My L&K Combi Delivery problems! EDIT : Dealer taken to task for forging my signature

[abhinav.gupta88]

Ya Man
U paying 1500+k for the car. Dont compromise on anything!

[esteem_lover]

good show diffsoft. The fact that your signature probably has been counterfeited is a BIG point in your favour. Ask for a refund with interest & put that in writing.

[rrnsss]

When I went to TD a skoda a few days back in TAFE St.Marks road, they did not have a TD vehicle. They gave me a new un registered vehicle but the speedo was disconnected!!!. It made me wonder if this was an ethical practice .

It also made me wonder how many kms has this car actually done. The odometer was showing 34 km when I took the car out. It was showing 34 when I came back.

Some thing fishy

[diffsoft]

Friends:

I have mixed updates (mostly good but may have to wait longer) on the delivery issue post Dec 17th.

My wife reached out to the Skoda Sales Manager of Bangalore on Dec 17th - he was fairly edgy and cutting her off, not allowing her to speak. He said, "I very clearly told your husband there was only one piece of Combi available, right! He know which vehicle he was taking, right and he was expected to have inspected this before he paid the full amount, right" The Sales was lying through his nose - he never told me that there was only one piece; and of course even a small time retailer replaces a defective piece even if money has been paid; and I had clearly told the dealer that I will do a PDI before delivery. Further the Skoda Sales guy said that now that registration has been done nothing much can be done! My wife confronted him with the fact that we did not sign on any registration papers. She further said that we have been asking the dealer (guys I can't help but reveal that the dealer's TAFE - I think it is only fair every BHPian knows the dealer's name) for proof and nothing's forthcoming. The Skoda guy said, "Madam, that form has been submitted to the RTO, so how there can be a copy?". He further said we are free to take any legal action.

We got disgusted and and got our lawyer into the act and sent out a notice to Skoda and to TAFE.

On 21 December I got a mail from TAFE that had a scanned copy of the Form 20 filled up for my registration - no subject line, no content in the mail, just an attachment. I scrolled down for the signature in the scanned Form 20!

AND LO AND BEHOLD THERE WERE 5 FORGED SIGNATURES OF MINE - COPIED FROM MY PASSPORT XEROX LEFT BEHIND!!!! THESE SIGNATURES WERE VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM MY ACTUAL SIGNATURES, AND SOMEONE TRIED BADLY TO COPY THEM WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS. OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE FROM TAFE FILLED UP THIS FORM HURRIEDLY AND FORCED THIS FORGED REGISTRATION UPON ME TO PASS OFF THIS VEHICLE.

My lawyer had a look at the forged and actual signatures and sent another addendum to the legal notice last Friday to both TAFE and SKODA saying that signatures were forged and attached a copy of my actual signature and the forged signature. We also said that they have violated the law under Indian Penal Code sec 465 etc, and they have committed a criminal offence. We also said they have violated the law under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 with deficiency of service and unfair trade practice.

They are yet to get back. I am utterly shocked at the level TAFE could stoop down to - supposedly a highly ethical business house!

Life is getting action packed but I am relieved that there is proof of forgery with all of us - me TAFE and SKODA.

Sorry for the late posting as I was out on Christmas. And I would recommend that be careful while dealing with TAFE. Not having the car is really disappointing - but I guess we will have to put up with it.

Thanks once again for all your support!!!!

Warm regards,

[AMATMO]

oh dear !
i could never expect the dealers to fall to this extent
this is sick and highly unethical disgraceful
and how dare did he say there was only one piece

skoda does really suck

they seem to be below a budget brand pathetic just pathetic
i think its time you get your hands cleaned from skoda and buy someting else from some other carmaker dont even bother for a replacement
there is nothing so special about skoda that you should stick to it

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

The fact that your signature probably has been counterfeited is a BIG point in your favour.

Originally Posted by diffsoft

AND LO AND BEHOLD THERE WERE 5 FORGED SIGNATURES OF MINE - COPIED FROM MY PASSPORT XEROX LEFT BEHIND!!!! THESE SIGNATURES WERE VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM MY ACTUAL SIGNATURES, AND SOMEONE TRIED BADLY TO COPY THEM WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS. OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE FROM TAFE FILLED UP THIS FORM HURRIEDLY AND FORCED THIS FORGED REGISTRATION UPON ME TO PASS OFF THIS VEHICLE.

This point alone should be enough for TAFE to give up the fight & settle this issue, that is if they are sensible. One word of advice, do not play all your cards at one go. In other words, do not reveal to them more than what they need to know. Give them a chance to come out with a settlement, if they don't you have every right to prosecute them under IPC & have them jailed for this offence.

[drpullockaran]

In the Indian Express Trivandrum edition of 2 days ago there was an article of a Hyundai dealer from Trivandrum selling a totally crashed Santro car to one doctor. Luckily for the doctor the claims form for repair of the crashed car and the repairs carried out on the car prior to delivery was unwittingly left behind in the rear of the car with the chassis and engine number printed on the form. The Hyundai dealer was at his doorstep once he came to know about the claims form but the doctor is sticking to his guns and taking legal action. Congrats to him and looks like he is made from the same mold as me.
I have an ongoing case in the consumer court regarding my Junkindica which has been languishing in the State Forum for 1 and1/2 years with a stay order against the District forum's orders which were favoring me. Funny thing is I have not had the good fortune of a hearing for 1 and 1/2 years. Each time I go there it gets postponed.
Bye and wear your seat belts.
An unpopular purchase - Newindpress.com

[Zappo]

I do not understand where is the question of settlement and all. diffsoft, have you already paid them the money for the car? If so I am surprised. I mean before even inspecting the car? How come?

Also, they seem to be digging their own graves. Signature forgeries are very easy to prove. There are experts available whom a court of law may refer to and these guys can tell even the most expert of forgeries as well.

I would say forget settlement. The way I look at it you are better off taking a full refund and run away from skoda. At least if I were you I would not have thought of anything else. A company that keeps mum even after such grave accusations are made by a potential customer is simply not worth a pence.

And I find this ironic and somewhat bad in taste but I must say even a lowly Maruti or Tata reacts lightning fast to their customers' complains (and they have probably many 100 times more than skoda). Kick the skoda. They are junk if they are actually turning a blind eye to such horrific irregularities of their dealers.

[BUSA]

Sad state of affairs, one side they are launching a fantastic product and the other side they arenot taking task to their dealer. ***!

And I find this ironic and somewhat bad in taste but I must say even a lowly Maruti or Tata reacts lightning fast to their customers' complains

Recently i just filled a feedback form and they send me a Reebok Bag worth 700 bucks as a token of appreciation for filling the feedback form.

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I must say even a lowly Maruti or Tata reacts lightning fast to their customers' complains (and they have probably many 100 times more than skoda). Kick the skoda. They are junk if they are actually turning a blind eye to such horrific irregularities of their dealers.

Zappo I beg to differ. I gave the TATA company 1 year to rectify my Junkindica and the consumer court gave them 14 days more and still they do nothing about it. Get real! you cannot beat the TATA's for ignoring consumer complaints. I filed the case just days before the warranty period got over in 2001 as I was sure that TATA did not have the necessary knowledge then to repair my car and I doubt they have the requisite knowledge to repair the car even to this day..

Read the article "MORE TROUBLE PER CAR"
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[Eddy]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

Zappo I beg to differ. I gave the TATA company 1 year to rectify my Junkindica and the consumer court gave them 14 days more and still they do nothing about it. Get real! you cannot beat the TATA's for ignoring consumer complaints.

Just to add to it, remember the pretests against Sumo. TATA failed miserably in this (Protest against TATA MOTORS) case.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by diffsoft

AND LO AND BEHOLD THERE WERE 5 FORGED SIGNATURES OF MINE - COPIED FROM MY PASSPORT XEROX LEFT BEHIND!!!! THESE SIGNATURES WERE VASTLY DIFFERENT FROM MY ACTUAL SIGNATURES, AND SOMEONE TRIED BADLY TO COPY THEM WITH DISASTROUS RESULTS. OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE FROM TAFE FILLED UP THIS FORM HURRIEDLY AND FORCED THIS FORGED REGISTRATION UPON ME TO PASS OFF THIS VEHICLE.
,

I think you should keep Skoda in the loop.

Take your lawyers advice and consider getting the Bangalore Mirror to report this out. They love this sort of stuff.

[tsk1979]

You are one lucky guy. Before this you only had the consumer court case. With forgery now its IPC!! This means they can go to jail. Forgery also means that they have something to hide. This will strengthen your case in consumer court also.
Make sure that somebody goes to Jail, as forgery is a serious offence!

[diffsoft]

Hi rrnsss:

When I went for there on 9 Dec, they took me on a Test Drive on their own car - the odo was plucked off and the guy said "we do these things"

Suggest you write to the Skoda web-site and they will likely take this up.

With Fabia coming in 10 days and Skoda's new desire to "make you feel special (www.fabiaspecialfeel.com) " they should take this up seriously. Ajmat had asked me to write to them regarding my delivery problems; I did and someone from TAFE responded.

And be very careful with TAFE; they may even forge 5 registrations and ask you to pick up the vehicles

Cheers

[himanshugoswami]

Diffsoft, I dont know what your lawyer is advising you, but if you are serious about prosecuting TAFE and Skoda, please file an FIR immediately since under law, delay in filing of an FIR can be fatal.

TAFE owuld have consulted their lawyer and he would have advised them to stall as much as possible. Rest assured, forgery is a serious crime and you should file an FIR against the sales advisor, GM and the MD of Tafe access. if you name tafe access and skoda in the FIR, wirte the following:

Tafe Access pvt. Ltd, through its MD Mr. .......

ditto fo r Skoda.


Also, since you have paid money for the car, this is also a case of fraud , criminal breach of trust and by drafting the complaint in such a way that you show the complicity of SKODA as well, it becomes a case of criminal conspiracy as well.

another word of advice. DO NOT go to the media till you register the FIR. please make sure that the lawyer that you are consulting is well versed in criminal law.
give the complaint in writing to the police, take an acknowleged reciept (a stamp on a copy of the complaint) AND the diary number from teh duty officer. that will ensure that the FIR gets registered and also remember, you are entitled to a copy of the FIR within 24 hours without payment of any money.

feel free to PM me in case you want any additional info.