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How much longer must I wait

12K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  Graham B 
#1 ·
I ordered an Areca 1.4 petrol Xcellence on 13th March 2017. I was given a provisional build of first week in June, but now 3 weeks after that there is still no confirmed build date and Seat UK are already talking compensation
 
#2 ·
I waited 6 months and there was never any suggestion of compensation. The reality is that lead times on the Ateca across all markets are at least 6 months. If you get less than that, then just consider yourself lucky you didn't have to wait 6 months.
 
#4 ·
I seriously can't get my head around how the SEAT marketing system works. All this talk of build dates etc and those emails I received to say the car was built and awaiting transportation etc... To put in in it's proper context - it's bollocks !!! It's all sales marketing nonsense.

WHO ACTUALLY CARES ? (about 0.5% of the buyers probably )

99.5% of people order a car and then want to know when they can collect it. That's all that matters - most people couldn't care less when the car has a build date, or production slot or whatever else - it just doesn't matter. And the contract is between the buyer and the seller (normally supplying dealership) so I'm scratching my head wondering why SEAT are talking compensation because the contract has nothing to do with SEAT. And even if it did, why compensate BEFORE a delivery date has been agreed / passed? It makes no sense.

I really wish I could work out what's going on, but SEAT seem to be digging an unecessary hole for themselves - I reckon it's a marketing gimmick gone wrong.
 
#5 ·
The car is on a 3 year lease deal direct with Seat UK. It doesn't have a tow bar but does have a heated windscreen and panoramic roof in Rodium Grey. I hope that it comes with the new LED fog lights. A senior Cust. Serve. Agent offered some sort of compo. if the car is not delivered by the 1st week in August 2 weeks ago. I just want my new car!!!
 
#6 ·
WE ordered on the 12th March and collected on the 15th June. As you can see in the signature we also added lots of extras....towbar, sunroof, 1.4 petrol engine, non of which effected the expected delivery/waiting times. Can't understand why some people in the UK have to wait longer than others, it's not because of the spec ordered, not in our case any way. Hope you get some good news soon.
 
#7 ·
Woody said:
WE ordered on the 12th March and collected on the 15th June. As you can see in the signature we also added lots of extras....towbar, sunroof, 1.4 petrol engine, non of which effected the expected delivery/waiting times. Can't understand why some people in the UK have to wait longer than others, it's not because of the spec ordered, not in our case any way. Hope you get some good news soon.
Yeah, complete lottery really - ordered mine before you, similar spec to you perhaps with a few less bells and whistles and still waiting for it to be built (hopefully this week, but may change said my dealer!).

I remember some time ago a brief discussion about dealers getting so many build slots - so maybe Seat are rationing the slots and I'm unlucky in my choice of dealer? As is Graham. Then again, that could be a load of hogwash too!
 
#8 ·
Hi guys! I also placed my order on 13th of March and have no info regarding any build date or estimated delivery. Initially i was told to expect delivery around week 28 which is long past. I ordered the 1.4TSI DSG 4drive Xcellence with some extras. I guess there is something in the option list that is delaying the production. Do you have any recent info from your dealer? Do you expect to have the car in the following weeks ?
 
#9 ·
Well, I'm 'lucky' in so much as mine is now in the UK - but my dealer wasn't being given accurate information. I ended up chasing SEAT every week or two for an update to keep a close eye on progress and told my dealer when it had left the factory! (Only once it had arrived in the UK did he have a better update than me).

SO... if your dealer isn't giving you any information (despite promises of weekly updates from mine, even if no progress, I didn't get them) then the best route is ring SEAT customer services direct. They have access to the same information as your dealer and can tell you the progress.

If it was due for week 28 then it is likely to have been built by now - the factory had its shutdown just before that period so it may have been a week 29 build, but that's 2-3 weeks ago now. Again, customer services can give you an update - just call and ask (Monday-Friday 9am - 4:30pm - the folks that can access the system with production details go home at 5pm).

SEAT UK customer details can be found here: http://www.seat.co.uk/contact-us.html
SEAT UK customer telephone number is: 0808 522 2222
 
#10 ·
It is a sad indictment to the SEAT company with the lack of self-initiated feedback and information from both SEAT command and SEAT sales-teams UK wide. Why should one have to ask for information; it should be emailed or sent by text as in a "Track your package" methodology used by so many online sales companies.
The truth is that they know they have you by the "b****" and could care little about customer service if they have your order, your money and the knowledge that this is the norm for most car companies, then what hope is there?
I do not follow how a month's break in Spain affects the Czech Republic; is is in the supply of parts etc? Is this another ploy by SEAT to cover themselves for poor P.R. and customer relations. The lead time norm in U.S.A. is 5-8 weeks, in Europe, it's 13 weeks, if you buy from an Asian source, 6,000 miles away, then the lead time id 7-9 weeks. SEAT 's lead time seems to be 13 - 27 weeks - dismal!
I wish that someone in SEAT could read the posts within this forum; they would, if they paid attention, learn soooooooo much about problems, opinions, complaints and, of course, praise. The complaint about the accumulation of dirt in the rear door seems to have been corrected by the use of a different seal. One less worry! The reputation of SEAT could be so enhanced by better customer relations, for they do not want by word of mouth comments to be "Yes, it's a great car, but be prepared for an absence of information, huge lead times and poor customer relations". SEAT need a new strategy and a new Sales Planning and Distribution Management Team, for the current ones are failing. If the Sales Executive of my dealership is right and is not supplying me with platitudes, a June 4th order resulting i delivery time in the 1st week of October (a supposed promise!) is 16 - 17 weeks; many of our membership are/ have been waiting double or even treble this time.
Come on SEAT - WAKE UP!
Amazon ships an average of 608 million packages each year, which equates to (an estimated) 1,600,000 packages a day. About 50% of these have tracking numbers to which the customer can refer as to the progress of their valuables from manufacturer/source to doorstep. With what would a SEAT customer be happy? Order placed > Order with Manufacturer > Estimated Build Date > Being built > Awaiting shipping > Being shipped > Estimated time to port > Arrival at Port > Being transported to Dealership > Arrival at Dealership > Available for collection from. Would this be so hard to accomplish? This data exists in the servers of SEAT; why not make it available to customers?
 
#11 ·
I have researched this complex issue and found the following attempt to clarify what is involved.
Your car will go through a number of steps before it's delivered to you. The process is essentially as follows;
Build allocation
In production
Transit to port of exit
Pre delivery inspection and paperwork
Finance agreements and delivery

So, with all the steps mentioned above you can understand why your vehicle supplier can't give you a specific date for delivery. There are so many factors that affect the delivery process, such as;
The factory (fixed holiday period for many manufacturers where the factory closes down for a month)
Location
Shipping
Finance agreements
Driver availability

The timeframe for factory orders can vary considerably and is based on a number of factors such as;
The volume of orders
The variant of the model and the number of extras being requested.
Factory closures
Problems with parts

There are factors that also affect the shipping time of your delivery. These include;
Shipping Schedules and Logistical Problems
March and September are high volume months within the motor industry, so delays will be the result.
Peak Times at the Port

Sooooo many variables, but that is what Logistics companies are paid to do.
 
#12 ·
The wait times I'm hearing on here sound inline with what I was told by my dealer when I was speccing a new Ateca. I was told 3-6months wait but realistically nearer 6 so opted for nearly new instead as those wait times are ridiculous. I've had new cars for the past 15 years, every 3 years or so and from different manufacturers..Ford, Vauxhall, BMW and never had the wait times that Seat seem to have, for the Ateca at least, which is a real shame.
 
#13 ·
It is going to be the same with any new car where sales vastly exceed production capacity. It rarely happens, but the Ateca is one of the best SUVs on the market in the C sector so it's not surprising. There is little SEAT can do about it because you cannot increase production capacity in the short term and that is aggravated by the introduction of other new, popular cars such as the new Yeti and Kodiak. Any spare capacity in Barcelona will rapidly be taken up by the Arona and my best guess is that lead times on the Arona could be just as bad or worse.

SEAT/VAG must be laughing all the way to the bank! If you want see what a really big supply/demand situation looks like, try ordering a new Tesla 3 - they have a backlog of 550000 orders..
 
#14 ·
When my father ordered a new Mk IV Golf GTI he was quoted a 6 month wait (ended up going nearly new instead) and that was many years ago now, so as Fred calls out it's not a new problem.

The sad fact is that SEAT's problems are two fold - one they got the formula right on the Ateca (most companies would kill to have that kind of problem) but the second which they do really need to learn from is their order management system is absolutely pants. Also, they need to sort something out with the factory scheduling system too - I can understand a week or two variance due to part shortages etc., but when given a build slot only to have it shifted all over the place (2 or 3 months+ in my case) then something is clearly not right.

How many calls could they save and how many dealerships could they free up if they had the online tracking like Volkswagen? And status notes so we know why there's been a slip (nice to have)? As I say to my suppliers at work - I live in the real world, I understand that things don't go to plan so I'm willing to be understanding and patient provided you let me know what's gone wrong and why. Deathly silence is the worst thing they can do.

SEAT did a lot of customer / focus group work in developing the Ateca (watch the promotional vids on YouTube if you're bored), and they are doing their community competition for the big brother / Kodiaq rival car title launching next year. So they are paying attention to some customers, but are they really monitoring the right forums/areas? We'd need an industry insider to tell us that one. What they seem reluctant to do in their big charm offensive right now is to acknowledge that they have some early issues with lead times/tracking and explain what they are trying to do about it. PS108 just cancelled his order last week exactly because he had nothing back - just one example.
 
#15 ·
We ordered May and have been told October (up to now)......feeling like a long time to us too :(
 
#16 ·
Ordered in February and delivered this week so 6 months overall but that seems to be caused by the swing away from diesel here in France as the dealerships have plenty of oil burners. The figure our dealer quoted was production was 60/40 diesel and demand was the inverse. Whatever - we are glad we hung on in there.
 
#17 ·
Etchings said:
When my father ordered a new Mk IV Golf GTI he was quoted a 6 month wait (ended up going nearly new instead) and that was many years ago now, so as Fred calls out it's not a new problem.

How many calls could they save and how many dealerships could they free up if they had the online tracking like Volkswagen?

SEAT did a lot of customer / focus group work in developing the Ateca.
'
100% agree with first point - we used to order a car and we were then given a delivery date. That's it. Today's problems are caused by technology - too much information. People wanting to know every step og the process and how the build / delivery is progressing. I don't know why, it's not as if constantly bombarding the dealer manufacturer will make the process any quicker.

Can't agree at all with your 2nd point tho. Are you saying VW have fewer / are problem free because of online tracking? The VW forums (and Skoda) are full of exactly the same issues as are being discussed here.

SEAT are selling all the cars they're building. End of. Not point folk saying that if they can do this or do that etc. because SEAT are doing everything right. If anyone cancels their order because the system is inefficient... that's bad but why would SEAT care about it if they are selling everything they produce and have a healthy order book? Nice position to be in.

Talking of seats... :lol: I'm in the process of buying a couple of settee's for the livingroom. Building a seat is much easier than building a SEAT. Basically it's a simple wooden frame, covered in cloth with some foam cushions. If I want a settee tomorrow I just go down to IKEA. If I want specific chairs from my local furniture store, they say I might get it delivered for Christmas. If you're not going to go down the "pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap" route then it's not just cars you'll be waiting for.
 
#18 ·
Golfmk56 said:
Can't agree at all with your 2nd point tho. Are you saying VW have fewer / are problem free because of online tracking? The VW forums (and Skoda) are full of exactly the same issues as are being discussed here.

SEAT are selling all the cars they're building. End of. Not point folk saying that if they can do this or do that etc. because SEAT are doing everything right. If anyone cancels their order because the system is inefficient... that's bad but why would SEAT care about it if they are selling everything they produce and have a healthy order book? Nice position to be in.
The point I was trying to make is that the information is available on the system which VW make available of sorts on-line. Now it won't stop people ringing up and asking why it's not moving, or why the sudden delay. However it should stop some of us just ringing up to get an update - as I had to do simply because my dealer wasn't telling me what's going on most of the time and I needed to plan work trips etc. around the expected dates that never were.

Frustrating as it may be with the always-on Amazon style internet tracking of general stuff habits we as a society have come to accept, I too would be happier if I was given a date that the car was going to turn up on, the car is gauranteed to turn up on that date and that's the end of the matter. Why? Simply because I could plan and not have to faff around. The problem we had was the car was due in May when I had work trips to organise, then June (after I'd rearranged those work trips), then July (family trips) - the goalposts kept changing so I had to keep chasing to see what was going on.

We got there in the end though (car now at dealers :cool:).

Back to my point, which I'm perfectly happy for you to disagree with me on - if I had to ring up to get an update once a fortnight (because things did keep changing on a weekly basis), I was on the phone for 10 minutes at a time. Think how many others are doing the same? Kindness did it - and we've recommended folks ring up on these forums so others are doing it too. Then add the fact that when I rang up the customer service folks had to contact their colleagues in sales to get an update from the system so their sales colleagues were also tied up for 2-3 minutes and how much time are we wasting?

Now it may be nothing, but it could be a couple of people over the year - I have no evidence one way or another. Given the systems are there, as the parent company uses them, and you have to think that maybe there's an improvement to be made? SEAT probably did take a cursory glance and probably decided the cost of doing so didn't cost in - or just maybe nobody's stopped to even consider it?

I'm not saying VW or Skoda are any better at the delivery element, but at least with customer information they are a little better at it (just a smidgen though) and SEAT could probably save themselves a little bit of grief if they tried. In the end it's not the 'wait' I'm shopping for, it's the car and SEAT have absolutely got that bit right - how they handle their customers in the waiting phase is another matter. The orders are still high, the car is still popular so they don't strictly have to care but... if you want a long-term customer relationship (and continued sales in the future) you do need to pay attention.
 
#19 ·
tonychurly said:
Ordered in February and delivered this week so 6 months overall but that seems to be caused by the swing away from diesel here in France as the dealerships have plenty of oil burners. The figure our dealer quoted was production was 60/40 diesel and demand was the inverse. Whatever - we are glad we hung on in there.
Just as an aside Seat France wrote to us on the day of delivery and offered 307 euros worth of extended warranty and 200 euros worth of goodies as a reward for our patience.
 
#20 ·
It's week 33 and I finally have a confirmed date for mine. WEEK 34!!!!!. My Exeo goes in tomorrow for a 2 year service and a can belt change on Seat UK. So it's looking good for delivery in late September
 
#23 ·
Is it though? Does Graham just mean it's a 'major' service (every 2 years - so could be 4 or 6 years old, suspect 4) and happens to include a Cam belt change as well (although even at 4 years that's a little low)?
 
#25 ·
Cam belt change is due at 5 years or 120000 which ever comes 1st. It was done on Tuesday they also changed the water pump at the same on Seat UK. My Exeo is on variable serviceing this was is 3rd. service, they also did NOX mod at the same time. It's a 170 Sport and only done 50000 miles and I have had it from new Oct 2016. They lent me an Areca for the day while was there
 
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