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I think we are far enough down the track from the release or the B8/NP series now to have a thread for "The Customer experience"
For me, my 206 Superb Sedan has been all I expected & hoped for. The leap forward in technology & design, from the B6/3T model is enormous & for me fully justifies my decision to trade the 3TV6 in for peanuts on this new model. I keep saying it & will say it again; the car is a remarkably innovative design, well equipped vehicle for both driver & passengers. This car is not just looks & gimmicky gadgetry, it rides, handles, brakes exceptionally well & in the 206kW version with AWD will in my opinion leave many a so called performance car for dead on wet, winding roads.
My issues with the car were all related to poor delivery:
- Windscreen washer pointing to the underside of the bonnet;
- Bad front wheel & Front to rear wheel alignment;
- Mudflaps not supplied & fitted at delivery, took six weeks of chasing;
- Car delivered a month late because of an administrative blunder.
I've changed the tyres from Pirelli P7s to Conti SC6, but that's for my preference. Personally, I think Skoda should have shod the 206 with PZeros, as it has the higher performance Audis & Golf R. It may be larger, but the 206 is only a matter of about 140kgs heavier than the Golf 4x4.
As far as my dealer experience goes, the self titled 'prestige' dealer is an absolute dead loss. How the wrong model can be ordered or delivered from Skoda & not notice until the morning of delivery, demonstrates a quite unique degree of incompetence somewhere in the supply chain from Skoda to dealer. Their proposed solution was, take the 162 & we'll give you back some of your money They were useless in the lead up to delivery & my experience with their service department, not much better. Located off a busy road, away from the dealership, lacking any real customer amenity, (even the tea/coffee machine didn't work the morning I was there!), with insufficient parking for the number of vehicles they have booked in for service & a spares department which is a hole in the wall of what you presume must be a toilet door, has quoted the highest price on the several Skoda accessories I've sought. Higher than other Skoda dealers, that is. Their quality of sales & service is reflected in the fact you never see the same face twice. I will have my car serviced by the 'other' dealer.
My customer experience with VAG-Skoda Australia is non existent. I have not heard or received anything from them. Indeed I think it pertinent to ask, Do they actually exist? My attempt to ask them for some specific information about detail of my car's build spec, has elicited precisely .... nothing. Total silence. A vacuum, it seems.
Yesterday I entered my VIN into Skoda's software update sight. There is an update for the Columbus GPS system, new maps. So far the download has been going for NINETEEN hours & at the rate it is going, another 12 hours will be required! My tested fibre internet speed is consistently around 25Mb/s, so it would appear the update server in Prague must be based on a Commodore 64, on dial up! I contrast this with my TomTom Live 2050; updates download & install new maps, speed cameras & other items within 4-5 minutes. Why doesn't Skoda Australia have a local site for such updates? I suspect this disgraceful grade of service is directly related to VAG's ambition to force owners into proprietary dealer servicing at the highest price possible. The ridiculous size & time needed for owners to keep their GPS updated themselves, is in my view, just another deliberate strategy to necessitate ridiculously high priced update charges on Skoda owners.
I've got a long memory VAG. You make owning a Skoda excessively high & I will replace it with a non VW product. There is plenty of choice in Australia, most with longer factory warranty & service included, for the price of a fully optioned 206. I don't like feeling 'ripped off'.
My summary; A great car, poorly supported by the maker's Australian distributor & dealer network.
For me, my 206 Superb Sedan has been all I expected & hoped for. The leap forward in technology & design, from the B6/3T model is enormous & for me fully justifies my decision to trade the 3TV6 in for peanuts on this new model. I keep saying it & will say it again; the car is a remarkably innovative design, well equipped vehicle for both driver & passengers. This car is not just looks & gimmicky gadgetry, it rides, handles, brakes exceptionally well & in the 206kW version with AWD will in my opinion leave many a so called performance car for dead on wet, winding roads.
My issues with the car were all related to poor delivery:
- Windscreen washer pointing to the underside of the bonnet;
- Bad front wheel & Front to rear wheel alignment;
- Mudflaps not supplied & fitted at delivery, took six weeks of chasing;
- Car delivered a month late because of an administrative blunder.
I've changed the tyres from Pirelli P7s to Conti SC6, but that's for my preference. Personally, I think Skoda should have shod the 206 with PZeros, as it has the higher performance Audis & Golf R. It may be larger, but the 206 is only a matter of about 140kgs heavier than the Golf 4x4.
As far as my dealer experience goes, the self titled 'prestige' dealer is an absolute dead loss. How the wrong model can be ordered or delivered from Skoda & not notice until the morning of delivery, demonstrates a quite unique degree of incompetence somewhere in the supply chain from Skoda to dealer. Their proposed solution was, take the 162 & we'll give you back some of your money They were useless in the lead up to delivery & my experience with their service department, not much better. Located off a busy road, away from the dealership, lacking any real customer amenity, (even the tea/coffee machine didn't work the morning I was there!), with insufficient parking for the number of vehicles they have booked in for service & a spares department which is a hole in the wall of what you presume must be a toilet door, has quoted the highest price on the several Skoda accessories I've sought. Higher than other Skoda dealers, that is. Their quality of sales & service is reflected in the fact you never see the same face twice. I will have my car serviced by the 'other' dealer.
My customer experience with VAG-Skoda Australia is non existent. I have not heard or received anything from them. Indeed I think it pertinent to ask, Do they actually exist? My attempt to ask them for some specific information about detail of my car's build spec, has elicited precisely .... nothing. Total silence. A vacuum, it seems.
Yesterday I entered my VIN into Skoda's software update sight. There is an update for the Columbus GPS system, new maps. So far the download has been going for NINETEEN hours & at the rate it is going, another 12 hours will be required! My tested fibre internet speed is consistently around 25Mb/s, so it would appear the update server in Prague must be based on a Commodore 64, on dial up! I contrast this with my TomTom Live 2050; updates download & install new maps, speed cameras & other items within 4-5 minutes. Why doesn't Skoda Australia have a local site for such updates? I suspect this disgraceful grade of service is directly related to VAG's ambition to force owners into proprietary dealer servicing at the highest price possible. The ridiculous size & time needed for owners to keep their GPS updated themselves, is in my view, just another deliberate strategy to necessitate ridiculously high priced update charges on Skoda owners.
I've got a long memory VAG. You make owning a Skoda excessively high & I will replace it with a non VW product. There is plenty of choice in Australia, most with longer factory warranty & service included, for the price of a fully optioned 206. I don't like feeling 'ripped off'.
My summary; A great car, poorly supported by the maker's Australian distributor & dealer network.
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