This is a long one, so grab a cupa Chai, sit back and DONT FALL OFF your chair.
I would like to put down my issue that I faced with my Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI Ambiente in 2007.
I met with an accident on 30th July 2007 on the expressway. I had the car towed back to Pune and then given to the dealer for repairs.
The car took about 14 months to get repaired and came back driving pathetically the icing on the cake was that my dashboard which was perfectly intact even after the accident (I have photographs) had been replaced with a broken one.Once the car was ready for delivery I had the car taken to Acumen Motors that very hour as I did not want to give Skoda India the opportunity to tell me that I had put the fake non genuine parts in my car as they did with Harish Kanchan.
I would also like to add that the person who stood by me like a rock through this entire ordeal was Harish Kanchan (harishv). He felt my pain as he was going through a very similar situation and we should all support his cause vehemently.
I had got in touch with Ramesh Karthik at Skoda India, who really was not very helpful initially. He said that Skoda India would send an engineer to check the car and give me a report. After 4 days when the report was ready I spoke to Mr. Karthik who said they would not disclose the report as I had to go back to the dealer to get my issue resolved.
Finally after speaking to Mr. Karthik who finally understood that I was not one of those customers who could be taken lightly he agreed to meet me in Bombay with Meghna. At the meeting I told him finally that the only way I would be willing to settle the matter is if I got a brand new car in exchange for the car that they had fitted with FAKE / NON - GENUINE parts.
Finally they agreed to give me a new car at a cost of Rs. 2,25,000/- in exchange for my old car. This process also took a very long time as I was not certain whether Skoda India would give me a brand new car or not.
The entire process from the date I had the accident till the date I received the brand new car was 19 months.
The harassment and amount of time invested in this case was second to none. I didn't ever believe this could happen with a luxury automobile manufacturer such as Skoda.
Here are some of the mails exchanged between Mr Karthik and Myself.
Quote:
Karthik,
I’ve still not received a reply to the mail I sent you, Please do reply my mail point by point and I'm expecting a reply for your end no later than 48 hours. That mail was sent to you on 18th August 2008 and I’m yet to receive a reply.
As far as dud, non genuine parts in my car which you accept so in your reply I would like to let you know what needs to be done to proceed further. The last 10 % of your e mail hurriedly lists the dud non genuine parts which neither you nor any one at Skoda India can Identify how they came into my car, almost accusing me of putting them in.
I would like to let you know that in the entire process of solving my issue that unless we come down to how and what happened this case will not be closed from my end.
Also the list hurriedly prepared from your end is incorrect and for the most part incomplete. It lists that the radiator fan connector is non genuine when in actual fact the ENTIRE RADIATOR FAN ASSEMBLY (Auxiliary Fan) in NON GENUINE. It also does not list the parts I have photographed that are glaringly and most definitely non genuine , which list I’m expecting from you.
Please don’t believe that I’m going to be rushed into getting my parts replaced in a hurry so that you can brush this matter under the carpet at the earliest to suit your convenience. The only way I’m willing to proceed ahead is
1. The inspection will have to be done in my presence.
2. This time no incorrect half baked report will do, All the Non Genuine Parts will have to be listed in your report not conveniently excluding any of them.
3. The cost to have to car dismantled will be borne by Skoda India obviously |
Now after having sent this mail to Mr. Karthik This is the reply I get back from him.
Quote:
We at Skoda will not be able to pin point the exact communication or series of events that has happened during your interaction with the dealership. We can only make an assumption of the entire situation with the feedback given from your end and dealership and cannot ascertain anything in particular
We would once again request you to kindly give your approval for us to go ahead in replacing the parts as written in my earlier communication.
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After receiving this mail I sent another mail back to Mr. Ramesh Karthik asking him in detail how these parts got into my car.
to which I got this reply
Quote:
I would firstly like to clarify after the telephonic discussions had with you this morning that in our previous exchange of mails there is no question of accusing you for the happenings, my mail clearly states that it is as per the understanding which we had at that given point of time. Please understand that we will not be able to investigate the source of fitment of non genuine parts in your car.
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To this mail of Mr. Ramesh Karthiks here was my reply
Quote:
Karthik,
I would like a letter from your end (On Skoda Auto India's Letter Head) assuring me that there are no further non genuine / dud parts in my car. The letter should also specifically mention that if at a later date I discover that you have omitted certain parts in your list and find any more non genuine dud parts it will be your responsibility to ensure that those parts are replaced as well. If you have any issues on that you can send your engineer for a thorough check up.
I have a right to know how these parts got into my car.
If this is such a high level of mystery that you are unable to solve I feel its best if the people in Pune and Mumbai make that conclusion themselves.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR AND PUT IT DOWN IN WRITING THAT I HAVE NOT GIVEN YOU APPROVAL BEFORE TODAY AND AS OF THE 4TH OF SEPTEMBER 2008 THAT NO PART OF MY CAR CAN BE TOUCHED WITHOUT MY APPROVAL. UNLESS I AM TO GIVE THE GO AHEAD NO PART OF MY CAR CAN OR WILL BE TOUCHED.
I HOPE I HAVE MADE MY STAND AMPLY CLEAR. WHEN WE HAVE COME TO A CONCLUSION COVERING ALL THE FAKE NON GENUINE PARTS IN MY CAR YOU WILL RECEIVE A LETTER FROM ME STATING THAT YOU MAY GO AHEAD WITH YOUR GENEROUS AND MAGNANIMOUS OFFER OF REPLACING MY FAKE NON GENUINE PARTS. ONLY THEN CAN WORK ON THE CAR BEGIN.
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Once this mail was Sent here is Mr. Karthiks Reply to me.
Quote:
Please refer to Skoda’s mail communication sent to you on the 12th & 23rd August and the last mail communication on the 3rd of September which amply clears your apprehensions.
From the manufacturers perspective we have clearly stated our findings and also the support which we can extend to you.
Kindly note that we will not be able to give you any further communication on this matter as your request is just a repetition of the same subject matter which was explicitly communicated to you.
However as soon as we receive your confirmation we shall do the needful at the earliest.
Trust you will cooperate and avoid any inconveniences. Karthik Ramesh - Head - Customer Care & Training |
Sad part is that today as of July 2009,
Acumen Motors has been officially closed down by Skoda India. Acumen Motors are the ones that helped me identify the fake Non Genuine parts. They dismantled the entire front end of the car to identify that the Brake Discs, Radiator, Master Cylinder, Booster, Condenser and Compressor amongst many other parts were completely fake and non genuine.
Acumen Motors had the car in their custody for over 2 months and their charges were reasonable as well. Their Charges were 11,000/- for parking, labor for dismantling as well as for a brand new battery as the one I had taken delivery of the car with was a dead battery. After the entire issue was resolved and I got my new car, Skoda India took over 6 months to pay Acumen Motors back for their charges.
I would like to mention that the person at Acumen Motors who really did go out of his way to help me was Mr. Bapat, who passed away shortly after my matter was resolved. I wouldn't have been able to have done what I did without his help and the entire team at Acumen Motors.
So the surprising part is that Skoda India shut down the good guys. I don't get it DO YOU???????