[tunedv8]

Hello folks!

I have always loved cars ever since I was a very little boy. However, off late, thanks to all the exciting activity in the Indian motorcycle market, my blood pressure is through the roof thinking of all the bikes I want in my garage!

A few bikes that pumped some motorcycling blood into me are

1. Husqvarna Svartpilen 250 and 400

2. Honda CB 350RS

3. Yezdi Scrambler

4. BMW G 310GS

Naturally, I started visiting showrooms to get a closer look and test ride them. Of course, the next progression was to get my hands on them for a day and ride them for a longer distance to really understand whats best for me. So I chose to rent and go on a ride with friends.

My wife was excited to partake in this new adventure and was pumped about it too. My friends recommended Royal Brothers and after a bit of research, decided to book two bikes from RB.

We chose a Jawa Perak and a Yezdi Scrambler for a Sunday morning ride with a bunch of other riders. God we were so looking forward to it!

Come Saturday, my wife got a call from RB saying that the Perak needed servicing and hence, the booking needs to be cancelled. She was bummed but it's understandable. If it needs a service, it needs a service. Sometimes shit happens. So, we decided to ride pillion on the Scrambler. Or at least that's what we thought we'll be doing.

On Sunday, I got a call from the representative at 9:15 AM asking when I’ll pick the Yezdi up. I told him I will be there at 10:00 AM. I reached there, completed the formalities and the bike was in my possession at 10:10. This is how it turned out next -

1. 10:10 - I bring the bike up to the road from the basement and I notice a flat front tire.
2. 10:11 - representative leaves insisting that it's just low air pressure.
3. 10:15 - I complete all my checks and start the bike to head to the nearest petrol station. Bike stalls within a few meters thanks to zero petrol in the tank.
4. 10:17 - I touch base with the rep and he offered to send a guy with 1 litre of petrol in a bottle.
5. 10:30 - Man from ‘Madhuloka’ (a local alcohol retail chain)
arrived with petrol and filled the tank. The bike started after a few attempts and we headed straight to the petrol station with the front tire still severely low on air pressure.
6. 10:36 - filled fuel for ₹500 and headed over to the air filling station at the same bunk.
7. 10:37 - noticed a nail head in the front tire. The refilled air lasted barely a minute before it was flat again.
8. 10:47 - I returned the bike to their basement and handed over the key.

Not quite the ride I was hoping for. This experience turned to be nothing but a dampener of spirits! A total waste of time and effort.

Why did I not just fix the puncture? Because they failed to identify and rectify a simple flat tire. What else have they ignored while handing over the bike?

Now, although I got a full refund and rightfully so, we seem to have arrived at an impasse when it comes to refunding my money for the unused fuel.


Their way of choosing to resolve my issue is to
1. Waive off 500 rupees from the next booking.
(or)
2. Handing over fuel back in a jerry can.(!!??)

I am also deeply frustrated with the way your staff have dealt with this issue. One guy, accused me of not having the capacity to fix a puncture and another person, over the phone, claimed there was no puncture on the bike and that I was lying!

Logically speaking, I will get a puncture fixed if it happens when I am responsible for it. But handing over a punctured bike and expecting me to fix it? Why? They had enough time to fix it and hand-over.

I have mixed feelings about booking with RB again. Giving me a punctured bike while collecting and expecting the customer to get it fixed is not acceptable. I feel like this is a failure in customer service. I am not saying that the customer is always the king but it is vital to be empathetic to a customer and their issues.

The problem with their resolution -
1. After being called a liar, I don't want to go back to a business like that. Forcing to do business with them again by giving me a coupon code for the same amount of money they owe me is quite frustrating after all the frustrating phone conversations.
2. I live very far away and don't trust the quality of fuel that'll be given to me. Whay hand over petrol in a can? Why not just return my money?

What could have been done instead -
1. Apologise for the inconvenience and give at least a 600 Rs waiver on the next booking. (500 is my money, 100 is RB's)

2. Offer to pay for a refuel for the same amount for my vehicle and don't make me come all the way to where you are. Logistically complicated to execute but if you have a stupid policy that doesn't consider any exceptions then hey, what can one do?

Anyway, I know that there are many BHPians who may have positive experiences with RB but this is my story. I just wanted to share it here.

Over and out!

[ninjatalli]

Sorry to hear that. I have used Royal Brothers once (this was in Mangalore) for an Enfield 350cc. The bike wasn't in perfect condition (had some issues with the electric self-start) so I was informed that I could cancel with full refund if I didn't want to take that bike. I went ahead and apart from a few attempts over the next 3 days, the bike worked fine (have a travelogue off it on this forum).

Guess the experience varies from dealer to dealer.

[tunedv8]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Sorry to hear that...so I was informed that I could cancel with full refund if I didn't want to take that bike. I went ahead and apart from a few attempts over the next 3 days, the bike worked fine (have a travelogue off it on this forum).

Guess the experience varies from dealer to dealer.

I am glad it worked out well for you. I will read your log.

The guy who handed over the bike to me was ignorant and unaccountable. This was followed by the customer service rep who blatantly claimed I was lying about the puncture!

That's just uncool.

[Bullfrog]

I was in the same boat about 4 years ago trying to decide on whether I should buy a RE Himalayan. Rented one for a weekend. Ended up with one with a faulty fuel gauge. Not sure if it was Royal Brother's issue or their bigger brother REML issue. Ended up unnecessarily filling more fuel than required at time of return. After that decided no more Royal brothers. My experience however was pleasant on the service front with myself picking up and dropping from their branch at Manyata Tech park.

[sanjaykk]

Originally Posted by tunedv8

Hello folks!

My friends recommended Royal Brothers and after a bit of research, decided to book two bikes from RB.

We chose a Jawa Perak and a Yezdi Scrambler for a Sunday morning ride with a bunch of other riders. God we were so looking forward to it!


Over and out!

If this is the HSR Layout branch, I had rented the Yezdi Scrambler from them a couple of months back. The bike ran very rough and the rear tyre hugger probably had a loose nut. It came loose somewhere in between. Since it was a simple fix and I was within the city, I got it fixed myself.
On top of that, they mistyped a decimal while entering the starting kilometer when handing over the bike. When I returned the bike after 3 hours or so, the difference was 1500 kms The rep there was probably new and did not know how to handle it. He phoned some senior who was helpful and could resolve it by the end of the day. My refund was processed only after that.

I have tried their Indiranagar and Hoodi branches too. It's a mixed bag of experience. Bikes are generally ok; not pristine. They don't wash the bikes either before handing over to the customer.

[tunedv8]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

If this is the HSR Layout branch, I had rented the Yezdi Scrambler from them a couple of months back.

I have tried their Indiranagar and Hoodi branches too. It's a mixed bag of experience. Bikes are generally ok; not pristine. They don't wash the bikes either before handing over to the customer.

Bingo! HSR layout branch it is! The Scrambler with the green and silver dual tone paint.
The rep there needs more training in dealing with customers in general. Our country is known for hospitality and yet many brands fail catastrophically at even simple things.

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

they mistyped a decimal while entering the starting kilometer when handing over the bike. When I returned the bike after 3 hours or so, the difference was 1500 kms

Pufff!!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by tunedv8

Their way of choosing to resolve my issue is to
1. Waive off 500 rupees from the next booking.
(or)
2. Handing over fuel back in a jerry can.(!!??)

I am also deeply frustrated with the way your staff have dealt with this issue. One guy, accused me of not having the capacity to fix a puncture and another person, over the phone, claimed there was no puncture on the bike and that I was lying!

Logically speaking, I will get a puncture fixed if it happens when I am responsible for it. But handing over a punctured bike and expecting me to fix it? Why? They had enough time to fix it and hand-over.

I have mixed feelings about booking with RB again. Giving me a punctured bike while collecting and expecting the customer to get it fixed is not acceptable. I feel like this is a failure in customer service. I am not saying that the customer is always the king but it is vital to be empathetic to a customer and their issues.

tunedv8, its sad to read about your ordeal with the Royal Brother dealership. Ill be sure to forward this thread to any of my acquaintances who are planning to make a booking with them.

There seems to be a contradiction with regards to how you want to handle the situation. On one hand you say you dont want to do business with them again. That is logical. It is what I would do. On the other hand, you are asking for a refund, with some additional money thrown in, for your next booking at Royal Brothers. That doesnt make a lot of sense. Why do you want to put yourself in the same situation again?

Also, I wasnt able to understand the refuel option, without you going to HSR layout. How would that work out?

As for your resolution, put things on email and write to the company. See if they can work out some solution. If they dont, I would suggest that you keep things simple. Take the fuel that they offer. This probably isnt worth wasting your time and money over this. Do keep us updated on how the situation unravels.

[tunedv8]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

tunedv8, its sad to read about your ordeal with the Royal Brother dealership. Ill be sure to forward this thread to any of my acquaintances who are planning to make a booking with them.

People should know what they are getting into.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

There seems to be a contradiction with regards to how you want to handle the situation. On one hand you say you dont want to do business with them again. That is logical. It is what I would do.

This is my final desicion too.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

On the other hand, you are asking for a refund, with some additional money thrown in, for your next booking at Royal Brothers. That doesnt make a lot of sense. Why do you want to put yourself in the same situation again?

I understand why you are confused, let me explain what I meant here -
I was refunded for the bike which was around 1700 plus tax (Yezdi) and 3000 plus tax (Perak, with 1000 deposit) after a couple of days. Here, all was fair.
WHere it went downhill was the issue with the fuel refund. Specially when the bike only travelled to and from the petrol station.
I had all sorts of visual proof to aid my claim. I had the fuel receipt in which the time of fuelling is mentioned. They know when I picked up and dropped off the bike. They know that the bike did a max of 0.5kms. They should have just refunded the fuel money.
Instead, they blatantly refused stating no fuel refund policy but offered to give me and I quote, "the same petrol you put into the bike back to you". - STRIKE 1

After escalating the issue, one of the reps dismissed that there was ever a puncture on the bike - STRIKE 2

After escalating the issue again, they asked me to collect the petrol in a can. When I called the rep who hands over the bike to help me sort the issue (because he knew all the problems), he said I did not have the capacity to get a small puncture fixed - STRIKE 3

The audacity of most of the reps was just horrendous! Only one guy, Chahat, was reasonable.

Instead of this ordeal, they could have reached out to me after refunding the bike money and said,"Hey, we realise you have filled fuel for 500. Can we make it up to you by giving you a coupon for (at least)600? Give us a second chance?". Technically, this is not the most ideal resolution because I drove 15km to collect the bike and then 15km back but it's at least something that would have made me feel like they will try and ensure that the next time it will go smoothly. I mean, I do want to rent bikes and ride in future so this would have worked out for both of us.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Also, I wasnt able to understand the refuel option, without you going to HSR layout. How would that work out?

It does not work and that's not what I want but if they wouldn't budge then what other choice would I have? We are just puppets to them right?

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

As for your resolution, put things on email and write to the company. See if they can work out some solution. If they dont, I would suggest that you keep things simple. Take the fuel that they offer. This probably isnt worth wasting your time and money over this. Do keep us updated on how the situation unravels.

Exactly what I have done. Will surely update.

[pachchu77]

That's a rough deal you got there and I can understand why you must have felt shortchanged. Add to it, the disappointment and frustration of seeing all the weekend plans disappear into thin air !

I'm also bitten by this riding bug all of a sudden and have been trying out various bikes to see which one meets our (the pillion rider a.k.a. the better half) needs the most, in case we decide to get a bike for ourselves. I've ridden Meteor, Classic reborn, CB350 and interceptor, each one for a few hundred kms in the last 2 months. I'm using the services of a rental agency by name Twistthrottle (BTM Layout, Bengaluru) and fairly satisfied with their products/service.

Wishing you a better riding experience ahead !

[tunedv8]

Originally Posted by pachchu77

That's a rough deal you got there and I can understand why you must have felt shortchanged. Add to it, the disappointment and frustration of seeing all the weekend plans disappear into thin air !

I'm using the services of a rental agency by name Twistthrottle (BTM Layout, Bengaluru) and fairly satisfied with their products/service.

Wishing you a better riding experience ahead !

Thanks Prasanna! I checked out Twistthrottle and Wicked Rides. Since I specifically wanted a Yezdi Scrambler, I chose RB as that bike was available only with them for that weekend.

I will give your recommendation and Wicked Ride next time.

[tunedv8]

Hey folks!

I have an update. I received a full refund of Rs500 for the fuel.

However, there is an interesting reason behind this. And that reason is social media and TBHP! I feel empowered as a consumer thanks to such forums like ours which compels businesses to think twice before they take customers for a ride.

Thanks to all the heavy weight BHPians whose responses have made their CRM team (if they have one) wary of losing more potential customers! My sincere thanks to all and may the force be with you.

[Sanidhya Patel]

Originally Posted by tunedv8

Hello folks!

I have always loved cars ever since I was a very little boy. However, off late, thanks to all the exciting activity in the Indian motorcycle market, my blood pressure is through the roof thinking of all the bikes I want in my garage!

...

Even I had a similar kind of experience when my brother was going for a bike trip from Gandhinagar, Gujarat to Diu. He had booked a Royal Enfield Stealth Black and Royal Brothers showed it as 350cc one with rear disc brakes (old model) and as far as I knew it had to be 500cc, so I asked my brother to call them and ask about the motorcycle and they too said that it was 350 but just day before when we were going to pickup they called and said it was a 500cc one and you have to pay extra for it. Miscommunication led to a mismatch in the budget from our side. Later on when we went to pickup, me and my brother both test rode the bike and found that Front Discs were not working and because of that or may be some other reason the ABS for the rear wheel was also not up to the mark. We told that guy from RB that the vehicle is not in a good shape but he kept on insisting that it was serviced just a day ago and brake issue will get sorted once you ride it for 10-20 kms. Our trip was also scheduled so we couldn't afford the delay as it was a group ride, so we took the bike and continued with it. Never going back with Royal Brothers Again

[5hank3r]

Sorry to hear about your experience. It is quite common in car/bike rental businesses to handover the vehicle without proper inspection. They check for scratches and dents but not the mechanical condition of the vehicle when returned by the previous customer.
I had an even worse experience from zoomcar in Pune. They gave me car with front suspension strut broken. Even delivered that car to me driving 5 kilometers in that condition and the staff couldn't feel something's wrong.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

tunedv8, its sad to read about your ordeal with the Royal Brother dealership. Ill be sure to forward this thread to any of my acquaintances who are planning to make a booking with them.

It can also depend on the franchise. I had a contradicting experience from Kochi. I had booked a CB350 and when I arrived, the bike had a battery issue. They quickly arranged an interceptor 650 for me without charging any extra(the 650's rent is significantly higher than the CB350's)

[tunedv8]

Originally Posted by 5hank3r

Sorry to hear about your experience.

I had an even worse experience from zoomcar in Pune. They gave me car with front suspension strut broken. Even delivered that car to me driving 5 kilometers in that condition and the staff couldn't feel something's wrong.

Yikes! Zoomcar is pathetic. I had rented an XUV500 and I got a car with alcohol bottles strewn all around the insides of the car. I drove it straight to a car wash before I allowed my family in! In retaliation, I did not pay the extra kilometers charges that came up to Rs 500. But giving you a car with a broken strut is very lowly of them!

Originally Posted by 5hank3r

It can also depend on the franchise. I had a contradicting experience from Kochi. I had booked a CB350 and when I arrived, the bike had a battery issue. They quickly arranged an interceptor 650 for me without charging any extra(the 650's rent is significantly higher than the CB350's)

This is the kind of service that should be normal. Their HSR layout franchise is quite awful.

[Vikram8891]

I am not sure if this is the right thread but here goes nothing.

This past long weekend - 29th Apr to 1st May, a friend of mine decided to rent an Interceptor from Royal Brothers. He had made an online booking about 10 days back. We received the bike and started off towards Chikmagalur. The pick up point was near the Indiranagar Metro Station and by the time we fueled up the bike and reached Yeshwanthpur, the bike started giving us a lot of trouble.

First, the bike would shut off each time the throttle was closed. Second, the bike would lose acceleration out of the blue. This got dangerous when my friend was overtaking a bus, as you can imagine.

I myself being an Interceptor owner exchanged bikes with him and experienced the same issue within 1 km. Now this is where the lack of customer centric nature was revealed.

RB has a pick up point in Yeshwanthpur and we reached there, however, the personnel there were not accepting there was an issue with the bike. They rode it for maybe 300 mts and came back to us saying its fine. After a lot of to an fro and many missed calls to the Indiranagar point as well as customer care, we were asked to bring back the bike to Indiranagar. My friend insisted that they pick up the bike from Yeshwanthpur and deliver him another bike but they refused.

At this point we were already 2 hours behind schedule. We reached Indiranagar and then the tussle of getting them to accept the issue started. My friend requested them to transfer the fuel to another bike and they weren't agreeing to that as well. He had initially asked for a refund for the fuel he had put in.

After a lot of heated discussions they agreed to provide him a Classic 350 and refund the difference amount later. They also agreed to transfer the fuel. Luckily the Classic was trouble free in our journey, but by the time everything was resolved and we hit the road, we were 4 hours behind schedule. Needless to say this has left a bitter taste and my friend will not be using their rental agency anymore. He likes to do short overnight trips once a quarter and felt this would fulfill his needs without having to buy a bike. He has used RB once before when he had taken a Meteor but that had worked without any issues.

The point is that first of all, RB should provide the very basic thing that is needed - a properly functioning bike. We aren't looking for scratch free mint condition bikes. We just want something that will get us from A to B without breaking down. Is that too much to ask for from a Motorcycle Rental Agency?

Secondly, where one can even put up with the fact that they did not do due diligence and check for issues with the bike before handing it over, their response to the whole scenario was hostile and putting the blame on the customer. Also, what is the point of having multiple touch points across the city if you are not using it to provide flexibility to the customer, specially when you know the fault lies with you?

Regarding the Interceptor, it showed an odo reading of 6,800 kms, so it wasn't too old either.