A weird experience with DSC Hyundai Chennai.

[LandCruiser]

My friend had booked a Santro (GLS) from DSC Hyundai in the month of Dec 2007. He had got a good Rs.30k discount and al that and had selected Onyx Blue color. He was not very keen on any of the accessories or any fancy stuff. But his wife was keen on getting a good number for the car. So they had paid Rs.5k to select a number from a range (4000-5000) which was available then. They had asked the sales person for the series that is running and he had replied that it is TN 07 AQ. Based on that they had given 3 options to this guy and asked them to get any one of them.

The car got registered on a Thursday and we went there to pick it up on Christmas day. In between my friend also didn’t check with him regarding the number and that guy also didn’t confirm. When we were in the showroom to pick up the car he asked if my friend got to know the number. He said that he wasn’t informed. For this the sales person said “it was the third number from your list but I don’t remember now. Will check now”. To my friend’s shock the number was something like TN 07 AR xxxx. The last 4 digits were from the list they gave but the problem was instead of AQ the number had AR. They had calculated it earlier and wanted to have a number that sums up to 7 (by adding number of equivalent of T, N, 0, 7, A, Q and the remaining 4 numbers). Now because the value of R is 1 more than Q the total sum became 8!

It was a big misunderstanding. The sales person had told the running series as requested thinking that the car will get registered in a particular RTO but finally based on address it was to be done with a different RTO office. So the series changed from AQ to AR. But he didn’t bother to inform them. On my friends’ part they gave 3 number choices all written as TN 07 AQ <choice1> <choice2> <choice 3>. One thing they didn’t do is stress the importance of the entire set of number starting from TN and logic they use to arrive at the total. This sales guy didn’t understand the logic and just got the last 4 digits from the list given to him.

My friends couldn’t really convince themselves to accept the car with that number as their belief was hurt. It became a difficult thing to accept for them. So they had a discussion with the GM and after a while he said that they will take the car back and give a new car. The GMs points were:

1. If they get 2007 model car with the same color, model they will give it with all the promised accessories.
2. If they get 2007 model car with a different model or color he will leave it to the choice of my friend to accept it or not. If they get a lower variant they will provide the higher end features like body color bumpers, internally adjustable mirrors etc.
3. But if they don’t get a 2007 model and get a 2008 model only then they can’t give the same Rs.30k discount.

He agreed that they will sell the car and take the loss. But the questions remained were what will happen to the road tax, insurance and more importantly the loan taken. My friend was OK with getting a new car and was willing to work out the other complexities like loan. He was waiting until 02-Jan-2008 to hear from them. But seems on 03-Jan-2008 they said they will try to change the number of the car by registering again. I am not sure whether this is possible legally as the RTO denied on Day 1 saying it was not possible. Even if they do some shady thing whether there will be problems in the future etc. Now they are waiting to hear more from the GM. As always the customer has to make so many calls to get this resolved.

We went to pick up the car and had to come back empty handed. The sales guy was somewhat less meticulous from the beginning as per my friend and did a careless mistake like this. He could have done a better job by listening carefully. My friends also getting their first car didn't have the experience in dealing with the sales guys.

Fellow bhp-ians please throw some light on what better options are available in this situation. Should he accept the change in number (by whatever means) or he can ask for refund and go to a different dealer?

[HotChillyPepper]

Why cant he sell out the car to his wife or vise versa after few days and get a new registration? If its possible then he can get the no he want. And of course the dealer should pay him back what he took for the number.

[Samurai]

I can't find any fault with the dealer. They made arrangements to the best of their knowledge and delivered the number. Can't expect them to know nitty-gritties of numerology. The customer should have insisted on the importance of the entire series to them.

You can't really blame the dealer to take any loss for this. The payment for the special number goes to the RTO, not the dealer. And RTO won't return the amount in this case, and rightfully so, they did deliver the requested XXXX number.

Since customer is the one who is the believer, he should take the loss.

[visu03]

I completely agree with u Samurai, its the customer that should take the loss. Its nice of dealer who is giving options to help the customer.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I can't find any fault with the dealer. They made arrangements to the best of their knowledge and delivered the number. Can't expect them to know nitty-gritties of numerology. The customer should have insisted on the importance of the entire series to them.

You can't really blame the dealer to take any loss for this. The payment for the special number goes to the RTO, not the dealer. And RTO won't return the amount in this case, and rightfully so, they did deliver the requested XXXX number.

Since customer is the one who is the believer, he should take the loss.

Absolutely right samurai, i feel that dsc hyundai have gone out of the way in even saying that they will try to help. If your friend was so numerology conscious, he should have accompanied the car to the RTO just to make sure that he got his number, just paying money wont do & I have a reason to say that. Let me explain.

From TN 07 AQ to TN 07 AR, it is not a different RTO, it is just the next sequence of the same RTO. The dealer probably did not make any enquiries before telling you that 4000-5000 was running at that time. These numbers change pretty rapidly especially on a friday since a lot of cars get registered on Friday. This is why i insist that a person who attaches so much importance to the number should have been there at that time. I think he has to live with the 8 or change his numerological beliefs to suit the number he's got.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

LandCruiser, Your friend is very lucky that the dealership offered to consider options at all. Generally, what a person "book" while choosing registration numbers is only the XXXX part in "AA - NN - BB - XXXX" where AA is the state code and NN - BB is the registration district / series alpha-numeric code.

That is how the law is framed. Here is an example. (to the best of my knowledge - I may be wrong) In Kerala, the entire registration process is computer controlled. Right now, in Ernakulam, the current series is KL 07 BG and as of today, something like 7 or 8000 is being registered. If I select some number in 5000 series, I will be given that number when KL 07 BH series comes up (number will be allotted only by that time); and if I select a number in 9000 series, I MAY get it in the BG series itself.

Again, there is really no way to change the registration number unless you take the vehicle out of the state and re-register it and then bring it back to TN. This will involve paying the life tax (and probably entry tax, if the VAT is lesser in TN than the other state) in the other state too and pay life time tax all over again in TN. That means, you will be paying tax for the third time.

I suspect you got the AR series because the three numbers were already allotted in the AQ series. So, short of tampering with the registration records for two vehicles, (which may or may not amount to forgery and definitely IS manipulation of official records), there is no other alternative to change the number.

[esteem_lover]

IIRC, in TN, you have different slabs of rates for different numbers. If you want a really special number like instead of AR, you want BB xxxx, it is possible, but the rate is very high, you do not have to wait for that series to start, the same applies here.

[PatchyBoy]

LandCruiser,

Your friend might want to try other combination like putting "Tamilnad" or "Tamilnadu" or "Tamizhnadu" instead of the standard "TN" so that it adds up to the numeric value your friend wants. If this works out your friend gets the same car, with the same number and it will still add up to the numeric value he wants.

Cheers,
Rajan

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

LandCruiser,

Your friend might want to try other combination like putting "Tamilnad" or "Tamilnadu" or "Tamizhnadu" instead of the standard "TN" so that it adds up to the numeric value your friend wants. If this works out your friend gets the same car, with the same number and it will still add up to the numeric value he wants.

Cheers,
Rajan

And he gives a chance for every damn constable to pull him over & talk law.

[JayD]

I really don't find any fault with the dealer here! one usually selects only the number and not the registration series! Or else he must have explained the other reasons for the total number etc etc!! its really surprising that the dealer agreed to take the car back! even though i couldn't make head or tail out of the 3 conditions u mentioned!

[PatchyBoy]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

And he gives a chance for every damn constable to pull him over & talk law.

Nope. It is totally legal. Afterall TN in the regn number stands for Tamilnadu, right? Spelling it in full, and in English is absolutely within the law and no one is going to stop him for doing that.

Rajan

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Nope. It is totally legal. Afterall TN in the regn number stands for Tamilnadu, right? Spelling it in full, and in English is absolutely within the law and no one is going to stop him for doing that.

Rajan

Yes, it is perfectly legal to have the full form and not he acronym.

[rr_zen]

I agree how bad a feeling this would have left your friend with. Only if he had been a bit more careful.

I believe in numbers to a certain extent too. In order to avoid any disappointments of this sort I make it a point to go to the RTO in person and get the special number, give the form pertaining to the alloted number to the car/bike dealer when the vehicle is taken for registration. During times when I am tied up with work and dont find time to make it in person to the RTO, I at least ensure the number series as in whether it is TN-09-AD....or TN-09-AE with the RTO and then leave the rest to the dealer. I have done this for all my cars and bikes so far. This has ensured that I dont end up with disappointments.

Bottom line is: If you are specific about a particular number, stretch that extra bit apart from paying the fees, to ensure that you get the number you want. After all, it doesnt come to you free of cost !

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by PatchyBoy

Nope. It is totally legal. Afterall TN in the regn number stands for Tamilnadu, right? Spelling it in full, and in English is absolutely within the law and no one is going to stop him for doing that.

Rajan

AFAIK, it is illegal to change anything from the number you have been given in your printed RC. Just because a few people have expanded the state names does not mean it is right, please check with your local laws.

[LandCruiser]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

From TN 07 AQ to TN 07 AR, it is not a different RTO, it is just the next sequence of the same RTO. The dealer probably did not make any enquiries before telling you that 4000-5000 was running at that time.

esteem_lover, I am not sure if that is the case. I was also thinking for example 07, 09 could be different RTO office and each of them will have their own running series similar to AR or AQ. But if you see my car is registered with 07 but a different A<x> series from Tiruvanimyur RTO. But in this case it was registered at Mandaveli RTO with same 07 but a different A<x> series. So AQ and AR could be running at different RTO offices if we can call Tiruvanmiyur and Mandaveli offices as different RTOs.