Team-BHP - Unhappy experience in a repeat Scorpio purchase!!

I found the letter in 3rd post quite intimidating.

IMO it's the sales man at fault here & mail from CC has done wonders to aggravate the situation. he should have checked out the whole order & customization thing before accepting the token money for the vehicle.

I find Tata's to be better here . it';s all about right contacts at the right place. Although TATA;s has stopped producing safari LX 4X4 long time back, they still produced one for some known of mine . diff being he knows the DGM in tata motors .

So in nut shell be it TATA or Mahindra if you have contacts , you can even customize the assembly line.leave alone the vehicle.

Maharaj,

Frustration, yes. Deliberate attempt to mislead, no :Shockked:. Nothing to hide, except for the sensitive parts which can break this deal.

To step out of my frustration, today doing the TD of Safari, lots of my friends here own and swear by it.

Some ask what's the point of this thread? To me this is about a loyal customer expecting due consideration, understanding and the dealer / company doing what is possible to solve issues. This thread highlights the need for you and me to shout hoarse (birthright), like many others have done, when we are dumped with a raw deal in an era of competition. I did, got some mail id's to complain to early on and something did come out of it.

This thread also brought out what configs are available now, what are the options and what is not possible and why.

--Ramky

Quote:

Originally Posted by phamilyman (Post 2445666)

Sarkar,

aapne toh dil pe le liya - though I can completely understand your frustration this time around. Let us see how any dispassionate observer will read your thread.

a. The 1st post does not contain the full picture - the friend who could get the configuration changed at assembly is a complete game changer. He is not mentioned. I just re-read it twice.

b. I'm again only repeating the important customer bit from my experience - down in Hyd. The dealer customized the vehicles there - no major alterations were done from the factory itself. Total was some 30-35 odd fleet of vehicles.

c. I talk of you having gotten pissed because you speak of going from M&M to Tata, which is too much of a reactive stance in my opinion (post #3). Why punish yourself because of M&M's current rigid stance?
lol:

lastly, the only thing the last post meant was to help you step outside your current frustration and look at it as an unbiased observer - something u would do as a top HR honcho, no?! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramkya1 (Post 2445735)

To step out of my frustration, today doing the TD of Safari, lots of my friends here own and swear by it.

Since is a company car which you will change after 4 years, safari makes a lot of sense.
With scorpio standard warranty is just 50000kms, with safari, its 100,000 or 2 years.
Service interval is 15000kms, and for 4 years of ownership, it makes quite a bit of sense.
However, if you were the owner(not company) and you would have to keep it for 6-7 years, the scorpio may have made more sense.
so do take the TD.
Who knows your dealer may have old stock EX-4x4 lying around, which means 11L on road, instead of 13L.
Cash discounts of upto 50,000 will be easy with a VX 4x4 since its a slow mover.

As for merlin, forget it before Diwali.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil (Post 2444582)

I did not know that M&M entertains customization. Generally customization means deviation from standard assembly line which means more time and man power to be invested and may result in higher price.
.

AFAIK, in the Indian auto industry has most of the assembly lines which are flexible. i.e one can assemble many types of products.
For egs.
1. Indigo and Indica along with vista are assembled on the same line (which includes all the trim levels) in Tata motors.
2. Ashok Leyland has a single assembly line at their Alwar unit, which is used for both truck and bus chassiss assembly.

Its only the work content which changes as per the model at a particular station on the assebly line and generally people are trained and equipped for such multi models on a single line.

Even the nano, which has the shortest takt time in India, of 58secs, has a single flexible assembly line which makes all the three trim levels.

Now coming to this case, as they already have a 8 seater config in other models, there is no need for any additional manpower or equipment when the fitment provision is available in the BIW for fixing the 8 seats.

Generally they have some fixed figures to be made in high end models every month. In this particular case, may be, they have planned only the 8 seater with Air bags for this month or even in the next month plan.

Now, as it takes time for raising the request from the dealer through sales & marekting and then to the plant, the person at the dealer end is trying to pull a fast one ( Unfortunately supported by his seniors too ) by insisting the customer to take an already available 8 searter with air bags, in their stocks, and pay extra for it.

I hope you get what you want Ramky. My cousin in Ahmedabad has got the 4X4 scorpio with captain seat in June. For him it was a pretty smooth sale. Got the car in 11 days I guess.

Now going slightly OT...is there any budget limit by the company? Also, do you only want to go for a 4X4? I mean Tata has also slashed price on 4X2 ARIA. Brilliant car it is. Very comfortable. Why don't you TD it? Or maybe even Skoda Yeti (Since the salesman you mentioned worked there.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick79 (Post 2445832)

AFAIK, in the Indian auto industry has most of the assembly lines which are flexible. i.e one can assemble many types of products.

flexible is different from customization.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick79 (Post 2445832)

For egs.
1. Indigo and Indica along with vista are assembled on the same line (which includes all the trim levels) in Tata motors.
2. Ashok Leyland has a single assembly line at their Alwar unit, which is used for both truck and bus chassiss assembly.

What if the customer wants Indicago? Something that is completely different from what the "flexible" assembly lines can cater to?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick79 (Post 2445832)

Its only the work content which changes as per the model at a particular station on the assebly line and generally people are trained and equipped for such multi models on a single line.

Now coming to this case, as they already have a 8 seater config in other models, there is no need for any additional manpower or equipment when the fitment provision is available in the BIW for fixing the 8 seats.

I agree with you on this. But we do not know how exactly this happens so we should not jump the guns.

M&M ASCs are a bunch of jokers, and the company itself more so.
I have found sales personnel at M&M ASCs are great at de-selling their products the way they behave and present the product.
I have heard much better experiences with other car companies, M&M seems to be exceptionally bad.
Customisation need not be done at the factory, and dealers do these things especially since the mods you are talking about are neither complex nor difficult.
I thought Ramky you had mentioned the long delivery times also for the 4WD - no wonder the Scorpio 4WD is such a wimp of a product.
I would honestly look at another car!

Hai SST,

That's an interesting Avatar, maybe the ASC customized it? They have done so in the past.

In the meantime, our meeting and discussions on your 4x4 is one reason I decided on the Mhwak 4x4. Do we have a thread here for the Scorpio / Mhwak 4x4 only? Would be useful to share thoughts.

--Ramky

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller (Post 2446280)

So where did this car come from? Never mind seats, it has a completely different colour!

HVK,

:uncontrol you've hit the ball out of the stadium.

You're right, if I am running M&M I'd train the sales guys and the customer contact persons, they seem to know exactly what pisses the customer off.

As of today, they have committed to a 6 weeks delivery, don't know what will happen tomorrow the way things are done by them; keeping my fingers, hands and legs crossed.

Unfortunately, I love the Scorpio and given a chance want to buy it. Hope M&M would not drive me away.

--Ramky
====

Quote:

Originally Posted by hvkumar (Post 2446369)

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil (Post 2446086)

flexible is different from customization..

Some pre approved customization is done at flexible lines it self.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil (Post 2446086)

What if the customer wants Indicago? Something that is completely different from what the "flexible" assembly lines can cater to?.

Indicago - It is already available as CS. :) Jokes apart, customers has a very different kind of wishlist always. ARAI has the final word for approving the manufacturing feasibility of the 'wishlist'

Quote:

Originally Posted by anilisanil (Post 2446086)

I agree with you on this. But we do not know how exactly this happens so we should not jump the guns.

Very true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by khoj (Post 2455962)

@ramkya1,

Has M&M come back to you with a positive response? or have you decided to look elsewhere i.e at Safari etc.

@ Kjoj: Yes... in more ways than one.

A colleague of mine has the latest Safari, TD'd it extensively, did not like it in thick traffic and parking situations. On the highway cruising and space section, it's better. I want a mix of both.

The ASC also got several calls from M&M on my case and assured me that I need to pay only if I am fully satisfied with the changes.

Got a call from a big wig in M&M to assure that they would take care in the production line too!!

Got a call from the Product Manager, Mumbai, and she assured me everything would be as I wanted. Another shocker was the following:

1. In the 7 seater one, the gap between the front seat and the middle seat is already fixed at the max point, as far as it gets. Meaning, if I have an 8 seater and if I slide it back the maximum, that gap and the fixed 7 seater gap are SAME!!!

NOBODY explained this to me at the ASC, nobody using the Scorpio for a long time perhaps measured, nobody in M&M was sure until the Product manager discovered it!! There was not mention of this on their reply to me!! Can you believe that? If the ASC had explained this to in on DAY 1, my problem would have been solved then and there.

Got a call yesterday, they would try to speed up the delivery before Aug 15th so that I would get freedom to drive the Mhwak :)

@ Vigson: Robinbhai has not contact me yet. I think he's still taking measurements of the Scorpio in and out.

--Ramky
====

Well i see your point.
But just because you are a regular you cant expect them to change their configuration and customize according to your needs. This is not a BENZ/ LIMO.
Its an Indian brand.
It struck me when i was all in to buy the scorpio 1 year back.
I wanted a all black scorpio with gray interiors with the latest mhawk engine and features.

All they offer is a dual tone dirty black and grey combination and the ridiculously multicolored interiors. Each part is in different color. Even a kindergarten kid will think twice before introducing so many odd colors into a hulk like scorpio.
Seat in one color, roof in one, dash board in two, doors in on, center console with wound finish. :Shockked:

It had an awesome look and color combination and why did they change all that with this multicolored look?
All they had to say was take it or leave it, this is what the Indian govt has licensed us to sell...

So ditch the plan if it does not fit your taste
Or so many custom modelers are out there to get you what you want.
changing seats would n be a big problem.

Changing the color of the grey part in black scorpio into black was quoted about 22k.