[VahanPujari]

Your disgust is justified...
even if that means Skoda ceases to exist.

Hey, dude. Me or you thinking or wishing Skoda exists in India or leaves do not mean that it'll happen, right? Its a viewpoint one carries. And we can AGREE to DISAGREE.
Here are a few of my disagreement

And, despite how cliched and irksome it may be...patience is a virtue my friend

Yes, me & you can have patience & keep waiting & hoping & praying (or begging?) that Skoda improves. But how about a guy who is paying EMIs on his Skoda for more than last 1 year inspite of his Skoda car is "confiscated" by Skoda India & Dealer? Would like your statement how much more patience should he carry more?

corporate restructuring never happens at the pace it is expected to happen. I'd even go on and say that it shouldn't, because the whole process of restructuring is to understand what went wrong, how to fix it and what are the ramifications of bringing about a change. The minute a company takes its eye off these factors and tries to look at a quick-fix, chances are it is goofing up somewhere else and in time, that mistake is bound to raise its ugly head somewhere down the line.

If the above takes longer time & does not help customers, then the company seriously should look at its attempt to bring in a change. For desired results not being shown in desired time means - either 1) the process is not moving & hence may need a change, or 2) company or mgt does not actually have any intention to change.
Take this case of Skoda. Even after all these, some of the recent responses from Skoda to its customers in writing says "Its your fight with the Dealer. Pls do not involve Skoda in this".
Now C'mon Skoda. gimme a break. That customer has bought Skoda car because of Skoda & not because of the Dealer. He has gone to that dealer only because you've chosen that dealer. You're principal & must act responsible for your Dealer's actions. If you're not able to excercise control over your dealers, pls discontinue the dealer or discontinue the entire set-up owning your inability to control rampant thefts

Sure, our economy is fairly strong even in this period of recession and you and I would hardly lose sleep over Skoda being thrown out, but we can't speculate that all those who lost their jobs will be absorbed by another manufacturer. Besides, the fact still remains- A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and we are most certainly not the weakest link. I'm sure you get the drift of the point I'm making here.

No, I'm not getting any drift of your point, nor do I want to get any. There are many businesses which are shutting down daily & many more coming up daily. Thats the way the economy moves. If we're not able to stop other companies/ businesses shutting down, why to favour Skoda offering this too weak a defense? Besides, am sure people prefer not to work for those who've been found "stealing", "theft", "duping" & supporting all these. Because all these then boils down to the employees also. You wanna check? Check the association of Skoda India top mgt with the tainted dealership (which got closed) & their joint ventures subsequently.

[clonedintellige]

Hey, VahanPujari, Like you said, we can agree to disagree. You have your right to express your opinion, just as much as I or anybody else does and I respect that. Your point of view, albeit different than mine, is welcome.

[SidMeer]

Hi,

I have read a few pages of this topic. While I do feel for the parties that have had bad service and are not being given justice I feel that some members are being unjust and defaming Skoda India.

As a Skoda Fabia 1.4 MPI owner for the past 1 year I can vouch for the durability, stability and excellent drive of the car. It surpasses my previous cars by a large margin. I also have to mention the service has been above the standard of service given to me by Honda for my Honda City.

If any members have any specific questions about my experience they can message me.

[harishv]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

Hi,
I feel that some members are being unjust and defaming Skoda India.

Hi Sid

Which are the members, you feel, are being unjust and defaming Skoda India ?

[MalluDude]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

As a Skoda Fabia 1.4 MPI owner for the past 1 year I can vouch for the durability, stability and excellent drive of the car. It surpasses my previous cars by a large margin. I also have to mention the service has been above the standard of service given to me by Honda for my Honda City.

Hi Sidmeer: Most of us here can indeed agree with you regarding the stability, durability and drive of your car. That's not were the issues lie. If you go through the thread you can see for yourself the nightmares people have been through with the service. If you've got good service from the Skoda dealer, you're lucky and I hope it stays that way.

Just remember that others haven't been so lucky!

[sgiitk]

I think Skoda in their stupidity have let things drag on for too long. there are two parts to the issue:

1. The dealer Nummer Eins tried to cheat Harish. I think this is agreed by Skoda indirectly by cancelling the dealership.

2. Harish at least deserves prompt reestitution. This will be fixing of his problem with a possible replacement of his vehicle, and an apology. This I just cannot understand why Skoda is not doing.

[SidMeer]

Harish I totally agree with your cause and I support you. I wouldn't like to take names but comments like this

"I decide i would never buy a Skoda brand in my life. They are such a cheaters, i hope whoever reads this post would definitly support in this. The attitude of skoda dealers in the whole India is like this. This brand has to go out of india."

are definitely damaging to a company and other genuine honest dealerships. Your grievance was caused initially by the dealers who are responsible for the after sales service. As far as I know their dealership has been cancelled. Now the responsibility of your case lies on the Manufacturer and they are taking the route that their lawyers justify is the best for them.

I shall not comment on the case as it is beyond my knowledge but I would suggest members refrain from making blanket statements about the brand Skoda without having owned or experienced one.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

Harish I totally agree with your cause and I support you. I wouldn't like to take names but comments like this

"I decided i would never buy a Skoda brand in my life. They are such a cheaters, i hope whoever reads this post would definitly support in this. The attitude of skoda dealers in the whole India is like this. This brand has to go out of india."

are definitely damaging to a company and other genuine honest dealerships. Your grievance was caused initially by the dealers who are responsible for the after sales service. As far as I know their dealership has been cancelled. Now the responsibility of your case lies on the Manufacturer and they are taking the route that their lawyers justify is the best for them.

I shall not comment on the case as it is beyond my knowledge but I would suggest members refrain from making blanket statements about the brand Skoda without having owned or experienced one.

1) Do you really think that the company has some real good attitude towards Indian customers ? They met with TBHP moderators, those who met TBHP mods were at the higher level of management with IMHO atleast some common sense logic and loaded with some decision making power.

2) If Skoda is a good company, why cant they take actions in the cases that are reported with proof on TBHP. Apparently its Harishv who initiated the process of unearthing a nation wide negative practice. Why Harishv's car is not being replaced ? Why Skoda is not ready to take appropriate action ?After waiting for a long time , harsihv bought Altis ( A thread exists ).

3) If skoda is really that good ( so good that it does not deserve defaming comments ), then why are they responding to queries and complains of customer in the manner " Its between you and dealer ". Does this suit a really responsible company ?

4) From the emails its abundantly clear that Skoda has shown no interest in solving the cases after they are informed about the malpractices of dealers. For a moment, we consider Skoda a good company, but the very next moment, Skoda's long irritating and frustrating silence points to something else. I will agree with you that there might be very, very few dealers that are good, but as the number of good dealers are small, their customer base will obviously scanty.

5) Its majority that is bad and as far as case with Skoda goes, the reports of cheating are coming from many corners of country, so the statements we make are not blanket.

6) Last but not the least : Skoda actually wanted to " Instigate " TBHP after Harishv posted his matter. And you believe Skoda is genuine ? Rather than helping out a customer they almost threatened the customer and the entire community. That, in itself, is sufficient to get angry with them. No company has a right to threaten any community for posting truth.

IMHO we have a right to make comments if we have sufficient proof available. And even today there is no progress in case of Harishv. As a prospective customer I think we have a right to give our opinion and thinking that we are not buying Skoda. In India owning a car is a big deal as compared to markets like US. And we pay ridiculous prices for both capital cost of car and its maintenance. We expect honest to say the least.

EDIT : If allowed, I will click on Yes in the poll till my hand becomes sore.


EDIT 2 : This is the link to the post where GTO has listed various Skoda problems reported.
Worth having a look as the list is massive, simply massive.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1273840-post2.html

[satix7]

There is a community on orkut for skoda. You can find hundreds of similar cases with pictures and proofs.

I personally know 4 people who have refused delivery of cars after blatant thefts at authorized dealership. And all these 4 cars are at the dealer's location from end 2007.

I wont name the dealer but visit any skoda dealer in NCR and check their garage. You will have at least a couple of disputed cars rusting in the open.

The dealer who forcibly delivered my car home and signed the customer delivery sheet didnt even know my name so he forged a signature from the name present in the registration document (The car is not in my name).
Even with this document and pics of my car with original accessories, Skoda head office didnt even bother to intervene.
This cant get more disgusting... In this case, the dealer had the last laugh. And quite literally when i went one last time to show the replaced inferior quality parts.

The only way they will feel the pinch is when we all decide to boycott Skoda and all VW subsidiaries.

[harishv]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

I wouldn't like to take names but comments like this

"I decide i would never buy a Skoda brand in my life. They are such a cheaters, i hope whoever reads this post would definitly support in this. The attitude of skoda dealers in the whole India is like this. This brand has to go out of india."

are definitely damaging to a company and other genuine honest dealerships.

You find this statement damaging? So, comparatively, how damaging would you find an incident where a family met with an accident due to spurious brake discs installed by the dealer and barely managed to survive?

Your grievance was caused initially by the dealers who are responsible for the after sales service. As far as I know their dealership has been cancelled.

Are you trying to say that this was an isolated case? What would you have to say if I give you a list of 200 people from Rishikesh to Trivandrum with major grievances ??

I shall not comment on the case as it is beyond my knowledge

I thought so. But you did.

but I would suggest members refrain from making blanket statements about the brand Skoda without having owned or experienced one.

Buddy, you have no clue about owning and experiencing one.

[janitha]

Originally Posted by satix7

The dealer who forcibly delivered my car home and signed the customer delivery sheet didnt even know my name so he forged a signature from the name present in the registration document (The car is not in my name).
Even with this document and pics of my car with original accessories, Skoda head office didnt even bother to intervene.

Let us know what legal actions you took in this regard.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

Hi,

I have read a few pages of this topic. While I do feel for the parties that have had bad service and are not being given justice I feel that some members are being unjust and defaming Skoda India.

As a Skoda Fabia 1.4 MPI owner for the past 1 year I can vouch for the durability, stability and excellent drive of the car. It surpasses my previous cars by a large margin. I also have to mention the service has been above the standard of service given to me by Honda for my Honda City.

If any members have any specific questions about my experience they can message me.

No amount of positive experience can offset a single negative experience.
You may be one of the lucky guys who has got a good piece, and probably a good service workshop/dealer.
Great.

But that doesn't prove that Skoda is a great company.
Because we have a case or two here, which are so detrimental to Skoda's reputation, that no amount of Skoda success stories are ever gonna wipe these black marks off.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by SidMeer

Hi,

I have read a few pages of this topic. While I do feel for the parties that have had bad service and are not being given justice I feel that some members are being unjust and defaming Skoda India.

Dude,
Those who've suffered by Skoda do not need your or my sympathies.
Its a FIGHT for them for justice, for their hard-earned money, for the discomfort they've been thro', for the pain/ agony they've gone thro', for the amount of time & effort they've lost.
For t-bhp, its a fight to enable customers start getting good A.S.S. from Skoda & the 1st step towards that would be resolution of the cases which have been brought out.

Originally Posted by SidMeer

Harish I totally agree with your cause and I support you. I wouldn't like to take names but comments like this

How will you support harishv & others? Since last 1 year everything has failed. More & more horror stories are coming out everyday which are spreaded across locations, spreaded across Dealerships. Its so widely spread that it can't happen without the blessing or eye-shut attitude of Skoda.

Originally Posted by SidMeer

"I decide i would never buy a Skoda brand in my life. They are such a cheaters, i hope whoever reads this post would definitly support in this. The attitude of skoda dealers in the whole India is like this. This brand has to go out of india."

are definitely damaging to a company and other genuine honest dealerships.

These are only the STATEMENTS (and not actions) which sounds damaging in your view. What Skoda & its dealers did to a number of unsuspecting customers is "damaging ACTIONS". How about that? You wanna check? Check below latest post by satix7 or earlier posts by harshv, kapiljolly, evo & a banglorean who paraded Skoda car with stickers asking people not to buy it. Can any business go any further down than this. What Satix7 mentioned below (which is a repeatation of earlier customer grievances also) - is anything less than "Thieves", "Cheaters", even "Goons" sufficient?

Originally Posted by satix7

There is a community on orkut for skoda. You can find hundreds of similar cases with pictures and proofs.

I personally know 4 people who have refused delivery of cars after blatant thefts at authorized dealership. And all these 4 cars are at the dealer's location from end 2007.

I wont name the dealer but visit any skoda dealer in NCR and check their garage. You will have at least a couple of disputed cars rusting in the open.

The dealer who forcibly delivered my car home and signed the customer delivery sheet didnt even know my name so he forged a signature from the name present in the registration document (The car is not in my name).
Even with this document and pics of my car with original accessories, Skoda head office didnt even bother to intervene.
This cant get more disgusting... In this case, the dealer had the last laugh. And quite literally when i went one last time to show the replaced inferior quality parts.

The only way they will feel the pinch is when we all decide to boycott Skoda and all VW subsidiaries.

Bang on.
That's why when anyone tries to say goody-goodies in politicaly correct, management language saying that Skoda should not leave for so & so reasons, I express my disagreement knowing fully well that our individual wishes do not count to chuck out a company more. Its a view & can impact more if it gets a MASS-opinion.
Com'on, for more than a year this non-sense is going on. People have tried everything - taking on dealer, taking on Skoda India, writing to Skoda Global, court cases, Mods have met with Skoda top officials etc etc with almost no results so far & the horror stories keep on continuing. The only way Skoda will feel the pinch is drastically reduced sales, which makes it unviable for them to operate in India only then will they do something it seems.

[CarsPG]

It seems like more and more Skoda stories are coming out in the open!!

[sidindica]

hope there is no new "skoda corporate" in this forum with a name change.

see this lie told by skoda India:

from ?kodaAuto India secures the No. 1 segment position ?koda Auto -

The New Laura & Superb outperform the competition in the C+ and D segment respectively~

Mumbai, 2nd July, 2009: ŠkodaAuto India, a fully owned subsidiary of ŠkodaAuto a.s., Czech Republic, today announced that the company secured the No. 1 position for sales in C+ and D Segments for the month of June 2009, ahead of all other car manufacturers in these segments in India. The Škoda Octavia & the New Škoda Laura proved to be the hottest selling cars in the C+ segment in India with a sales figure of 737 units – No.1 segment position in June 2009. Maintaining its superb run and giving a 7 star experience to our customers, the new Škoda Superb secured the No. 1 position in the D segment in India with sales figures of 212 units in June 2009.

The C+ segment in India comprises of cars such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Altis, Škoda Octavia, Škoda Laura, Chevrolet Optra, Volkswagen Jetta and Mitsubishi Cedia. The D segment in India includes the Hyundai Sonata, Honda Accord, Škoda Superb, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat and Nissan Teana.

Speaking on the achievement Mr. Thomas Kuehl, Board Member, Sales and Marketing, ŠkodaAuto India said “We are very proud today as we continue our successful run despite the slow patch for the C+ segment in the automobile industry. Our leading position in these segments is a combined result of the new engine options and choice of variants introduced through our two new launches – the Superb & the Laura as well as the expansion of our dealer network in the country. This milestone achievement reflects ŠkodaAuto’s commitment towards India through our leading technology, superior built-quality and valuable services which enhance the ownership experience for our customers.”