International consumers react against poor customer service & bad cars

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by vikrantj

I don't understand how you can compare the topic in-hand with a act of whimsical behavior from the 911 owner.

This Lambo owner did try his best to get the issues sorted out in a prescribed manner and as a last resort, after being frustrated by the customer-relations attitude, smashed his car. I concur with the Lambo owner . But still destroying a supercar does break my heart.

I'm not sure if you read my post clearly and completely. So I've re-quoted it in your post with the necessary statements highlighted. I hope that answers your first question.

I believe that there is no justifying his behaviour. Yes, he was upset, yes he was frustrated by the pathetic response from Lamborghini, but why take it out on a car? We as a family have owned a lemon before and we know what it feels like to own a car that gives you serious problems time and again.

But that is no reason to take your anger out on it. If nothing works out at the end of the day, then just take a deep breath and close your eyes and go to sleep. Violence is not the answer.

If a kid is not satisfied with his toy, he might decide to go all out and destroy it. That can be forgiven because he is a KID. And that's what kids do when they are upset and angry. They cry out, they make a lot of noise and they smash things up.

If you do such a thing when you're an adult, especially someone who is capable of thinking more rationally, then you're just proving to the World that you haven't grown up.

There are many ways to deal with frustration and anger. And smashing something up is not one of them.

Cars like Lamborghinis and Ferraris are known to be temperamental. Some of them may not give you that many problems, and some might require your constant attention. It's made for the true enthusiast who is ready to sacrifice and devote his time towards the automobile. It's a lot like your girlfriend. But if your girlfriend doesn't give you the lovin' that you want, would you beat her up?

EDIT: With reference to my last paragraph, Royal Enfield owners will know what I'm talking about.

[SirAlec]

Was this in main stream media? It must have been a big PR mess for the dealership.

[ghost_rider]

This brings to mind another incident that happened in the past.

Elvis shot a yellow Pantera with his personal firearm during a temperamental outburst when he lost patience because the car would not start. The car sustained several bullets. One into the tire, one in the driver-side door and the last bullet went through the steering wheel.

Elvis bought this Pantera for $2,400 in 1974 for his girlfriend, actress Linda Thompson. Although its mid-engine configuration qualified it an 'exotic car' for its potent Ford engine.

The undaunted, the yellow Pantera, did start up immediately on the second try. It takes more than three bullets to stop a Pantera!

[confortablynumb]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I'm not sure if you read my post clearly and completely. So I've re-quoted it in your post with the necessary statements highlighted. I hope that answers your first question.
==============
EDIT: With reference to my last paragraph, Royal Enfield owners will know what I'm talking about.

VIOLENCE SHOULD BE THE ANSWER, for brands who think too much of themselves. CAR is bought by that gentleman and he has the perfect right to demolish IT.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by confortablynumb

VIOLENCE SHOULD BE THE ANSWER, for brands who think too much of themselves. CAR is bought by that gentleman and he has the perfect right to demolish IT.

Alright, let's get a few things clear here.

It's not the company that needs to be blamed. It's the dealer and the service centre that needs to be given a thorough make-over. Lamborghini is a wonderful company. They come a long way since its inception. From being a humble tractor-manufacturer, they proved to the World and Enzo himself that they can build something marvelous. For God's sake, they are the real up-starts here. Why destroy a car that had been painstakingly put-together by a bunch of passionate blokes, when it's the dealer that needs to be given some stick.

C'mon Lamborghini, give your dealer some stick and bring them back in line.

And do you really believe that violence is the answer? If so, then I'm sorry to say this, but you've not understood that violence gets us nowhere, apart from giving us mental and physical stress. All you get is momentary happiness and a short burst of ego. After that, life moves on. There are several ways of dealing with such issues, and violence IS NOT it.

EDIT: Slightly off-topic. I sense that you're a Pink Floyd fan. Floyd preaches peace. It's in their music for crying out loud!

[W.A.G.7]

What's the silver lining behind all this? Since the car is destroyed, the dealer will not be able to pass it off to another guy! If this was india and a specific car company (no points for guessing the name), they would have just serviced the 'lemon' and sold off the car to an un-enlightened soul !!

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by confortablynumb

VIOLENCE SHOULD BE THE ANSWER

Originally Posted by suhaas307

violence IS NOT it.

I hope in essence the above two sentences captured the spirit of your responses. I guess the lamborghini owner followed the hindu principles of negotiation (saama, dhana, bheda and danda) . And IMO he finally arrived to the danda staged and punished the "brand of lamborghini" by his action.

[Slick]

@gshanky
I think its Saama (request) , Daama (warning), Danda (Fine), Bheda (action) but I might be wrong.

@Suhaas307 this guy is filthy rich and can afford to lose a Lambo financially. He might not have the same passion for cars hence where some people nurture a lemon others destroy them.

What everybody in the forum seems to be appreciating is not the destruction of a beautiful car (which is a piece of art) but a strong statement against a premium brand which sweet talks a rich customer while selling their expensive products but forgets the megabucks paid when it comes to A*S*S.

I agree with the destruction as it is bound to dent the brand image and hopfully the company makes sure it is not repeated as from an earlier post I read the owner did take all the efforts to reach up to the company head. I reckon they owe him an apology.

[greenhorn]

there appears to be another angle in this
The Other Side to the Lamborghini Story - The Wealth Report - WSJ

A person familiar with the case offered further details. The Lambo smasher, he said was a Japanese-Chinese businessman who imported the car from Japan. The Gallardo wasn’t new, as was widely reported, but was eight years old and probably was valued at about $80,000.

According to this person, the Lambo owner had a problem with the car, which was promptly fixed. But the owner had a larger business dispute with the businessman who owned the Lamborghini dealership in Qingdao. The event was used, according to this person, for the owner to gain publicity for his own business and to discredit the owner of the Lambo dealer owner.

[gshanky]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

there appears to be another angle in this
The Other Side to the Lamborghini Story - The Wealth Report - WSJ

woah!

bad reporting = news sensationalism = passionate arguments in tbhp.

Internet at its finest

[jalex77]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

there appears to be another angle in this
The Other Side to the Lamborghini Story - The Wealth Report - WSJ

If that's the case, Then Lamborghini should sue the hell out of the guy. Another thing is why haven't they resorted to this yet ?, their reputation has had a dent already.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Apparently, the guy did disclose from outset that this is a 2003 model car. And his frustration is against the service center, not Lamborghini brand.

See:-

Owner smashes his Lamborghini to protest bad service | ChinaHush

I do not see why not; if the authorised service centre could not fix the problems, I see no reason to retain a product which has problems.

But I do have issues with the way this fellow has gone about doing this - this is after all an 8 year old vehicle, and apart from the fact that no legal system would protect a careless buyer of used / old goods, he could to have looked at outside sources to fix the car. Or is China soo bereft of car repair infrastructure?

Originally Posted by mayankk

Attention seeker, publicity gimmick....

What would you do to a car which has an engine problem and the problem cannot be fixed?

Originally Posted by Swanand Inamdar

Simple answer: Take them to court.

I strongly suggest you should (not) get entangled in a legal dispute in China.

You will change your opinion about the Indian legal system.

As an aside, one of our members sued a car maker in the Consumer court, asking for replacement of the vehicle; the consumer court allowed the manufacturer to repair the car. The manufacturer went in appeal, but the consumer court's decision was upheld by the National Consumer commission - means the manufacturer had to fix the car; but not replace it. The manufacturer went in appeal before the Supreme Court. The manufacturer's vakil rose up grandly before their Godships, and said "m'god, look at the plight of the consumer .... he is stuck with a useless car ... we will repair it free of cost ..... " The Hon'ble lords were angelic enough to accept that plea. Last time I visited that thread some months back, no body has turned up to fix that car.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

there appears to be another angle in this

That one seems to be a blog; not a proper report. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[gshanky]

Seems like chinese consumers have taken the fight to the car dealers (and indirectly to manufacturers). I also like that some of them do have a good sense of humor

A man in Shenyang, China was reportedly so frustrated with his 2010 Land Rover Range Rover breaking down that he towed it back to the dealer and asked for a full refund. To add a little insult to his heady request, the spurned owner towed the stricken SUV with a pair of donkeys.

Apparently the guy paid ¥2 million (about $304,000) for the English SUV in 2010. Since the purchase, the car reportedly broke down six times and eventually needed a new engine. When it died a seventh time, the owner was apparently at wit's end. The stunt managed to hammer the point home in a much less destructive manner than a certain Lamborghini owner recently chose. According to Asian auto news outlet TheTycho, the doubtlessly dumbfounded dealer refused to give the customer a refund.

Source - Report: Angry Chinese driver tows Range Rover back to dealer with donkeys — Autoblog

[gshanky]

Audi makes it right with disgruntled customer, loans free S4 until order arrives

Ordering a special edition luxury vehicle from Germany can take some time. The plant needs to put you in the production queue with the rest of the orders, shipping across the Atlantic can eat up weeks and parts availability can also throw off timing. Such a protracted timeline played out for Audi forum member Datz as he waited for his brand new S4, except three months became five months and then his December order led to a July delivery.

Instead of sitting back and listening to excuse after excuse from the dealership, Datz reportedly took to the Internets in search of justice. The expectant owner even sent a note out to Audi U.S.A. chief Johan de Nysschen, and he says he focused his vitriol on Audi's goal to be the global leader in luxury autos instead of complaining about his plight at the dealership.

Instead of ignoring the email, de Nysschen took action, calling the disgruntled buyer to see how he could hep. The Audi boss apologized for the delays, telling him that his $2,500 Daytona Gray paint job and trunk component delays were the issue, though he reportedly added that those issues are Audi's, not his.

Calling the customer was a very cool thing for de Nysschen to do, but he went a monumental leap forward by providing a 2010 S4 loaner to use while he waited for his new vehicle. He also called the plant and had production moved up to April, with a June delivery date. Nicely done Audi, and way to use the Internet to your advantage, Datz! Now you can beat the snot out of the loaner to get it out of your system before you get your own S4 to coddle.

Here is the complete url - Audi makes it right with disgruntled customer, loans free S4 until order arrives — Autoblog

[moralfibre]

A wealthy Chinese Maserati owner hired four sledgehammer-wielding men to smash up his USD 420,000 supercar in protest at poor customer service, reports said today.

The car owner, identified only by his surname Wang, had the group attack the Maserati Quattroporte at the opening of an auto show in the eastern city of Qingdao, in Shandong province, the Qingdao Morning Post said.
Video images showed the men going about their task with gusto, leaving the vehicle with a shattered windscreen and mirrors, the grille broken and dents to the bodywork, draped in a banner accusing the Italian manufacturer of poor decision-making.

Source and full article: Indian Express