[moralfibre]

A very close friend from the biking community recently took on 4 wheels and picked up an Isuzu VCross 4x4. Being a sailor offers him a great shore time which he utilises to the max by traveling the length and breadth of the country. In view of this, he planned to customise his VCross. A canopy was shortlisted and he chose to deal with Azad 4x4 that turned out nothing but a terrible experience for him.

Navroze writes:

Azad review
My Unfortunate experience with Azad 4x4 and review of the same.

Product : Sammitr Steel canopy Grand
Price : 2,28,000 inr (incl of packing and trans port)
Colour : Lupin Blue.
Serial No : 17PV4MED 0011
Charges for packing : 5000 inr ( sub-standard)
Charges for transportation : 12000 inr
Date contacted for order , payment made:8 Jan 21( promised delivery in 5 days)
Date of delivery agreed : Max 25 jan 21( had plans...all cancelled)
Actual delivery : 8 feb 21

50% Payment of 114000 was made on 8th January 21 . Basis delivery between 20 to 25 jan 21.

Even though he said 5 days I gave him additional time to do it in ease.
After several group members advised me not to deal with Azad, I even wrote to him about the same so he had a chance to improve his quality of work.
Since I had paid him advance he refused to pay back and I was stuck.
I asked for a refund as the product was not ready on time and was taking too long. The promise of 5 days had gone over 15 days.
I had to repeatedly msg him to ask for updates.

The canopy was shipped to Bat4wd in Vasai.

I was present during the Unboxing.

I was shocked to see there was only one flimsy bubble wrap and cardboard.

There were scratches all around the canopy and several dents on the top.

The lock is not working and the canopy cannot be opened by the key.

The inside looks shabbily made and seams are not finished or sealed.

The rubber beading is short leaving huge gaps between the door and the canopy. Dust and water is fully welcome inside. The design is so terrible that it leaves anything on the truck bed vulnerable to damage.

The top of the canopy is rated to lift 50kg in theory only. The slightest pressure on the top and it will crumble like a tin can. It is beyond acceptable for a price that would just about buy someone a brand new Maruti Alto 800 with enough metal to build one with top quality metal.

11Feb'21 : The Canopy is with BAT4WD and will be painted and lock repaired . Expenses will be borne by Azad as spoken on Phone.

Here's a complete chat transcript of their conversation.

And later another horrible experience from another DMax owner:

[moralfibre]

And here are pictures of a product that costs Rs. 2,28,000/- from a so called premium vendor of 4x4 products:

[moralfibre]

Mod Note: Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the 4x4 Technical Section.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

And here are pictures of a product that costs Rs. 2,28,000/- from a so called premium vendor of 4x4 products:

This is indeed a clear case of improper packaging. While I was interning with Safexpress, I remember that the customers, especially the ones sending the large, or high value consignments, were always informed that internal packaging requires to be top notch from their end. Rest, the shipping department used to take care of the items as they used to have the caution note on them, but that was always done only after you pay extra for it (It takes more space in the truck as you don't put anything atop it in the truck too, hence reducing space utilization) and make a clear mention of the goods value in the declaration form. Probably neither they made the correct mention of good value, nor did they mention that the item needs to be handled with caution.

These items are transported by road, and if the packaging is not done right, such issues do happen. IMO, Azad 4x4 shall take the full responsibility for this case and get the canopy properly repainted again, and installed to the satisfaction of the customer. Returning and refund, I doubt they will do it.

[Jaggu]

Really sad to see these images, totally messed up product for the price paid. Dealing with Indian manufacturers like this has always been a pain. Unless you have a grip on them or have strong references don't even touch with a bargepole. Hope everyone who considers going to them read this thread before they make a decision!

One mistake was, inspite of having bad feedback going ahead with the purchase. :(

[ninjatalli]

Sorry this is not a case of bad packaging and damage due to that. This seems to be a case of a damaged set that is being sold off to a different customer. If it was a case of improper packaging, there would be a few concentrated set of scratches and a few dents at points/places where the packaging came off.

The images look of a used product by someone for a short but decent period at least. Too many dents, swirls, chips and scratches all over the body to even think this could have come fresh off the paint booth.

I feel this is case of a product that was sold to a local customer who tried it for a while, did not like it, somehow got Azad 4x4 to take it back and now Azad 4X4 has pushed it off to @moralfiber's friend.

Any of us would feel horrible and raise hell even if there was just a single dent like these on a brand new car. This is appalling!

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Really sad to see these images, totally messed up product for the price paid. Dealing with Indian manufacturers like this has always been a pain. Unless you have a grip on them or have strong references don't even touch with a bargepole.

Guess what, the product sold is claimed to be from a reputed manufacturer: https://smmcanopies.com.au/

Hope everyone who considers going to them read this thread before they make a decision!

One mistake was, inspite of having bad feedback going ahead with the purchase. :(

Completely agree. Impulsiveness leads to a heavy price penalty.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by VKumar

T...internal packaging requires to be top notch from their end.
...
These items are transported by road, and if the packaging is not done right, such issues do happen.

Don't these goods carry some kind of insurance against such damage, considering they are somewhat fragile and easily dented?

[Raghu M]

Feel deeply sorry for what you are going through. I don't even think it's bad packaging. It's a defective product that has done a few rounds to a few customers. And after everyone has declined, they decided to fleece you. Do not leave it here please, easier said than done but update this in all the forums so that Azad comes back to you with a refund. If I were you, I would not even consider a replacement. A full refund at any cost!

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Price : 2,28,000 inr (incl of packing and trans port)

I think this is the problem here. Even if the product is as advertised, its daylight robbery.

I wish your friend gets a speedy resolution on this.

[amol4184]

Have to agree with what Ninjatalli said. Apart from swirls on paint caused by cleaning cloth/brush, the beading for glass panels has cuts and beading elsewhere has worn out from usage. That beading has no business getting worn out or cut during transport.

Some scratches on the top are definitely from thin packaging causing constant rubbing but I am inclined to say this was used for some time and taken back by the company or used on their own display vehicle.

I have similar experience from another 4x4 vendor recently and will pen it down someday. My purchase wasn't over 2L but I did pay considerable amount. When the product came we were moderately happy until we set on installing it - that's when the nightmare started.

Improper design, crude welding, protruding edges, just thoughtless engineering, unnecessary bulk, everything that you can think of has some flaw in it. I will be very wary buying anything from these vendors now onwards, especially something that needs in-house designing/engineering. Very poor quality stuff.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

I think this is the problem here. Even if the product is as advertised, its daylight robbery.

That is truly a vast amount of money for a canopy regardless anything. I actually feel the same about a lot of other products from these 4x4 goods vendors.

[Red Liner]

For any such product, I would never ever online order and have it shipped sight unseen.

Instead i would drive down and purchase seen, touched, felt and have them install it themselves, do a proper one day test drive in all possible terrain and then pay the entire amount. I will even be ready to pay a little extra for all this.

I feel sorry for the buyer. I won't accept anything other than a full refund.

[JayPrashanth]

Avoid Azad 4X4 like the plague. I ordered a hard top for my 1st gen Mahindra Thar in Pune. Horrible fit. Had to finally redo the whole thing, and Azad 4X4 asked me to come to Delhi/CHD to get it fixed. Needless to say, I took the loss and moved on. My suggestion: Avoid Azad 4X4. Eventually, word will get around and they will go out of business because of their shitty products.

Cheers,

Jay

[Red Liner]

I just posted a #fail review on their google page. Suggest all interested members do this. I even posted a link to this page to warn future customers. Navroze's review can also be seen there.

These guys need to be taught a serious lesson in ethics! Bomb them!

[Shubhendra]

As per latest update, Isnt this top is currently being repainted and damage repaired by seller at BAT4x4 and seller is paying for all this.
Getting spares from all over the world for my 4x4 since 2008 , its always mixed bag. especially transportation methods in India sucks to say the least.
few months back when i wanted to get offroad bumper , snorkel etc. for my SUV, I preferred to go to Vasai (BAT 4x4), spend entire day and get everything fitted in front of my eyes for self satisfaction.

PS: Better pay extra and buy locally is my mantra after few bitter experiences.