Arnold Clark Inverness

[KenONeill]

@Granttd73 - More like 30s in the yard or workshop with a trolley jack or a wheel-free. (based on actual event)

[Ootohere]

How many miles did the car do from dropped off to collected,

was it 2 hours driving at an average 40 mph, so 80 miles done, or more?

What are you supposed to pay for 10 litres of fuel for their little jaunt as well as £45 plus VAT on 30 minutes labour?

 

They are at it!

[Granttd73]

This would obviously be the only time I never took note of the mileage!

Still waiting for Skoda to respond,...........

 

[Ootohere]

OK.

The receptionist hopefully wrote the mileage on the worksheet when the car was handed over and the keys and when they came out and inspected the car for any damage.

Then obviously the Technician clocked out as they left on a road test or several road tests and that will show on their time card and the work sheet.

 

But then it is Arnold Clark and Arnold Clark Inverness in particular so that is highly unlikely.

Any proper Customer Service and good practice just a wish and a dream.

 

Do you have you communication with the Dealer Principal at the Branch?

Always in writing as you want as well with Skoda UK Customer Services Communications Managers, not just Call Handlers.

http://skoda.co.uk/about-us/contact-us 

Always the same through, we can not tell our 'Franchised and Approved Dealerships' what to do, if they are chancers that is OK with Skoda UK.

Edited 3 August, 2018 by Offski

[Corrieman]

On 23/07/2018 at 10:07, Granttd73 said:

Hi, 

I will contact them as soon as I get back, away down south just now.

I will also be asking the dealer why they switched my dashcam off!

Any diagnostics apparently requires dashcam to be dusconnected. Has happened to me on 2 occasions

[Guest]

Unless it is how you have it powered, I cannot see any reason as to why it has to be switched off? 

 

Both the dealerships I use are fully aware that I have hardwired dashcams fitted to my vehicle, and in the 4 or 5 years they've been installed, not once have they been switched off by them, or have I been asked to switch them off. 

 

Thanks to the dashcams I've caught them washing my vehicle with a brush (even though they know not to wash it at all) go through a red light, go into my boot when there was no need to, and basically rag the nuts off my vehicle during a 'road test'. 

[Granttd73]

Hi, 

The dash cam is hard wired, and they would not of had to connect to the car to diagnose a wheel bearing and the cambelt tensioner

[Granttd73]

So the plot thickens, 

Car is in another dealership, Victoria Garage in Maud, an hour and a halfs drive away.

They have changed the cambelt and alternator tensioner and the noise has gone!.

But when the garage tried to get the repairs authorised, they were told that the car had already had a cambelt.

So Arnold clark appears to have charged the warranty company for a cambelt, and not fitted it.

So another reason to avoid arnold clark!!!!!!!

I will be speaking to Skoda and VWFS warranty about this

On the plus side, seem to have found a good dealer! 

[Ootohere]

They get customers from all around the North East because of their reputation well earned.

[Granttd73]

So since getting my car back i have spoken to two more skoda drivers, both that have had nothing but trouble with Arnold Clark Inverness, Both given Victoria garages number.

[fabdavrav]

When I needed to replace my 14yr old Fabia I went to Hawco & bought a VW Golf......

 

 

I have seen way less Skodas in the Inverness area since AC bought Delmore…..PS most of the original Delmore staff left..& the mechanics are just the Peugeot ones.....thick as anything…...

[Guest]

Just reading this post. It's harder than ever to avoid Arnie north of the border as he's taken over everywhere. From a personal point of view I think their sales have improved no end - I used to hate dealing with them, but their service depo has always had a reputation of cost cutting.  I bought a SEAT from them in 2016 but when it came to getting prices for it's 1st oil change...  oh dear. Without going in to detail, the bull* they were trying to tell me about servicing. Thing is I called all four of Arnies SEAT branches and they all gave me a different story about service requirements. Hadn't been near their servicing since they ruined my Volvo in 2002 - thought like their sales, service might have improved but I guess not.  They successfully had a website removed which was pretty hard hitting - hundreds of stories from ex-employees as well as customers.

 

The dashcam issue however? If I owned a garage I too would switch it off. Having recently been involved with data protection for our athletics club, there is no way in this world I would allow cameras in my garage as I have a duty to protect my employees. Let's say something wasn't right with your car after it had been for servicing. Now you may take the problem up with customer services - you may even go to court if there's a dispute. However there are nutters out there. What's to stop someone from identifying the person who worked on the car and harassing them or even threaten violence (or use violence!) rather than go thru the complaints procedure?

Edited 5 September, 2018 by Guest

[Granttd73]

Dashcam- I would of had no problems with being told that when the car was in the workshop that the dashcam- was switched off, not when they were on their 2 hour jolly.

If you were the type of person to seek vengeance for someone doing damage or something that you didn't like, well they would probably find out who was involved and go after them, the technicians name is on the paperwork, should you be vetted before getting a dashcam?

Also carrying out a software update on my car without any communication?- VAG group cars and software updates havent been that successful in recent years.

 

I have no confidence in Arnold Clark Inverness Skoda, that is my personal thoughts, if you like them and are happy with the service, that's great for you.

 

[Granttd73]

Dashcam- I would of had no problems with being told that when the car was in the workshop that the dashcam- was switched off, not when they were on their 2 hour jolly.

If you were the type of person to seek vengeance for someone doing damage or something that you didn't like, well they would probably find out who was involved and go after them, the technicians name is on the paperwork, should you be vetted before getting a dashcam?

Also carrying out a software update on my car without any communication?- VAG group cars and software updates havent been that successful in recent years.

 

I have no confidence in Arnold Clark Inverness Skoda, that is my personal thoughts, if you like them and are happy with the service, that's great for you.

 

[Ootohere]

As to the Privacy.

Arnold Clark Workshop Technicians film MOT's being carried out and Health Checks on Vehicles and they are sent to the cars owner / keeper.

Other Dealerships do as well.

 

They should not only film at the Ramp / Test Station, they should film them driving on Road Tests, Go Pro or what ever, chest harness's or what ever.

'Simply Clever'  Times move on, it is not just a worry that there might be angry car owners, you get nutters that are Fitters, Technicians and Car Valeters / Washers.

People that wash and vacuum cars, people that download stuff off you Sat Nav or even check the Radio Stations used by car owners. 

*Why do Dealership do that,  would they do that? well some do.....  Marketing purposes.*

[KenONeill]

Well, IIRC it is mandatory that owners be allowed to view MoTs being conducted. I can also name garages and fast-fit places (including branches of Kwik-Fit) which have been explicitly designed such that you can view the fitting bay(s) from the waiting room, and some who are prepared to let sensible owners into the fitting bays to do their own underbody inspections whilst using the bay lifts.

 

So, if you want to turn my cameras off , what do you want to hide?

[paulatthehug]

We bought Zebedee from Arnold Clark's Volvo dealer in Inverness but it still being in warranty we're having to take it to their Skoda franchise dealer for any issues. It's already been in (two visits,  a story in itself) for a P16C7 heater support pump fault (they replaced the pump under warranty). Now I've got the same fault code again, so replacing the pump didn't fix it and they're going to have to have another go.

 

Phoned them on Friday. No one answering on the servicing side. Was told they'd phone me back. They didn't.

 

Phoned them again this morning. Same (the second time, the first time it just rung out until someone picked and then dropped the line).

 

Phoned again at about 5pm. Asked to speak to the branch manager by now I was getting ****ed off. Not available either but "urgent" message taken and they would phone me back. They didn't.

 

Do we see a pattern here?

 

So I phoned Skoda UK and asked them who else I could use. This being northern Scotland the next franchise dealer is 65 miles away but the nice lady at Skoda volunteered to try to get so action from Arnold Clark. So, having put me on hold she tried and had the same experience as me of them hanging up on her. She tried again and this time got me through to someone in service.

 

Finally. So I told her I'd been trying to get through to them for several days now. "OK" she said, no hint of an apology.

 

"Is that all you've got to say" I asked. No answer.

 

Not impressed. Much as I like our Yeti I won't be buying a Skoda again if this is the kind of service I'm going to get (and I told Skoda UK that too).

[KenONeill]

Sorry to hear about Arnold Shark living down to their reputation.

 

You say "Moray Coast" as location; Did you know about the Skoda dealership in Maud as an alternative?

[paulatthehug]

That was the people Skoda UK offered me, who I'd seen people recommending here before ... but they're 65 miles rather than about 15 so not ideal.

[Llanigraham]

43 minutes ago, paulatthehug said:

That was the people Skoda UK offered me, who I'd seen people recommending here before ... but they're 65 miles rather than about 15 so not ideal.

Lucky you. I'm happy to travel 80 miles to a good dealers when the nearest is 50 miles away.

[MarieK]

When I lived on Skye I took my Yeti to Glasgow or Stirling area for service etc. because I wouldn't let Skoda Inverness anywhere near it. I'm sure someone on here a few years back had a terrible experience with them, you will find it if you search. 65 miles is nothing if it means getting better service.

I'm not even sure that they have a dedicated Skoda service area, is it not a central service team that works on all their cars?

[paulatthehug]

Pretty certain they have a workshop at the back.

[paulatthehug]

It's worse than I thought: Google Maps claim it's about 85 miles from us and a two hour drive. Sadly I'm disabled and that's more than I can drive in one trip so I'm stuck with Arnold Clark in Inverness. 😞

 

I've phoned them again this morning to try to book it in and, again, there's no one available to book it and someone will phone me back. Uh huh.

Edited 31 July, 2019 by paulatthehug

[Ootohere]

Arnold Clark are reliable in that year year and Dealer Principal after Dealer Principal they provide a dealership to avoid.

http://briskoda.net/forums/topic/34825-arnold-clark-inverness

 

[muddyjim]

Why not phone their customer services and explain the difficulty you have with contacting Inverness...

 

https://www.arnoldclark.com/customer-services