Play hardball - tell them you will take it but you will pay only 25% of the sunroof as its their mistake, otherwise you're taking your custom elsewhere. Let them know you'll give them 2 days to respond.

That way they have a way out, and you have a way of getting the car you want now, and with a nice extra for cheap.

Just don't take the car for service there ever...

Good luck

Bas

So having to wait over 3 months because of a mistake (and perhaps selling the old car as the new one is on its way etc) the customer should be inconvenienced?

Its up to the dealer to get your custom, you're the customer not them! Some people seem to think that by the dealer finding you a car they're doing YOU a favour????

Wrong way round IMO!

It's not about that. As i said, if the dealer already has 'fat' (or a good margin) in the deal i reckon they should swallow it. This may depend on their targets which effect their cost price on a % basis, or the price they have negotiated with the customer. If not, then they should expect the customer to pay around 1/3 or the retail if they want the car now, or give the customer the option to either place a factory order with them or go elsewhere.

If the customer has already sold their existing car perhaps the dealer should provide a courtessy, demo, or loan of a used stock car for the duration of the delay. That's a different matter though as it might not even be relevant.

There is also a possibility that Skoda should step in and help the dealer out, if there is any blame on their part.

At the end of the day, these dealers are, as i said, more often than not franchisees. Some of them are big companies with several dealerships (often in various marques) but others are smaller. You say why should the customer pay mroe if it isnt his fault? Well it might not be the dealer's fault - why should he pay?

Personally, if it was me i'd ask them to honour their original phone call, then i'd perhaps get in touch with Skoda, then offer to pay a percentage of the retail - 10% then 25% then 33% (assuming the retail upgrade is £625) and if they couldnt do that, i'd ask for a factory one (under a slightly beter deal than the one previously negotiated) or go elsewhere.

On going elsewhere though - presumably this is the local dealer and so it would be handy to use them for future servicing, etc, warranty work and so on and so i'd probably stick with them as:

a) otherwise there might be a significant drive to the nextdealer anyway.

if dealer 1 cannot find one in less than the factory lead time, it is unlikely that dealer 2 can - so it wont help get the car any quicker anyway.

or

the dealer gets a car that is already built which meets the customers order. If the car supplied has extras such as maxi-dot instead of the £665 sunroof then I'm sure the dealer could stand this small amount!

If the customer has already sold their existing car perhaps the dealer should provide a courtessy, demo, or loan of a used stock car for the duration of the delay. That's a different matter though as it might not even be relevant.

However, if the buyer is doing a part-exchange, he stands to own it for another 3 months, and put another 3 months mileage on it, and potentially lose on the trade-in value; I'd certainly want the original dealer to guarantee that (within reason - not if the buyer goes and puts an untypically large amount of miles on)

At the end of the day, these dealers are, as i said, more often than not franchisees. Some of them are big companies with several dealerships (often in various marques) but others are smaller. You say why should the customer pay mroe if it isnt his fault? Well it might not be the dealer's fault - why should he pay?

In which case presumably it's the fault of Skoda. But since the arrangement for the production and delivery of the car was between the dealer and Skoda, then it should be for the dealer to sort out that problem (and who pays for it), not the end buyer. If X and Y have conspired between them to "male hen" things up, it's unreasonable, although all too common, for Z to suffer.

Personally, if it was me i'd ask them to honour their original phone call, then i'd perhaps get in touch with Skoda, then offer to pay a percentage of the retail - 10% then 25% then 33% (assuming the retail upgrade is £625) and if they couldnt do that, i'd ask for a factory one (under a slightly beter deal than the one previously negotiated) or go elsewhere.

From my own point of view, as somebody who likes a sun roof, but is quite tall, I'd begrudgingly pay up to about £100, maybe even £150, so long as it didn't cause problems with my headroom. But I wouldn't be happy about it.

:iagree:

The other possibility is they've found someone willing to pay more for the car and they're trying to fob you off. :thumbdwn:

At which point walk as you don't want to business with them anyway.

Seriously I'd walk as they are just chancing it and when most dealers are offering very good prices to get anyone to even consider buying a car I'd not imagine they will let you walk.

If you say "I'll have my deposit back since you've broken our agreement and go elsewhere" i think they might think twice about being left with a depreciating asset on their forecourt and the delivery costs and give you that car anyway.

If you say "I'll have my deposit back since you've broken our agreement and go elsewhere" i think they might think twice about being left with a depreciating asset on their forecourt and the delivery costs and give you that car anyway.

It all depends what the agrement actual says! If the estimated delivery date stated on the agreement has not yet passed, and the dealer is going to supply a car to match the order, then the dealer has not broken the agreement....yet!

Obviously, without seeing the Ts and Cs on which the deal was struck, this is ****ing in the wind. But, I would have thought the dealer is breaching his side of the deal in essentially trying it on for a more expensive car.

Steve

I can understand the dealer, if they've done the guy a megadeal, for them to then have to give a £665 sunroof would mean their selling the car at a loss!

As for telling them to stick it!, I'd read the T&Cs of the order first as it may not be that simple. Probably best to try and get the dealer to offer to cancel the order.

There may be no cars availabe in the exactly the spec you want, but there might be something very very close!

That's what I was thinking, if you've nailed the salesman to the floor with discounts he has got no where to go with an overspecced car. Still someone should have noticed it had a sunroof when it was ordered into the companies stock.

my car came with a 'free' variable boot floor, we had discussed it during the speccing stage, but the dealership were happy to take the hit when it arrived with it and I hadnt specced it!

Thank you all for your thoughts and views, many of which align with my thinking.

I have re-iterated to the Dealer that the error lies within the Dealership or between Dealer and Manufacturer. I, as the Customer, should not be dragged into their problems.

The contract was for a specific vehicle, ie. the one the Dealer found that met the required spec and was waiting for shipment to the UK, with associated quick delivery. I am in principle prepared to accept the vehicle with sunroof (i.e. just need to be sure headroom is not an issue – thanks for this reminder) and so does the Dealer really want to be in a position where they are in breach of contract by refusing to supply the vehicle, or would they like to reconsider?

The answer, after review, is that they will supply, at the originally agreed price. An outbreak of common sense!

We should now be able to look forward to enjoying the car in a few days time.

Happy days then!

Piccies!!!

I suppose it was more viable them supplying the vehicle rather than have a depreciating asset on the forecourt and then having another built.

This is an interesting thread as it's something I'll have to bear in mind if I can afford to buy a new car in future.

Glad you got it sorted, enjoy your new car

I'm confident it was an honest mistake, however those of a sceptical mind might note that we are coming up to Sept quarter end and having a volume target to meet may have caused the itchy feet for the dealer one way or another, ie if he was one car away to do the deal in the first place, or if he's now met it, just to complete the deal, but if he wasn't going to get the Vb then he couldn't afford the loss.

A good job all round, sounds a cracker