy something

Agreed, but this was a test drive on invitation. Best way to scare people away is by doing your best cheerful bit first and then beat them away or bad-mouth them off.

There are children that have become mentally ill by a likewise treatment by their mothers...

Nick - completely agree with your point about not getting the same service from a dealer that you didn't buy it from (i.e. perks, preferential treatment, courtesy cars etc etc). But, and this is a major but to me, if you buy a car with an official manufacturers warranty that requires you to get it serviced / fixed at a main dealer under warranty they should at least perform their part of the bargain (i.e. deal with the problem in the car). Would they honour your warranty if the car blew up cos you continued to drive with an engine warning light on? The dealer referred to above told my wife that it would be another two weeks before he could even look at the car (and she had already waited 8 days) - even then said he couldn't guarantee that he could fix it then. Is that reasonable?

I know a lot of this comes from the OTT requirements that some manufacturers put on their dealers (must have this type of decor / layout etc) which lead to their additional costs but the dealer has agreed to be part of the manufacturers network and IMHO must provide a suitable service. Unfortunatley, its one of the reasons that i have gone to non-main dealers as often they are quality outfits that have worked as a main dealer for years until they get fed up with these constant requirements and so "delist". This is certainly the case with Mercedes who effectively auctioned off their dealerships a few years ago completely sticthing up many dealers of long-standing.

Anyway, its not all dealers as I said above (which riles me even more ) - but it has meant that my mum who bought her Leon Cupra from the same said garage has now moved her car away following our experience and will not buy her next from them. As you said, what goes around comes around and I will never buy anything from them and have told everyone I know looking to buy a SEAT in the Canterbury area (6 or 7 people) to go to the "polite" dealer.

Anyway, apols and rant over I guess all our views get coloured most from bad experiences rather than good!

I've suffered from indifferent people skills with my dealer too - my wife got similar treatment on one occasion. A word with the salesman got that one seen to - I'm a potential returning customer to him ...

So I am completely in sympathy with your views on treatment and manners. It was only the service level expectation that I was not exactly disagreeing with, but trying to see from the dealer's perspective. What the first dealer in KentStu's case should have done was to point out politely that he was very busy (and looking at it from his point of view, which other customer should he annoy in order to get KentStu's wife's car in first) and suggest the other dealer may have an earlier slot. If he was feeling particularly customer-facing, he could have called up the other dealer and asked them if they could do him a favour.

The manufacturer/dealer relationship is a tricky one - I'm not in a position to comment really but I can sympathise with both sides (Mr Sit-on-the-fence ). The dealer signs up to provide a service, as you say.

I decided to call skoda today to find about my order, they told me the car has just been build last sunday, and will arive round about 10-14th June, WOOOOHOOOO the advantage of this is i dont need to panic about arriving before the cut off date for 0%. The downside is i need a bit more cash for the deposit!!! Ill manage! WHOOHOO

Sunday? Do they never get a day off then?

I guess it's a hard life in a communist state

Is it the old skoda factory, but updated by vag?

Anyone owned a skoda rapid turbo?

No, it's the "specials" factory that is making them hand-built...

Yes, something to brag about in the pub!

re. the rapid turbo no but may be doing rapid v8 twin turbo or even a jet rapid.

hand built you serious??? wow! 4x4's and vrs's are handbuilt??? hehehe im so excited!!

Day Tripper

The 4x4 , L&K and vRS are 'hand finished' in the factory at Vlachabi , using bare bodyshells built alongside the 'normal' octavia range at Mlada Boleslav.

I recieved a phone call yesterday from skoda horners, a lady in the finance dept asked if it is possible to meet today at 10am to sign the contract. Turned up at 10am, she wasnt there, waited till 10.30am still didnt turn up. I was chatting to the salesman, the car has been build and is at the port in grimbsy. It will take a futher 2 weeks for it to arrive.

I asked in the worst situation what if the car comes late, what would happen as regards to the 0%. The salesman skirted around the question, and until i asked for a yes or no answer basically he said "we would arrange a new finance package". Other words they will charge me interest.

I will not sign the finance docs until i see the car in front of me. But have now decided to call them tomorrow morning adv i wish to cancel, when asked why ill say insurance, will ask if they can offer 1 year free insurance. Im expecting a no answer. Once cancelled i doubt i would recieve my

day tripper

I have a Skoda new/used vehicle order form from Forward Motors which looks as if it is used by all Skoda dealers. Para 5 states: If you fail to take and pay for the goods within 21 days of notification that the goods are available for delivery, we may treat the contract as cancelled and keep any deposit paid by you. If you agreed with the dealer that you would only buy the car with the benefit of 0% finance, and that deal is not going to be available because the car is not available for registration by the cut-off date, then you could reasonably argue that your deposit should be returned in full. So what did you agree with the dealer?

It was agreed that the car to be ordered at 0% it states, it states i paid

I wouldnt sign any finance agreement before seeing the goods anyway. It sounds to me like they are trying to get you to sign early so that x person somewhere can meet some target.

Oh dear what a situation we have here...

First of all, if you have signed an order form, that is a binding contract, anything that is written on that order form forms parts of the contract, anything that was 'said' is less watertight. The dealer is perfectly entitled to keep your deposit and sue for any lost profit.

If you sign the finance documents and they are sent to the finance company and 'paid out' that is also a binding contract so you will have your 0% - however to get them paid out the dealer will have to provide an invoice and therefore register the car.

My biggest query in all this is the alleged two weeks to get from Grimsby - once the dealer has 'called the car across' from Grimsby it should be with him within 5 days (often less).

We have customers coming in this weekend to buy cars that are at Grimsby and they will get their 0% no problem.

I can see no reason why your deal should be at risk - don't cut off your nose to spite your face. I'm not sure why you are willing to lose

Originally posted by day tripper in this post

It was agreed that the car to be ordered at 0% it states, it states i paid

day tripper

So far your plans or otherwise to buy a vRS have generated 174 posts in this and the related Insurance thread plus over 3000 views. Please put us all out of our misery and make a decision soon! :(

LOL sorry you should see how stressed I am. Tomorrow I will call direct line to see if they can confirm the online quote if they do then I will keep the order. If not then im afriad ill have to cancel.

Of course I want the car, but if the insurance is not right then i will cancel. Yes i should have checked the insurance first and I did. Which at the time was

Daytripper, don't just cancel cos DL might increase their premiums... check some other insurers too, even though you might have had a quote from them already. Do it by phone and let them do all the asking. It might be painfull for a few hours hanging on the phone, but believe me, once you won that vRS you'll soon have forgotten that pain

Can you remember the date you called, Direct Line may record calls.

Also try

Liverpool & Victoria (they were cheap on Imprezas so you never know)

Barclays Direct

Norwich Union Direct

Adrian Flux (Broker specialising in Risky & young drivers & modded cars)

Try also Tescos + ask all how much cheaper if you fit a tracker

Then try looking at the thread below on Scoobynet, Go to the post by simb 2 & hit the clickys this should give you plenty to try NOTE try BOTH Clickys

http://www.scoobynet.co.uk/bbs/thread.asp?threadid=219680

Stuart

Actually, when I first went with Direct Line, I was living in flats in a house - so it was "flat 3, 6....",

which I couldn't enter on the DL system online. So I phoned them up, they told me to do the

webquote as I'd get a 5% discount for doing it online, then call them to change the details thus

keeping the discount.

The price they quoted me *after* I'd phoned them up was 200 quid cheaper than that which I'd

seen on screen! Mind you, that was the difference between 1400 and 1200...

Rob.

I AM KEEPING!!!

Called direct line today and they gave me a near enough quote to the online price which i reduced by a

I'm almost certain that the finance papers will outlay your installments (i.e. first month pay