[AbhishekB86]

Hello,

To term it as a bad experience will be a true understatement. Today at around 10.20 am I arrived at Metro Chevrolet, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi to get my Cocktail green 2011 LS Chevrolet Beat serviced. This particular service was slightly post-poned from my side. I could not find the time to give my car for servicing at 35k and finally managed today at 38 k to give it to the SC.

All previous services have been carried out at this SC by Somnath who is a gem of a SA and someone I trust the most.

To start things off, the SA was all but ready for decarbonization for my car. I remember going through the thread posted by SS Traveller and thought it wasn't needed. Besides the car has just clocked 38 k. To be on the safer side, I called up fellow bhpian and close friend @samarth.bhatia who owns a Beat himself and decided not to go for it. I left my car at 10.30 am and was told to collect it by 3 pm. We've previously discussed on the Chevrolet Beat forum how Chevy's just about taking customers for a ride and how the experience is going from bad to worse.

At 2.30 pm I landed at the SC to find my car parked at the exact location where it was parked by the SA. It wasn't being worked upon. I went up to the S.A who was attending to another customer to ask what progress has been made so far. He said the car was being worked upon but I had my doubts. I then asked him once he's done with the particular customer to show me what all has been done so far.

The S.A took to the phone while the customer started a conversation with me. For a slight dent on the door the dealership was asking him to replace the door and I told him he should consider his options outside to save himself a little bit of money. This conversation was between this customer and me and had nothing to do with the S.A.

Suddenly the S.A hangs up and looks me in the eye and says "apne kaam se kaam rakho, usko kya bol rahe ho". I told him I will disappear once he lets me know what the status of my car is and secondly he should know how to speak to a customer. I've been waiting for 4 hours just to see my car parked where it was and I will complain to his manager if he did not give me an update.

The next thing I hear is "aankhein neechi kar aur ungli neeche kar ke baat kar" in the loudest tone with an aggressive voice. I retort saying "Tameez se baat kar le". He then goes on to say "Gayi naukri bhaad me kya kar lega" and is ready for a show down with the best of hindi cuss words flowing through.

I am not easily intimidated by such tactics and I went towards him saying if he doesn't shut his mouth I will post his antics online. He goes on to say he doesn't care and will have me sorted. This goes on for the next 10 minutes with a low life SA telling me how he will beat me up and managed to irritate me so much I stooped to his level and it almost ended up with him trying to charge towards me.

A few more employees and the customer is question intervene and it comes to an end.

I met the GM of Metro Chevrolet Mr Mukherji who I must say was courteous enough and apologetic for the behavior of his employee Arun. He requested me to email and said he himself was a member of a few automotive forums. He said he will take up the matter very seriously and Arun would have to bear the consequences for his behaviour. I was asked not to put any of this online but heck after the nightmare experience where I paid 4 grand to be threatened and abused, I feel Metro Chevrolet's experience should be out on this forum.

Post this, he avoided all eye contact. Apparently the GM took up the matter with him. However, no apologies from anyone.

People who know me through team-bhp and otherwise know I am patient enough and I am not one to get into needless conversations. Nor do I think of anyone less fortunate than me as trash and someone I can be-little. I've never done that in my life.

I am truly disgusted by Chevrolet. I was unfortunate and stupid enough to go for a brand where people pay their hard earned money to get threatened and abused by Chevrolet employees in the name of servicing.

Chevrolet has gone down to the drain and I no longer wish to associate myself with any of their future products. A brand which doesn't know how to treat its customers right and where SC's are battle fields for fist fights deserves to be in the current mess they're in. I hope someone from Chevrolet does read this.

[Shiv_1984]

In my most shocking state, I must ask you, why didn't you threaten the showroom manager that you will complain to the police ?

This is crazy, never heard of any S.A treating his customer like this when on duty. Looks lik GM is appointing all goondas and least qualified dolts to save some pennies on the salary.

You should take it up with GM and give the guy what he deserves.
Complete nonsense.

Thanks!

[rnidumolu]

Oh god! A very terrific experience indeed. I have heard some bitter experiences by some of my friends who owned Corsa and Spark. After hearing from him I refrained myself from buying Aveo previously and opted for one used Honda City. Till now I like the car but I don't have trust on Chevrolet as a brand so won't even think about their products.

I feel Chevrolet should work towards it and in this regard i guess Maruti is very good.

Thanks,
Ravikumar N

[invincible7]

Its very unfortunate that a customer has to go through such behaviour and that too in a service industry, uncalled for and completely unfogiving in my books.

You should certainly write to GM team about this instance to make them aware of how the customer's are being treated at this particular facility.

And also you should have gone ahead and filed a police complaint againt the SA in question to make him realize where his uncalled for actions can lead him into. Just my 2 cents.

[n_aditya]

Disgusting experience, I say.

Type out an email to Chevy customer care and also to their regional offices.

Such unprofessional behavior should not be ignored or passed off as a one off case.

I was seriously considering the Chevy Sail (thanks to the Chevy promise program) but being an extremely happy and satisfied maruti customer for 2 decades, it was a no brainer that we decided on a Maruti product.

Glad that i did not experiment with Chevrolet.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by Shiv_1984

In my most shocking state, I must ask you, why didn't you threaten the showroom manager that you will complain to the police ?

This is crazy, never heard of any S.A treating his customer like this when on duty. Looks lik GM is appointing all goondas and least qualified dolts to save some pennies on the salary.

You should take it up with GM and give the guy what he deserves.
Complete bullshit.

Thanks!

cc Aditya, invincible, rnidumolu

To be honest it didn't even cross my mind to threaten them with a police complaint. I am trying to figure out Chevy India's top brass' email address so I can take this further. Even his fellow SA's and other customers were totally surprised for his un-called for behaviour. I don't know if approaching the police will make any sense since you have to literally beg to register a report.

[Fiest@DuraTec]

Thats pathetic to say the least, I never thought Chevy was in that league too - may be I was ignorant to notice.

Recently we planned to sell our beloved 7 yr old Fiesta and buy a hatch for my dad, I had BEAT as an option, but seems I should rethink. My dad is not much of a car guy, just drives one to reach from A to B and they might take him for a ride with me not present with him all the time. Maruti dealer at my place(not hyderabad) has been incredible - absolutely 'No Nonsense' type. They've most probably lost a customer right here.

Thank you and yes, you should not leave it like that. Please take the pains to take up the matter with a regional head atleast whose id's shouldn't give you much trouble to find. I will try to search one for you.

Edit : I just read your post again where you stated he was avoiding eye contact - wasn't he fired ? I might sound a little off but I think his act should have landed him outside the gate.

[Enigmatic]

This is something unacceptable and my suggestion to you is to not leave it by just posting it here on team-bhp.

Write to Chevrolet India and post the link of this page on their Facebook/Twitter page.

I say this not because i hate the brand and/or want to deter people from buying from the particular showroom . Neither do I have any personal grudges against the SA.

I say this because, The SA did something which was not only uncalled for but something that is against the law as well .

Firstly it is the Duty of the SA to treat the customers with respect. Because the customers are not his or the showrooms, they are of the Company "Chevrolet" at large.

Secondly what he did is Criminal Intimidation. Criminal Intimidation as defined under S-503 of the Indian Penal Code,1860 states as under :-

Whoever threatens another with any injury to his person, reputation or property, or to the person or reputation of any one in whom that person is interested, with intent to cause alarm to that person, or to cause that person to do any act which he is not legally bound to do, or to omit to do any act which that person is legally entitled to do, as the means of avoiding the execution of such threat, commits criminal intimidation. Explanation.- A threat to injure the reputation of any deceased person in whom the person threatened is interested, is within this section.
Illustration A, for the purpose of inducing B to resist from prosecuting a civil suit, threatens to burn B' s house. A is guilty of criminal intimidation.

The punishment for Criminal Intimidation is given under S-506 on IPC :-

Whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both; If threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc. If threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, etc.-- and if the threat be to cause death or grievous hurt, or to cause the destruction of any property by fire, or to cause an offence punishable with death or 3[ imprisonment for life], of with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, or to impute unchastity to a woman, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, or with fine, or with both.

At the same time, I would URGE you not to register a complaint with the Police station. The reason for the same is I do feel sad for the SA. SA's are usually less fortunate than us and the Police of our Country exploits the less fortunate. What he did was wrong but you need to have the moral high ground. But this is only a suggestion if you do feel that he would come around to your house to threaten you again then go ahead with the FIR ASAP.

I usually do not give this advice, however this does not mean that you should let him go away scot free. Complain to Chevrolet India and tell them that you will get a FIR registered (which would actually put the whole brand in jeopardy because of master-servant relationship. "Vicarious Liability") with the nearest Police station if prompt action is not taken. Let them fire the guy and do take regular follow up if it is working out or not.

The SA needs to be taught a lesson. However getting him arrested would actually be punishing his family members more than punishing him, who in all possibility depend on his earnings. However I say this again, he does need to be punished for what he did. He needs to learn and eventually would, one way or the other.

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by Fiest@DuraTec

Thats pathetic to say the least, I never thought Chevy was in that league too - may be I was ignorant to notice.

Recently we planned to sell our beloved 7 yr old Fiesta and buy a hatch for my dad, I had BEAT as an option, but seems I should rethink. My dad is not much of a car guy, just drives one to reach from A to B and they might take him for a ride with me not present with him all the time. Maruti dealer at my place(not hyderabad) has been incredible - absolutely 'No Nonsense' type. They've most probably lost a customer right here.

Thank you and yes, you should not leave it like that. Please take the pains to take up the matter with a regional head atleast whose id's shouldn't give you much trouble to find. I will try to search one for you.

Edit : I just read your post again where you stated he was avoiding eye contact - wasn't he fired ? I might sound a little off but I think his act should have landed him outside the gate.

Beat is a very reliable car and to their credit they had things sorted till about a year back. At 25 k I literally had to force them into 3 test drives for them to accept they had not done the wheel alignment and the car was drifting. Hours wasted to get a basic job done. Since then things have been going downhill. There are several similar rants on the Chevrolet Beat -Test Drive forum by Soumyajit among other members.

I will definitely get in touch with the higher ups in the food chain.

Also, the guy was assigned to other vehicles. He was still at the SC desk when I was driving out. Doesn't look like he's been shown the exit door yet. This was my last visit to Metro. As far as I am concerned I will try to seek out good outside mechanics like KJA for regular servicing from now on.

[toiingg]

Could it be that the said SA was drunk or under the influence of some Drugs ?

There was absolutely no reason for him to behave in such a manner. Either way, the company has to be accountable for the people it hires.

[abhinav.s]

Very unprofessional behavior by the SA!! Already hard times at Chevrolet and this incident will be another black mark for them.

In the heat of the moment you must not have thought of warning him of police action. Take this up relentlessly and fight it till the end!

[ani_meher]

This is really shocking behavior. 'Gayi Naukri bhadme!' shows that he had already had enough. I think the appearent problem is the lack of manners by the SA. However, the problem can be deeper, with maybe the top guys pushing the lower guys (or lower guys salivating on bigger 'cuts' from the changed parts) is taking place.

Anyways, it is not the matter of a consumer how bad or good is the company managed, and it's definitely most repulsive that a paying customer has to listen to such language. If it helps anyone, I haven't yet seen any such employee in either Chevrolet or Suzuki motorcycle division in Pune.

[drmohitg]

You should seriously write to Chevrolet about this. The SA's behavious is shocking. But to me the bigger shock is the GM's behaviour. After hearing this issue he should have there and then brought that rascal to behave and apologize to you in front of everyone. And if that idiot had decided he didn't want the job anymore or would have not apologized then he should have fired him there and then for his rowdy behavior. Also he should have immediately apologized to you and probably should have waived off the service charges for your beat or throw is some gift or something to bring back a smile on your face. Something on these lines would have worked wonders and your thread above would have read as " Rowdy SA but brilliant Chevy response".

[AbhishekB86]

Originally Posted by Enigmatic

This is something unacceptable and my suggestion to you is to not leave it by just posting it here on team-bhp.

Write to Chevrolet India and post the link of this page on their Facebook/Twitter page.

I say this because, The SA did something which was not only uncalled for but something that is against the law as well .

Secondly what he did is Criminal Intimidation. Criminal Intimidation as defined under S-503 of the Indian Penal Code,1860 states as under :-


The punishment for Criminal Intimidation is given under S-506 on IPC :-

At the same time, I would URGE you not to register a complaint with the Police station. The reason for the same is I do feel sad for the SA. SA's are usually less fortunate than us and the Police of our Country exploits the less fortunate. What he did was wrong but you need to have the moral high ground.
I usually do not give this advice, however this does not mean that you should let him go away scot free. Complain to Chevrolet India and tell them that you will get a FIR registered

The SA needs to be taught a lesson. However getting him arrested would actually be punishing his family members more than punishing him.

Thanks Enigmatic. Although everyone's more or less suggesting to get the cops involved I agree with your point of view as well. I will take this up strongly with Chevrolet but the last thing I need as a burden is to have his family suffer for his mistake. I am open to all suggestions and would request BHPians to give their views on this.

Originally Posted by toiingg

Could it be that the said SA was drunk or under the influence of some Drugs ?

There was absolutely no reason for him to behave in such a manner. Either way, the company has to be accountable for the people it hires.

Did not smell of alcohol and I don't think he was under the influence of drugs. Seemed to be more or less a depressive soul.

Originally Posted by abhinav.s

Very unprofessional behavior by the SA!! Already hard times at Chevrolet and this incident will be another black mark for them.

In the heat of the moment you must not have thought of warning him of police action. Take this up relentlessly and fight it till the end!

I honestly never thought of involving the cops. However open to suggestions from fellow members. Also do consider Enigmatic's point and let me know if that will be the correct approach.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

This is really shocking behavior. 'Gayi Naukri bhadme!' shows that he had already had enough. I think the appearent problem is the lack of manners by the SA.
Anyways, it is not the matter of a consumer how bad or good is the company managed, and it's definitely most repulsive that a paying customer has to listen to such language.

I don't care if Chevrolet is whipping him for not meeting targets. We do not take out our anger/hurt on our business prospects do we? Why should the end customer care for what is an internal issue at Chevy.

[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.