SKODA again !!! Court orders compensation for owner of defective Fabia

arin_12 · 5th August 2010, 23:22

SKODA may not learn but many BHPian will think twice before buying a SKODA.
I believe becos of the Poor and Defective car selling many country like US they fear to sell their car. Never know how much money they would had to sell out if they was in US market

nasa_hubble · 5th August 2010, 23:51

VAG has recently bought a stake in Suzuki. There was talk about re-badging the Ritz under VW. What VAG/Skoda really need to learn from Suzuki is to make reliable products.

what I think is that although India has Consumer Courts, they don't serve the real purpose.
Instead of Penalising the Company at fault, the tend to satisfy the consumer.
40k is nothing for Skoda and I would not call that a punishment.
whereas for a consumer it is okay. so, end of the day both are happy.

prince_pervez · 6th August 2010, 00:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by arin_12

SKODA may not learn but many BHPian will think twice before buying a SKODA.

With due respect to others and owners, after so much of ranting and threads running upto infinite pages against Skoda service, people are still buying it and using it and presenting ownership reports. So what can we expect from the people who are not aware about this issue. Hey as a disclaimer I would say that it is upto the person or owners to do as they feel. It is a free country.

Thad E Ginathom · 6th August 2010, 01:54

prince_pervez, yes, people are still buying Skodas, and the saddest part of this is that they are excellent cards that deserve to sell (Fabia maybe excluded).

People are still buying: how many more would still be buying if it wasn't for the bad publicity?

Even people who read this news report may not realise that it is part of a pattern, but many, many do. You can be certain that the relevant threads on this site will be seen by far, far more people than those just those who register and post here.

vivek_gaur69 · 6th August 2010, 08:21

Skoda has the last laugh - Telegraph

read this.
I own a Laura and till now *** has been as good as bad as any other mfr. I have had a Maruti, toyota and Opel. They have actually fixed 2 problems free of cost, the problems were because of me hitting a bump once and driving through waters once.

so the cars are good and getting better.

Thad E Ginathom · 6th August 2010, 13:37

No point whatsoever in telling us how great Skodas are in UK (Your link is to a UK press article). That is not in question.

Find articles about how great Skoda are in India!

e1t1bet · 6th August 2010, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

Until the day a court orders a 10 lakh compensation when the claim was 1 lakh, and the compensation is enforced, this will continue.

Absolutely. The consumer laws need a massive revamp.

kadanaJ · 6th August 2010, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by arin_12

SKODA may not learn but many BHPian will think twice before buying a SKODA.

After hearing the horror stories, I will never consider Skoda (or VW) for that matter. Shame that 140 bhp Laura DSG looks really tempting.

Thad E Ginathom · 6th August 2010, 21:22

Well, I am seriously considering VW, but I'm not in any hurry...

Mpower · 6th August 2010, 21:43

Is this the Fabia 1.4 petrol. Thats a known problem child.

jack7 · 8th August 2010, 19:10

I agree. I still don't understand. What is the court trying to prove here. After all the mental trauma and loss of time, if you ever win a battle with a conglomerate, is just worth peanuts? I bet the Skoda lawyers would be laughing out loud after the courts decision and the consumers victory will be definitely hollow!!!

When will we see something change? By denying what the consumer was asking for, the court is just encouraging large companies to fool consumers. They will never learn.

Thad E Ginathom · 9th August 2010, 00:44

I can understand the frustration, but in consumer and contract matters, the court's purpose is not to punish, it is to compensate and/or to order fulfilment.

Still, there is room to question the compensation amount.

GTO · 9th August 2010, 21:27

40K may be a relatively small amount, considering the effort that the Fabia owner went through (at the service stations, and in court). However, this win is symbolic. The real satisfaction for the customer, and the real blow to Skoda is:

- Losing in court. No one likes to. The equivalent of a (legal) slap on your face.

- It severely dents your reputation and can open up a can of worms (i.e. for other lawsuits involving the same car)

- Negative publicity. Court awarding compensation to a customer directly means, Skoda / its dealership wronged the customer.

- Skoda will pay 40K to this gentleman. But their legal costs would be multiple times the amount.

Again, this win is symbolic and I congratulate the gentleman on his victory.

nanduchitnis · 4th January 2012, 20:20

Agree with GTO. Skoda sales are not really impacted hard for them to wake up to After Sales Service issues from a few customers.

Last month I heard that a person I know was going to book a Skoda. I e mailed him the T Bhp thread on Skoda issues and also passed on cell #'s of Pune Skoda owners.

The Pune guys gave a clean chit to Skoda and the dealers !

He booked it anyway !!!!

5th August 2010, 23:22	#16
arin_12 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 627 Thanked: 84 Times View My Garage	SKODA may not learn but many BHPian will think twice before buying a SKODA. I believe becos of the Poor and Defective car selling many country like US they fear to sell their car. Never know how much money they would had to sell out if they was in US market
	() Thanks

5th August 2010, 23:51	#17
nasa_hubble BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Area 51 Posts: 73 Thanked: 216 Times	VAG has recently bought a stake in Suzuki. There was talk about re-badging the Ritz under VW. What VAG/Skoda really need to learn from Suzuki is to make reliable products. what I think is that although India has Consumer Courts, they don't serve the real purpose. Instead of Penalising the Company at fault, the tend to satisfy the consumer. 40k is nothing for Skoda and I would not call that a punishment. whereas for a consumer it is okay. so, end of the day both are happy.
	() Thanks

6th August 2010, 01:54	#19
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,443 Times	prince_pervez, yes, people are still buying Skodas, and the saddest part of this is that they are excellent cards that deserve to sell (Fabia maybe excluded). People are still buying: how many more would still be buying if it wasn't for the bad publicity? Even people who read this news report may not realise that it is part of a pattern, but many, many do. You can be certain that the relevant threads on this site will be seen by far, far more people than those just those who register and post here.
	() Thanks

6th August 2010, 08:21	#20
vivek_gaur69 BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: chandigarh Posts: 44 Thanked: 14 Times	Skoda has the last laugh - Telegraph read this. I own a Laura and till now *** has been as good as bad as any other mfr. I have had a Maruti, toyota and Opel. They have actually fixed 2 problems free of cost, the problems were because of me hitting a bump once and driving through waters once. so the cars are good and getting better.
	() Thanks

6th August 2010, 13:37	#21
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,443 Times	No point whatsoever in telling us how great Skodas are in UK (Your link is to a UK press article). That is not in question. Find articles about how great Skoda are in India!
	() Thanks

6th August 2010, 21:22	#24
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,443 Times	Well, I am seriously considering VW, but I'm not in any hurry...
	() Thanks

6th August 2010, 21:43	#25
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	Is this the Fabia 1.4 petrol. Thats a known problem child.
	() Thanks

8th August 2010, 19:10	#26
jack7 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 100 Thanked: Once	I agree. I still don't understand. What is the court trying to prove here. After all the mental trauma and loss of time, if you ever win a battle with a conglomerate, is just worth peanuts? I bet the Skoda lawyers would be laughing out loud after the courts decision and the consumers victory will be definitely hollow!!! When will we see something change? By denying what the consumer was asking for, the court is just encouraging large companies to fool consumers. They will never learn.
	() Thanks

9th August 2010, 00:44	#27
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,443 Times	I can understand the frustration, but in consumer and contract matters, the court's purpose is not to punish, it is to compensate and/or to order fulfilment. Still, there is room to question the compensation amount.
	() Thanks

9th August 2010, 21:27	#28
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,546 Thanked: 300,767 Times View My Garage	40K may be a relatively small amount, considering the effort that the Fabia owner went through (at the service stations, and in court). However, this win is symbolic. The real satisfaction for the customer, and the real blow to Skoda is: - Losing in court. No one likes to. The equivalent of a (legal) slap on your face. - It severely dents your reputation and can open up a can of worms (i.e. for other lawsuits involving the same car) - Negative publicity. Court awarding compensation to a customer directly means, Skoda / its dealership wronged the customer. - Skoda will pay 40K to this gentleman. But their legal costs would be multiple times the amount. Again, this win is symbolic and I congratulate the gentleman on his victory.
	() Thanks

4th January 2012, 20:20	#29
nanduchitnis BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 494 Thanked: 301 Times	Re: SKODA again !!! Court orders compensation for owner of defective Fabia Agree with GTO. Skoda sales are not really impacted hard for them to wake up to After Sales Service issues from a few customers. Last month I heard that a person I know was going to book a Skoda. I e mailed him the T Bhp thread on Skoda issues and also passed on cell #'s of Pune Skoda owners. The Pune guys gave a clean chit to Skoda and the dealers ! He booked it anyway !!!! Last edited by nanduchitnis : 4th January 2012 at 20:21.
	() Thanks