[599gto]

This is simply unacceptable, I really think you should file a police complaint, and teach that stupid SA a lesson.

Just letting him be only because he is 'less fortunate' than you is not right IMHO. Anybody who disturbs the peace of the society has to be shown the right path, in his language itself.

I have noticed this often, and it is something that I hate about our country and society is that the educated citizens who lead a normal life are often taken for granted, and are very often misbehaved with by the 'less fortunate' people just because, they (the educated ones! Like you and me!)can not go down to that level give it back to them!

About being less fortunate, I believe that everybody has enough time in life to earn money the right way! So any SA being less fortunate and frustrated is not a car owner's fault, its his!

As far as chevrolet is concerned, they as it is don't have competetive products in the market and now this stupid SA only made matters worse!

On a lighter note, the un-informed Sales Assistant at a Mahindra dealership I went was just that! Un-informed! Not over smart!

[Fiest@DuraTec]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Something on these lines would have worked wonders and your thread above would have read as " Rowdy SA but brilliant Chevy response".

Exactly !!

This way the company as well as the dealer could have given a message that these kind of jerks exist everywhere but the company and the dealership is all for the customers - works excellently well.

I had an experience at the Fortune Ford here in hyderabad whose SA(Surya) is well known to me. During my 40K service for my fiesta, one of the other SA(the one attending) was suggesting a part change but Surya intervened and spent good 10 mins looking at the issue. He came up to me assuring everything is fine and no change is required. That little gesture keeps taking me again and again to Fortune ford.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Thanks for sharing but I am a bit lost here.

- You took the car for servicing to an a.s.s.
- You have been well serviced thus far by a nice and competent SA.
- Today you got a moron who is an idiot that has no place in this service industry. His behavior is simply bizarre and inexplicable. Unfortunate that you were at the receiving end. That he even refused to apologise is stupid.
- The GM of the outlet promptly intervened and courteously solved the issue. He was apologetic as well.

Now help me understand - since other folks did not demonstrate this behavior, how is it an issue with Metro Chevrolet? They had a bad apple - if they continue to let him loose and don't retrain/fire him, then they are at fault.

Chevrolet as a brand had little to do with this ONE SA. If they do not take care of things henceforth, or don't sort out that moron - then they are at fault. Not as of now.

Lastly, please remember that the ground level staff keep circulating across dealerships. You may find this moron in a Maruti dealership six months later for all you know.

What I find even more puzzling is that you may be angry and upset at this moment - but others bashing up the Chevrolet brand as well just does not stand to reason.

Chevy may have hundred flaws or hundred issues on other threads, but the logical link with this thread is zero. If I have misread something - do point it out.

Thanks phamilyman. Firstly, the GM did not intervene. I approached him. To answer your point about S.A being a bad apple and not representing Chevrolet or Metro I beg to differ.

I as a customer approach a Chevrolet dealership for 'service'. For me the point of contact is Arun the ill mannered employee. He represents Metro which in turn represents Chevrolet. My 'experience' whether good or bad depends on Arun. He is supposed to deliver for the SC and ultimately for Chevrolet. He should be trained well enough to communicate with customers, solving problems is the altogether a different thing. If I have an unpleasant experience where I am threatened with dire consequences it is Metro's responsibility to take blame for that. I say that because I've worked in the service industry (hospitality) even the bad apples have accountability for their actions which is shared by the company. Universal rule of service suggested by the GM himself. It wasn't a point put across by me. I go there expecting a level of expertise because it is a SC.

Also if you do go through the Beat thread, you will notice things are falling apart rather rapidly.

Originally Posted by 599gto

This is simply unacceptable, I really think you should file a police complaint, and teach that stupid SA a lesson.



About being less fortunate, I believe that everybody has enough time in life to earn money the right way! So any SA being less fortunate and frustrated is not a car owner's fault, its his!

Let's see sir keeping my options open. I'm writing to Chevy in a bit let's see how they respond.

Originally Posted by Fiest@DuraTec

Exactly !!

This way the company as well as the dealer could have given a message that these kind of jerks exist everywhere but the company and the dealership is all for the customers - works excellently well.

Agree with Mohit and you. I did not think much of it then because I was seriously irritated but looking back yes it would have helped matters. Service recovery is important. The gesture would have been nice I would not have accepted it but it would have cooled me down to an extent for sure.

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Now help me understand - since other folks did not demonstrate this behavior, how is it an issue with Metro Chevrolet? They had a bad apple - if they continue to let him loose and don't retrain/fire him, then they are at fault.

Chevrolet as a brand had little to do with this ONE SA. If they do not take care of things henceforth, or don't sort out that moron - then they are at fault. Not as of now.

You are absolutely right phamilyman . One cannot go on to criticize a brand because of one SA going bonkers.

However Metro Chevrolet is responsible for the acts of its employees. This is where the concept of Vicarious Liability comes in. The master will be liable for the acts of his servant.

Hence even though Chevrolet as a whole had little to do with the incident, Metro Chevrolet can be held responsible.

However I do agree that relating this one off case to the declining sales of a brand makes no sense.

[vvb8530]

Hey Abhishek,

Have heard of many horror stories with regards to dealerships but this takes it to another level. I request you to not let this incident go. Please take it up to the highest level possible at GM and make sure that action against the dealership and said SA is taken. These companies cannot take us customers for granted.

Below is the information that i found on the GM website;

Please mail your comments, questions, or concerns to the Customer Assistance Center:

gmi.cac@gm.com

Your vehicle concerns are important to us. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or feedback. To better address your comments and concerns, Customer Assistance Centre is open 24x7.

Customer Assistance - 1800 3000 8080

This just came to my mind, why would the SA get so angry over you for cautioning the other customer of a possible scam? Is it possible that the dealership would have some kind of an incentive scheme in place for their SA's in terms of selling and upselling of services and parts to customers.

Regards,
VVB

[rajeev k]

He would have been angry as you did not fall prey to the decarb scam employed by dealership ASSs. And also you put skids on the door replacement on the other car. As an auto-head you definitely did the right on both these counts. Therefore take it up at the highest level. Of late Chevy is not doing well and if they treat their customers like this. Post the episode in their FB page also.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

What I find even more puzzling is that you may be angry and upset at this moment - but others bashing up the Chevrolet brand as well just does not stand to reason.

Chevy may have hundred flaws or hundred issues on other threads, but the logical link with this thread is zero. If I have misread something - do point it out.

+1. There is no point in bashing Chevy up for this. Given the low standards of service we have started accepting as normal in our country, it is reason enough to let Chevy have a free pass in this episode. Any other country and I am sure the customer might have sued chevy itself.

Having said that I still stick to what I said earlier. Chevy might not be able to help with the hiring/behaviour of that unruly SA but what they could have done is to make the customer feel happy about the brand at the end of the day by a simple gesture of giving him a free service or even a free interior car cleaning or anything. All that was needed was a gesture to show that they are really apologetic. Now again one can argue that this power was with the GM of the dealership and we again cannot blame Chevy for that. The GM clearly failed to handle the situation well AFAIK. Otherwise the customer response would have been different as stated below by himself.
Now whats left is to see if Chevy takes notice of this and offers him an apology.

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Agree with Mohit and you. I did not think much of it then because I was seriously irritated but looking back yes it would have helped matters. Service recovery is important. The gesture would have been nice I would not have accepted it but it would have cooled me down to an extent for sure.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by vvb8530

Hey Abhishek,

Have heard of many horror stories with regards to dealerships but this takes it to another level. I request you to not let this incident go. Please take it up to the highest level possible at GM and make sure that action against the dealership and said SA is taken. These companies cannot take us customers for granted.



gmi.cac@gm.com
Below is the information that i found on the GM website;


This just came to my mind, why would the SA get so angry over you for cautioning the other customer of a possible scam? Is it possible that the dealership would have some kind of an incentive scheme in place for their SA's in terms of selling and upselling of services and parts to customers.

Regards,
VVB

Thanks VVB. I've put a mail to that email address. Let's see what kind of response they come up with..if any!

Originally Posted by rajeev k

He would have been angry as you did not fall prey to the decarb scam employed by dealership ASSs. And also you put skids on the door replacement on the other car. As an auto-head you definitely did the right on both these counts. Therefore take it up at the highest level. Of late Chevy is not doing well and if they treat their customers like this. Post the episode in their FB page also.

Guess both of you have put an accurate picture. I usually deny services which are just added on to fatten the bill. I guess helping out the fellow customer annoyed him. I am yet to post on their FB/Twitter accounts..will do so soon.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Now help me understand - since other folks did not demonstrate this behavior, how is it an issue with Metro Chevrolet? They had a bad apple - if they continue to let him loose and don't retrain/fire him, then they are at fault.

Chevrolet as a brand had little to do with this ONE SA.

The missing link is that the executive had got the courage to 1) try fleece a customer 2) intimidate him and 3) threaten him. All this does not come if executives were trained to handle customers carefully. And this lack of respect for the customer ( / fidelity towards the policy of his mother institution) does not develop in a day and makes it sure that it is no one-time mistake. There is definitely something stinking at the dealership. Maybe unnecessary work pressure and targets, I do not know. Else, if it is frustration developed from a missed opportunity to fleece, then the executive is a real goon and so is the dealership and Chevrolet is sleeping on top of a pile of whatever, not knowing how their face is being misused.

One has to remember that the sales / service executive is the only face of the manufacturer who makes or brakes a deal and not the COO / MD / or any other person of the manufacturer or the dealer. Apart from their car, of course. I am so sad that many a manufacturer forgets this part.

This is definitely a lax on the part of the dealership and Chevrolet too can be held responsible in not providing clarity of responsibility down the pyramid. Okay, for Chevrolet, what has happened has happened. It is to be seen how they make up for it.

[AbhishekB86]

Thanks a ton guys. I have sent them an email and put up a post on their Facebook page too. Thanks for all the help and cooperation. Needless to say my mood is ruined for the day and I guess some sleep will help overcome that.

I will take further measures tomorrow depending on their reply and the course of action they follow.

[mayankk]

A GM employee threatens a GM customer on GM premises. How is this not GM business?
You should, at the least, get a goody bag from the accessories section, to start with.

[Fiest@DuraTec]

Originally Posted by mayankk

A GM employee threatens a GM customer on GM premises. How is this not GM business?
You should, at the least, get a goody bag from the accessories section, to start with.

Absolutely correct !! The people who are saying that there is nothing here to blame Chevy/GM about, I beg to differ from you guys.

If you guys think there is nothing GM should do about it, then why is so much of talk about Skoda in the market. This is how it started for Skoda too and everybody does talk about it now whenever an octavia, yeti or laura come into the picture even though all of them are fantastic cars.

As correctly stated by mayankk - it is a GM customer we're talking about here.

[Soumyajit9]

That's a terrible experience Abhishek !! I can strongly say that Chevrolet is Ill-Managing their brand in India.

Like I have always said, Selling Jazzy Cars with Powerful Performance is not all about a Vehicle Brand. It's the aftermath of the sale. How good the brand can live up to it's name within the sea of automobile companies is what it matters in the end, and that comes with its customer satisfaction.
My car can give me a mileage of 100km/l, but what is the use of it if I am spending 5k every 6 months at each service with goonda Service Advisors who have little knowledge of what problems the car has and how to deal with customers.

I strongly say and beg to differ from all those who say that Chevy has nothing to do with bad customer experience at their dealerships.
Straight Fact - The Chevy A.S.S does something bad to my car or me, I would never ever recommend the brand to any other living being I know.

A simple comparison with Maruti confirms the high handedness of Chevrolet in dealing with its customers.
My parents were about to buy their first car last year and my brother was pestering for Beat. I strongly rejected that request from him and advised to go for Wagon R. Simple reason - I being in Bangalore which has a good Chevy Customer base, am facing so many problems at each scheduled service. Think about the problems they may face at a Tier 2 city. Now that they have a Wagon R, at each scheduled service, my dad gets to sit in a AC Lounge, have Coffee/Tea/Cold Drinks while watching the vehicle being worked upon. The SA at Maruti responds to each and every question of my dad, keeps up his promise of delivering the car on time committed.
These are all missing at Chevy Bangalore (Kropex) and now I see the same trend in Delhi too. So all I can infer is there is no policing of these dealers from Chevrolet.

I agree with you "phamilyman" that this SA might even end up with Maruti if he is fired from Chevy.. Ok, fine, but then Maruti would still maintain its standards and fire him for his goonda-giri. Why can't Chevy do this quality management ? Why is Chevy living with whatever third grade people are chopped off from other service centers ?

Abhishek, I would recommend you to go ahead and do the following:
- Visit Mtero Chevrolet again.
- I am sure they have a board put up in the customer lounge with the contact details of different people from Metro and the Regional Service Manager of Chevy. (Check my post for the look of the board here)

Shoot an email to the Chevy E-Mail provided on the board (if at all) and CC all the other E-Mail Ids' provided. Let Chevy own up this matter. They could either fire the culprit staff or they could issue warning to the dealer. In either case, that could instill some fear in these dealers.

No point lodging a Police Complaint. You would end up paying bribery to police and I am sure these dealers can pay more bribery to the Police to put up a reverse case on you.

Last, but most important, if your Beat's 3 years is over, get rid of these idiots (Chevrolet) and make up a good rappo with a good service center outside Chevy. I am sure they value money and customer more than Chevy does.

[Blur]

Hey Abhishek!

I have posted yur ordeal on Chevy India'a FB page. And they have replied saying they are in touch with you... So are they?

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by mayankk

A GM employee threatens a GM customer on GM premises. How is this not GM business?
You should, at the least, get a goody bag from the accessories section, to start with.

Originally Posted by Fiest@DuraTec

Absolutely correct !!

As correctly stated by mayankk - it is a GM customer we're talking about here.

Thanks Mayankk and Fiesta. This is what I've been saying all along. The representative is the S.A. for Metro Chevrolet who in turn is representing Chevrolet. If we are to say it isn't Chevy's concern then why is it an official SC and dealership? Why do people trust their cars to be treated better at every service interval and exclusively choose Metro over local mechanics? What's the need of filling and following Chevrolet's service booklet? Responsibility and accountability needs to be shared.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

That's a terrible experience Abhishek !! I can strongly say that Chevrolet is Ill-Managing their brand in India.

Like I have always said, Selling Jazzy Cars with Powerful Performance is not all about a Vehicle Brand. It's the aftermath of the sale. How good the brand can live up to it's name within the sea of automobile companies is what it matters in the end, and that comes with its customer satisfaction.


I strongly say and beg to differ from all those who say that Chevy has nothing to do with bad customer experience at their dealerships.
Straight Fact - The Chevy A.S.S does something bad to my car or me, I would never ever recommend the brand to any other living being I know.

A simple comparison with Maruti confirms the high handedness of Chevrolet in dealing with its customers.
My parents were about to buy their first car last year and my brother was pestering for Beat. I strongly rejected that request from him and advised to go for Wagon R. Simple reason - I being in Bangalore which has a good Chevy Customer base, am facing so many problems at each scheduled service. Think about the problems they may face at a Tier 2 city.
I agree with you "phamilyman" that this SA might even end up with Maruti if he is fired from Chevy.. Ok, fine, but then Maruti would still maintain its standards and fire him

Abhishek, I would recommend you to go ahead and do the following:
- Visit Mtero Chevrolet again.
- I am sure they have a board put up in the customer lounge with the contact details of different people from Metro and the Regional Service Manager of Chevy. )

Shoot an email to the Chevy E-Mail provided on the board (if at all) and CC all the other E-Mail Ids' provided. Let Chevy own up this matter. They could either fire the culprit staff or they could issue warning to the dealer. In either case, that could instill some fear in these dealers.

No point lodging a Police Complaint.

Thanks Soumyajit. Till about a year back there were no issues that I faced with Metro Chevrolet, things were smooth to be honest. Next thing I know work is carried out without my approval (brake pads changed) and inflated bills with the car feeling more or less the same. The turnaround time tripled which sometimes may be understandable since there are more Beats on the road than one imagined when purchasing two years back. There is though lack of work which makes its way on the bill. for example - WA/WB which never happened and was blamed on my imagination till I forced the guy to let go of the steering wheel on a straight road and the car drifted. 2 hours to get a job done which should not take long. So when I say things are out of control it really isn't about one instance.

I have sent a mail on gmi.cac@gm.com and have got a call from one of the representatives. The mail is yet to be acknowledged. As of now I am not considering the cops but I haven't ruled out the option. We all know how our system works and it will be the last resort.

Originally Posted by Blur

Hey Abhishek!

I have posted yur ordeal on Chevy India'a FB page. And they have replied saying they are in touch with you... So are they?

Hey blur so it was you? Thank you so much. Unaware of your post, I put one after you did. A lady did call me after I put a strong lettered mail and the FB post.

Status update as of now : Chevrolet India is not directly communicating with the dealer because "they may have their own version of events" - according to the lady who called. Chevrolet's zonal officer is investigating the matter and they promised to get back to me.

To be very honest if only a senior person calls me and states that the company is looking into the matter and they're sorry for the kind of nonsense I had to go through it would make me a lot more re-assured about my grievance. As of now it seems they're following SOP's for the heck of it and it ends there.