Now, Mahindra gets into *organised* after-sales service

[GTO]

Its a lucrative market segment that needs a player with an extremely high level of commitment. Now, Mahindra hopes you will take your car to them for a value-priced after sales service experience.

I will quote a previous post of mine (from the Bosch Thread) to explain the segment they want to enter / create :

Originally Posted by GTO

Heres is what Bosch is trying to accomplish.

Current scenario in India for automotive repairs / service :

At one end of the scale is the unorganised segment offering cheaper, faster but unreliable service to your car. There is a lack of credibility but many owners are forced to choose this option due to convenience or lower cost.

The other end consists of manufacturer authorised service stations which are not only much more expensive in terms of money but also time. The wait periods are long, and the locations are restricted. The only upside is guaranteed quality - original parts, trained service staff and no malpractices.

Bosch's plan:

Is to create a position within these two extremes i.e. offer Bosch authorised service stations that are fully equipped with the right information technology, genuine parts inventory, trained tech staff and high service quality while at the same time beat the cost of the authorised service station and convenience of the unauthorised segment. Their pricing strategy is somewhere in between the two ends.

The idea looks very promising. I do hope some people can give a review on whether Bosch has been able to accomplish their commitment of high quality at a realistic price.

This is expected to be an extension of the First Choice used car division. Does Mahindra have what it takes to finally make it where others have failed?

[vabs78]

Looking at their reputation from the AutomartIndia days, I will take this with a pinch of salt.

[tsk1979]

Mahindra(and its arch rival Tata) first should learn how to service their own cars, and how to treat customers.
I would take this with 42 tonnes of salt

[phamilyman]

^^^^

Completely agree with tsk. seems like someone sold the right business plan to the wrong company

Or they hallucinate that by installing a brand new set of dealerships, they will be able to rein them in, and actually instil a service attitude. And maybe pigs will fly.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Mahindra(and its arch rival Tata) first should learn how to service their own cars, and how to treat customers.

Originally Posted by vabs78

Looking at their reputation from the AutomartIndia days, I will take this with a pinch of salt.

You guys got a valid point. Mahindra has not proven themselves by offering consistently high service to their own cars! How are they going to manage other brands?

This leaves me wondering....why couldn't Bosch get this right either? We have heard soft rumours about many other attempts but no one seems to get it right. Why? I firmly believe there is a sizeable chunk of car owners looking for better service than the disorganised segment, at rates lower than authorised centers? Servicing / repairing cars is proven to be a lucrative business too.

Maybe its just a matter of time.....

[tsk1979]

Independent workshops will flourish only when they offer better service at a lower cost.
Bosch does not do so. The service quality in Noida is poor, and the cost is approx the same.
Moreover they do not even have stocks of high quality spare parts like Bosch Wiper blades, etc., etc.,
One walk into the workshop and you wonder why not go to a roadside guy.

[sriturl]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Independent workshops will flourish only when they offer better service at a lower cost.

If I have to take a similar example on the bike front. There was a lot of scope, and Castrol Bike Zone provided this opportunity.
They did well initially, and failed to live up to the reputation.
Initially I gave my bike at a Bike zone for servicing, and as time progressed, they said that you need to take an appointment for servicing, and later they refused to accept a Suzuki Samurai.

Unless franchisees are properly monitored for quality and service parameters, it will fail for sure.
And with multibrand, there is scope of one dominant brand owner trying to intimidate other brands through this setup, and other brands back off support to this otherwise "independent" venture.

[maddy42]

I will recall an experience i had with mahindra ***. I had gone to get parts for my bolero and so when we made this trip to mangalore we visited the dealers store. We wanted 3 items.
1) The bolero plastic which is a part of the front dash. It is a squarish kind of piece.
2) The power windows motor as the cable of the power window motor was broken
3) The clutch pedal return spring.
The guy had to check out his inventory book to get the code of the part 1 and then he has a look at our vehicle and went searched for it in his stock but he didnt have it.
He didnt have part 2 and 3 and i was like what!!! When will these guys start stocking parts rather than making us run around like this!!!
Well i hope mahindra gets it right but i doubt it.

[spadival]

What will the dealers do then? I dont think they will sit around and watch their customers disappear. Everyone knows dealers make very little money selling cars and actually make a lot servicing them.

[phamilyman]

Not in the first few thousand km sir.