Sorry this is a bit of a rant, but I need to let off steam - heres my story.

I have been experiencing electrical problems with my 8 week old Octavia 1.9tdi estate. I won't go into the saga, but I am on first name terms with everyone at the AA and I now have my own parking space at a Skoda dealer, who fortunatley, happens to be right opposite my office.

The problems have culminated this morning in the car not starting again, for the second morning running, due to a flat battery. The AA very helpfully offered to deliver the car to the supplying dealer - who is not the dealer where I have my parking space. I think, well that dealer that has been unable to solve the issues, maybe the supplying dealer will be better. This option will leave me without a car all weekend, and I have a meeting at 9am on Monday, so the nice AA man offers to arrange a hire car under the AA Relay Plus scheme.

Problem 1 - I was silly enough to let the car breakdown at home - AA Relay Plus is not available to Skoda owners who breakdown at home.

Problem 2 - I phone Skoda Customer Services and speak to one of the most unhelpful customer services reps I have ever had the misfortune to talk to. He tells me that he won't authorise a hire car for me until my dealer has looked at the car, diagnosed the fault and estimated how long the car will be off the road. I ask to speak to the manager, I am told I am speaking to the manager, so I thank him for being so unhelpful and ring off.

Problem 3 - I phone the supplying dealer who tells me that he doesn't have any loan cars as the technicians take them home at weekends, but he is confident that if I take the car in, he can sort out the problem there and then.

The AA man jump starts the car and follows me to the dealer, armed with a list of the issues he has found. 5 minutes later service man comes out to declare no faults have been found by the diagnostics. AA man is still with me and unpacks his gear, takes it to the car and proves the problems to the service man and the technician.

Service man then says that the problems are because the car has a non Skoda battery on it - I tell him that the battery was fitted by the AA after the electrical problems, that I keep being told I haven't got, killed the original. Then he blames the problems on the non standard tow bar electrics and tells me to take the car to the place where I got the tow bar fitted - I tell him, that as the supplying dealer, I am already at the place where the tow bar was fitted.

Now the service man is stumped and declares he will need to keep the car to have a good look at it again on Monday.

Problem 4 - How am I going to get home? I ask. Thats your problem sir, he says.

Problem 5 - I tell him that I have spoken to the manager of Skoda Customer Services this morning and he has said that he needs confirmation of the problem and an idea of how long they will need the car for before authorising a hire car for me. Off service man goes to phone customer services, comes back a few minutes later to say the Skoda won't authorise hire cars at the weekend and that I need to phone them on Monday.

At this point, the only person who has been any help at all, the AA man, steps in and offers to give me a lift home.

So, here I am, the owner of a

This isn't going to be a particularly helpful post, just wanted to say that it sounds like a nightmare and I sympathise with the position you're in. Made me feel angry just reading all that. Good luck with it, hope it gets sorted soon

I was cought out by Skoda/AA when I drove my car to the dealer to have a problem fixed and they took it off the road while they waited for parts. If I had phoned them and let the AA take it in I was entitled to the free hire car, becuase I took it there I had to pay for the loan car.

It was an oil leak which damaged my newly laid block paving. Skoda have said they will bear the

Hope it gets sorted. If they still are unable to fix the car, you can reject it and either opt for a refund or a replacement. Feel free to write a review of the dealers in the reviews section on here too

Chris

It would seem your issue is with the dealer rather being unhelpfull than Skoda themselves.

IIRC the dealer should have relief cars supplied by Skoda for customers out of thier cars and they arent allowed to be used by staff for communting (true in our case anyhow).

That plain sucks. I would have never thought a Skoda dealer would behave in such a manner, especially considering the verabl torture has gone through all these years. Sure, they're owned by VW now, but that gives them no right, OR car manufacturer as a matter of fact, to bluntly refuse service and required help at any time during the period of ownership of a car, and in Paul's case, a brand new car at GBP15,000 (which here is a lot of money for a Skoda).

I hope it pulls through for you dude, keep your chin up, let them fix the car, if there are any problems, sell it off or ask for a refund and do your own thing

sounds like it may well be a non approved towbar bar wiring kit causing the problems i have heard of similar circumstances

It is pretty clear that the car was not of merchantable quality and not fit for purpose when it was sold, both of which the law requires any goods to be when bought. As such the supplier with whom you have the contract (the dealer not Skoda) is in breach of that contract. He is liable to you for damages that flow from that breach. I suspect any court would say that would include the cost of you having to hire a car whilst yours is off the road.

In any event yet another case of mindless "rules are rules" which has lost another customer. One of the oldest sayings in business is that it costs a lot more to find a new customer than it does to keep an existing one. Once again a business seems to have forgotten that.

just reject the car.

just reject the car.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/showthread.php?p=399460#post399460

Thanks for your support guys.

Daft thing is that, because I am so busy at work, rejecting a car is not really an option I want to pursue - I really don't have the time right now to be wandering around car showrooms. And if I reject, I'll have to pay for a hire car while I am organising a new one.

Lummox - I still believe that Skoda are at fault - they are the ones that have left me stranded. They are the ones who have a policy that if one of their cars breaks down at home, a hire car will not be supplied by the AA on Replay Plus. They are the ones that have a policy that if one of their cars breaks down at a weekend, a hire car will not be authorised until Monday.

I appreciate that intermittent electrical faults are a bugger to diagnose and I appreciate that demands on dealers loans cars are always high, so my gripes are not with the dealer, though I accept that is where the legal responsibility lies. I am happy to work with the dealer to sort the issues - but I need some wheels while that is happening - and Skodas rules won't provide one right now for me - or any other owner who happens to breakdown at home and/or on a weekend - and I regard that as a failure in Customer Service.

Whilst you might not want to reject now, if it isn't sorted soon and becomes more of an issue you might. Without putting the wheels (if you'll excuse the pun) in motion now you will ruin any chances at a later date.

You may not want to reject but it may be just the incentive they need to get move and apply some urgency.

I would get formal on it straight away, give them notice of your intention to reject but then allow them one further chance at fixing when they ask.

Even if you did have to make other arrangments whilst the a new car was being sourced it may well work out to be a better option. Also you could argue that if you reject but allow them to supply another they have your money and should provide you with some wheels.

Well the good news is that my request for a hire car was agreed yesterday - but while my dealer was trying to find a hire car to be delivered to me, stranded at home, they managed to fix the problem and the car was returned to me at noon 12.00 yesterday.

According to Customer Services, my expectations were too high - eight weeks after spending

Paul

I really think you should consider my advice mate. You have given them reasonable chance to fix the car. You need to be mobile and they need to give you a car until they are 100% sure that yours is fixed.

The even worse news is that I have gone to the car this morning and the problems are still there and the car won't start. According to Keith at the AA' date=' someone will be around by 9.10am - from my intimate knowledge of the AA, gained over the past few weeks, I think I have worked out their shift patterns, I reckon it will be Mike or John this morning.

Grrrrrr [/quote']

If I was in your shoes, I'd be rejecting the car now, asking for a full refund and looking elsewhere. You've hardly had it any time at all and you've given them ample opportunity to fix it, and it sounds like they're doing more damage each time the car is in. I would also write and complain to Skoda UK, copying the dealer, and also write a letter commending the AA (copying Skoda UK and the dealer if you like )...

Chris

If I was in your shoes' date=' I'd be rejecting the car now, asking for a full refund and looking elsewhere. You've hardly had it any time at all and you've given them ample opportunity to fix it, and it sounds like they're doing more damage each time the car is in. I would also write and complain to Skoda UK, copying the dealer, and also write a letter commending the AA (copying Skoda UK and the dealer if you like )...

Chris[/quote']

:iagree:

Very bad....

...one thing I've noticed is the mention of a non Skoda approved tow bar.....and that it is the cuase of the problem...the car supplying dealer fitted but did they also supply the tow bar?

If so surely then they a liable to sort the problem and I would assume it would exempt SUK from doing anything...unfortunately.

Have a chat with your local Citizens Advice Bureau to see where you stand.

Update:

It was Mike form the AA that turned up - he was so disgusted with the service I have had that he got on the phone to his manager, who authorised a hire car for me - even though I didn't qualify for one under Skodas rules beacuse I had broken down at home.

In the event it wasn't needed because by the time I had got the car to the dealer, they had found a loan car for me. If only the process had run so smoothly on Saturday, this thread would never have started.

So, I am now mobile - in an Octavia 1.9tdi Classic. It hasn't got air con, so I have probably guaranteed everyone some excellent hot weather over the next few days.

The tow bar electrics have been discounted as the source of the problem - I'll post more about that on the Octavia 2 board.

Friday is set to be the hotest on record!!!

I should check out the sale of goods act, it will come in useful if you wish to contest the suitability of the car, when we used it againt a Vauxhall dealer for my wifes car we got adiquatly compensated after the problem was fixed even though it had been in the garage for more time than it had been on the road.

Sorry guys but unless the dealer is feeling very charitable, rejection will not be an option after 8 weeks. Repair or replacment at seller's discretion is the initial entitlement, if neither can be arranged without undue inconvenience or delay then you can move on to consider a partial or full refund.

I did not find it very difficult when I rejected my Seat Leon..

That was started 3 months into ownership.. And would have been successfull

until a thief took it...

If the problems are as bad as this write letters to both the dealer principle

and Skoda Customer services stating you wish to formally reject the car.

Give them a time limit to respond or you will take further legal advice.

If you want them to attempt a final repair then state this also state if you want a new replacement or a refund..

The new guidelines give you at least six months, as it assumes that any faults occuring during this period were there from manufacture.

cheers

Dazz

If you can, get that turd of your driveway. I started legal proceddings against a Skoda Dealer when i rejected my first one. The dealers response to me having the audacity to complain about a car with defective brakes was to swear and insult me down the 'phone, but i soon had rid of that car. Go and see your CAB (or phone as they're usually busy and this will be quicker).

I have found every Skoda i have dealt with totally useless/unhelpful, which is why i won't buy another.

I'm sure the AA and RAC both have clauses in their breakdown conditions that say they won't fix your car at home, depending on the level of service you have.

Sorry to hear of your problems. Hope they do get resolved amicably eventually.

HotVRs - your name seems to indicate you have a Skoda - are you not pleased with the current one either?

Sorry guys but unless the dealer is feeling very charitable, rejection will not be an option after 8 weeks. Repair or replacment at seller's discretion is the initial entitlement, if neither can be arranged without undue inconvenience or delay then you can move on to consider a partial or full refund.

I don't think that is quite the law. All goods are supposed to be reasonably fit for purpose and of satisfactory quality. If not that is a breach of the contract. If that breach is fundamental enough the buyer can, if he wishes, terminate the contract, reject the goods and get his money back. However he only has a "reasonable" period to do so. What is "fundamental" enough and what is a "reasonable period" will be decided by the courts and will depend upon the circumstances of the case. If the breach is fundametal enough rejection within a reasonable period (with full refund) or repair or replacment is at the buyer's not the seller's discretion.

It certainly sounds like me that in this case the breach is fundamental enough. The question is one of the "reasonable period". That would be for the courts to decide but, given the seriousness of the problem and that the actions were taken as soon as the problem was known, I would not rule out the possibility that they would decide that the buyer is entitled to reject.