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Old 25th January 2013, 14:03   #16
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re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

Hey just noticed that somebody from Renault is asking me for contact details and stuff on the message I left on their FB page.

I have sent across the same to them and I now wait for their reply.
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Old 25th January 2013, 16:47   #17
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

IMHO the only crime they did against you is to make you wait for 9 months.

Otherwise they are completely in their legal rights to bill you the price that exists when you get the delivery; unless of course they give it writing earlier.

Also the price increase is a general information aspect - I doubt any of us can ignore this especially when we have a booking at our hands. What you are expecting out of the dealer is a good experience, not one that is mandatory by law.

Rather than the consumer court or the police option, use social media to your advantage; try to get some goodwill from Renault and get it resolved.
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Old 25th January 2013, 17:09   #18
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

Just got a message from Renault asking for my contact details, in reply to a mail where I had sent my contact details. So obviously they didnt bother to read the mail

Anyways sent them my details again. So I wait.

@ninjatalli

What about the statement on Renault Duster price page where they guarantee no price increase ? You can see that here

As for the price increase if they guarantee why should I even bother to check with price increases. They should have informed me by email/ phone but they did not bother.

And my main point is the indifferent attitude shown by the showroom people which reflects on Renault. After this episode I have been trying to find out who actually owns/ runs this Sprint Cars but I am unable to. Also, hypothetically if I was buying a Koleos, would they have treated me so casually ?

They can afford to be so indifferent to customers only because the Duster is selling very well. But they should remember that these good days do not last forever. I have bought many cars over my lifetime but have never been treated so shoddily by a Dealer. I had booked the top model and someone at Sprint Cars had the audacity to tell me "Sir why dont you go in for Fabric Option on the seats when I said that I will not pay anything extra ? "

And also another thing that bothers me is can Renault have the same attitude in Western Europe or the US ? Why double standards for us Indians ? Are we not paying the asked cost of the car.
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Old 26th January 2013, 03:10   #19
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

Nice to know atleast they have responded. One request from my end would be to take a screenshot of the website where they have maintained that "price protection will be given to all bookings made prior to.. ". Also I suggest you get the screenshot a part of your mail communications so that they can NOT delete the portion from website and stick to it.
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Old 28th January 2013, 12:08   #20
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

Quote:
Originally Posted by kikikiki View Post

Also, hypothetically if I was buying a Koleos, would they have treated me so casually ?

They can afford to be so indifferent to customers only because the Duster is selling very well. But they should remember that these good days do not last forever. I have bought many cars over my lifetime but have never been treated so shoddily by a Dealer.

Cant help but remember my traumatic pre-delivery period. Once. when I went to check on my delivery status with my wife and son, my SA was not available. My son, all of 3 years old was naturally curious and headed straight for the Koleos, available on display. He opened the driver door and had a look inside, shut it and came back running to call me. Tugging at me with all his might, He dragged me to the koleos. As I was about to open the door, I could clear the audible click from the remote, indicating that the car is locked, turned around to see another SA locking the car and hiding the keys discreetly as if my son is going to spoil the vehicle on display. Never felt more embarrassed or angry. Still, I bought the Duster.Why? For all it's pathetic customer care, indifferent Sales network, and greedy/avaricious/ snobbish/indians-taken-for-granted attitude, Renault makes pretty good reliable cars. I almost lost my life driving a bolero and I can safely say that the Duster is a better engineered vehicle in all parameters compared to any Indian alternative within this price band. So, as much as I would need a more empathetic customer care/ dealer network which will hear my voice, a better engineered/safer vehicle with below average sales support is something I have learnt to live with.
Dont know about other places, but the Khivraj Pearl Service team in chennai makes up for all the inadequacies that the sales had put me through. After 17000 Kms on the duster, I am happy despite the niggles that I have faced.
Remember buddy, Sales means marketing means spineless. They are not worth your anger or your effort. You have made enough money to afford a car which he is paid to deliver to you. That means you are way up on the food chain compared to him through your hard work. Dont let him/dealer spoil your party.

PS- Dont understand why the competition, especially ECOSPORT, is so slow in catching up.
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Old 1st February 2013, 10:08   #21
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

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Originally Posted by kikikiki View Post
Anyways sent them my details again. So I wait.
I'm guessing Renault would have solved the issue. Could you please update this thread?
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Old 1st February 2013, 10:35   #22
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

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Originally Posted by kikikiki View Post
And also another thing that bothers me is can Renault have the same attitude in Western Europe or the US ? Why double standards for us Indians ? Are we not paying the asked cost of the car.
IMO, the issue isnt with Renault - it's with the dealer who lacks respect for the customer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Roy View Post
As I was about to open the door, I could clear the audible click from the remote, indicating that the car is locked, turned around to see another SA locking the car and hiding the keys discreetly as if my son is going to spoil the vehicle on display. Never felt more embarrassed or angry.
Case in point. Utter disrespect for a customer.

Going by the other replies, I'm probably in the minority who thinks the dealer is trying to make a quick buck out of the situation. You had booked the car well before Aug 2012 and the website clearly mentions that ALL bookings made before the end of August get the price protection. With their SA (Ms. Khan) quitting, they've a convenient excuse of beating around the bush and taking the typical Chalta Hai attitude.

The rulebook might state that the dealer bills you at the price prevailing during delivery - but dont you have a case if the dealer has willfully delayed delivery? Not only is the dealer making a profit on the car sold, but is also squeezing a 6% bonus out of you.

Waiting until the last moment to spring a surprise is another cheap tactic - forcing the customer to pay an extra amount at the last second after waiting for 9 months.

I hope your issue has been resolved favorably.
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Old 1st February 2013, 11:17   #23
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

As much as i hate, this is the accepted norm in the industry which in my view is wrong. Once booking is done it needs to be done at a price and there needs to be price locked. It would be complete chaos if builders of apartments start doing things in the same fashion.

So what do i do? I just stay away from cars/models/brands which have huge waiting periods. As i do not like surprises when it comes to finances.
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Old 1st February 2013, 11:24   #24
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

I think this entire practice, at an industry level, is incorrect and unethical. It is just that Renault is in the news a lot, because of this, because it looks like they are getting very greedy. The fan following is going to come down drastically in 2013 itself, and they will end up having to make a price correction, to stay in the game.

Having said that, if the manufacturer & dealer gives a quotation at the time of booking, and the customer books the vehicle, basis that quotation, the manufacturer & dealer, should respect that commitment at the time of delivery. This would need to apply for both positive and negative movements, for it to be fair.
At the same time, cancelling a booking, before delivery of the car, can reasonably attract an appropriate cancellation fee/penalty, to protect the manufacturer's and dealer's interests. After all, they may just need to hold on to that extra inventory a bit longer, which entails costs.

There is a need for tighter regulation around the entire sales lifecycle of automobiles.
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Old 1st February 2013, 11:53   #25
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

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Originally Posted by mayankjha1806 View Post
....Once booking is done it needs to be done at a price and there needs to be price locked.
Quote:
Originally Posted by roy_libran View Post
I think this entire practice, at an industry level, is incorrect and unethical.
It would be good to have such a price protection mechanism. But unfortunately, the Indian Taxation system is one of the several factors that dissuades the manufacturers from adopting a fixed price policy.

Typically, Excise duty is one of the major tax components that a manufacturer shells out on every car that goes out of his factory gate.

The excise duty payable on a Car can be quantified only on the day when the car goes out of the factory gate.

This excise duty is subject to change as per the whims and fancies of the Ministry of finance based on the economic conditions of the nation.

Suppose the Excise duty at the time of booking the car is 10% and during subsequent delivery is hiked to 14%, the manufacturer will not be able to absorb the excess cash outflow if he has a price protection clause in place.

Add to that, your ever increasing input costs, interest costs etc which makes it impractical for manufacturers to offer such a scheme.

If at all a manufacturer does it, he does it when a new product is launched and there is huge waiting list (XUV5oo, MS Swift etc). And that too only for the initial booking lot and not beyond that.
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Old 1st February 2013, 12:34   #26
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

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It would be good to have such a price protection mechanism. But unfortunately, the Indian Taxation system is one of the several factors that dissuades the manufacturers from adopting a fixed price policy.

The excise duty payable on a Car can be quantified only on the day when the car goes out of the factory gate.

Suppose the Excise duty at the time of booking the car is 10% and during subsequent delivery is hiked to 14%, the manufacturer will not be able to absorb the excess cash outflow if he has a price protection clause in place.

Add to that, your ever increasing input costs, interest costs etc which makes it impractical for manufacturers to offer such a scheme.
1. Why not make the Excise transparent, and make it chargeable to the buyer on the date of delivery?
2. The input costs, though changing, should be lockable by a manufacturer based on the commodity order booking, which in turn is based on car order booking. I don't see any reason why this needs to be passed on to the customer.
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Old 1st February 2013, 13:06   #27
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

@Warwithwheels. If the same logic is applied by builders of apartment then god can only save us. If this is not possible due to some reasons they should work towards making this happen.

They could surely start by saying that the buyer is shielded from any price increase in between the date of booking and delivery. Variation in taxes can be still work in progress and can come later.

What i seriously think its just a bit of laxity on the part of manufacturers the whole world revolves around this. Even they themselves when buying parts form local manufacturers get into a deal of price locking for a certain duration (Like a quarter or year). So this is not something new to them. Its just that the situation is advantageous to them hence they are not inclined to change it now.
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Old 1st February 2013, 13:27   #28
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

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Originally Posted by roy_libran View Post
1. Why not make the Excise transparent, and make it chargeable to the buyer on the date of delivery?....I don't see any reason why this needs to be passed on to the customer.
Car manufacturers are greedy business houses that thrive on profits. It they would make everything so obvious, they will perish. If it is a charitable organisation, you can prolly ask for a rupee by rupee account of the monies you paid. With business enterprises, it never works. Sad but true!

Quote:
Originally Posted by mayankjha1806 View Post
@Warwithwheels. If the same logic is applied by builders of apartment then god can only save us. If this is not possible due to some reasons they should work towards making this happen.
...
Realty and Auto sector are as different as chalk and cheese. Real estate thrives on black money and huge margins making it financially viable to offer such a pricing policy. While auto sector is already in the red with their thin margins and unpredictable future (oil pricing).

Moreover, this "Price prevailing at the time of delivery shall apply" clause is a standard norm followed across most industries. It makes perfect business sense to do so.

Last edited by Warwithwheels : 1st February 2013 at 13:30.
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Old 1st February 2013, 13:46   #29
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

@kikikiki - Also do check the VIN number of the car and check the manufacturing month. Technically you should get a car that has been manufactured in the same month that it was delivered to you. If there is a difference here, then that is another story all together.
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Old 6th February 2013, 13:54   #30
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Re: Price applicable at the time of delivery? Or booking?

Ok guys update time.

I finally got the delivery of the Duster on the evening of the 29th of January. I had to pay something like Rs.3600 as some charges.

All this happened due to the intervention of a certain senior guy in Renault who happened to be a friend's friend. Everything went smoothly from the time I sent across my tale to him and the matter was resolved in a day. Of course the dealer as usual took his own sweet slow time and taking the actual delivery was another ordeal but anyways forget it now.

I left for Udaipur on the 30th in the Duster and returned day before yesterday in the Duster and I just loved the way the Duster swallowed up the highway and any potholes that came in the way. Overall an excellent car for the highway. Gave an excellent average as well.

Only sour part of the whole trip was that my brother banged it twice in the narrow alleys of Udaipur, so nice dents on both rear wheel arches but bad things happen

Last edited by GTO : 8th February 2013 at 14:01. Reason: Please do NOT use inappropriate language, not even indirectly (e.g. ****)
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