Back at the end of last year I started looking for my next new car.

I ordered a few… (BMW, Mazda, Merc, Ford) from local dealers and subsequently cancelled them all mainly due to poor customer care…something that is VERY important to me. Losing hundreds of pounds in the process.

Anyway, in February of this year I decided to buy a Skoda (1.5 TSI Hatch DSG SE L Exec) from the same dealer I used to buy my 2012 Superb Twindoor. It is not local to me but I was happy with the staff at that time. I explained how important Customer Care is to me and was assured by the Salesman that he would do everything he said he’d do...what more could I ask?

Not only did he SAY he’d keep me updated every 14 days but also put it in writing on the order form.

It has not worked out that way. Lax in contacting me and still no confirmed build week (not his fault).

I told him I wanted to cancel.

His response was as follows:

I would have to pay a £500.00 `detag fee`. (To remove my name from the order form)

I ordered £2,875.00 of options and have to also pay that.

The car will come to them anyway and they will have to sell it. I will have to pay the advertising costs which are £25.00 per day. If they have to advertise further a-field that will rise to £100.00 per day.

If they are unable to sell it in a reasonable time it will go off to auction. I will have to pay any difference between what they paid for the car and what it makes at auction. That, he says, could run into thousands. I will also be responsible for the auction fees!

 

There may or may not be some scare tactics going on here I don’t know but what I do know is that potentially I could be paying many thousands of pounds for absolutely nothing.

 

If anyone has any advice or opinion on this sad tale I’d be more grateful to hear it.

Many thanks.

Can't give any direct advice, but what does your order form say? It does sound as if they are taking the mick though re advertising costs etc. Do you know if your car has been built yet? Might be worth a call to Skoda UK to see what their take is.

18 minutes ago, mandp said:

I ordered a few… (BMW, Mazda, Merc, Ford) from local dealers and subsequently cancelled them all mainly due to poor customer care…something that is VERY important to me. Losing hundreds of pounds in the process.

Maybe the dealers are talking to each other......

With the very best will in the world Mike you sound like a bit of a mare ! Surly there must be more to you cancelling all these cars other than they don’t call you every couple of weeks ?

47 minutes ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Can't give any direct advice, but what does your order form say? It does sound as if they are taking the mick though re advertising costs etc. Do you know if your car has been built yet? Might be worth a call to Skoda UK to see what their take is.

The car has recently moved to status 20 but no confirmed build week yet.

5 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

With the very best will in the world Mike you sound like a bit of a mare ! Surly there must be more to you cancelling all these cars other than they don’t call you every couple of weeks ?

Thought a `mare` was a female horse!

 

Am I so wrong to expect someone who is  selling me a £30,000.00 item to simply do what he says he'd do?

 

There's also the aspect of the future...even though its a 2 hour drive away, its still my local Skoda Dealer and as such would be looking after the servicing etc.

No you are right 100% but I fear you may find it extremely difficult to purchase a car nowadays as it appears you already have ! 

 

Ordering a a new car from 5 different manufactures and then cancelling them is just ..... Unusual...

 

edited to say.... Anyway good look and I hope it works out ok 🙂

Edited 21 June, 20196 yr by Nick_H

42 minutes ago, Nick_H said:

No you are right 100% but I fear you may find it extremely difficult to purchase a car nowadays as it appears you already have ! 

 

Ordering a a new car from 5 different manufactures and then cancelling them is just ..... Unusual...

 

edited to say.... Anyway good look and I hope it works out ok 🙂

Thank you so much, Nick.

 

I'm beginning to wonder if it might be financially beneficial to take delivery of the thing, absorb the depreciation and then flog it after a year or so. That way at least I'm not paying out thousands of pounds for absolutely nothing. Some deep thinking ahead for me.

Thank you everyone who had an input. A very special forum this.

Regards

Mike.

Thing is Mike you must like the motor or you wouldn’t have ordered. Don’t let the crap dealership experience spoil it. I think nowadays you are lucky to find a good one and even then it can be subjective.

 

Get the motor then you have a year to think about servicing etc. Maybe try another dealer ? Bickertons in Sheffield have always been great for service for me.

 

you could treat it as a day out lol !

Mike I sincerely do wish you the best of luck but to cancel so many times and the latest all because they won't talk to you enough is a bit like cutting your nose off to spite your face I believe the phrase is. Yes we should demand a lot to part with our cash but there is a point when you could simply phone them, become annoyed but be thousands of pounds better off and have a great car at the end of it.

Not sure why one would need an update so frequently. They car is either ready or not. At most I'd expect them to tell you it's finish building , arrived in UK, then come pick it up at xxx date. 

 

I know one can get detailed updates such as telling you at what stage exactly your car is in, inviting you to the factory to look at it but that's for something  like a Bentley or Rolls!

Having posted a very long rant about customer service in the "what have you done to your Mk3 Superb" thread recently, I share @mandp's pain, and understand his frustration. The problem is, what to do about it.

 

The risk to Skoda is that its' generally hopeless approach to its customers will drive them into the arms of competitors. The mitigation seems to be that "we don't need to worry, all the others are just as bad as we are". Not helpful. 

 

But (as a word of advice to mandp) if a dealer thinks you are not being reasonable, they will likely chin you off as not being worth the trouble. The money is in fleet and PCP/PCH/finance, not in the margin on one car sold to an individual. And as an individual who has saved hard and swallowed hard at transferring tens of thousands of pounds into a stranger's bank account, it hurts to know they couldn't give a **** one way or the other. But unfortunately that seems to be the way it is these days. 

 

My approach is to take all of the emotion out of it. I spec the car, then set search alerts. When the right one pops up, I negotiate (hard) the right price for it. I expect nothing from the dealer except to have the car ready for me to drive away on the agreed date. It's a horribly "commodity" approach to what should be a joyous experience. But it works. I've distilled it into a simple phrase that I suspect will resonate with most on here:

 

I love my Skoda Superb and I hate my Skoda dealer. So I drive as often as possible, and avoid the dealer as far as humanly possible. 

 

Works for me 

@BriskodaJeff. That's it. Customer service costs. For example, Lexus dealerships get good ratings for CS. They can do it because they charge 280quid or thereabouts for a service. Yes, even the simple oil change ones. 

Ordering all these cars and cancelling sounds highly unusual. OP, you need to take a chill pill. Delivery delays are rife these days with changes in market trends, WLTP, 1.5 software issues, etc. The dealer has placed the order, they cannot magic the car from Europe. It will arrive. Your expectations won't accelerate that process, you are actively ruining the new car process for yourself. Sit back, enjoy the anticipation and enjoy the car when it lands. 

3 hours ago, Nick_H said:

Thing is Mike you must like the motor or you wouldn’t have ordered. Don’t let the crap dealership experience spoil it. I think nowadays you are lucky to find a good one and even then it can be subjective.

 

Get the motor then you have a year to think about servicing etc. Maybe try another dealer ? Bickertons in Sheffield have always been great for service for me.

 

you could treat it as a day out lol !

Hello, Nick.

Yes I did like the car...very much. I must say I loved the Mark II I had back in 2012. I only moved on from it because I wasn't too enamoured with the seats.

I am taking `on board` everything that is being said here (good and not so good) and will probably take delivery of it.

A day out in Sheffield, eh. I've heard worse suggestions!

1 hour ago, KeteCantek said:

Not sure why one would need an update so frequently. They car is either ready or not. At most I'd expect them to tell you it's finish building , arrived in UK, then come pick it up at xxx date. 

 

I know one can get detailed updates such as telling you at what stage exactly your car is in, inviting you to the factory to look at it but that's for something  like a Bentley or Rolls!

I must say that `frequency` is not the issue here.

He could have promised to contact me every 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks...that would have been okay with me as long as he did so!

I see the purchase of a car as just the initial step in a relationship between customer and dealer that can go on for years. If we cant get the initial contact agreement right...what for the future?

1 hour ago, BriskodaJeff said:

Having posted a very long rant about customer service in the "what have you done to your Mk3 Superb" thread recently, I share @mandp's pain, and understand his frustration. The problem is, what to do about it.

 

The risk to Skoda is that its' generally hopeless approach to its customers will drive them into the arms of competitors. The mitigation seems to be that "we don't need to worry, all the others are just as bad as we are". Not helpful. 

 

But (as a word of advice to mandp) if a dealer thinks you are not being reasonable, they will likely chin you off as not being worth the trouble. The money is in fleet and PCP/PCH/finance, not in the margin on one car sold to an individual. And as an individual who has saved hard and swallowed hard at transferring tens of thousands of pounds into a stranger's bank account, it hurts to know they couldn't give a **** one way or the other. But unfortunately that seems to be the way it is these days. 

 

My approach is to take all of the emotion out of it. I spec the car, then set search alerts. When the right one pops up, I negotiate (hard) the right price for it. I expect nothing from the dealer except to have the car ready for me to drive away on the agreed date. It's a horribly "commodity" approach to what should be a joyous experience. But it works. I've distilled it into a simple phrase that I suspect will resonate with most on here:

 

I love my Skoda Superb and I hate my Skoda dealer. So I drive as often as possible, and avoid the dealer as far as humanly possible. 

 

Works for me 

Wise words indeed, Jeff. Thank you.

Its been many years since I've ordered anything other than a `Factory Order`. I like the spec to be EXACTLY what I want, you see.

Anyway, this experience has made me wonder whether I should in future go for a `Stock Car`.

Could be the answer.

I kind of understand, but can't help but think you need to buy a Aston or Bentley to get the level of service you want, and watch it being built in the factory. Genuinely wish you well, but I fear history may repeat itself over and over. 

41 minutes ago, Steviedakota said:

Ordering all these cars and cancelling sounds highly unusual. OP, you need to take a chill pill. Delivery delays are rife these days with changes in market trends, WLTP, 1.5 software issues, etc. The dealer has placed the order, they cannot magic the car from Europe. It will arrive. Your expectations won't accelerate that process, you are actively ruining the new car process for yourself. Sit back, enjoy the anticipation and enjoy the car when it lands. 

If you read my OP again you will see that I said that the delivery details were not the Salesman's fault.

This is just about him not doing what he promised to do.

I get the feeling from some of the comments here that I'm expecting too. much. I'm afraid I don't see it that way.

Just now, CheshireBumpkin said:

I kind of understand, but can't help but think you need to buy a Aston or Bentley to get the level of service you want, and watch it being built in the factory. Genuinely wish you well, but I fear history may repeat itself over and over. 

I currently drive a Peugeot and the customer care has been fabulous. No need for a Bentley or Aston.

Not sure the manufacturer is the relevant factor here...good customer care can come from ANYWHERE...Dacia or Jaguar, Fiat or Ferrari.

1 minute ago, mandp said:

I currently drive a Peugeot and the customer care has been fabulous. No need for a Bentley or Aston.

Not sure the manufacturer is the relevant factor here...good customer care can come from ANYWHERE...Dacia or Jaguar, Fiat or Ferrari.

 

I agree, but you can only pretty much guarantee it from one or two super-premium brands. Mainstream brands are more interested in volume and then a small percentage of dissatisfied customers (but a large number) is of little consequence to them. Sadly. 

In my experience, you get the best service when you are standing right in front of the, um, server. Unfortunately, the OP has a two hour drive, which makes a face-to-face a bit of a problem.

 

My dealer is just a few miles away. I've phoned and I've emailed, but I've always had the best service when I walk in.

 

So, I would say to @mandp  just suck it up and take delivery. It's really a very nice car.

 

I would just hope for your sake, it will be as problem-free as mine has been...

Edited 21 June, 20196 yr by freelunch

1 hour ago, mandp said:

A day out in Sheffield, eh. I've heard worse suggestions!

To fully appreciate Sheffield you’d need to spend longer than that though as it has loads to offer. 

7 hours ago, john999boy said:

To fully appreciate Sheffield you’d need to spend longer than that though as it has loads to offer. 

 

I didn’t mean Sheffield I meant to say Meadowhall of course !

9 hours ago, KeteCantek said:

@BriskodaJeff. That's it. Customer service costs. For example, Lexus dealerships get good ratings for CS. They can do it because they charge 280quid or thereabouts for a service. Yes, even the simple oil change ones. 

Or because they attract/hire more competent people for the job? 

 

Škoda dealers are awful in every regard IME. The one exception I’ve found was ALS Autos in Downham Market.  Anyway...

 

I’ve just accepted with most high value purchases that once your business has been secured you are just another reference number. It shouldn’t work like that but it does. In car dealerships sales people are usually in short lived roles and are likely so focussed on keeping their jobs for another month/quarter that they don’t have the ‘luxury’ of thinking ‘I’ll phone Mr Mandp every day with a status update because in 10 years time he may come back and buy another car’.  They will need to make up the numbers and that’s all you are, a number. 

 

Suck it up and  wait for the car or just forget about any new car. I have a feeling you’ll be disappointed no matter which dealer/marque you chose.