[Amartya]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

Almost everyone unanimously agrees that Skoda is horrible, but can someone please shed some light on their experiences with Volkswagen.
That 1.6L Polo looks highly tempting, would be a shame if VW turned out to be just like its sister Skoda.

I haven't experienced Volkswagen A.S.S. enough to make an educated comment. However, my test drive experience was not good. I was quite happy with the car, but not with the dealership's attitude (mind you, I am not talking about the salesperson). I know enough about cars and car dealerships to know that it is foolish to discount a car based on the salesperson.
It was the Sales Manager's attitude, which was very annoying. He was being uppity about how good a brand VW is, how it is reasonable to wait for 3months (4 in certain cases), and how the Polo (Vento wasn't launched at that time) was the best thing to happen to the Indian car industry since Maruti 800. So they were doing me a favour, and not the other way round by selling me a car. I had been asked by my friend to review the Polo (I have shared a part of the experience on the Polo thread), and although I quite liked the car, I was underwhelmed by the whole experience (actually slightly annoyed).

That experience, along with the fact that all things considered, VW is the parent company of Skoda, I have serious reservations about them.

[sgiitk]

@Amartya: You are lucky to find out before putting down your hard earned money. With this attitude they are headed Skoda's way very fast.

[akj53]

Amartya.

VW or for that matter any other manufacturer should not be blamed for a dealer manager's fault. However manufacturers should also impart correct selling and communication skills to their dealer personnel as most of them are jokers.

Quality of man power is also dependent on the management of dealership.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by akj53

Amartya.
VW or for that matter any other manufacturer should not be blamed for a dealer manager's fault. However manufacturers should also impart correct selling and communication skills to their dealer personnel as most of them are jokers.
Quality of man power is also dependent on the management of dealership.

This would lead to a broader discussion, but there are two ways to look at this.
From my post you'll see that I too take the salesperson's point of view or experience with a pinch of salt. In fact, I don't take that into account, one cannot do that in India, where salespersons are paid peanuts and one usually does it for wont of a better option. In my case, I was talking about the Sales Manager for the dealership (and there is only one, so I assume he'll be remunerated enough to live reasonably comfortably).

I would love to squarely blame the dealership and not the manufacturer, but the hard fact is, we need to deal with the dealerships. The manufacturer has to crack the whip, somehow. There have been more reports of the VW sales experience being underwhelming. It is in their interests that they nip this in the bud. With larger number of dealerships and more cars on the road, this has the potential to be a problem.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by Amartya

So they were doing me a favour, and not the other way round by selling me a car.

With this kind of attitude, there are two possibilities appearing in my mind.

One is the Honda way - to an extent Honda dealerships have (had?) such an attitude, as if Honda/dealer is doing a favour by selling the car.

Other is the Skoda way - that is what this thread is all about.

Looking at the history of issues reported, Honda has proved to be way more reliable than Skoda. Now considering the association between Skoda and VW, it is a no-brainer, isn't it?

[rjalihal]

Hello all, this is my first post after a long long time. One of the tenants in my apartment bought a new Skoda Laura Petrol a week back. I was having a casual talk with him about the car. As we spoke I asked him how the service was and the treatment he received. He was full of praises!! He bought it from Vinayak Cars in Sadashivnagar. He said during the time of test drive, they got the car all the way to our apartment. The guy was highly knowledgeable and overall satisfaction levels appear to be high. I did not tell him about all the negative points as i did not want to freak him out on his new purchase. They also upgraded his floor mats for free!! He also received a complimentary Skoda clock for the house and they gave the umbrella for a discount rate! Point is, I feel that Skoda are trying very hard to win customers. Maybe they are turning a new leaf. Oh and i forgot, he was treated to free Pepsi and samosa while going through the invoice at the time of purchase

[SILVERWOOD]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

He bought it from Vinayak Cars in Sadashivnagar. Oh and i forgot, he was treated to free Pepsi and samosa while going through the invoice at the time of purchase

Wow, that is an eye opener.

There was some salesman from the same dealership who had once told a customer " we are not responsible after we sell the cars" or was it TAFE.?

[sgiitk]

@sbraj: I found this attitude in Honda corporate, and definitely not the dealer (Kanpur as well as Gwalior where I got the second service on Monday).

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

@sbraj: I found this attitude in Honda corporate, and definitely not the dealer (Kanpur as well as Gwalior where I got the second service on Monday).

OT: I remember reading a post on the forum where a dealer in Bangalore asked for 50K non-refundable deposit for a test drive of Honda CRV.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

Hello all, this is my first post after a long long time. One of the tenants in my apartment bought a new Skoda Laura Petrol a week back. I was having a casual talk with him about the car. As we spoke I asked him how the service was and the treatment he received. He was full of praises!! He bought it from Vinayak Cars in Sadashivnagar. He said during the time of test drive, they got the car all the way to our apartment. The guy was highly knowledgeable and overall satisfaction levels appear to be high. I did not tell him about all the negative points as i did not want to freak him out on his new purchase. They also upgraded his floor mats for free!! He also received a complimentary Skoda clock for the house and they gave the umbrella for a discount rate! Point is, I feel that Skoda are trying very hard to win customers. Maybe they are turning a new leaf. Oh and i forgot, he was treated to free Pepsi and samosa while going through the invoice at the time of purchase

Well if this is true, maybe Skoda really is trying to improve quality and improve customer satisfaction levels, which is a great move for the company and customers alike.
However, they still have to compensate old customers such as harishv and many others who have suffered at their hands before they earn my respect.

[SPARKled]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

Hello all, this is my first post after a long long time. One of the tenants in my apartment bought a new Skoda Laura Petrol a week back. I was having a casual talk with him about the car. As we spoke I asked him how the service was and the treatment he received. He was full of praises!! He bought it from Vinayak Cars in Sadashivnagar. He said during the time of test drive, they got the car all the way to our apartment. The guy was highly knowledgeable and overall satisfaction levels appear to be high. I did not tell him about all the negative points as i did not want to freak him out on his new purchase. They also upgraded his floor mats for free!! He also received a complimentary Skoda clock for the house and they gave the umbrella for a discount rate! Point is, I feel that Skoda are trying very hard to win customers. Maybe they are turning a new leaf. Oh and i forgot, he was treated to free Pepsi and samosa while going through the invoice at the time of purchase

The car is still new and so whatever has happened so far has been at the sales level which is not too surprising. The real picture will come once the servicing starts and god forbid when something actually goes wrong.

[sgiitk]

Once bitten TWICE shy!

After having lost the customer confidence they have a long haul ahead of them.

I will rather spend my money on a Honda or Toyota or Hyundai or some other non-VW family product for the peace of mind. If you keep a car for say seven years then you are stuck with them for seven years. Also, how they behave will have a major say in the residual value.

[twinblades]

Originally Posted by rjalihal

Hello all, this is my first post after a long long time. One of the tenants in my apartment bought a new Skoda Laura Petrol a week back. I was having a casual talk with him about the car. As we spoke I asked him how the service was and the treatment he received. He was full of praises!! He bought it from Vinayak Cars in Sadashivnagar. He said during the time of test drive, they got the car all the way to our apartment. The guy was highly knowledgeable and overall satisfaction levels appear to be high. I did not tell him about all the negative points as i did not want to freak him out on his new purchase. They also upgraded his floor mats for free!! He also received a complimentary Skoda clock for the house and they gave the umbrella for a discount rate! Point is, I feel that Skoda are trying very hard to win customers. Maybe they are turning a new leaf. Oh and i forgot, he was treated to free Pepsi and samosa while going through the invoice at the time of purchase

That particular dealership has good rep. I know guys from office who switched to Vinayak because they had a bad time in TAFE.

[prasanna_gem]

Originally Posted by Amartya

they were doing me a favour, and not the other way round by selling me a car.
That experience, along with the fact that all things considered, VW is the parent company of Skoda, I have serious reservations about them.

Cannot agree more with Amartyaji - would like to add further that the "Values of employees" and how they treat their customers (irrespective of the number if interactions) are nothing but a reflection of what the parent company stands for. Apparently, we do not expect the Sales Manager to have invented these things (though they are pretty capable of). He would have got this load from some senior leadership person in his company (best thing since Maruti - huh!).

After reading most of the stuff on this thread and going thru the horrific experiences of customers who have spent a fortune buying a Skoda - if Skoda is still able to sell even one car in India, I would personally feel very sorry for the uninformed buyer. I mean, they sell sad cars which break down in its first week and have apathetic ***, along with a Holier than thou attitude – so what does a person buy their car for? To get humiliated and keep the car in a showcase?
IMHO, what Skoda has perpetuated on Indian consumers should be viewed as an insult to all Indians!

Henceforth, each time I see a Skoda pass buy, I would pity the owner!

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by harishv

Next date - 26th August

Hey Harish,
It took me all of one week to read through this entire thread, and all I can say is, I definitely wouldn't want to be in your shoes mate. Then again, I admire your guts and your resilience. Lesser mortals, yours truly included, would have given up a long long time ago. Skoda's behavior is simply unpardonable, and I hope the court hands them exemplary punishment that they will remember for eternity; one that will teach all the other automobile manufacturers a lesson, that they cannot take us consumers for a ride anymore. The entire Team-BHP community is with you, all the way. May the force be with you!