Karoq Edition - no Phone Box

[FabFabFabia]

I recently received my Edition but the Phonebox was omitted due to Skoda withdrawing it temporarily until they can fix an ongoing fault (I got £280 refund because of this). Does anyone know if, or when, Skoda will solve this issue and, if they do, will I be able to have it fitted if I pay?

[Panther_uk]

I thought the phone box wireless charging still worked, just the signal booster that had been removed

[FabFabFabia]

There is no charging pad on my new Edition and the phone doesn't charge when I lay it on the rubber mat - which is now plain and has no battery image on it.

Edited 7 June, 2018 by FabFabFabia

[monkey153]

I've been told by the dealership that my Edition (collecting next week hopefully) will have the wireless charging (but not the signal boost).

Needless to say I'll be checking before I drive away

 

[sexdrugskaroqnroll]

The charging pad definitely works we have it fitted on ours.  Had to sign a bit of a paper about the signal booster and the work being done as as they had to disable it. 

[FabFabFabia]

Did anyone else apart from me get a refund of £280? This might explain why I don't have the charging pad or the signal booster on my Edition.

Edited 7 June, 2018 by FabFabFabia

[sexdrugskaroqnroll]

No refund for me. 

[Boiledbeef]

Skoda UK say the signal booster fix is being worked on and it will be reinstated Q4 of this year

[Oldkidintown]

Picked up my Edition 2 weeks ago. No wireless charging. I took this up with dealer and have been told I will be getting the £280 refund.

[anna_banana]

Picked up my Edition 9 days ago & it does charge wirelessly. They just had to disable to signal booster, prior to being able to register the car. I wasn't given any paperwork to sign though.

[vadimo]

On 07/06/2018 at 15:25, FabFabFabia said:

Did anyone else apart from me get a refund of £280? This might explain why I don't have the charging pad or the signal booster on my Edition.

 

Think if they gave you money back then you essentially accept the car without this feature, Skoda aren't so generous to pay inconvenience fee plus install it later.

[TheRobinK]

I'd be 100% sure that Vadimo is correct.

 

 

[albudu]

Got my Karoq yesterday and the charging pad is in working order. Was told the booster had been disabled which is apparently located somewhere in the boot. I was not given any paperwork to sign regarding this issue.

[FabFabFabia]

When I got the £280 credit I told the dealer that this seemed low considering that if I ADDED the Phonebox to an SE L then it costs £550. He said Skoda told hiom that the difference in price was because they had already pre-wired the installation in the Edition, and therefore, when the fault is resolved, I could elect to add a functioning Phonebox installed at a discounted price.

[womanofkent]

12 hours ago, FabFabFabia said:

When I got the £280 credit I told the dealer that this seemed low considering that if I ADDED the Phonebox to an SE L then it costs £550. He said Skoda told hiom that the difference in price was because they had already pre-wired the installation in the Edition, and therefore, when the fault is resolved, I could elect to add a functioning Phonebox installed at a discounted price.

might be worth just emailing your salesman and confirming what he has told you so that you have it in writing when or if you decide to add it later, salespeople come and go and always good to have it on paper

[Vectis]

I'm surprised that I haven't had a call from Skoda as I have a working phone box with booster and charger as it was registered prior to all this kicking off. Ironically I have just changed my phone and the new one doesn't have wireless charging.

[womanofkent]

@Vectis I'm with you there.  We already had our car when phonegate started and a few days after I saw it on here husband received a letter from Skoda, I waited all day for him to come home from work certain that we were going to have to take the "new" car in for a recall...it was Skoda asking if he wanted to stay in contact   SSSh let's keep quiet and hope they find a solution quickly so we don't have the hassle. 

[westie38]

23 hours ago, albudu said:

Got my Karoq yesterday and the charging pad is in working order. Was told the booster had been disabled which is apparently located somewhere in the boot. I was not given any paperwork to sign regarding this issue.

Ah, that could be what I came across when I removed the original bit of boot floor/carpet when I fitted all the gubbins for the spare wheel installation. Under this bit of carpet, which in turn is under the rear seats there's a small rectangular plastic block with a few wires attached. I did kind of think that this could be the signal booster, which your dealer seems to have confirmed. If that's the case, don't let any of the dealers con you in to paying extortionate prices for reinstalling the booster when this fiasco is sorted because it would take minutes to do.    

[FabFabFabia]

The TV ads for the Seat Ateca are all over my telly at the moment and they feature their fully functioning phone charging pad. Considering the Ateca and the Karoq are built in the same factory in Kvasiny (Czech Republic) why didn't Skoda just copy the way Seat implemented this feature which has worked so well for them in the Ateca. The way some people have this Phonebox on their new Karoq, don't have it, or don't have it and got a £280 refund (me) is a bit of a shambles for Skoda.

[jeanknight]

I realise that this is a bit of an old issue, but I have just come across it with my Karoq Edition. I took delivery of an ex-demo car about 2 months ago and immediately found the phone charger came up with an error when I put my iPhone8 in the box. It went back to a dealer who couldnt fix it (they also couldnt fit a tow bar but therein lies a different story!). So I booked it into another dealer to fix another minor fault as well as the phone box. They have now told me it should have been removed. But Skoda customer service have been saying it shouldnt, that it is only the signal boosting that is affected and that the charging should be working.

 

Today I rang customer service again because the dealer is insisting that they are going to remove wireless charger box. This time they completely changed their story and said my car doesnt have it wireless charging fitted. I asked why it has a Qi branded box, a Qi symbol on the screen and comes up with a Qi error if the system isnt fitted. All I got was a robotic response " We have checked the PR Code for your car and it isnt fitted". If I were being uncharitable I would say the customer service rep has been firmly briefed to say nothing about this issue. I also contacted the original dealer who sold the car to me, but they were as oblivious as I am as to why the box doesnt charge.

 

Is anyone aware if a fix is on the horizon of some sort of 'official' position on this issue? 

[FabFabFabia]

When I collected my Karoq Edition in May the "Phonebox" charger and booster wasn't even fitted even though this top model boasted it contained them. I got a measly £280 refund but I'd purchased a new smartphone specifially for this purpose. It is very annoying because it is still not specified as being in the 2019 spec for the Karoq, and Skoda customer service, and my dealer, offer no idea of if or when this feature will ever be reinstated. Yet SEAT proudly boasts this smartphone feature on their TV commercials for their virtually-identical Ateca SUV which is built in the exact same Czech factory as the Skoda Karoq! Skoda have washed their hands of the charger/booster feature completely whereas other VW manufacturers (and every other manufacturer) include this useful charging feature on their cars. My next car will not be a Skoda.

Edited 8 October, 2018 by FabFabFabia

[pa_ko]

I haven't ordered phone box for very simple reason that it is much overpriced. For 1/10 of OEM price you can buy Qi pad. And what I found convenient is to put it into armrest box (routing the usb power cable inside/under the console so no cables visible)

 

Also, in year or so we will see much progress in wireless charging tech so it may easily prove that today standards would be outdated in just year or two. So I prey to have possibility to change and put modern charger than to be tied to even today outdated Qi technology. And BTW in charger box you cannot put other charger on top of built-in one (if you try you can get fried one or both in best case scenario, and even fire and burned console plastic probably).

 

So I would consider myself lucky to be left without that charging box instead of being angry.

[skodafanboy]

My Karoq Edition also has the wireless charging box which has worked seamlessly with my iphone. Before picking it up the dealer advised that they would need to remove the signal booster but the wireless charging would work perfectly fine, They also received advise from Skoda that said a booster fix would hopefully be available by the end of the year and the dealership said they would contact me as and when the fix was available. I also spoke to Skoda UK about a month after collection & they confirmed what my dealership had said, they also said it would not be done as a vehicle recall but by dealership contacting customers directly & that a fix should be available by year end. They suggested that I contact my dealer towards the end of the year for an update.

[silver1011]

22 hours ago, jeanknight said:

I realise that this is a bit of an old issue, but I have just come across it with my Karoq Edition. I took delivery of an ex-demo car about 2 months ago and immediately found the phone charger came up with an error when I put my iPhone8 in the box. It went back to a dealer who couldnt fix it (they also couldnt fit a tow bar but therein lies a different story!). So I booked it into another dealer to fix another minor fault as well as the phone box. They have now told me it should have been removed. But Skoda customer service have been saying it shouldnt, that it is only the signal boosting that is affected and that the charging should be working.

 

Today I rang customer service again because the dealer is insisting that they are going to remove wireless charger box. This time they completely changed their story and said my car doesnt have it wireless charging fitted. I asked why it has a Qi branded box, a Qi symbol on the screen and comes up with a Qi error if the system isnt fitted. All I got was a robotic response " We have checked the PR Code for your car and it isnt fitted". If I were being uncharitable I would say the customer service rep has been firmly briefed to say nothing about this issue. I also contacted the original dealer who sold the car to me, but they were as oblivious as I am as to why the box doesnt charge.

 

Is anyone aware if a fix is on the horizon of some sort of 'official' position on this issue? 

 

Does the rubber mat inside the compartment show a charging phone / battery icon?

 

If so then the feature is fitted. Don't be fobbed off by Skoda UK, they're very good at it.

 

[Gaz1985]

My factory ordered Edition arrived without the 'Phonebox with wireless charging' feature back in August 2018. I wasn't informed of the omission at any stage by Skoda. I raised the issue with my dealers after checking on collection regarding any compensation.

A week later I was informed by my dealer that Skoda UK basically weren't interested. However as a good will gesture from my dealer's they've agreed to cover the cost of my 3rd service when due. I have this in writing from the Sales Controller to make sure.

So it may not be £280 refund but it's something at least. May be worth pursuing if you are in the same boat as myself, don't ask don't get!

 

Edited 9 January, 2019 by Gaz1985