Skoda has a great reputation for reliability and good value. More than that, Volkswagen Group, of which Skoda is a brand, has recently appointed Alison Jones to a new role as customer quality director.

All of which is excellent. But appointing a director and getting customer service support right at ground level is an entirely different matter.

Jon Whelan, one of the team that runs a successful independent wine merchant, Noble Green Wines, contacted us with his experience of a problem with his Skoda Octavia and Skoda customer service.

We contacted Skoda and while everything has now been resolved to Jon’s satisfaction the story is a cautionary one for businesses not to assume that buying business cars under warranty means trouble free motoring.

Here’s what Jon wrote to us at the beginning of the saga:

My shocker of a problem

I’m currently driving an 11-plate Skoda Octavia. It was bought as a pre-registered model (but with only delivery mileage) in August 2011. I’m very satisfied with the car – as you might expect from a Skoda.

Roll on 12 months to the first service at 19,000 miles, and an advisory to replace the front passenger side shock absorber – it’s leaking oil.

The independent mechanic who carried out the service said he would fail the car in an MOT because of the faulty shock absorber.

What the dealer did

My confidence that this would be picked up under the manufacturer’s warranty has proved misplaced. The Skoda main dealer who subsequently inspected the shock absorber considered it to be serviceable. The advice to ‘keep an eye on it’ concerns me as the car is likely to be out of warranty by the next service, and (more likely) I’m concerned that Skoda would play the ‘fair wear and tear’ card with yet more mileage on the clock.

But it seems that the main dealer is caught between a rock and a hard place. Skoda is currently issuing directives not to change shock absorbers with ‘a light misting of oil’. They admit that the shock absorber is already failing. They ‘may or may not’ replace it when it has actually failed at the next service!

Next stop customer services

So, with this in mind I put in a call to Skoda customer services to explain the situation and to clarify whether they thought it acceptable that a shock absorber should start to fail on an 18 month old, 19,000 mile car.

After some pushing, telephone calls and several emails they have eventually fallen back on the terms and conditions of the warranty. These classify shock absorbers as ‘consumables’ and as such they are effectively covered only for the first 6 months of the warranty period (or 6500 miles). As the Skoda had been pre-registered it was effectively already outside the terms of the warranty when I took delivery, even though it had done only delivery mileage.

Skoda states that driving style and road conditions dictate that shocks must be classed as consumables. Understandable to a degree, but this puts the onus on the customer to prove that a a problem is due to a manufacturing fault and not to road conditions and or driving style. Given that providing such proof is an impossibility, the customer is entirely in the hands of customer services and their willingness to maintain good customer relations.

In my case, Skoda customer services are not backing down on a component that costs just £100! They won’t offer a ‘good will’ gesture to replace it as the car was not serviced at a main dealer (they didn’t have to rub salt into the wound!).

Given that it was the warranty and Skoda’s reputation for reliability that led me to buy the car I’ve been left feeling more than a little disappointed in the marque!

I’m sure all this sounds fairly familiar to you, but on closer observation of the warranty T&Cs it seems that there are numerous caveats concerning ‘consumables’ that are not made clear at the time of purchase. Buyer beware!

And this is a Volkswagen Group warranty so several makes are covered by the same limited warranty.

All in all it’s a shame On the whole the Octavia is not at all a bad car. But the Skoda warranty, customer services and public relations mean I’ll be looking for a new car in the very near future! Back to Ford I think!

And here’s the Skoda response

Catherine Sleigh, Head of Press & PR at Skoda writes:

I believe this has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.  Our Customer Care team has spoken with Mr Whelan.

Mr Whelan indicated that he understands that Rivervale Skoda were correct that the leak was only an advisory and did not yet require replacement. However, the customer felt strongly that the first sign of a leak is the same as the part failing and we have agreed that Skoda will cover the cost of replacing the shock absorber.

Mr Whelan was grateful for this and has stated that his confidence has been restored in Skoda’s aftersales care. He will contact Rivervale at his own convenience and book his vehicle in for repair; we have alerted Rivervale to expect his call.

I hope that answers all of your and Mr Whelan’s concerns.

What we think

That’s more like it Skoda! We know Skoda puts a lot of effort into its SME business user programme and at providing a high level of customer service. We’re glad the situation has been resolved to Mr Whelan’s satisfaction. Ralph Morton, editor