[Brumby]

Hello friends,

I am a seafarer, and that makes purchasing a car a process where in I have to take into account how much of time do I get to spend with the car, due to long lead time for delivery.

Due to this reason, i decided that I will start a query through mail while on board and book a car with a tentative delivery within about 3-4 weeks after I come back home.

I had finalised BMW M340i or a 3 series Gran Limousine and sent a mail to:

info-mumbai@bmw-navnitmotors.in

as this address was listed on the dealer's website.

I was surprised when the mail bounced back.

I tried my luck again and sent the mail to the following addresses listed in Navnit motors website.

All these email addresses are of high ranking individuals working for bmw-navnit motors.

aaditya.nadar@bmw-navnitmotors.in
amit.shah@bmw-navnitmotors.in
piyush.hasora@bmw-navnitmotors.in
ravi.shinde@bmw-navnitmotors.in

Unfortunately, all the mails bounced back and there was no response from Navnit motors.

I decided to contact BMW India, so sent a mail to the following address.

contact.india@bmw.in

I was disappointed with the response from BMW India, because, no one ever read the content of my mail, and in their reply the only information that they asked was my contact number and the city/dealer.

Infact, there were multiple replies for my mails to BMW India, and in spite of giving details of my requirements, location etc, the only way that BMW India wanted to proceed further was through phone calls. I was a little frustrated at the response, so BMW Germany was also in CC to my last mail.

I finally received some information, but the only way to proceed further was through phone call only.

It was really surprising that no one took a query on mail seriously, and no one had enough time to read through the contents of the mail and reply accordingly.

Of course nothing happened further, I am back home and car purchase has been postponed.

Makes me think as why:

1. BMW-Navnit motors have email addresses with the business group as domain name (I might be wrong in quoting that) to which they do not want to respond to.

2. Why is it that a sales enquiry cannot be addressed by BMW India through mail and only a phone call can be a genuine customer.

Since I was not interested in any other car at this point, I did not try to contact any other car dealers/manufacturers.

Probably this is one off case and its not the same with other car manufacturers.

Please share your experiences in this regard, and also a request to the members who possibly work in similar profiles to shed some light.

Request to Mods, please merge in appropriate thread.

Thank you.

Regards.

[GTO]

Haha! Great point. It's quite idiotic of them to pay 3rd-party providers 1000 bucks a lead, but not pay much attention to the customers in their inbox.

Very few car dealerships pay attention to email inquiries. Most don't. Reasons:

- The sheer volume. Car dealership email inboxes face a deluge of emails everyday. As part of the auto industry, I receive ~400 emails in my personal inbox everyday, so much so that I have added about 1000 - 2000 email addresses to "auto archive" (meaning, they don't even show up in my inbox). That helps keep my email inbox to a more manageable ~75 emails / day.

- Time wasters. Car dealers get too many timewasters everyday, whether via phone calls or emails. Unless it's a "known" person or someone who sounds serious & stands out, they don't pay much attention to them. It's easy for anyone to make a phone call or email. But it takes effort to trot to the showroom. They use that effort on part of the customer to separate the serious from not-so-serious types. And even then, in showrooms too, there are a fair share of walk-in timewasters who just come in to test-drive a car with no intention of a purchase. Salesmen are driven by targets, so they have to really filter out the "serious" car buyers on their time.

- No systems. Sadly, most car dealerships simply don't have a formal system to entertain email leads. If I was a car dealer, I'd have my team reply back to customer emails with a link to a 10-point questionnaire. Every question is mandatory. If a customer fills out that 10-point questionnaire, he gets a call from a senior salesperson.

[carthick1000]

BMW India has to be idiots to not even read the email properly. OP has mentioned in his/her very first email that he/she will be back home and is available mid November. It is not a mass market car to have a lot of busy test drives. Moreover OP have said that well in advance. Can't they book the 3rd week of Nov in their calendar for the test drive appointment?

They did not send the OP any details about the information asked for like finance options, payment with NRE account etc.

This is pathetic of BMW to have just shrug off a customer with some standard bla bla email without proper answers expected of them.

Funny thing is OP mentioned explicitly to contact by email (being on high seas) with answers and the very thoughtful mister gave back a phone number to contact.

Hello BMW India, your market share is under 0.5% (+/1 1000 cars a month) and average price of your cars are north of half a crore INR. If you expect your customer to only respond to your way of communication (Phone calls), forget about the market share going up any time soon.

@GTO, Would have been apt if the title called out the brand (BMW) and the dealer by it's name.

[Mak@87]

Being a Seafarer myself, I can understand the dilemma you must be going through.
The way I see it, you have the following options:
1. What I have done in the past in similar situations [not car shopping] was that I did my research while I was onboard and then asked my Brother to book/buy the thing I wanted using my Credit card. I guess this might be feasible for you through your siblings or spouse.
2. From your post it seems your mind is made up about the 3 series. So, the research part is done. Test drive it now, if you like, exchange numbers with the SA and let him know your situation. Then, when you're about to sign-off next time, drop him a message, transfer the booking amount and get confirmation for delivery date. This has worked for me in the past, while shopping for cars. A face-to-face with a customer goes a long way towards building trust on both sides.
3. Go to the dealership, demand a car within the week. Offer to close the deal on lucrative terms for them[not extra money, but short payment time, or financing in-house, insurance through dealership, etc.]. Who knows, it might be your lucky day. Again, this has worked for me in the past while shopping for cars.
Good luck.
Please drop a word when you do get your 3 series.
Cherio

[Brumby]

Originally Posted by GTO

Haha! Great point. It's quite idiotic of them to pay 3rd-party providers 1000 bucks a lead, but not pay much attention to the customers in their inbox.

I do understand that the sheer volume of mails is a deterrent, but in case one decides to reply, isn't it wise to read the content and reply accordingly.

One of the executives asked me the same thing again even though most of the information required was available except for the phone number.

It is still strange that the email bounced from an email ID (Navnit motors) which is mentioned on the webpage of the dealer. Navnit motors by any means are not a group which should be cutting corners on such basic things.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

BMW India has to be idiots to not even read the email properly. OP has mentioned in his/her very first email that he/she will be back home and is available mid November. It is not a mass market car to have a lot of busy test drives. Moreover OP have said that well in advance. Can't they book the 3rd week of Nov in their calendar for the test drive appointment?

My reason for asking specially for NRE account was more so because in the past when I financed my car purchase, the bank demanded that the car should be registered only in the name of a family member living in India.

BMW India never replied to that query.

May be they have their order books full.

Originally Posted by Mak@87

Being a Seafarer myself, I can understand the dilemma you must be going through.
The way I see it, you have the following options:
1. What I have done in the past in similar situations [not car shopping] was that I did my research while I was onboard and then asked my Brother to book/buy the thing I wanted using my Credit card. I guess this might be feasible for you through your siblings or spouse.
Cherio

Thats what the plan was, I was interested in knowing the waiting period for the car and then decide and pay the booking amount but things did not go the way I planned. BMW never replied to that query.

[greenhorn]

While I do not have much of an idea about connectivity options aboard ships, is whatsapp an option? I have observed that Whatsapp is the platform of choice for most sales folks for communication, and responses are very prompt.

[Boomerang]

I had no problems with Honda dealership in Thrissur, Kerala (Vision Honda). They created a whatsapp group with Sales Executive, Sales Manager, Accessories person and even the Finanace person if needed. It was seamless! They responded to my emails within 24hrs.

Most of dealers do not add email management in any of their roles sans Managers and Leadership. This is indeed a huge missed opportunity. A little creative thinking will help manage bulk emails. Like sharing an email id of probably customers (on the wall sitters). Yes, once the team builds an email strategy it is easy to manage.

[bijims]

I have had no problems in dealing through email in any of the dealerships here in Kerala, they are quite proactive and reply almost instantly, I guess it is a case of what @GTO said but the ones who are after customers definitely consider the emails and reply to them.

If a brand has multiple dealerships, I enquire through both to get the best deal, but in the case of Luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes, there are only a few dealerships, so this doesn't quite work.

Another thing that worked well for me while I was abroad besides email was contacting the dealership through WhatsApp specifically mentioning that I am an NRI, would be back in India by so and so date, and want the car within such timeframe. Dealerships and sales personnel will be more than happy to assist you and once you place the booking, everything comes into place quite nicely too. Just make sure to deal with the right people and forward your requirements to them.

[Brumby]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

While I do not have much of an idea about connectivity options aboard ships, is whatsapp an option? I have observed that Whatsapp is the platform of choice for most sales folks for communication, and responses are very prompt.

Since internet on ships is through satellite, it is expensive and depends on the company/owners how much of free data they give to the people working on ships.

Apart from that, too much of free data is considered as a safety hazard because, after duty hours we are supposed to rest sufficiently and use internet responsibly. Humans however rarely behave responsibly

I personally avoid whatsapp and use it only for communication with family.

I see no reason as how replying to emails is inconvenient. Most of the official communication across the world happens over emails, we run the ships with 100% communication through mails.

BMW India must not be communication to the headquarters over whatsapp groups

Originally Posted by bijims

I have had no problems in dealing through email in any of the dealerships here in Kerala, they are quite proactive and reply almost instantly, I guess it is a case of what @GTO said but the ones who are after customers definitely consider the emails and reply to them.

Another thing that worked well for me while I was abroad besides email was contacting the dealership through WhatsApp specifically mentioning that I am an NRI, would be back in India by so and so date, and want the car within such timeframe. Dealerships and sales personnel will be more than happy to assist you and once you place the booking, everything comes into place quite nicely too. Just make sure to deal with the right people and forward your requirements to them.

I provided all the information in my message. Navnit motors have a BMW service centre in my city, I did mention place of residence in my mail.

I do not see a reason how a proactive individual having access to reasonable amount of cheap internet data, cannot find the nearest dealership of their group for any place across the globe.


Cheers

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Brumby

I provided all the information in my message. Navnit motors have a BMW service centre in my city, I did mention place of residence in my mail.
I do not see a reason how a proactive individual having access to reasonable amount of cheap internet data, cannot find the nearest dealership of their group for any place across the globe
Cheers

Sad state of affairs at the above dealership then, First of all they are a luxury brand, so emails are usually the official way of getting things done, second of all is customer service, if they don't value both of these, then the best option would be to get your car from another dealership who will. I am sure this won't be the state of affairs at other dealerships.

However, two things are to be made clear here, one, even if you mail the dealership, the case is handed over to a sales executive, who would prefer call or WhatsApp, rather than email, as they want to have a conversation in trying to sell to you, even if you intend on purchasing the product regardless.

Second, if you contact the brand directly, they will just hand it over to the dealership, so this is the norm these days, but once you are allotted a sales executive, make sure to mention that you are unavailable on call, but then their next alternative is WhatsApp, you would have to make them understand that too isn't a preferred alternative, so this makes effective communication from the sales executive end a bit of a task, and most will avoid such situations (many sales executives don't get into the hassle of emails, which are written and proof of conversations, so they prefer call or WhatsApp for that matter)

Anyways, hoping for the best!

[V.Narayan]

Very relevant issue to start a thread on. It is I believe a reflection of corporate culture of the dealer and the OEM.

Back in 2014 I was looking for a luxury brand SUV. I wrote to the Managing Director of Mercedes Benz - total silence. I then wrote on the general ID provided on the Mercedes India web site. Again silence. I then wrote to the M.D. of Volvo India and bingo I got a reply and long story short I purchased a Volvo XC60, then helped two friends buy the Volvo XC90 plug-in hybrid and then bought a C40 EV for myself - all in ten years.

Equally poor showing was from a certain CEO of an Indian OEM known for its pioneering EVs. I wanted to order 20 such EVs for my business and wrote directly to him who is well known for his tweets. But a couple of reminders later, forget about a reply from him, his office did not even connect me to the right person within his organization.

I think it is an Indian culture attribute.

[sudiptaadhya]

Originally Posted by Brumby

Of course nothing happened further, I am back home and car purchase has been postponed.

Navnit in Bangalore has been acquired by Kun - not sure if its the same in Mumbai, but could be the reason why you cannot get through them.

I was recently contacted by someone from Infinity BMW in Mumbai through the help of teambhp user helloglenn, so I can send you the details if helpful.

[Brumby]

Originally Posted by sudiptaadhya

Navnit in Bangalore has been acquired by Kun - not sure if its the same in Mumbai, but could be the reason why you cannot get through them.

I was recently contacted by someone from Infinity BMW in Mumbai through the help of teambhp user helloglenn, so I can send you the details if helpful.

Thank you very much.

I did get in touch with Infinity motors, and the response was reasonably good.

The only thing I did not like was, a distance of about 100 kms on the odo of the car at the time of delivery. Though later they agreed for a flat bed transport from stockyard and for delivery if I wished so, only after reference of unconditional support in this matter from Mercedes was given to them.

I did take test drive of the following cars:

1. BMW M340i
2. BMW 330i gran limousine
3. AMG GLA 35
4. GLC 300
5. C class 300D

1. BMW M340i was amazing as an engaging car to drive, reasonable amount of space and amazing performance from 3L straight-6 petrol engine. Due to limited boot space it has its limitations for a use case as a family touring car. Since the boot space is same as 330i-GL, M340i pulls more strings.

2. BMW 330i is a practical sedan with lots leg room (its more on the excessive side, than being useful), I wish a part of that space was offered in the boot to make it a practical touring car. Suspension is great for bad roads.

3. AMG GLA 35 is a practical performance car, though I would prefer a straight six or a V-six engine, but the way the car pulls is amazing. Practicality of an SUV is an added advantage, however fuel efficiency of about 3 kmpl for a pedal to metal style is something which one has to learn to live with. Boot space with the space saver is almost similar to the 3 series.

4. GLC 300 is the most practical amongst all of the cars that I test drove. It has reasonable performance, and is most practical for family which likes touring, good amount of features and practicality of a SUV suitable for indian road conditions made this as the first choice for my wife.

5. C class 300D was amazing to drive except that it scraped the bottom at most speed breakers and the sales executive acknowledged it with no excuses. This car looked good and drove fantastically.

From the showroom experience I can say that Landmark Mercedes was amazing to deal with, no hesitations for anything, commitments fulfilled as promised, respect for the customer is what impressed me a lot.

BMW still has a lot to catch up in "how to treat a customer" department. Infinity motors was good, but there is a lot of scope for improvement.

Navnit BMW was worst, the test drive offered was for 15-20 minutes only, which I politely refused. It takes more time to reach a road from my apartment to a place where I could test a part of the performance these cars offered. The sales executive put in his best efforts in making me feel like "I am forcing him to sell me a BMW car" rather than other way around. Most of my queries were answered with a question

On a positive note, finally about four days ago, Navnit motors did try to reach me through an email, but it is way too late.

Regarding the purchase of car, it will be done somewhere in March 2023.

Which car ? thats something that needs to be decided, because me and my son want M340i for whats lies under the hood, wife likes GLC 300 and head too finds GLC 300 to be more practical.

Mercedes is expensive to own and to maintain as compared to BMW (as per info shared by the executives), BMW is more engaging to drive and a little more reliable (as per forum)

Cheers

[sudiptaadhya]

Originally Posted by Brumby

Which car ? thats something that needs to be decided, because me and my son want M340i for whats lies under the hood, wife likes GLC 300 and head too finds GLC 300 to be more practical.

Mercedes is expensive to own and to maintain as compared to BMW (as per info shared by the executives), BMW is more engaging to drive and a little more reliable (as per forum)

I had a similar experience and finally booked the GLC 300. With its ISG, I definitely felt that it had an upper edge in raw acceleration and pull. Additionally the tech features, the boot space and everything else are quite amazing. Definitely well rounded, and the big star in the front gets a lot of attention. The model is also a brand new release globally so no worries of new models or crazy depreciation for the next 5 years.

With a luxury car, expenses are definitely going to be high, and Merc India seems to be doing a lot for customer satisfaction. I have also bought the service pack and extended warranty which covers everything (except wheels) and will prevent price shocks and surprises.

Additionally the overall experience of car purchase with Merc was amazing:
- No dealer level discounts in Merc, you get uniform and fair pricing across the country. BMW discounts for the 6GT ranged from 3 lakhs in Chennai to 10 lakhs in Blr, which is just not fair
- Booking of the car is online with Merc directly. BMW dealers were randomly asking for anything between 1.5 lakhs to 5 lakhs for booking
- No crazy pushing from Merc - the entire experience was very sophisticated. No nonsense during test drives either - the dealer said take as long of a test drive as you want. BMW on the other hand made comments like "People above 50 come and buy BMWs to feel young"!!!
- They gave a very good price for my prior car. Again no nonsense at all there - just an honest and fair price with no bargains. BMW started with 25 lakhs and once I had given my booking to Merc, they went upto 32 lakhs!!

[AdiSinghV12]

Maybe they try to keep it less formal but what I am experiencing nowadays is that the dealer is so reluctant to give anything in writing but people in general is to be blamed as well as the “screenshot” culture is growing rapidly. However I still feel that to basic inquires they should still be having a skilled workforce to be replying over the mail for the sake of saving the passion