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Old 25th November 2021, 21:17   #31
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

I have an amex and visa card. All over amex is less accepted. In fact I only spend enough to get my 2000 odd points.

Else, I either use visa or for small merchants I make it a point to use upi as that has 0 charges for the merchant. That way we should encourage the smaller merchants.

Coming to Skoda - why single out one merchant? This is true for many places and true even in the USA.

I do wish that other card/wallet sevices have a telephone support as nice and pleasant as Amex. People who have called Amex support would understand.
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Old 25th November 2021, 21:48   #32
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

We are accepting payments via AMEX and even through payment gateways like Payu also without any issues. The charges at 2.3% are a bit higher than others though. Payment gets cleared to our account within 48-72 hours.

Passing on 2% or whatever payment gateway charges to customer are left to individual businesses to decide. Incases of tight margins customer may have to bear it. We do not pass on any card charges to customers and bear it ourselves.
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Old 25th November 2021, 22:15   #33
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

I had an official Amex card at one point in time. And it was terrible to use - several places did not accept it. Of course the Reward Points were great (though HDFC Infinia would give them a run for their money). But that did not make several restaurants and even the odd hotel accept it, and I don’t see why any dealer should be forced to accept a card. It makes a lot more sense to use some other payment mechanism instead of treating this as a symptom of an uncaring attitude. Any business must make choices on whom it wants to serve and what it wants to offer - and the decision to not accept Amex is a perfectly legitimate one.

I would respect Skoda’s decision to not accept Amex, as long as it makes its cars more reliable and improves service effectiveness. Sorry @circleoflife, but changing your car because an Amex card is not accepted is not logical - you will incur massive depreciation. This amounts to cutting off your nose to spite your face - so please do rethink.
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Old 26th November 2021, 01:14   #34
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

Quote:
Originally Posted by deep_bang View Post
Coming to Skoda - why single out one merchant? This is true for many places and true even in the USA.
.
Answer lies in 60k booking accepted by Skoda India at dealer for retail offer tie up between Skoda India and American Express. When organisation can accept for booking for car then why not pass it for SMP.


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Originally Posted by Hayek View Post
I had an official Amex card at one point in time. And it was terrible to use - several places did not accept it. Of course the Reward Points were great (though HDFC Infinia would give them a run for their money). But that did not make several restaurants and even the odd hotel accept it, and I don’t see why any dealer should be forced to accept a card. It makes a lot more sense to use some other payment mechanism instead of treating this as a symptom of an uncaring attitude. Any business must make choices on whom it wants to serve and what it wants to offer - and the decision to not accept Amex is a perfectly legitimate one.

I would respect Skoda’s decision to not accept Amex, as long as it makes its cars more reliable and improves service effectiveness. Sorry @circleoflife, but changing your car because an Amex card is not accepted is not logical - you will incur massive depreciation. This amounts to cutting off your nose to spite your face - so please do rethink.
Have been both corporate and personal card user for long. Have fair understanding of merits and demerits of the cards. Accepting Amex for the same car booking, passing retail offer for Amex card holder & at the same time not accepting Amex for any other service is equally illogical. Accepting or not not accepting Amex is drop in an ocean of the issues that one can’t anticipate going forward. It’s all about one’s appetite for risk. Some pay off and others doom. Agree on deprication part but market is so hot it might not be a bigger pinch. Hyderabad second hand car market rates are equally illogical. Wouldn’t stop short of calling it insane.

I was even ready to pay any extra charges that would incur on card if skoda India would have given an option of going to dealer or service centre and swiping amex card. Hell no to this option also. What is the problem in accepting money when the customer is ready to pay?
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Old 26th November 2021, 10:40   #35
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by EV NXT View Post
Amex have a data security issue as a result of which RBI have curtailed their operations.
Due this this thing, the only card company which can issue a new card is VISA (Oh, and RuPay!). All other companies (MasterCard, Amex, Diners) are effectively kicked out of market for a good amount of time.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayek View Post
I had an official Amex card at one point in time. And it was terrible to use - several places did not accept it.
You should try it out now. Many places accept it now in Bangalore.
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Old 26th November 2021, 11:54   #36
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

I noticed that you are in Hyderabad, so I suppose you are dealing with the one and only skoda dealer in town. They are known to be very poor in many ways, ASS is one of them.I am not surprised at all with your experience, we had a octavia a long time ago and since then, I have avoided buying a Skoda only because I do not want to have to deal with them.
The amex issue is very common as they charge a higher commission, i have faced the same issue with the volvo and honda guys. Everyone wants a Gpay/NEFT payment these days, even Visa and Master are not encouraged.
Good luck to you...
Cheers

Quote:
Originally Posted by CircleOfLife View Post
Thanks, @GTO for creating the thread

Instead of replying to all comments, I could broadly classify them into these 2 sets of questions.

1) Did I pull the trigger without knowing Skoda's reputation?

I owned a VAG for years and each time a decision was to be made there was always Skoda in contention. The reason at that time not to buy was purely based on monopoly dealership at the city, whose reputation even preceded to Skoda.

Now let's talk about the current day with everyone going GAGA on how Zac Hollis is going about solving issues, it does create a positive mindset. I didn't have any difference of perception and went into this black hole with a faith that at least until this man is here in India, issues will get addressed.

Didn't expect smooth sailing ever, big-ticket items I was prepared for mentally.
  • Service-related issues if any with the dealer.
  • Delays in support for critical components
  • Delays or denial of warranty claims
2) Why trigger on thought process to part with the vehicle?

I do expect issues to be resolved, especially in cases where customers are ready for an alternate solution and path. In this case, there could have been multiple paths, but none was even put forth other than the take it or leave it to approach. In a good business, there is always an exception made to create a positive impact. This is where you win one customer and he is your brand ambassador.

When a leader within the organization talks about customer satisfaction on a day-to-day basis and is one of your core pillars to the path of success & you falter on this very basic commitment then how do you win the long-term confidence of your customers?

My overall contention is just not about Amex payment only. Today it is this issue, tomorrow what's next? Big-ticket items are always a cutting edge sword with both sides having their say, but for trivial issues, I wouldn't like to lose my sleep and run around. Don't expect a red carpet welcome, but to have an expectation that the manufacturer meets in the middle to resolve an issue is not much to ask for in the current market scenario. Am I asking Skoda to go over and beyond on this issue? Pushing a customer into a corner will not win any brownie points.

Does it mean everything is bad? No there are bright spots but they don't overweigh current sentiment.

Tiguan pricing will be a major factor to make the final call. Yes, 2.0 ltr engine is what I want in the garage before shifting to electric or hybrid for the next change. If VW goes greedy then there is no other alternative than drink this poison experience and go for an upgrade in the next couple of years, earlier than planned.
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Old 26th November 2021, 12:12   #37
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

AFAIK Amex charges 5% commission while others charge 2% on payments.

Earlier AMEX was a premium thing, and was given to HNI or Corporate clients only, now its given to everyone. So what was a rare swipe, now it is a mass one.

Now Amex has one of the best membership rewards programme, so everyone wants to use it. Also because a minimum spend target can waive off your yearly fees of 5000 plus.

What will the companies do now ? Take that extra 3% off their margin so that you can get more reward points and save your annual fees ? Come on.

Like someone mentioned Amex is not accepted in many places in the US itself. Not just at shops but also in public transport. Only Visa and Mastercard. And this is something I faced even 10 years back. My Corporate Card is Amex, however in many places I had to use my personal card to make payments. And that has been increasing over the years.

Few days back when I renewed my insurance with Tata AIG on their website they didn't have the option for Amex. So I paid with Mastercard.

I don't see the reason for such a big hue and cry for this. This is common across the world, and businesses should have the option to choose their payment gateways.

Actually one should blame Amex for charging high commission. It will help not only with a particular instance but users across the world.

P.S. When I paid the DP/Booking Amount for my Rapid, I paid with my Amex. When I wanted to pay at the Service Center, they asked for a different card. One dealer wanted to take it, the other didn't. And it's the same with all manufacturers.

Last edited by Altocumulus : 26th November 2021 at 12:38.
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Old 26th November 2021, 12:14   #38
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by CircleOfLife View Post
Thinking seriously of cutting my losses on this crap brand and going to back to my roots with VW. Far better experience than Skoda rubbish.

As much as Skoda and Zac can scream on social media about being premium brand and organization culture change, what ever project they can name it, to be upfront nothing has changed on the ground either with dealers or within the Skoda india.

Following is the reply received for SMP payment via American express cards. Oh yes man on the twitter seems to only respond on presales most of these days, i guess he got quite acquainted of how post sales work with in Skoda india.

Attachment 2235884

Oh yes the above reply is after 10 days of continuous follow up. If Skoda cannot support their customers who want to make full payment for their services then i don't have a iota of faith on these folks to support for any major issues later.

One can survive with bad dealer, bas sales man, bad service technician but not with a Manufacturer with pathetic customer support.
Hi, in case a merchant is denying to accept Amex card, you can raise it with Amex customer care. Merchant denying accepting Amex is not allowed in the contract with merchant. Moreover, as per RBI guidelines, charging extra for credit card payment is not allowed. Though I have seen both of them flouted openly. Even Ducati charges 2% more for credit card payments over 50k. Hope this helps!
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Old 26th November 2021, 12:44   #39
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by vinu_h View Post
Amazon plans to remove Visa from it's platform for better profitability. If they were blocking a payment method altogether, then, there's reason to worry, but, Visa is one among many and that is why Amazon doesn't mind doing this.
This is only in the UK. Not worldwide.
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Old 26th November 2021, 13:41   #40
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by Tuborog View Post
Hi, in case a merchant is denying to accept Amex card, you can raise it with Amex customer care. Merchant denying accepting Amex is not allowed in the contract with merchant. Moreover, as per RBI guidelines, charging extra for credit card payment is not allowed. Though I have seen both of them flouted openly. Even Ducati charges 2% more for credit card payments over 50k. Hope this helps!
What if the merchant claims that their machine doesn't accept ?
Also I highly doubt anyone can compel any Merchant to accept payment by card.
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Old 26th November 2021, 13:59   #41
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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This is only in the UK. Not worldwide.
Aware, but, the point is that it is reasonable for sellers to pick an approach as long as it does not inconvenience customers.
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Old 26th November 2021, 14:11   #42
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

The crux of this discussion is that a merchant actually has the freedom to accept or decline a credit instrument (e.g. card) since it is a business call. Perhaps she/he is doing it fully knowing that its an irritation to her/his customer, but is making a business decision which a business is free to take.

Additionally, I would like to input that the RBI data localization directive has nothing to do with physical card transactions. The directive from RBI has stopped AmEx from enrolling new customers and approving recurring / online payments such as subscriptions / renewals and that too after 4 extensions of the deadline. The same restriction has been served on MasterCard as well.

Like many, it caused this user (AmEx and MasterCard member) also a lot of irritation - but data localization laws are a serious matter of individual and financial security. China strictly does not allow any transaction network to function in their country without local data storage. Period.

Physical card transactions and their acceptance by a merchant are a strictly a business call and depends on processing cost, volume, terminal availability, the ability of the business to afford the commissions etc.
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Old 26th November 2021, 16:13   #43
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by CircleOfLife View Post
Thinking seriously of cutting my losses on this crap brand and going to back to my roots with VW. Far better experience than Skoda rubbish.
The issue you faced has nothing to do with the manufacturer right ? When are paying for VAS or regular servicing the invoice would be done by the company that owns the dealership and not Skoda/VW/BMW. The dealers are responsible for the billing. If I remember correctly the so called "premium" outlets of Jeep India also refuse to accept Amex.
Acceptability of Amex has increased over the years and some petrol bunk including all HPCL outlets accept Amex these days.
So if you are an user of Amex in India make sure you don't keep one card in your wallet ! :-)
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Old 26th November 2021, 20:40   #44
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

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Originally Posted by Tuborog View Post
Hi, in case a merchant is denying to accept Amex card, you can raise it with Amex customer care. Merchant denying accepting Amex is not allowed in the contract with merchant. Moreover, as per RBI guidelines, charging extra for credit card payment is not allowed. Though I have seen both of them flouted openly. Even Ducati charges 2% more for credit card payments over 50k. Hope this helps!
No clause in the contract prevents a merchant from denying to accept a particular variety of card. The contract states that customer who pays by card must not be discriminated against. If the merchant denies to accept the payment , the clause can't be invoked.

Anyways, the one sided agreement clauses that prevent extra charges are unacceptable. Any bank trying to attempt to enforce such a clause will and should be shown the middle finger by the merchant and should move on with a different service provider who could care less.

If the customer wants the convenience of paying by card, he/she should pay for it.

Last edited by Ragavsr : 26th November 2021 at 20:41.
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Old 27th November 2021, 00:21   #45
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Re: Skoda dealer won't accept my American-Express credit card

I am with OP on how he feels (though not about selling the car). Skoda does have an offer on Amex (means every dealer has the tie up with Amex) and I believe it's about 60K during car purchase when we enquired for Octavia recently (though you'll have to lose the corporate discount and loyalty bonus).

The issue is Skoda playing game that they would accept Amex for booking but not for purchasing SMP which isn't fair from Skoda's part. Leaving whether it's a Gold credit card, platinum charge card or even a centurion card - when Amex is accepted, why aren't they accepting the payment? This sounds to me like "you can use Amex at our showroom only once in a lifetime".

They have worsened the situation by saying they don't accept - I think the blow would have been much less if they asked for the % transaction fee. If they did ask me for the transaction fee, it would piss me off however it wouldn't be as worse as saying they don't accept when I know they do accept for everything else. Similar example - last week we had to attend a wedding at Taj and I had a coffee there. Gave my Amex, they said they don't have signal. I wanted to argue but couldn't as my home minister was monitoring me hence gave my HDFC and walked away. If she wasn't there, it would have ended up differently as I've paid using the same card in the same cafe earlier and there was no signal issue.

I think OP should take this up with Amex on why their partner is denying the use of CC rather than hoping Skoda will change (which wouldn't - having had a Jetta and now a Mk3 Octy while seriously thinking of buying the new Octy/superb among other contenders). Skoda and making sense - doesn't go hand in hand

OT - Reg Zac, while most are happy with a big boss responding, he is same person who publicly posted that Kushaq breakdowns are excepted in a brand new car. I would rather prefer a big boss (or his social media team from his account) not responding than giving inconsiderate response for people who paid about 20L. When Elon says something, it's a global issue, stock prices plummet but when Zac says something - it's appreciated. And we have bought 3 VAG cars till now, and considering a 4th (Waiting for tiguan, now maybe even the Kodiaq) because we love the car and not bothered about their service - that can be handled with the dealer differently.

Last edited by Astonite : 27th November 2021 at 00:24. Reason: Typos
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