[ihotoris]

Hi all. Wanted to share a strange and serious incident that happened with me in the first week of April. I took my car for its scheduled final free service to Shreenath Motors' Jogeshwari (w) workshop in Mumbai on the 7th of April. I purchased the car through Shreenath Motors in Andheri (w) and also got the first two services done at the same workshop itself which went fine.

This time the work was not done as per my expectations (dirty car exterior and interior, did not follow other instructions) and I left the workshop right after paying them the service fee as I was not comfortable being in that location for too long (chaotic, busy and messy area, lot of construction going on). I wrote a message in the created customer Whatsapp group that I was dissatisfied with the service and that I will not patronize their workshop in the future for further paid services.

The next day 8th April I received an email from their customer manager about my experience, and I wrote a proper response detailing my issues and also suggested that they work on their service quality instead of offering me complimentary cleanings and what not. I also duly filled out their service centre feedback form and gave them the appropriate rating (1-8, which is "poor" for Hyundai India).

Shortly after I noticed their customer manager attempted to change my registered phone number to someone in their family's (individual with the same surname as the manager's), presumably so they receive the company's corporate feedback call in the next few days and not me. The Hyundai automated bot allowed me cancel this change and I immediately wrote an email to not only to Hyundai corporate area manager but also service center itself to report this.

The dealership's senior manager called back to apologize and to ask to allow them to fix my problem and that "mistakes sometime happen as the customer manager panicked". They have assured me that they take full responsibility for this and that management will work to train their staff so such issues don't happen again. I told them that I don't want any freebies and also don't want to be involved in all this, and that I'll be looking into going to a different service center in the future as I don't want headaches on such small issues.

I wanted to share this story and have attached a screenshot so you all can stay aware that service centers may start pulling these stunts just to avoid negative feedback reaching the manufacturer.

Update 15th April - Tried to add my vehicle's VIN to My Hyundai app and lo and behold it would not let me as the customer manager's family member's number is being reflected in the app still. I will contact the senior manager tomorrow in the morning and might have to threaten legal action at this point to tell him to fix this problem. I will also contact Hyundai's area west manager to ask if they have taken any top down action on the workshop and its staff or just let them off the hook.

Do any of you have any suggestions or any steps I can take to make them take this matter seriously? I have call recordings, email exchanges and all other proof with me.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ihotoris

Tried to add my vehicle's VIN to My Hyundai app and lo and behold it would not let me as the customer manager's family member's number is being reflected in the app still.

My god, this is next level! Please pursue this legally, It is ridiculous that the dealership management would even try to defend something like this. I'm sure it must be a standard practice, otherwise they should have fired the employee immediately.

Thank you for sharing, I hope Hyundai is reading this and will take action and also ensure that the dealership does not try and pressure the customer into withdrawing their complaint. No amount of training will help in such a case, everyone involved must be fired to set an example. What a crazy, illegal, stupid thing to do just to avoid some deserved negative feedback! How stupid is this dealership?!

[ihotoris]

Update #2 16th April:

Just got off a call with their senior manager and he changed the registered phone number in their system while on the call itself, I received an OTP that I shared with him, and now the MyHyundai app reflects my vehicle's details.

I have also asked for proof of the warning or reprimand issued against the customer manager for this action and a formal written apology from them before the end of day today. Will update the thread if I receive it.

My intention to post this thread was not to have the customer manager fired or anything drastic like that, but just to spread the word that something like this can happen to anyone regardless of the brand. If it is this easy to change the phone number then service centres will start doing so casually to avoid negative feedback.

Imagine I wouldn't have even gotten to know if the Whatsapp chatbot had not alerted me about it. And all of this just because they didn't wash my car properly and the service advisor was in a hurry to get me to pay and leave. Sigh.



Update 3:

Here is the apology email from their customer manager.

Originally Posted by am1m

Thank you for sharing, I hope Hyundai is reading this and will take action and also ensure that the dealership does not try and pressure the customer into withdrawing their complaint.

I have written multiple emails to all their corporate emails and also through the escalation channels to the area manager and the unique complaint IDs assigned to me but I am yet to get any call or email from the company itself about any updates.

My only point of contact so far has been the service centre and their senior manager and customer manager. I hope the message was received by the appropriate person and they will take some action down the line, and if not, well this is the max I can do personally as a customer.

[Joe367]

I suspect same thing was done by TVS Renault showroom for our car after one of the
regular servicing. I thought it happened by mistake and didn't bother to enquire. I used to log into 'My Renault App' and suddenly one day it was linked to someone else's phone number. Renault also used to directly call customers asking for service experience regularly - this also stopped. Dealerships might be doing this to provide fake reviews on behalf of customers.

[ihotoris]

Originally Posted by Joe367

I suspect same thing was done by TVS Renault showroom for our car after one of the
regular servicing. I thought it happened by mistake and didn't bother to enquire. I used to log into 'My Renault App' and suddenly one day it was linked to someone else's phone number. Renault also used to directly call customers asking for service experience regularly - this also stopped. Dealerships might be doing this to provide fake reviews on behalf of customers.

Basically the same experience as you - have not received any corporate feedback call from Hyundai as of yet.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Joe367

I suspect same thing was done by TVS Renault showroom for our car after one of the regular servicing.

This is why I suspect it must be a regular thing. It is good that dealerships are worried about feedback and the reaction of the manufacturer. But the manufacturers also need to know that dealerships are gaming the feedback mechanism like this. Ultimately it affects the quality of service we as clients receive and ultimately it is a very serious wrong thing that the dealerships are doing.

Way back when feedback was through paper forms, I saw a client service manager at the Royal Enfield Indiranagar dealership casually crumple my feedback form and throw it in the dustbin. I had rated them low because they didn't even bother to re-connect my fuel line from the carb after service! And had also damaged my meters! The guy was too stupid to even wait till I left the workshop. I lost it then, and called the ASM, then they got a real firing from their higher ups.

But the point is these dealerships are gaming the system and I hope the manufacturers take note. Changing the contact number for a customer is really next level!

[Roy.S]

The SA appears to be a dropout from the Jamtara school of fraud. I can't even begin to imagine why someone would do something this asinine just to escape a well deserved reprimand. Its not like they were going to flog him.

This guy should ideally be sacked. If he is still on their payroll after this it means that this kind of thing has an unspoken approval from higher management at Shreenath motors.

[ihotoris]

Originally Posted by Roy.S

The SA appears to be a dropout from the Jamtara school of fraud. I can't even begin to imagine why someone would do something this asinine just to escape a well deserved reprimand. Its not like they were going to flog him.

This guy should ideally be sacked. If he is still on their payroll after this it means that this kind of thing has an unspoken approval from higher management at Shreenath motors.

I distinctly remember during delivery of the vehicle their sales manager at the showroom subtly manipulated me into giving them a perfect rating for the entire purchase and delivery process, and if not the sales associate would have to "take a mandatory unpaid few days of leave" or something like that mandated by Hyundai corporate itself. I felt it was a little arm-twist-y but let it slide back then as I was still new to such things.

So yes, you may be right in assuming that this could be an instruction given by higher-ups to manage sales/service targets set by the owners of the dealership.

Originally Posted by am1m

But the point is these dealerships are gaming the system and I hope the manufacturers take note. Changing the contact number for a customer is really next level!

This is basically my entire complaint and made me want an apology in writing. It made me lose all trust on the workshop and its staff.

I mean, who would patronize a workshop where you know they can go behind your back and damage your vehicle without you knowing and then face little-to-no consequences?

[pkulkarni.2106]

The lengths they've gone to is insane! I remember it's not this easy for TATA. After I got my car pre-owned, I had requested to change the name & contact number in their records.

I was given an email ID to send this request to - where I was asked several documents to prove the ownership of the vehicle (and IIRC, it was the customer service rep by TATA & not anyone from the service center). Only upon proper verification, their records were updated to reflect my name & number.

[Vikram9193]

I just asked someone who has a family member working in customer relations in a dealership (currently Hyundai, but various other companies previously) - he said this is a common practice and he himself gets feedback calls and messages from the company because his relative has changed the customer’s number to his number!

[ihotoris]

Originally Posted by Vikram9193

I just asked someone who has a family member working in customer relations in a dealership (currently Hyundai, but various other companies previously) - he said this is a common practice and he himself gets feedback calls and messages from the company because his relative has changed the customer’s number to his number!

Sad state of affairs allround.

[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by ihotoris

and now the MyHyundai app reflects my vehicle's details.

And their purpose is served. Between the two times phone number changed, they gave excellent 10/10 feedback to Hyundai India on the call they might have received from Hyundai.

[ihotoris]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

And their purpose is served. Between the two times phone number changed, they gave excellent 10/10 feedback to Hyundai India on the call they might have received from Hyundai.

Unfortunately that appears to be the case as I am yet to receive any corporate feedback call from the company this time.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by ihotoris

My intention to post this thread was not to have the customer manager fired or anything drastic like that, but just to spread the word that something like this can happen to anyone regardless of the brand. If it is this easy to change the phone number then service centres will start doing so casually to avoid negative feedback.

I would say insist on them firing the customer manager to bring appropriate closure to this disgusting, cheating matter.

Please understand this is not a mistake or something that can be passed off as a mistake. it’s a deliberate, calculated act of cheating and surely must not be the first time this person has done this kind of thing.

God knows how long this must be going on. He must be changing the number after the feedback call is received by his relative. You are just lucky because you checked within this timeframe.

Firing this person is the only way to address this attitude. It will also send a proper message to the rank and file that cheating will not be tolerated.

Cheers

[ihotoris]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

I would say insist on them firing the customer manager to bring appropriate closure to this disgusting, cheating matter.

Firing this person is the only way to address this attitude. It will also send a proper message to the rank and file that cheating will not be tolerated.
Cheers

What you said was also my initial reaction, but you never know what is going on behind the scenes. Maybe they were pressured into doing so by their superiors. I would hate for anyone to lose their job just on account of such a small complaint and issue, that's why I'm probably not pursuing it further.

Maybe I'm just empathetic about such things, but getting them to admit their mistake and then receiving a written apology for the same is the least I would have expected out of this.