re: Abhikaran Honda NOT repairing my car in 6 months! EDIT:Now delivered after a year would like to revive this thread.
i think it was a mistake to keep shut all this while. i got the delivery of the vehicle in the month of july, and upon initial inspection i found these things wrong - the ORVM mechanism wasn't working properly. The paint on the car had already started rusting!! the body panels were misaligned. since i had a bit of an urgency to take the car's delivery - i was assured that the problems mentioned would be rectified as soon as i send the car back. i did that after 7-8 odd days (end of july) when there was a major wobbling in the front wheel (according to them the bearing had become faulty). while giving the vehicle i had also mentioned that the car's braking doesn't feel right and the visibility is very poor during slight rains in the evenings.
again i was assured that everything would be corrected and the vehicle would be delivered in pristine condition.
i was delivered the vehicle on 12th august with a bill of about 6k for the bearing and wiper blade etc. change. i didn't pay the bill as the paintjob and body work still wasn't right and they said that they would correct it all as soon as the monsoons are over as the paintjob wouldn't be that great.
the new problems i found with the car were
1. the driver seat wasn't adjusting properly
2. there was more rust inside the bonnet (apparently they were all changed and repainted)
3. the car had scratches all around it.
4. the brakes weren't working properly still
5. the ORVM mechanism had not only stopped working, but the mirrors started folding in all by themselves (the entire mechanism is manual - not auto)
6. took the car out one evening when it was not raining - just to realise that the poor visibility wasn't because of poor headlamps or bad wiper blades BUT because the windshield had scratches like any old windshield would have.
the car was sent to them again with the entire list of repair work in the end of september. on 10th of october, when i went to take the delivery of the car after their calls and assurance that the car has been completely repaired and all the problems have been rectified - i just checked the car from outside only to find that there was nothing done about the shoddy paintjob and misaligned body work. when i asked the service executive regarding the same, he said that "sir i spoke to your father since you weren't in the country - and he didn't explicitly mention about what all needs to be corrected in the paintjob and body work. so we didn't do it at all"
so this time around i not only told them what all needs to be corrected but also marked it all with a marker for them not to miss it.
when i asked them about when will they deliver the car to me - the guy promptly said - sir we can give you the car only on 16th or latest by 17th of october. i was OK with it but still told him to make sure that the car is done by that time as i would be needing a spare car to drop off my wife to her hometown around that time.
on 19th october i called up the dealership to enquire about the status of my car. (16th, 17th and 18th none of the service executives were responding to my phone calls)
19th morning i had to call the service manager, and he promptly said that sir i will get back to you in next 10 minutes. about an hour later a service executive (the same idiot - praveen, who had misquoted the repair estimate and had fled from the scene since may 2011) calls me up to assure me that the vehicle would be delivered in the evening 100%. i told him that if this time if he can't live upto his commitment - please keep the vehicle with him and give me a cheque of Rs. 4.5 Lacs instead. (3.5 lacs for the repairs that they had charged me + 1 lac for the vehicle itself) he said - sir come what may you will get the vehicle in the evening today.
at 7:30 in the evening the idiot calls up again and says - sir i am extremely sorry but i would only be able to give you the vehicle tomorrow morning by 11. i was furious and asked him to keep the vehicle with him and get me the cheque instead OR get me a letter from their MD stating that they are sorry and they are simply incompetent to repair a car in 10 months. he apologised profusely and said that sir i will personally come to deliver the vehicle tomorrow morning. i just hung up after again making it clear to him what my conditions are.
didn't get the car OR any letter OR any call from the dealership till 6:30 in the evening. Praveen calls up and says sir where are you and where should i deliver the vehicle? i just told him that i am not interested to talk to him till the time he either gets me a cheque of 4.5 lacs OR the apology letter stating explicitly that the dealership is incompetent to repair my car and they are sorry for all the false commitments they have made since the past 10 months plus.
since then i haven't heard from them so i decided to write to honda customer relationship stating the entire matter.
below are the mails sent to them - and the replies i have received from them.
Dear Rosein Haqq
Kindly refer to my previous mails in which i had expressed my disappointment with the repairs of my car.
Now the matters have taken a serious turn as I still haven't got my car and all I have been getting from the dealership is false commitments daily.
The car was returned to me in the month of August after regularly following up with them.
when I got the car - i had pointed out more than a few irregularities with the paint job. I was committed that they will be taken care once i send them the car back as this is the monsoon season and there are chances of the paint quality being not upto the mark.
in the month of september i had sent my car to them ( the second time after i got the delivery in august) for the regular problems i was facing like - the brakes not working properly, the driver seat not adjusting properly, the side view mirrors mechanicals not working, the wipers not performing, the new windshield not being clear etc. Along with this I had also mentioned them to look into the shoddy paintjob and the misalignment of body panels.
On 10th of october 2011 I had visited the service centre after I received a call saying that my car is ready and i can pick it up. upon arrival to my utter disappointment none of the paintjob issues or misalignment issues were taken care of. with a simple explanation that those problems were not explicitly mentioned.
I had personally marked all the concerned parts and had asked them to rectify them at the earliest to which i was verbally committed a date of 16th -17th of october 2011. On 19th october's morning when i had called to enquire about the car, the service executive again committed that the car would be delivered 100% by the evening. In the evening he called to say that sir i would need some more time with the car and come what may i would personally deliver the car to you tomorrow morning by 11 AM.
I didn't hear from the guy till 6 in the evening today.
I am sorry to say this but my trust in HONDA brand has been completely shattered because of the incompetent service centre you have in indore - and the irritation rises because of the utterly dishonest service staff.
I would like to remind you that my car met with an accident on 22nd November 2010 - and has been with the dealership from 28th of November 2010. I got the delivery of the vehicle only in August 2011 with a total repair bill of a whooping Rs. 3.5 lacs (approx) when I was informed that total repair + engine overhaul would cost Rs. 70,000 to Rs. 80,000 (accidental repair) + 1,00,000 (approx. for engine overhaul). In the month of July I was presented with a total bill of Rs. 3.7 Lacs which was later reduced to Rs. 3.5 Lacs because of some accounting mistake from their end.
Inspite of over charging by almost 100% from the estimate, the dealership still hasn't been able to repair my car to my satisfaction level in past 10 and half months.
After all this, I am not interested to retain my car - and have already asked the service representative to either buy the car from me for Rs. 4.5 Lacs (Rs. 3.5 Lacs of what they have charged me for and Rs. 1.00 Lac for the car) OR they can accept that they are not competent enough to repair a car in 10 months time frame and should seriously consider closing down the service centre.
I request you to kindly look into this matter at the earliest as now there is only one option left for me that is going to the PRESS and to the consumer forum. The company has been taking our patience and decency for granted and has been cheating us from over 10 months.
Going to the consumer forum and the PRESS would mean a bad repute to HONDA SIEL Cars too for appointing dealers + service centers who have no respect for anyone's time, money and patience.
Our faith in HONDA brand has been totally shattered and we are now sure never to buy any HONDA product EVER.
We request you to kindly send one of your personnel to settle this matter at the earliest.
Thanking You,
Regards,
Samyak Modi
+91 98260 49009
+91 96300 07007
in this while i tried getting in touch with Mr. Ashish Ghanekar from Honda india, and requested him to look into this matter as he is responsible for MP region. There was a standard response from him - that we will look into this matter and some one from Honda CRM would be getting in touch with me soon.
I didn't get any response from them till yesterday that is 3rd November 2011.
the response was this:
Dear Mr.Modi,
This is furthe to our mail dated 25th October ,2011
We understand that necessary clarifications have been given to you by our dealership M/s Abhikaran Honda,Indore , we understand from our dealership that to assure you of their sincere efforts and as a goodwill gesture any service that you would avail from our dealership starting from July 2011 labour would be free of cost to you.
We once again regret for the inconvenience caused , However we would regret our constraint to honour your request favourably for
Thanking you and appreciate your kind understanding on the subject.
Regards,
Rosien Haqq
Customer Relationship Management
Honda Siel Cars India Ltd. ,Greater Noida
the buggers are offering me free labour for any servicing or repairs starting from July 2011 onwards!! the car has been for more than 4 months with the dealership itself. and they want to count those 4 months in the "goodwill gesture"
i got absolutely no clue what to do now. not only the dealership is DISHONEST even Honda is playing along with them.
Is honda going the Skoda way??? (though i have not faced any problems with any of my skoda cars yet!!) |