Pathetic sales and service by Millennium Mobility (Pune)

scopriobharath · 6th August 2012, 23:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by throttleking

I am overwhelmed by Pandit Bhosri guys.
This morning I again felt the pull while breaking for the first 2-3 times,
I look forward to some long distance drive to finish 4000kms and soon visit Pandit at Bhosri for second service. No more issues and such a bad taste from Tata, and Safari is here to stay.

Wow !! This is nice to hear. At least Tata motors is waking up from Stassis. This is good for a start. At least with corporate intervention, things are moving at an A.S.S. I pray slowly this translates to good service without TATA intervention.

When a Toyota / Mahindra customer is treated royally, why not a Safari customer who shells out the same amount of money.

Tata must give some kind of a penalty to Millenium Mobility, to start with, Offer you a free wash & wax and if millenium acts smart to other customers, they must increase penalty and finally terminate the dealership. Only "Lathi" would work i guess

great_guns · 26th July 2013, 10:43

So,

This is the second time I've approached Millennium Mobility for my Fiat Palio MJD service. The first time, they said they had no appointments for the following 15 days and that they'd call me as soon as there as an appointment available. I duly noted down my name in the register and perfectly as expected, I NEVER received a call.

The second time (after a few months) I realised my car really WAS due for servicing since a long time and I called for an appointment. I got the first appointment 9:30 AM. I was at the service center by 9:25 and was surprised to see it was completely empty. There was no one in the workyard and not a single person in the office. I called up the owner of Millennium Mobility and complained about this and he promptly promised me that he would look into it. He also promised me that he would himself arrive at the service station within 15-20 minutes.

The very first person to arrive arrived at 10:00 AM. The office filled up by 10:30 a royal one hour late! I walked around to see the timesheets which were printed and put up. It looked like no one ever arrived before 10:00 and the manager himself usually arrived around 10:30.

As for the owner, well I called him about half a dozen times again and he never arrived. Later he sent a text saying he wouldn't be able to make it in the morning and could only come in the afternoon. When I went back to pick up my car in the afternoon, he wasn't there either and he didn't return my calls.

Anyway, there's the customer "service" for you. Now let us come to the car service.

I had three main issues:
1) The car seemed to suddenly lose power when I pushed it beyond 60 or 80 kmph. It seemed almost like you feel when your motorbike goes into reserve and the engine is gasping for air or fuel.
2) The brakes were getting stuck. This had happened during the last monsoon as well and a quick drain and replacement of the complete brake oil had solved the problem.
3) The A/c water was leaking onto the floor.
4) The mileage had reduced drastically. It was in the range of 17-18.

I was firstly surprised to see the estimate. Rs. 7500 which included TWO counts of labour. One of 900 for servicing labour and another entry which was Rs 650 for other checks like brakes, coolant check, brake oil check etc. I was flabbergasted because aren't those things which you do in servicing anyway? I asked what the 900 was for and they said it was only for changing the oil and air/fuel/oil filter.

Anyway I never got a call from my service engineer during the day. I had to follow up with him thrice and only then I came to know that my car servicing was complete and it was ready for pickup. Of course, by the time this happened the workshop was already closed and so if anything was missed, I would have had to wait for another day.

I went to pick up the car and lo and behold, NONE of the above problems were solved. I asked them to take a look again and obviously they were in a hurry to go home. They said that the brake system will need to be completely opened and also the A/C system. I would have to leave the car for two days.

That said, I tried calling the owner again and he wouldn't receive my call then either. I sent him a text and he didn't respond.

I came back, the next day went to a local garage and he removed the dirt accumulated in the A/C pipe with compressed air. Took him about 30 seconds and he charged me Rs 100.

There then! The first OFFICIAL service center for Fiat - the WORST service center for Fiat. You would rather take your car to any road-side garage where you'd possibly get the same or better service for a fraction of the price.

Is Mr. Kodalkar at Fiat reading this? If not then well, I think it would be nice if any one of you in touch with him could forward it to him (or any Fiat Service head).

Cheers
Ganesh

sandeepmohan · 26th July 2013, 11:01

Much (Good) has been written about Mr. Kodalkar assisting Fiat owners. I guess the folks who did get their problems sorted out promptly are lucky. In my experience, he has been no help. I had communicated with Mr. Kodalkar for some technical issues with my car and never got a response. So much for the one good chap at Fiat India. I want Fiat India to shut shop and leave. I can take care of my car without them. Not that my car suffers from any problem. This is their second or third attempt (who cares) and they still have not understood the requirement for quality customer support.

This link is just hilarious compared to what the reality is....

http://www.fiat-india.com/service/

Their "Make the Move" ad campaign is needed more for their service back up than selling cars. Fiat India are still in a slumber. For Fiat India to have any success, they need to set the bench mark for service and sales experience. It is not enough to reach just Suzuki or Toyota levels of service, Fiat have to exceed expectations. If they cannot do this, they better leave India.

great_guns · 26th July 2013, 12:45

It is strange that in spite of so many complaints (I seem to have one EVERY SINGLE TIME I go to an official service center) from so many people, I haven't seen even a single exercise where Fiat, as a company, has done anything to assure their customers about service. Have they improved anything at all or are things still where they were 10 years ago?

The saddest part is that I have a great car but due to recurring service issues, every time I drive someone else's car, I feel like mine is some sort of a junkyard contraption held together by tape. Whenever I accompany my friends to their service center, I'm blown away by the professionalism and efficiency with which their cars are handled and serviced.

I'm all for having a meeting with the Fiat service head and if possible, the CEO of FIAT India and actually ask whether they will do anything to improve or should we just sell our Fiats and buy something else? IS anyone else interested to do this? I'm fed up of waiting and hoping things will improve.

Cheers
Ganesh

sandeepmohan · 26th July 2013, 13:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by great_guns

IS anyone else interested to do this? I'm fed up of waiting and hoping things will improve.

Though I have no concerns with my car, I will join you for this. I do not see anything coming off this exercise though. All they will say is they are addressing the issue, they need more time and give us some assurance. I am just curious if this is way Fiat operate world wide or is it a India specific issue. They can't get it wrong every time can they. If the parent company itself operates like this, then there is no hope.

In the meantime, you might want to post on their FB page. It might get some attention.

great_guns · 26th July 2013, 22:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Though I have no concerns with my car, I will join you for this. I do not see anything coming off this exercise though. All they will say is they are addressing the issue, they need more time and give us some assurance. I am just curious if this is way Fiat operate world wide or is it a India specific issue. They can't get it wrong every time can they. If the parent company itself operates like this, then there is no hope.

In the meantime, you might want to post on their FB page. It might get some attention.

Hi Sandeep,

I've already sent them an email with the same content as this post. Let us see if anyone bothers to take a look at it.

Funnily enough, I was trying to find an email ID for the Fiat Global service but couldn't find anything on www.fiat.com or on the Italian Fiat Spa website. If you know where we could find this, I'm happy to write to them.

Regards
Ganesh

amit_purohit20 · 27th July 2013, 22:38

I belong to Pune and I was given nearly the same treatment from a TATA Dealer. Not that they were doing service poorly but the cost is too exorbitant for me at least.
I know that they do only two things in a car service.
1) Wash the car.
2) Change engine oil and oil filter.

To wash a car it costs 180 Rs. To change engine oil and oil filter it costs 100 Rs for labour. Why should I pay three times more to do the same thing?

But yes it takes some time from your side to take care of the car at a FNG.

Recently I was quoted Rs 10500 quote for changing all the fluids and a rear wheel bearing. I got the same thing done from FNH with my choice of oils and fluids in Rs 4900. And I was more than happy with the service. Yes it did cost me nearly a complete day but thats ok for me when I see things done properly as per my choice.

26th July 2013, 10:43	#47
great_guns BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 102 Thanked: 21 Times	Millennium Mobility Pune - Pathetic Service So, This is the second time I've approached Millennium Mobility for my Fiat Palio MJD service. The first time, they said they had no appointments for the following 15 days and that they'd call me as soon as there as an appointment available. I duly noted down my name in the register and perfectly as expected, I NEVER received a call. The second time (after a few months) I realised my car really WAS due for servicing since a long time and I called for an appointment. I got the first appointment 9:30 AM. I was at the service center by 9:25 and was surprised to see it was completely empty. There was no one in the workyard and not a single person in the office. I called up the owner of Millennium Mobility and complained about this and he promptly promised me that he would look into it. He also promised me that he would himself arrive at the service station within 15-20 minutes. The very first person to arrive arrived at 10:00 AM. The office filled up by 10:30 a royal one hour late! I walked around to see the timesheets which were printed and put up. It looked like no one ever arrived before 10:00 and the manager himself usually arrived around 10:30. As for the owner, well I called him about half a dozen times again and he never arrived. Later he sent a text saying he wouldn't be able to make it in the morning and could only come in the afternoon. When I went back to pick up my car in the afternoon, he wasn't there either and he didn't return my calls. Anyway, there's the customer "service" for you. Now let us come to the car service. I had three main issues: 1) The car seemed to suddenly lose power when I pushed it beyond 60 or 80 kmph. It seemed almost like you feel when your motorbike goes into reserve and the engine is gasping for air or fuel. 2) The brakes were getting stuck. This had happened during the last monsoon as well and a quick drain and replacement of the complete brake oil had solved the problem. 3) The A/c water was leaking onto the floor. 4) The mileage had reduced drastically. It was in the range of 17-18. I was firstly surprised to see the estimate. Rs. 7500 which included TWO counts of labour. One of 900 for servicing labour and another entry which was Rs 650 for other checks like brakes, coolant check, brake oil check etc. I was flabbergasted because aren't those things which you do in servicing anyway? I asked what the 900 was for and they said it was only for changing the oil and air/fuel/oil filter. Anyway I never got a call from my service engineer during the day. I had to follow up with him thrice and only then I came to know that my car servicing was complete and it was ready for pickup. Of course, by the time this happened the workshop was already closed and so if anything was missed, I would have had to wait for another day. I went to pick up the car and lo and behold, NONE of the above problems were solved. I asked them to take a look again and obviously they were in a hurry to go home. They said that the brake system will need to be completely opened and also the A/C system. I would have to leave the car for two days. That said, I tried calling the owner again and he wouldn't receive my call then either. I sent him a text and he didn't respond. I came back, the next day went to a local garage and he removed the dirt accumulated in the A/C pipe with compressed air. Took him about 30 seconds and he charged me Rs 100. There then! The first OFFICIAL service center for Fiat - the WORST service center for Fiat. You would rather take your car to any road-side garage where you'd possibly get the same or better service for a fraction of the price. Is Mr. Kodalkar at Fiat reading this? If not then well, I think it would be nice if any one of you in touch with him could forward it to him (or any Fiat Service head). Cheers Ganesh
	(2) Thanks

26th July 2013, 11:01	#48
sandeepmohan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Wellington Posts: 3,133 Thanked: 5,443 Times	Re: Millennium Mobility Pune - Pathetic Service Much (Good) has been written about Mr. Kodalkar assisting Fiat owners. I guess the folks who did get their problems sorted out promptly are lucky. In my experience, he has been no help. I had communicated with Mr. Kodalkar for some technical issues with my car and never got a response. So much for the one good chap at Fiat India. I want Fiat India to shut shop and leave. I can take care of my car without them. Not that my car suffers from any problem. This is their second or third attempt (who cares) and they still have not understood the requirement for quality customer support. This link is just hilarious compared to what the reality is.... http://www.fiat-india.com/service/ Their "Make the Move" ad campaign is needed more for their service back up than selling cars. Fiat India are still in a slumber. For Fiat India to have any success, they need to set the bench mark for service and sales experience. It is not enough to reach just Suzuki or Toyota levels of service, Fiat have to exceed expectations. If they cannot do this, they better leave India. Last edited by Rehaan : 26th July 2013 at 15:27. Reason: Removing unneccesary comment.
	() Thanks

26th July 2013, 12:45	#49
great_guns BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 102 Thanked: 21 Times	Re: Millennium Mobility Pune - Pathetic Service It is strange that in spite of so many complaints (I seem to have one EVERY SINGLE TIME I go to an official service center) from so many people, I haven't seen even a single exercise where Fiat, as a company, has done anything to assure their customers about service. Have they improved anything at all or are things still where they were 10 years ago? The saddest part is that I have a great car but due to recurring service issues, every time I drive someone else's car, I feel like mine is some sort of a junkyard contraption held together by tape. Whenever I accompany my friends to their service center, I'm blown away by the professionalism and efficiency with which their cars are handled and serviced. I'm all for having a meeting with the Fiat service head and if possible, the CEO of FIAT India and actually ask whether they will do anything to improve or should we just sell our Fiats and buy something else? IS anyone else interested to do this? I'm fed up of waiting and hoping things will improve. Cheers Ganesh
	() Thanks

27th July 2013, 22:38	#52
amit_purohit20 BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: mumbai Posts: 676 Thanked: 899 Times	Re: Millennium Mobility Pune - Pathetic Service I belong to Pune and I was given nearly the same treatment from a TATA Dealer. Not that they were doing service poorly but the cost is too exorbitant for me at least. I know that they do only two things in a car service. 1) Wash the car. 2) Change engine oil and oil filter. To wash a car it costs 180 Rs. To change engine oil and oil filter it costs 100 Rs for labour. Why should I pay three times more to do the same thing? But yes it takes some time from your side to take care of the car at a FNG. Recently I was quoted Rs 10500 quote for changing all the fluids and a rear wheel bearing. I got the same thing done from FNH with my choice of oils and fluids in Rs 4900. And I was more than happy with the service. Yes it did cost me nearly a complete day but thats ok for me when I see things done properly as per my choice.
	() Thanks