Re: Skoda Octavia vRS : Official Review Below is the exact mail I've sent Skoda Customer Care. It encapsulates and chronologically illustrates how poor my sales experience was (and continues to be) while attempting to purchase a Skoda Octavia RS.
The mail begins from below --
Now I've already heard terrible things about Skoda Service and Sales but since Skoda claims to have revamped their system, I decided to go ahead with the booking of an Octavia RS (Red) - with the Skoda JMD Dealer in Vashi via a Sales Advisor by the name of Nikhil.
I paid the booking amount in the first week of August - on the 6th, and was promised and confirmed that the delivery of the vehicle would happen by 20th of August. To give you perspective, I live in South Mumbai - and the closest Skoda Dealer to me was in Prabhadevi - but it was only due to the earlier delivery date that I was being promised that I decided to go ahead with Skoda JMD in Vashi. So it was really important for me that the delivery happened on time.
About a week before the delivery date, Nikhil - the service advisor postponed the delivery date (without any intimation or apology) to the end of August, saying "Skoda had not yet updated him about the vehicle". He then tried to pawn off a Blue or a Grey Octavia RS saying "Sir, I have Blue and Grey ready - if you want it right now." But since I had made the booking with a Red Colour, and was promised a Red colour vehicle, I refused flatly.
When the end of August arrived Nikhil stopped receiving my phone calls - and I have proof of all the messages I've sent him. Every time I called him, after about 4-5 attempts, he would receive the call and say "Sir I'm driving, can I call you back after 15 mins" or "Sir I'm in the washroom, can I call you back in 2 mins" and would NEVER RETURN THE CALL!
By the time the month came to an end, I demanded I speak to a higher authority - since they had still not delivered my vehicle - despite them promising to do so every day saying "Sir it will come in 2 days, and Sir the vehicle is about to be dispatched etc". These were all blatant lies - and quite frankly shameful considering I was about to purchase a car for that amount of money. The norm is that the Sales guys is supposed to chase you - but this time, I was the person on the back foot - and since they already had my advance payment, it looked like they didn't care.
I finally managed to get in touch with a "Senior Skoda Representative" at the JMD (the dealer) office in Thane by the name of "Rupesh". He spoke really well - and requested an extension because there was delay in the delivery from Skoda - so he asked for an extension saying the care will be delivered (not allocated - but delivered) between the 10th and the 15th of September. He also promised me some compensation on the vehicle and that thought kept me patient - even though the delivery date had already been pushed to almost a month from the initial promise made to me when I was making the booking amount.
I kept my patience, didn't call them back until the 10th, even though I was absolutely infuriated by now. It's not about the delay - but it's about their blatant lies and refusal to be polite, courteous and even have the decency to respond to calls. On the 9th, I messaged Rupesh asking for an update. No reply. I called him, No reply again. I call him again the next day (on the 10th) and he replies with a curt "I'll call you back later." Nothing else. So I waited. About 7 hours later (it's 6 in the evening now) I message and call him again and he doesn't receive my call and replies with another curt "Yes sir I will call you." Now this starts to get on my nerves, if it takes me 48 hours to get in touch with a senior sales representative - then obviously this means something is wrong with their entire team. He doesn't call me back still - so I message him at 7 again - and he sends me reply again saying "Sir, still waiting for the same - I'll call you back" - meaning he's awaiting Skoda's reply right now. So I wait again - and at 9 I send him a last message saying "So I'm assuming your'e not going to call me today" - he finally responds at 11:35pm - in the night - saying "Sir Sorry but I will make sure your car will get deliver before 15th September or else we will refund your amount."
Now it's starting to annoy me - cause I'm approaching the date that Skoda Autobahn Prabhadevi (which is closer to my residence) had initially told me honestly - saying that "Sir, there are no vehicles being delivered now - but it will come by the end of September" - and I had chosen to believe Nikhil and Rupesh against my better judgement when they promised the vehicle by the 20th of August.
Finally - after an umpteen member of calls to Rupesh, he finally replied this morning (it is the 15th of September today) with a message - and I quote "Sir I had a con call yesterday as Skoda india I will get car in last week of this month September so we can plan delivery by 28th to 30th of September". No apology, no mention of any compensation - nothing. Just a plain and curt reply without even acknowledging that he was supposed to call me last night.
So currently it seems like Skoda Autobahn was more honest with me from the start about giving me realistic delivery dates. Now I'm being forced to cancel my booking with JMD and book with Skoda Autobahn instead. They've promised to refund my amount by net week - so I'm hoping they can commit to that delivery date at the very least.
I'm also going to post this entire message online on Team BHP and other forums so that people are aware about my personal experience. I am fully aware that one experience with one dealer does not define how an entire company is - but everything I have mentioned in this mail/post is both true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and memory. And it is extremely disheartening for me to have this kind of experience for a car and a vehicle that I truly admire and I hope this care-a-hang attitude changes at the soonest.
Skoda really needs to up their sales and after sales experiences because if this kind of service continues, it will extremely detrimental for the company.
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So yeah - that's what I've sent Skoda Customer Care. The booking for this year have stopped apparently - but I'm just annoyed with these guys - and I'm actually asking for a refund cause I'm done expecting people to have any sense of decency with regards to honouring commitments or at least being forthcoming with apologising when you can't keep upto a commitment.
P.S. - Yeah, he also backed out on his compensation claim, saying "we can give your car a 3M cleaning if you want for free". And I was like (insert unmentionable expletives here)! |