waiting waiting waiting

[Damo105]

Hey all,

After a 4.5 month wait my car arrived in Melbourne on the ship Otello on 6 Feb. As yet no word from the dealer on a delivery date, but surely it can't be long now.

Did anyone else have a car on this ship? If so have you taken delivery yet?

You would think that once the car has been unloaded from the ship that Skoda Aust could give a pretty accurate delivery date, but not a word from anyone. Rang the dealer last Friday and all they could say was they usually get a car about 10 days after it docks.

[K1W1]

Two to three weeks from the time the ship arrives till delivery is about normal.
When they come off the ship they go to Patricks for customs paperwork, compliance checking and damage rectification (if required) then they get to the dealership and then it generally only takes a couple of days till delivery depending on the dealership. It seems that nobody knows anything until the dealership gets notified from Patricks that the car is about to be delivered to them.

[SkodaK]

I also find it really hard to understand the lack of communication I've received from the dealer. I order one of their most expensive models from a quote straight off the price list, wait more than seven months for delivery, and the only contacts I've had with them are those that I have initiated! Mine landed in Melbourne on January 10th and I had previously asked the dealer to give me two weeks notice of availability so the finance company could sort its stuff out. Finally got sick of not hearing anything and rang early February, to be told they were waiting for a request for invoice from the FC and that the car doesn't get touched until the cheque is in the bank. With any luck I might see it this week.

[Damo105]

The dealer told me it's about 10 days after it's offloaded from the ship that they receive the car. Today was day 10. I drive right past the dealership on my way home every night, and noticed tonight they have a blue RS wagon in their storage yard that wasn't there yesterday, so I'm hoping it's my car.

[K1W1]

to be told they were waiting for a request for invoice from the FC and that the car doesn't get touched until the cheque is in the bank. With any luck I might see it this week.

That's crap.
The car doesn't get released to you until the money is paid but "not touched" is just rubbish. If that's a common attitude in dealerships these days the whole concept of customer service must have gone out the window.

[SkodaK]

It might be crap and rubbish, but it's true. The vehicle sits in an off-site holding yard until the funds clear. Then an order gets placed for delivery into the dealership's workshop where pre-delivery detailing etc. is done, it might then get sent out for aftermarket stuff like a towbar, then it gets registered. Another 3 to 4 days. My wife bought a car from Doncaster BMW last year, she left with a hamper full of goodies, various gifts and trinkets, some other piece of merchandise arrived in the post for Christmas, and two glossy magazines show up regularly through the year. There's probably a fair margin made on their cars, or they understand the continuing value of strong customer relationships, most likely both.

[spaz74]

My car was built in week 1 2011 and arrives in Melb on Saturday. Can't believe my 7 month wait is nearly over.
Enjoy your car when you get it!

[woofy]

It might be crap and rubbish, but it's true. The vehicle sits in an off-site holding yard until the funds clear. Then an order gets placed for delivery into the dealership's workshop where pre-delivery detailing etc. is done, it might then get sent out for aftermarket stuff like a towbar, then it gets registered. Another 3 to 4 days. My wife bought a car from Doncaster BMW last year, she left with a hamper full of goodies, various gifts and trinkets, some other piece of merchandise arrived in the post for Christmas, and two glossy magazines show up regularly through the year. There's probably a fair margin made on their cars, or they understand the continuing value of strong customer relationships, most likely both.

I have got all kinds of nice things from Mazda in the past, but got bugger all from Richmond Skoda until they botched something up, I then had some goodies thrown in when I picked it up after the stuffup.

[K1W1]

It might be crap and rubbish, but it's true. The vehicle sits in an off-site holding yard until the funds clear. Then an order gets placed for delivery into the dealership's workshop where pre-delivery detailing etc. is done, it might then get sent out for aftermarket stuff like a towbar, then it gets registered.

That is not true at all. Not at every dealership at least. We have purchased two brand new cars in the last 18 months and both were at the dealership and PDed waiting for plates well before the funds cleared. Both cars were ordered in and were not at the dealership when we purchased them. In the case of my Skoda I never even paid a deposit and the car was sitting in the showroom registered to me before the dealership got any money at all.
The flowers and wine etc have been fairly standard in many dealerships since about the mid 1980's. Starting in about 1987 we used to send a tin of chocolate biscuits to every purchaser or new or used cars. My wife has had flowers and wine with every BMW and Audi she has purchased since 1990 at least.