[ajmat]

Originally Posted by andafunda

Maybe for the owner of a local dealership yes, certainly not for the Director of an MNC in India.

Further, arrogance should be backed by performance. Otherwise it is just plain hubris.

I fully agree with you. When I see similar messages, I now compile the response and wait for a while before deciding to send out.


Zac could have stated instead - "It may be a mature design and focussed on having less frills but the market has accepted the Rapid well!

[84.monsoon]

An obtuse comment by Zac - it seems to say between the lines that they will bring a newer car next year. However, the way it is worded, it also indicates that they have production constraints and that is the reason they are not able to bring the new car to market. We BHP-ians know, that is not the reason Skoda is not able to bring the next generation car here. It is the slowness and indecisiveness of the VW group around bringing the MQB platform to India. And their obsessive focus dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the engineering checklist. This is the reason it is taking them 8 years after the platform was launched globally, to localize it for India.

They should have gone the Hyundai-Kia way to create the IN platform - take off some expensive high strength underbody and door panels from the global model and substitute them with cheaper local metal. Get rid of airbags and safety features that are not mandatory, in all but the highest trim. Delete the rear wipers. Throw in a touch screen and an air purifier. Locate the "Global Sun Roof Center of Excellence" in India (although it is one of the hottest and most polluted countries and hardly anyone ever keeps it open). Viola! - you now have a cheaper indigenized platform in months instead of years. Worry about crash test ratings after the car has raked in a 100K in sales numbers.

[ashutoshb]

A 2 am tweet means some single malt might be behind that reply. Now he must be finding out what a double edged sword Twitter is.

Also, can we please change the thread title? He did not say the Rapid is old and expensive bit. Let's leave the click bating to Rushlane.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Skoda India Head Zac Hollis response to a customer's tweet has not gone down well.
It once again shown how much they take India for granted.

Quite an insensitive remark by a brand plagued with sales and service issues.

https://www.rushlane.com/rapid-user-...-12383247.html

I personally find both the folks here to be at fault.

I don't think I need to elaborate on why FK is wrong. He praises the car endlessly for its driving dynamics and engine in his vlog (driving quite rashly while at it if I haven't mentioned before), and then comes to rant about the same car on instagram and twitter. All he knows is how to abuse cars to hell and back while satisfying his audience who seem to enjoy the way he drives and treats cars.

Zac's reply on the other hand would pass of as that of an offended Rapid owner than that of the Director at Skoda. Moving 1200 units of a decade old C segment Sedan is an achievement in isolation, but this figure simply pales in comparison to competition. He might have been stating a fact when he said they are sold out, but it came across as an arrogant statement even if it wasn't intended to be one

[TurboGuy]

Sunroof - checked
Ambient lighting - checked
Ventilated seats - checked
Tow truck calling - checked
SOS calling - checked
Smart connectivity - checked
Air purifier - checked

Auto dimming IRVM - what’s that?
Auto door locks - hmm.. may be may be not
Anti pinch windows - perhaps NO
A lovely power train + GB - Aah!

Heck! Get me some must have features and of course I don’t mind those good to have swanky ones. Was Zac arrogant? Yes, he was. Ideally, he shouldn’t have responded that manner though the vlogger’s review was highly biased. They guy was actually struggling to admit how the TSI motor outshines the competition!

[lapis_lazuli]

Regarding the sales numbers; it's not Zacs pet project. He has deputed with a job description to enhance sales. Not do an overnight magic to sell 10k a month. The group is aware of the product limitations, and what they expect from Zac! The typical yearly objectives would be realistic growth figures, lesser than earlier customer dissatisfaction, introduction of new models and preserving the brand image. Curt replies are no more looked down upon: some people deserve curt replies, and as long as Zac is being honest to his job description, he should be doing a good job. However like Ajmat mentioned, some responses are better delayed. There will be some country, which would curse even the most reliable brand...so no point comparing how Skoda or Fiat or Vauxhall or even Toyota is being looked down upon in a particular geography.

[rageshgr]

Originally Posted by ashutoshb

A 2 am tweet means some single malt might be behind that reply. Now he must be finding out what a double edged sword Twitter is.

Also, can we please change the thread title? He did not say the Rapid is old and expensive bit. Let's leave the click bating to Rushlane.

Completely agree. Thread title is very misleading. Thread title reflects the author’s personal angle and sarcasm but within quotes it’s misleading. Mods, please change the thread title to reflect reality.

[greenhorn]

My thoughts - and I think zac gets it too, is that skoda has discovered a niche of users who define quality inn a way that only german cars such as vw and skoda meet their expectations, and this market is somewhat price and other quality parameter insensitive ( much like your average maruti buyer is insensitive to active and passive safety). They are happy to live in that niche, and focus on profit margins rather than volumes.

This niche lives in their own world ( much like apple fans and Trump fans) projected by the brand, which is why even though their cars come up lacking in most objective comparisons, it's irrelevant. Indeed there are several well documented skoda horror stories here, and still several prominent bhpians have bought them with the confidence that it wouldn't happen to them, only to post their own horror story threads when the truth emerges.

For such a brand to survive, it needs to create it's own "reality distortion field" to deny any such issues, gaslight its critics and project arrogance which its target audience interprets as signaling of its superiority, instead of engaging them in rational dialogue (ideal scenario) or stonewall them with boilerplate PR responses (the conventional twitter social media tactic).

[Narendranath]

Great PR effort by the local head of a well-rounded company having amazing sales & unparalleled reputation for service.

[Abhi_Automobile]

2 paise:

• Zac was arrogant in his response. One should be a bit careful when heading the head of a global group. Even though we should recognise that most Europeans are a lot more straightforward than few Asian cultures. So that comment is not as out of place across most Euro countries.

• Most, if not all, Youtuber type of “influencers” have very limited knowledge of the subject matter they claim to be specialist of. So, anybody who knows the topics inside out is bound to get annoyed by the sheer blabbering dished out by these influencers. I can’t get away from the feeling that some influencers are in it for the love of being in front of the camera in prima Donna fashion. Wonder whether these guys are looking to talk about the topics or make themselves famous!

[ajay99]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Skoda India Head Zac Hollis response to a customer's tweet has not gone down well.
It once again shown how much they take India for granted.

Quite an insensitive remark by a brand plagued with sales and service issues.

https://www.rushlane.com/rapid-user-...-12383247.html

What the Skoda head said is absolutely correct, if you are not satisfied with its features go and buy a car with those features.No one is compelling you to buy that model or brand itself

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

My thoughts - and I think zac gets it too, is that skoda has discovered a niche of users who define quality inn a way that only german cars such as vw and skoda meet their expectations, and this market is somewhat price and other quality parameter insensitive ( much like your average maruti buyer is insensitive to active and passive safety). They are happy to live in that niche, and focus on profit margins rather than volumes.

+1. Your post made my day. I don't think anyone could have articulated this in a better way than this.

It is interesting to see people bringing in his review style and the way he treats the test drive cars. I fail to understand how that is relevant to the issue. As head of an organization, do not reply or be on social media if you cannot maintain your calm and composure at all times. Also claiming that they are struggling to match up the demand for their cars is a joke. If you are the only one racing, you are bound to win!

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by ajay99

What the Skoda head said is absolutely correct, if you are not satisfied with its features go and buy a car with those features.No one is compelling you to buy that model or brand itself

He needn't say it. People are already shunning the dead duck brand Skoda. The brand is a joke in Europe, pretty soon will be a dodo here as well. The arrogance will only hasten the demise, the only people affected will be the poor souls who put in money into the brand.

[SoumenD]

Not a great reply by Zac. Would have been fine if he was just a dealer or some employee, not a CEO. Folks at such strategic positions are expected to maintain a certain degree of poise when they speak.

Having said that, I absolutely don’t get how this reviewer is tolerated. I mean the way he drives the cars is painful to watch. He reminds me of those squids on KTMs/RX100s, zigzagging/wheeling in peak traffic endangering everyone else. If he is an ‘Influencer’, am worried about folks who gets influenced by someone like him

[sumeethaldankar]

I really don't care about features like keyless entry, start stop button as the lesser the complex electronics in the car the more reliable it will be. However the Skoda car does feel a decade old and it feels lagging behind it's competitors in terms of interior design etc.

I also think Mr Zac's response sounded a bit rude with a take it or leave it type attitude however I also feel that he did not intend it to be perhaps. Many times people from non-English speaking countries where English is not the primary language come across as rude while communicating as many times English is the second or third known language and they do not realize so.

I have noticed this many times with my clients (French/German etc) to whom English is the second language known. They sometimes would say things that would otherwise be considered rude.