Skoda service standards??

[Yao]

Seven months after I got my Superb Elegance Wagon, I arrived home today from work to find a package from Skoda addressed to me. Opened it up to find confirmation of my Skoda 24 Hr Roadside Assist.

Just as well I haven't needed it before now!!

[romaniac]

Lucky you, I still haven't received mine 10 months after purchase...

[woofy]

Funny enough when it ends and they want you to now pay for it, it turns up right before its due. Well in my case it went to my old address so only saw it recently well after the fact but shows you where their priorities lie.

[Yao]

That's three of us so far with a not-so-good story.

Anyone out there who actually received theirs promptly? Almost tempted to bet there isn't.

[brad]

It doesn't really matter when you receive the card as you are enrolled in the Road Service from day1 & the phone number is on the sticker on the windscreen. You just ring up & tell them the rego number & they send out the tow truck.

1st World problems

[Yao]

It doesn't really matter when you receive the card as you are enrolled in the Road Service from day1 & the phone number is on the sticker on the windscreen. You just ring up & tell them the rego number & they send out the tow truck.

1st World problems

Yep, I know that. But it really doesn't make them look good if it takes them 7+ months to confirm something that simple, does it? Just another example of their (poor) service standards, really.

[2009fsi]

Make that 4. It turned up here 10 months after purchase. I thought it ironic that the first contact from Skoda is 7 weeks before my warranty expires, just when they want to spruik the Rapid. Perhaps they'd like me to buy a Rapid rather than a Superb Elegance next time.

Did anyone else try the link on the back of the card to check your details on Skoda.com.au? All I got was something along the lines of " Sorry, the page you are looking for does not exist." I got exactly the same when I clicked on the more info link in the Rapid email.

The one thing that is likely to stop me buying another Skoda is the seemingly complete lack of back office support for Skoda products from both VW Group/Skoda & the dealer I have dealt with, and the lack of readily available spares plus price gouging on parts & servicing, relative to other markets & VWs sharing the same running gear. I think the V6 4x4 Superb a terrific car (sedan), but I'm not impressed by what backup there is behind it, especially concerned as I approach end of 3 year warranty.

I wonder how fairdinkum VW Group Australia actually are about Skoda. I regularly pass their newish HQ at Chullora & I haven't seen a Skoda among the vehicles coming in & out, travelling or parked anywhere near for months. My sister bought an Octavia a few months ago & she says she has similar reservations. Both of us are open road travellers & the places we go across this country sure don't have any Skoda parts or support available. i assume that means they must have to farm out Skoda Assist to a local garage or the NRMA across most of Australia. Begs the question, What's the point of Skoda Assist?

[Diesel_vert]

The one thing that is likely to stop me buying another Skoda is the seemingly complete lack of back office support for Skoda products from both VW Group/Skoda & the dealer I have dealt with, and the lack of readily available spares plus price gouging on parts & servicing, relative to other markets & VWs sharing the same running gear. I think the V6 4x4 Superb a terrific car (sedan), but I'm not impressed by what backup there is behind it, especially concerned as I approach end of 3 year warranty.

This has always been a feature of European car ownership in Australia.

Mainstream European marques are marketed as upmarket and/or premium in Australia, and charge accordingly.

It's also not that unusual to have to wait 4-6 weeks for parts to arrive from the Continent, even for the more prominent or established European marques like BMW or Mercedes.

I don't see Volkswagen changing the status quo any time soon, let alone Skoda.
And unless they do, they'll never be a mainstream brand in Australia.

[Transporter]

Generally speaking...
I don't think that Skoda or VW service fees are much different to some other brands. If you had an old car and serviced it once every 18 months or when there was a problem and now when you bought a new car you probably feel the pressured to get the service done on time or you would lose your warranty, then yes it will cost you more. There are people with Hyundais who paid well over $300 for their first service at 7,500km.

Many things we buy just got more expensive in last 10 years.

...and as for the comment that you didn't receive the card for the roadside assist...it's what brad said, in this case, it doesn't really matter, does it?
Maybe the person responsible for sending the cards is taking too many sick days, I hear that in other media quite often. Oh and I can only imagine when he/she is at work, they’re chatting on facebook, twitter and who knows what else. Then they come home and keep chatting form their PC's about the stuff, ...you know, like the price gauging. Well they're contributing to it.

[Diesel_vert]

Just to clarify my position, I'm certainly not being an apologist for VW or Skoda!

Rather, I was just pointing out the situation as I see it - which isn't as good as it can be (to say the very least).

But the tyranny of distance (amongst other reasons) means that imported cars tend to be more expensive to maintain.