[Col Mehta]

Never owned a Skoda, don't plan on doing so either. Been a happy VW customer though. Skoda or any other soda, they all are same in India, barring a few. It's just ludicrous that after spending your hard earned money, you are at the mercy of these thieves and scammers. Where are the consumer rights for a common man??

[mac187]

Trust Skoda India and their grease monkeys to do their best to convert a believer into a non-believer. I love Skoda cars but honestly can never recommend one to even my enemy. Good on you OP for using all tools at your disposal and getting away from further heartache.

Honestly, If you would have shared this ordeal, while in progress, most of us here would have recommended that you ask for a re-paint and coating or max a replacement vehicle. No-way anyone here would have though of penalizing the dealer for the mental agony. Thanks on behalf the countless owners whom Skoda India has successfully tortured and cheated of their money.

Read you latest post, sad that the situation has discouraged you for a new purchase all together.

[libranof1987]

This just goes to show why we need very strong consumer laws.

Wonder how stupid Akoya thinks the buyer is to lie about such things. A sensible SA / Sales Manager would have accepted the mistake, fixed it and treated you with respect. But they conveniently found it wise to shoot themselves in the foot - assuming they can trap you in the endless loop of "We'll get back to you after discussing internally".

Lastly, thanks for taking one for the team. It takes one of your kind to put manufacturers and dealers in their place, and empowers the mango man to remind them of this incident the next time they try to pull a fast one. Continue to use your power and privilege for the right cause.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

What's a non-connected layman supposed to do?

Option 1: Fight it out in Consumer Court and get an outcome after seven years
Option 2: A repaint of the affected panels after mounting pressure due to Team-BHP and social media
Option 3: A repaint of the affected panels and a car care kit worth Rs. 1199/- after mounting pressure due to Team-BHP and social media, and some connections

[naikameya]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Imagine having 'bureaucratic' leverage, and still not getting a straightforward outcome.

What's a non-connected layman supposed to do?

Skoda 2.0: Same old 1.0 shit sundae with extra toppings.

There are some brands that should be avoided and not touched even with a barge pole. Skoda seems like one of them.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

This just goes to show why we need very strong consumer laws.

Wonder how stupid Akoya thinks the buyer is to lie about such things. A sensible SA / Sales Manager would have accepted the mistake, fixed it and treated you with respect. But they conveniently found it wise to shoot themselves in the foot - assuming they can trap you in the endless loop of "We'll get back to you after discussing internally".

I feel generally everyone assumes the customer is stupid and trust me the majority of customers are gullible due to a lack of resources, patience or knowledge of technical aspects.

Originally Posted by MarkivSkoda

After all the fiasco we decided against buying any car for now. Will wait for new launches happening in next few months and then take a call.
All the zeal of upgrading to a new car is gone!

While I can say that I understand your pain, I think no one does. Kudos for taking one for the team.

I would like to see some of these aspects considered in the safety rating than ADAS.
Stress due to fraudulent behaviour: The stress from such frauds can be a lot. I have seen people going through a breakdown.
Product failure due to known issue: a stranded car in the middle of nowhere is a safety issue.

[Maverick_4662]

Congratulations on getting a resolution favourable to you in what should've been a beautiful ownership experience with the lovely 1.5 .
I personally have taken PDI's quite lightly but now armed with this information, I shall be on guard. I disagree with the posts saying that it's a simple panel repaint for two reasons:
1) It's a question of ethics and principles. I appreciate OP for going the distance and making a point to the errant dealer that customers cannot be taken for granted.
2) I would personally never want to start my ownership of a 20+ Lakh car on such a sour note.

Off- topic but is your father a Diplomat or a forester? Also time to start a thread to search for a new car?

[crdi]

Originally Posted by deathwalkr

My dumb self would have just lived with it.

Not just yourself. Most of us would have had to swallow the bitter pill, unless the said backing was there from VW India, VW Germany and the mighty GOI, like the OP had.

[Livnletcarsliv]

I totally understand your horrific experience with the so-called overhyped premium brand SKODA.

While I see that your touch points to bring this fiasco to light and get you an appropriate resolution was extensive (Govt. of India, VW India, VW Germany, Legal experts, etc), I wonder what a common person like me would & can do against these mighty dealers and OEM networks.

This is so atrocious that there aren't enough consumer laws to protect us (or maybe I am unaware of them) and more so about the enforcement of those laws. Only money, fame, & power speaks here.

1. In the name of warranty, we customers are always taken for a ride.
2. The response from the dealer and OEM is in such a way that they doing us a favor.
3. There is absolutely no remorse, ethical resolution approach, or even good intention from the dealer or OEM side.
4. The attitude in India is like this "As long as the problem is not mine, I will be least bothered". No ethics, no transparency, no genuity, no humbleness, etc.
5. The dealer is not ready to negotiate for 10K, but they are happy to deliver a "LEMON" to a customer and will also happily let the customer suffer.

I can keep going on and on because I am already going through this.

[lordtottuu]

Some may feel that it’s a little overboard to go through all of this for just a side panel but I appreciate someone sticking to their principles.

The dealer should have simply communicated the damage, the subsequent rectification and offered the choice of immediate delivery plus compensation or waiting for a new car. Damages happen and I’m sure the dealer is fully insured for it. Hiding the issue and trying to cheat the customer is a definite no-no.

It’s instances like these that will make dealers think twice before looting the common man in the future. And one step for us Indians towards moving away from the “c’est la vie” attitude of tolerating all sorts of BS practices that we consider “normal”. (And we tolerate those in the name of “peace of mind”!)

[Nair.V8]

Thank you so much for taking the efforts to share this experience MarkivSkoda . Goes to show how vigilant one needs to be when dealing with car dealerships. Experiences like these really take away the joy of a new car purchase.

Wish you good luck with your next purchase!

[Jhinchak]

I think the Title has to be changed, as this has nothing to do with the car being problematic. It is the dealer who has goofed up and tried to cover his tracks.

[Knightrider]

Thanks for sharing this experience. It is indeed painful. Salute to you for getting the issue resolved in your favour.

Just a coincidence that there is a Blue colored Slavia 1.5 DSG listed on Olx in Pune with BH registration. Wondering if it is the same car.

[ArTigor]

Pathetic! Why is it that Skoda dealers keep messing up things? Basic things like delivering a scratch less car also seems to be like a herculean task for Skoda dealers, and their audacity to blatantly lie and deny of their wrong doing is unpardonable.
Can not imagine what would have been the plight of a not so well connected person. Such periodic fraud instances by Skoda actually act as reminders for general buyers to stay away from Skoda.

[som9729]

Originally Posted by MarkivSkoda

27 Aug 2022 - We booked the Skoda Slavia 1.5 DSG from Skoda India’s authorised dealer Akoya Motors Pvt Ltd, Baner, Pune. Service Maintenance Package came as standard from Skoda. Given its a DSG, we opted for 5-6th year extended warranty. We asked for time to finalize the color.

The real learning is that only high-level pressure from GOI or state govt will work.
Else this would've gone round and round.

I have to look into developing such contacts!!!

[MarkivSkoda]

Originally Posted by Maverick_4662

Off- topic but is your father a Diplomat or a forester? Also time to start a thread to search for a new car?

He is a forester. Retired after 37 years of service on 30 Sept 2022!
It was supposed to be his retirement gift to self on his 60th birthday.

[iron.head]

Extremely sorry to say this but IMHO this is just too overkill. If I would have been in this scenario, I would have wanted to ensure that this was just a paint job and not a structural repair. If it would turn out that this was just a paint job, I would have requested for a proper repaint as the first repaint could have been a rushed up job and lived with the car. Some freebies from the dealer and that’s it.

The automotive industry has been hit hard with the covid and ultimately the dealers are also just people. Unless I would have been at a severe disadvantage, a paint repair is a no big deal. It’s easy for the car to need paint jobs anyway given the traffic conditions we have in our country.