Bait and Switch tactics by Chennai Ford

[Gilead]

I had a bitter experience today at Chennai Ford while trying to book the 1.6S. Till yesterday, the salesman was quoting an OTR of 7.5. This was after taking into account corp discount, outside insurance from BA (8K less than dealer's), free essentials pack/waxoyl and third year warranty free and some minor freebies.

I went there today with the cheque book to make the booking. The price quoted today is 7.72 OTR! Instead of giving me the cash discount that was promised yesterday, they are offering me 28K insurance free (21K outside)+15K accessories (3rd yr warranty, essentials and sun film). They also claimed that if I take insurance from outside, it would lead to delays when a claim is made, whereas they would be prompt if their own insurance is taken. Both the insurance is from Bajaj Allianz. They are saying they can't give me the corp discount because my company does not figure in their Class A list. If that was the case, they should have mentioned that earlier and not while I am about to make the booking with the expectation of the cash discount.

They effectively jacked up the price by 22K in a matter of 24 hours. Needless to say, I walked out of there... deeply disappointed. The extra 22K is not a showstopper But I did not like the dealer's bait and switch tactics. I am going to MPL Ford tomorrow to see what kind of deal they can offer. Since it's the month end, I am hoping they would be desperate to cut a deal.

Any help from Team BHP-ians with contacts at MPL or Chennai Ford would be highly appreciated.

[nairrk]

Chennai Ford- Did he give you a quotation in writing for the price agreed?.

They cannot compell you to take Insurance from them. First of all Insurance is a free offer from FORD(according to my dealer - I did not pay any money towards Insurance). Ford has got an tie up with Bajaj Allianz. It seems that chennai ford is trying to cash in on the insurance amount and give you freebies or discount. Now when you are insisting that the Insurance will be taken by you, they are increasing the price. You can see the difference is 22k-almost equal the amount of Insurance?.

I undestand that there are 3 or 4 Ford Dealers in Chennai - Go to all of them and take quotation from everyone. Then you see which one is competitive and then go ahead and book the car?

Cheers !

[sgiitk]

I think you should steer clear of the dealer for sure.If you have alternatives then steer clear of the brand as well. The chances are the company is aware of the sharp practice. At the moment almost every car seems to be in short supply so they are just looking the other way.

[benbsb29]

Gilead, do check with the other dealers for a quote. and pit them against the other. That should work for you.

As for the A list of companies, that is listed by Ford India, and not dealer specific. In my case, they had to check if my company was listed there, but since my wife's company was, i booked the car in my wife's name. However, they shouldnt have committed to you about the corporate discount without checking.. thats not right!

Do keep us informed.

[anachronix]

@ Gilead, I would PM you a few contact numbers in MPL Ford. I have recently taken delivery of my 1.6S from MPL Ford.

I know couple of guys who can help you get the delivery smoothly.

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by nairrk

Chennai Ford- Did he give you a quotation in writing for the price agreed?.

It was not in writing, unfortunately. Even if it was in writing, I don't think it would be worth the paper it was written on.

You can see the difference is 22k-almost equal the amount of Insurance?.

I realized their game plan as soon as they laid it out. I don't even mind shelling out the extra 22K. What I did not like was the lack of transparency and last minute bait and switch.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

I think you should steer clear of the dealer for sure.If you have alternatives then steer clear of the brand as well. The chances are the company is aware of the sharp practice. At the moment almost every car seems to be in short supply so they are just looking the other way.

I am sold on the 1.6S. Nothing else would do for me now. The other cars in the same price range simply pale in comparison.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Gilead, do check with the other dealers for a quote. and pit them against the other. That should work for you.

There are only 2 dealers in Chennai. And both are quoting the exact same price.

....they shouldnt have committed to you about the corporate discount without checking.. thats not right!

My grouse is they should have told me earlier about the Class A list and not when I am literally about to sign the cheque. My expectations would have been different. Ironically, even though my employer does not figure in the Class A list here, we are the largest corporate buyer of Ford trucks and vans in America. Last I heard, we had over 34K Ford vehicles.

Originally Posted by anachronix

@ Gilead, I would PM you a few contact numbers in MPL Ford. I have recently taken delivery of my 1.6S from MPL Ford.

I know couple of guys who can help you get the delivery smoothly.

Thanks man. I spoke to one of them. He seemed like a very decent guy. He has suggested that I wait another couple of days for the Nov offer to kick in. He expects the Nov offer to be better than the current one. He is also going to call me this evening with his best possible Oct price. I am most probably going to wait for Nov now.

[nairrk]

@Gilead

As suggested by MPL Ford, either you wait for Nov offer (anyway november is not very far away now) or wait for his call this evening and listen what he has to offer?
Thanks

[MAS]

Sad to hear the bitter experience Gilead. I am not sure who is the sales guy at Chennai Ford

I know a very good sales guy at MPL Ford, Rajan - Contact him at +91 9884025294. He is a very good guy and would give you much needed clarity (which sadly is missing in Ford showrooms).

Rajan's brother, Mr. Ratan works for Chennai Ford (again in sales), - Contact him at +91 9500011133.

Would suggest you to talk to Rajan first. Please PM me in case you need any assistance.

[Gilead]

Guys, I made the booking at MPL Ford today. The price is the same as what Chennai Ford quoted, but they threw in one more freebie. MPL has also agreed to pass along the Nov offer if it is lower. I made the booking on this condition. They have an S in the same color that I wanted which arrived two days ago. They will be sending me the VIN so that I can cross check the date /month of manufacture.

The experience at MPL has been positive so far. They were transparent and straightforward from the very beginning. I'll make updates on the 'I booked my car' thread.

Originally Posted by nairrk

@Gilead

As suggested by MPL Ford, either you wait for Nov offer (anyway november is not very far away now) or wait for his call this evening and listen what he has to offer?
Thanks

They agreed to pass along the Nov offer if it is lower than October's. If it's worse than October's, then the deal I made today holds good.

Originally Posted by MAS

Sad to hear the bitter experience Gilead. I am not sure who is the sales guy at Chennai Ford

I know a very good sales guy at MPL Ford, Rajan - Contact him at +91 9884025294. He is a very good guy and would give you much needed clarity (which sadly is missing in Ford showrooms).

Rajan's brother, Mr. Ratan works for Chennai Ford (again in sales), - Contact him at +91 9500011133.

Would suggest you to talk to Rajan first. Please PM me in case you need any assistance.

MAS, thanks for the offer. I am dealing with Mr. Michael at MPL who seems to be a decent guy with thorough knowledge of the car. I don't want to name the actual salesman at Chennai Ford but he reports to Mr. Ratan. I met Ratan as well on the day of the aborted booking at Chennai Ford, but he was not able to help much, because the corp. discount information that his sales guy had given me was completely wrong.

[nairrk]

@gilead

Congratulations - You finally able to book the car of your choice.!

And you have the Car also ready with the dealer - so you will take the delivery shortly?

Re Nov offer - understand that Ford is going to come with ZXi Limited Edition but no news about upgradation or price change of S vaiant. Did MPL said anything about this limited edition release?

Thanks

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Gilead

The price is the same as what Chennai Ford quoted, but they threw in one more freebie.

The experience at MPL has been positive so far. They were transparent and straightforward from the very beginning.

All's well that ends well! Congratulations on the best drivers car from the segment. I'm glad things worked out for you.

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by nairrk

And you have the Car also ready with the dealer - so you will take the delivery shortly?

Re Nov offer - understand that Ford is going to come with ZXi Limited Edition but no news about upgradation or price change of S vaiant. Did MPL said anything about this limited edition release?

Nair, thanks. I will know the Nov offer on Wed. Plan to make my full payment on that day. The bank will make their payment for the remaining amount on Thu. Once that is done, the car will go for the regn. either on Fri or Mon. I hope to take delivery on the 9th or the 11th. Plan to do a PDI at the dealership before then. I got the VIN today. The car was made in Sep '09 and arrived at the dealership on the 21st.

I did not ask them about a limited edition ZXi, but I see that this topic has generated some interest some Team BHP-ians. I'll ask my sales guy about it. A ZXi limited edition would typically be current ZXi+some current SXi features like the wooden console etc and a Limited sticker outside. I did ask them about the Figo as a friend of mine is interested in picking it up. They plan to start bookings in Dec and they are very excited about finally getting into the volume segment.

Originally Posted by GTO

All's well that ends well! Congratulations on the best drivers car from the segment. I'm glad things worked out for you.

Thanks GTO. I must confess that the recent deluge of Fiestas on the forum contributed quite a bit towards my decision making. The car is a hoot to drive.

[rajivn]

Gilead, I just stumbled on this thread. Glad to hear that it finally worked out for you at MPL. I guess most dealers more or less offer the same service, its the sales guys who end up screwing up things or giving a great customer experience.

[Gilead]

Rajiv, I could not agree with you more. The sales guy had 4 days to find out the right offer and pass it along to me. It would not have taken him more than 5 minutes to check. His lack of application cost his company nearly 8 lacs. I hope he is more diligent in the future.

[nairrk]

Not only the company losing nearly 8 lacs but this may lead into losing future business as many reading this forum may think twice before approaching such dealers. (May be there were not aware that you are a TBHP member and any such
bad activity from the dealer will be reported and read by many !)
Cheers