Firstly I`m not the least bit happy with the time my new car is taking to deliver...I`ll cut a long story short for you,,,SUK  are clueless about anyone`s delivery shipment, which does give rise to many in the trade thinking as well, that VeeDub/Audi get pole position on the ferries from Emden and Skoda get the rest. This time they have surpassed themselves. 2 days ago they told the dealer, they havent a clue when it will be shipped but hoped, maybe, to get it to them by the middleish of August..

 

     Mucho chatter but I called them today and asked for a manager (mucho steamo)..was then told by the lovely operator who was good at answering phones but sadly not much else, that my Roomster had been shipped out of Germany a week ago and was still at sea and would be arriving shortly at Grimsby..obviously she hadnt majored in Geography..Must have thought Emden was in Korea   ...the precise journey time is about 18 hours...She then half conceded that it must have arrived in Grimsby (or elsewhere) and might be lost in the system 

 

    The dealer, forummer Ben Red (thanks Ben) took some time out to track down that it had just been loaded onto the `Schelde Highway` for departure from Emden to Grimsby tonight...SUK appear to have conceded the `crap customer care` point and have logged a complaint and I am going to get a call from a manager tomorrow (they are going to get both barrels and a demand for a goodwill gesture)

 

   I know a lot on here will agree with me, but they really need to train their staff to a higher degree and institute some better information systems and respect the customer a bit more for a start......Supposed to be run by the Germans???..more like Fred Karno`s

 

   OK rant over back on cruise control :love:

 

 

I love my Roomster, and it is on my list of options when I renew my car for May next year, but the down side is: could I go through the hassle and misinformation for six months from order to delivery again? I accepted a different colour but same spec after finding out there was no record of my order five months down the line. Involving SUK sorted out the problem as nothing else seemed to get any replies. This was after I was assured it would be delivered in 3 months from order. Love the car, not the dealer.

Know what you mean!!

I must admit we were very happy as our dealer Caffyns Ashford after we ordered kept us well informed. When we ordered it he went on line and told us there was one on the dockside in Emden and he had reserved it. He rang us up a week later to tell us it had arrived in Sheerness and it would be delivered to the dealership in three days. he then told us when it was at Caffyns and when we could pick it up.Great service. Sorry you are having trouble but they should give you something as a goodwill gesture.

I think you hit the nail on the head - the failing is in the information systems.  No way was that car ever going to sit on the dockside for a month waiting for a ship.  Your contact(s) was either badly informed or badly trained so couldn't find her way around the systems.

Re the shipping time your informer made a simple error - she saw what ship your car was booked on and looked up the wrong sailing - it probably did leave Emden a week ago but had probably made another couple of trips since then!  Crossing time is around 26hrs according to marinetraffic.com - don't know what the turnaround time in port is.

 

According to marinetraffic.com your ship docks in Grimsby at 19:15 today (25th July)

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?mmsi=355444000&centerx=1.778943&centery=53.6135&zoom=10&type_color=7

 

Just to balance the view for future researchers my delivery went like clockwork.  Car was delivered on time and fully to my spec.  Couldn't be happier!

Having watched Undercover Boss with the guy from Hyundai the other week I am not surprised. Hyundai have every single UK car arrive in Tilbury Docks and to manage this they employ one guy from an agency (on a weekly renewal contract) with a clipboard and some paper. It can take them hours to find which cars should go on which transporters to go to each dealer. 

 

It is amazing that with the value of the inventory involved they don't have to keep better track of it. Imagine making a claim to the your insurer and saying the car is somewhere between the factory and the dealer but I don't know where, they would just laugh at you.

Edited 25 July, 201312 yr by hertsnminds

Let us know when you finaly recieve the Roomster and hope you get some recompence for the crap customer care

Thanks Alex...still waiting for the call from SUK which just re inforces what they think of their customers....car arrived yesterday in Grimsby and got a call from the dealers last night asking if I could take delivery on the 1st August (to help their July figures) despite a clear agreement 2 days before that it would be 1st September .......you really do start to wonder.....Vauxhall dealer offered a great deal on a Meriva, any colour delivery within 1 week....

Don't think Audi get special treatment, we have the same trouble at work ( I work for an Audi Dealers ) and we can look on our "Audi" system to track cars and it can say at Emden, when it has just been delivered on the transporter!

Another thing to know is they can hold something like 25.000 cars there at busy times a car can be sitting on a back row, when its been called for transport on the boat and its blocked in by 25-30 cars it can often get overlooked because it takes to long to dig it out! When they can easily fill the boat.

Not ideal and very frustrating for us and customers.