[shancz]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

My question is, if a common man like me, is in such a situation, what are the ways in which one can proceed?

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, your dealership interactions are infuriating and I haven't even bought the car.
TML is living up to its proud credentials of hit/miss service and reaffirms my observation that its always the premium customers who seem to suffering the worst.

1. The idea that to fix/replace a broken cable needs a seat replacement is absurd.
IMO the dealership is taking you for a ride, if you need a resolution visit some other dealer/workshop with hopefully better luck.

2. Whatever the resolution is this should be covered in warranty since its a premature failure of an enclosed mechanism.

Honestly, I have given up on TML improving their dealership and workshop experience and precisely the reason I don't recommend anything above the Nexon to anyone and the recommendations below it come with a big warning of hit/miss service.
Second your thoughts which had made me start a thread earlier.
Do check : ICB (The Indian Car Buyer | Struggling with problems in brand new cars)


Hope you get a reasonable solution soon.

[aniyo]

Really sorry to hear about your ordeal. For some reason the expensive Tata is always in the trouble. Nexon has been such a trouble free product, however the service is pain at times. They put a bad coolant in my car which went completely empty during a highway drive with wife and infant.

I am seriously considering moving to FNG once car is out of warranty in March

[sharad_kmc]

This thread gives me a reality check. I am a tata group employee and we do get a discount on the Tata vehicles. I loved the looks and features of the Safari dark edition and was looking to replace my old Honda city. However, coming across these issues so frequently in the Safari/Harrier twins, makes me jittery regarding my choice. Looks like I will rather wait for a while until I can afford something better. Still love the road presence of the vehicle but would not be willing to compromise on peace of mind.

[Slick]

Sorry for your ordeal @NotanF1driver, Hope you get a resolution soon.


Tata has lost the plot in the Premium segment, Their service has deteriorated over the past few years. It also feels less affordable now. May be it's the inflation or that my car is old and they want to replace everything but I think Tata still need to work on making the customer feel special.
Anyone paying 25L should not be having these complaints. One understands the odd lemon but here it's starting to looks like the odd good car.

I own a Tata Zest and have had a great ownership experience because of the vehicle and service, over the years but I see Tata gradually losing the ground that they have covered in the recent past.

Once the supply chains are back in full swing, Tata Harrier and Safari duo will struggle.


- Slick

[LivingCars]

Hi,

Based on my experience of handling issues with my Safari (Nov 2021 Purchase) like rear seat belt not functioning properly, Front disk wear out at only 15K, touch screen issue etc., I would suggest you escalate the matter to Tata Motors Regional Customer Care Managers - After sales team. You can find yours at the below link. And based on my experience emails are much more effective than phone calls with Tata Motors.

https://cars.tatamotors.com/service/contact-us

Hope this helps.

[sanoobhusain]

Sorry to hear the ordeal. We were also looking at HEXA couple years back, but dropped the idea and went with Toyota instead. Though not always happy with the after sales of Toyota, the ownership is in fact stress free.

Experience has taught that it is always better to communicate on official email ID. One, the mail puts your composed thoughts and facts on the face, phone calls almost aways ends up in confrontation or unwanted wait times and test of patience.

You can lodge your complaint on Government of India Consumer helpline.

https://consumerhelpline.gov.in

they promptly register your issues and makes the issue heard.
hope your troubles are sorted and you can enjoy the stress free miles.

[enj0y_ride]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal. I doubt if the recommendation of replacement came from tata motors. The dealer wouldn't even have checked if it can be covered under warranty. Escalate and see if you can get some official confirmation from Tata Motors. Taking to another dealer too might help.

[NotanF1driver]

Hi all,

Thanks a lot for your kind inputs.

Update: I got a call from Tata Motors regional office yesterday (13 Aug, within hours of this post getting featured in Team-BHP homepage) and informed me that the warranty claim is approved. He also mentioned that it was considered a special case, and was approved. I clarified if the latch is getting replaced or if it is the whole rear seat assembly - to which he said that the whole seat assembly is to be replaced as child parts of it is not available for replacement. I soon got a message from the SA that the warranty claim is approved. I am still waiting for the part to arrive at the service center, so that it can be replaced.

Some thoughts:
1. The time which the service center has taken on resolving this small issue is unacceptable (it was raised on 26 Jul, which is still unresolved).
2. The time which I have spent on this matter is also much more than what I would I have liked. Call me crazy, but for the last week I had blocked ~1 hour of my work calendar per day to resolve this.
3. I still don't understand the child part non-availability issue. Why should the seat assembly be replaced for a latch replacement? I raised this to the guy who called me from regional office, who too said that child parts are not available to order. By honoring this warranty claim, Tata would lose some 50k, which according to me, should have been some 1k to replace the latch.
4. I am putting aside my thought of replacing the car now. As many have suggested, I would be trying out the other available service center (Gokulam Tata) for my next services/ issues. I am mentally prepared for more, and have noted the consumer helpline link, which can come in handy.
5. Last, but not the least, the power of the forum is quite unbelievable. Positive action was seen within hours this thread got featured in the homepage. It may be a coincidence, but I like to think it otherwise. I am so glad to hear out the other BHP-ians in this regard - I felt that there are others who are there with me to support me and provide valuable inputs. Thank you all.

I will update the progress of the issue soon.

[CarML]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Update: I got a call from Tata Motors regional office yesterday (13 Aug, within hours of this post getting featured in Team-BHP homepage) and informed me that the warranty claim is approved.

Glad that they have agreed to replace it under warranty now. They should have just done this earlier when you reported the issue. Wishing that you have a peaceful ownership experience going forward.
It is sad to see that Tata has not sorted out their quality control and rigor on after sales and service even after several years of launching premium products like Harrier and Safari. It is unnerving for anyone to buy these cars given the number of horror stories that get reported frequently.
Looks like "Tata A.S.S. is a hit or a miss" is going to be included in the reviews of these products for many years to come.

[kaustavguha]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

3. I still don't understand the child part non-availability issue. Why should the seat assembly be replaced for a latch replacement? I raised this to the guy who called me from regional office, who too said that child parts are not available to order. By honoring this warranty claim, Tata would lose some 50k, which according to me, should have been some 1k to replace the latch.

Child part replacement requires a certain level of training to the service center mechanics/technicians and most importantly it will take more time to change the cable and latch assembly than to change the seat.

It is a way to charge customers more and spend less time on repairs.

This seems to be the case in every industry, no repair, only replacement.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

By honoring this warranty claim, Tata would lose some 50k, which according to me, should have been some 1k to replace the latch.

Originally Posted by kaustavguha

It is a way to charge customers more and spend less time on repairs.

Pretty sure Tata will not suffer one paise loss. All expenses will be charged back to the vendor, who will also conduct detailed FMEA on the entire assembly to ensure future failures are eradicated or much reduced.

[NotanF1driver]

Update as on 18 Aug.
I was informed that the part would arrive on Saturday and the car would be picked up on Monday. I requested for a Tuesday pick up since I had some inconvenience on Monday. Also, I got the following information as well from Tata Motors

“The delay for the final decision is due to some scratch marks observed on the related part. on investigation it is concluded that observed scratch marks can happen either by daily usage or customer miss use. However considering the customer centric solution we have opted for the option to replace the entire seat.”

[NotanF1driver]

Hello.

Wanted to post an update as on 24 Aug.
1. The car got picked up from home on 23rd as discussed.
2. I wanted to do the 6 months service along with this, which they agreed to.
3. It was delivered back on the same day evening with a bill amount of ~740 for DEF and consumables.
4. Pick up and drop off charges were waived (billed as FOC)
5. As told by them earlier, rear left seat is replaced (still in plastic wrap) and tumble mechanism works fine.

Satisfied with the resolution provided. Huge shout out to the forum for the support. Will share ownership updates going forward.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Update: I got a call from Tata Motors regional office yesterday (13 Aug, within hours of this post getting featured in Team-BHP homepage) and informed me that the warranty claim is approved.

While I'm happy for the OP, what is this rubbish attitude of manufacturers who will only respond to bad publicity?

Is there no one in Tata Motors who understands the basics of customer relationships? Pretty sure that when OP upgrades in the future, he/she isn't going to be considering a Tata product after this kind of substandard service.

[Raghu M]

On one side I feel the Indian OEMs should get their due for manufacturing high safety products and on the other side, I feel bad for customers who have to go through these ordeals for small/petty things. TATA, you have such good product line up. Please don't mess it up with such small issues. Up your game on QA and get the right people address these issues. Remember, a stitch in time saves nine.

I believe M&M is doing better. I have not had any issues with my 3OO and whenever I was in the showroom, I was attended to well. While they do have that Bolero/pick up truck customer treatment attitude, they are wary of the customer giving negative feedback. So, they usually get things done for you. I can't imagine being in a situation where the SA or the service center is not helping in any way when you have an issue. I am the type that would sell his car if there is no proper parking space leave alone multiple visits to the service center for these small issues. I hope your issue gets resolved soon. Good luck.