Service Experience - Hyundai Vs Tata

[cnaganathan]

Here is my recent experience with Kun Hyundai Service center at Ambattur Ind Estate when I sent my Getz for getting her AC checked (though the blower was blowing away at full speed air throw from the grills was low).
1. When I walked in, receptionist meets me, gathers service need and asks me to wait.
2. She goes over to a guy's desk (looked like the senior most Serv Advisor) and spoke to him pointing to me and returns back to her desk.
3. Watch the Advisors acting busy for the next 30 mins but none bothers to quiz me why I am there .
4. Lost my cool and walked up to the Service Manager, explained my experience so far and told him that I made a mistake of walking into their premises.
5. Service Manager apologises and arranges for an adbisor to check my car. He takes another 10 mins to arrive but does a thorough check. Says the filter is clogged and sponges used as flange sealants in the duct are missing. Estimates a day's effort and a spend of 2k. I agree to send car 2 days later on Thursday for the service.
6. Thursday morning 8.30 AM Car picked up as promised; 10.00 AM Service advisor calls and claims that the work will be completed as indicated and hikes budget to 6k - new tasks included were AC coil clean up, Water wash of the vehicle. I did not want both and asked them to proceed with original tasks (vitamin M constraints).
7. Friday evening 4.00 PM - no information yet. Called up for status of car and was told that the job just got over and car will be ready in 1 hr. Inform them that I will come at 11.00 AM on Saturday morning to collect the car.
8. 11.30 AM Saturday - arrive at Service station and hand over Work order copy. Service Advisor (a new one) walks up to me after 10 minutes and asks me where the car is. I tell him that he is the one who should know as I have come to take delivery. he goes back embarrassed.
9. 12.00 PM - Invoice is ready and I present my Credit card for making the 1.9k payment. Cashier says - "No Credit Cards" impolitely and I ask why. He reetorts back saying machine not working since morning. I lost my control and stormed out of the place, went to a nearby ATM to get the money.
10. After payment, they deliver the car but do not want me to fill up the feedback card - probably thought that I would give them a bad rating.

If I were to compare this with my experience at Concorde, the only place where Kun did a better job was in picking up the vehicle on time. Otherwise on all other counts Kun was pathetic. I infact told them that they should all go over to Concorde and learn what it takes to service a customer. End of the day I have decided never to step back into that god forsaken place (Kun) again.

[Alter_Ego]

Finally some good pat on the back for my favourite indian Manufacturer.Way to go Tata.

@cnaganathan
So did you finally fill the feedback form?
As that matters a lot.Those people at the service centre are taken to task depending on the type of feedback the customer gives.Trust me hyundai is a far better brand and its just the filth and lack of professionalism among the service centre personnels that are spoiling the brand names.

[HappyWheels]

Maybe you should shoot of some emails. At least highlight the experience, for what its worth. You never know if you might get a positive response.

[srikant]

I think you have to bring it to the notice of the higher ups and company. You may mail to the company customer complaint cell giving them a link to this thread in forum. You will surely get a response.

[cnaganathan]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

So did you finally fill the feedback form?

Nopes. The Service Advisor took me out for a pre-delivery test drive and completed the formalities at the exit gate itself on return. Probably wanted to ensure that I will not create further trouble for him.

[Alter_Ego]

Originally Posted by cnaganathan

Nopes. The Service Advisor took me out for a pre-delivery test drive and completed the formalities at the exit gate itself on return. Probably wanted to ensure that I will not create further trouble for him.

So that means you would not have recieved a call from the customer care too who usually call up for feedback and to ensure the service provided was satisfactory.

Like everyone mentioned, it would be worthy to send some emails to the higher management.It does work, even though how harmless it may seem.

[gopinathann]

Generally KUN Hyundai service should be good. I have been to the Kun in Annasalai and it has been a good experience. Earlier, the service guy in Annasalai told me not to go to Thiruvanmiyur KUN dealer as the service is not good there. May be it could be same case as Ambattur dealer.

[cnaganathan]

Thanks for all those responses. I was a little hesitant to go the Customer feedback way as the car is still really owned by my uncleand I am just a custodian. I did receive a surprise call from a Mr.Manikantan who is the Service Manager. Now he was the one who intervened on my first visit and arranged for the carr to be inspected. He was very courteous and wanted to know why I hadn't answered the feedback call as well as not filled in the Service feedback form. I shared with him my experience to which he apologised and finally made a request - that I give them an opportunity to make amends. I think thats a fair deal - what do you all say?

[predatorwheelz]

Eh? You had a better customer service experience at Tata, as opposed to Hyundai!!

Sorry for missing this thread earlier. I own one Tata Indica and one Verna. The former has been with me for 4 years and always serviced at Tata Authorized Service Centres. The latter has been with me for about 8 months and again, always serviced at Hyundai Authorized Service Centres.

Here's text from one of my previous posts (find the original at my Indica ownership thread)

QUOTE

A word here about Tata servicing. If you are used to Maruti or Hyundai service, nothing will prepare you for the "Desi" experience you get at a Tata service centre. You walk into a very large facility where swarms of call centre cab drivers wait at the owner's lounge. As you sip on chai, you wait for the queue to end and your case to come up. The service advisor is a man who has usually come from Tata commercial vehicle service centres. His manner of addressing you is the same as the way he addresses illiterate truck drivers. He will shout at you that your car is a mess, and YOU are responsible for causing it. Ignoring your pleas that the car goofed up on his own, he will shout out the repair costs. (There is no company issued chart containing service charges hung on the walls, whatever the advisor shouts out is final).

By the time you have digested the repair list, he is already on to the next customer. (What can he do, there are so many cabbies to be addressed?). You bleat out any other issues that you might have had (Sir, my car's windshield washer is also not working) and he thunders back that it will be taken care of. You leave the service centre with more hope than surity.

When you come back in the evening, your car stands gleaming in one corner. You spend 5 minutes trying to locate the advisor, who spends the next 5 looking for your keys among the swarms of cabbie keys. You get in and TD the car, finding that the washer problem has still not been taken care of. You get angry and demand that the problem be taken care of RIGHT NOW. The advisor gives you a sullen look, and says that all mechanics have gone home for the day.

You now have 2 options. Either leave the car till tomorrow morning for the problem to be addressed, or sign the customer satisfaction form, take the car and go home, waiting for the problem to be rectified at a later service. No wonder I usually did the latter.

A week after you take the car home, a pleasant lady from Tata Motors gives you a call. She takes your feedback on the service experience. Quite obviously, you are dissatisfied, and give a poor rating. Within a day or 2, a different service centre guy calls up. He expresses surprise at your dissatisfaction ("If you are not satisified, you could have just told us, sir?!!!! Please come to us next week and we will take care of the washer problem")

So you finally believe that there is justice in the world, and go back to the service centre to rectify a problem which should have been rectified at the first go. And who do you find there? The original service advisor, with his authoritative tone, his disdain at paying attention to your problems, et all! So the vicious circle continues.

And dont believe for a moment that the problem could be set right by writing to Tata Motors themselves. Tata is a truly Indian company, and if you expect anything more than an automated email response, you are not from this country!

UNQUOTE

On the other hand, I have always been surprised by the standards of Hyundai service. Their advisors are knowledgeable, their service standards good. Not only has my car been received in perfect condition every time, but they have also taken small steps to ensure customer satisfaction turns into customer delight! In my second service they gave me free paint touch ups for the small scratches on the body. After an accident, when my front bumper was broken, they repaired the mangled numberplate and put it back on. It saved me the hassle of sourcing a new numberplate in election times.

[cnaganathan]

@predatorwheelz. Thanks for sharing your experience. We seem to have diagonally different experiences. I have in past owned a M800, Indica V2 petrol, Swift. Now I have the Indigo and Getz. of the lot when it comes to Service experience my best has been at Concorde (TATA) and Maruti Service Masters (Swift) and the worst have been at CARS India (Swift) and Kun Hyundai (Getz). Concorde Chennai probably is better than other TASS.

[HappyWheels]

CNaganathan,

Since you have been asked for another opportunity to fix the issue, I think it is all but fair of you to give them a chance.

Yes, it is a fair deal.