[Safety is Param]

Disclaimer - After reading my post below, please take your own call on whether to deal with this dealer. I don't intend to influence anyone's decision based on what I experienced.

Booking Process

I initially called up Shawar Nissan, took an appointment and was given a test drive at the scheduled time. Post the drive I was negotiating with them for freebies, and they were firm on adding only the Insurance to the package. No mats, mud flaps, etc. I kept on insisting and finally they said that they will consult the Sales Manager and get back to me. Waited 2 more days before calling them again, but the response was negative. I sensed that given their strategic location, 8 out of 10 Nissan cars are sold through their dealerships, and that they have no intentions of retaining a customer. They might be correct in thinking that way, but being a customer I was looking for the best bang for my buck. Googled around and found that Surya Nissan was one more Nissan Dealer in Bangalore.

Went there the next day and took a longish test drive. They took us to their service centre as well and while returning we took a different route that is full of speed breakers (around 35 speed breakers in a stretch of 4 kms) as I wanted to check on the Ground Clearance part. Came back satisfied and started negotiating with the Sales Person who had accompanied us from the beginning. After 4 days of negotiation, following is what was offered –

1) Free Insurance – Comprehensive (Bumper to Bumper)
2) Mats
3) Car Body Cover
4) Reverse Parking Sensors
5) Seat Belt Covers
6) Nissan branded Cushions (2 pcs)
7) IND Number Plates (not free, but at a discount of 50%)

Following things were accomplished in the few days that went by-

1) Down payment INR 10,000
2) All Documents required for Loan Processing
3) Documents needed for Insurance
4) Finalized the Delivery date
5) Made the remaining down payment once the order was placed
6) Loan approved from SBI
7) PDI done. Car allocated was a Jan 2013 manufactured model. I asked them if they could allocate a Feb or March model, but didn’t receive a convincing reply, so left it. The worst answer they gave me was “We are looking if we have a Feb / March car lying in the yard, and if we have, we would surely allocate it”... Being an avid reader of Team-BHP since 4 years, I immediately made out that this was crap. So I decided to take the Jan manufactured car and not spoil the occasion.
8) Sales Person called me and informed that I would be getting KA-41 series. I said “ok”. After 2 hours, the Sales Manager called me and informed that I would be getting KA-01 series. Since that didn’t make any difference as long as my car was registered, I agreed.
We wanted the delivery on April 12, 09:30 hrs, which was agreed and honoured by the Dealer.
Since the delivery time was early in the morning, and also since we didn’t want to miss on the Muhurat, we decided that we will complete the signing formalities on 11th itself. We went to the showroom and the file was presented to us.

Upon checking I found that the Residential Address mentioned in the Insurance was incorrect. They corrected it and did a counter-sign along with their stamp. I asked the Sales Person if the original copy that I would be receiving directly from the Insurance Company (in the form of a PDF) will contain the modified address, to which he replied in the affirmative. I also asked him to verify the details sent to the RTO so that there were no issues with the RC Book, to which he said “it is correct only sir”.

Came out of the showroom after confirming the delivery time one more time.

Delivery Day

Reached the showroom the next day, at the agreed time. Car was lying the basement, but was not cleaned. They were looking for a person to clean it, but couldn’t find him. I thought it was because I had scheduled a delivery which coincided with the show room opening time, and ignored it.

Pooja done and they finally managed to clean the car as well. Following are the sequence of events that unfolded after that –

1) I asked him to show me the spare wheel. He showed me, but it was of a different size than the 4 tires. I knew it wasn’t going to be an alloy, but shouldn’t the size be the same at least? Not sure, may be Nissan’s fault. Also, stock tires are Bridgestone, while the spare is an MRF.
2) Number plates were the stock ones. I asked him about IND plates (payment was still pending) to which he said that “we will come to your home in the evening and fix them”.
3) Reverse Parking sensors were fitted.
4) Went inside the showroom to collect the documents and the Gate Pass, and also the pending items like Body Cover, Mats, Cushions and Seat Belt covers.
5) He gave me the Body Cover and said that the remaining items were not in stock and that he will get them along with him when he comes to fix the IND plates in the evening.
6) I insisted on the mats since I wasn’t going to drive the car without the mats. He went somewhere and got me the fabric mats and said that this is a stop gap arrangement, and will replace it in the evening.
7) On the Gate Pass he wrote “Pending items from side – Mats, Cushions, Seat Belt covers” and signed it.
8) I gave him a Bangalore Central Gift Voucher and thanked him.
9) After taking a verbal assurance once again that he would indeed be coming in the evening, my Mom, Wife and I sat in the car and drove off.

We wanted to go out in the evening at 16:30 hrs. Waited for the Sales Person to appear and finally called him up at 18:00 hrs upon receiving no response from his end. He said “sir, I will come to your office tomorrow and finish the pending tasks”. I said “ok”.

In the evening I also realized that they had not enabled the Auto Door Lock, which is in fact mentioned as one of the features in the Brochure. This is an example enough demonstrating a serious lack of professionalism, when your profession itself includes dealing with customers on a day to day basis.

For more than a month after this, I kept calling him and he pushed the matter for some reason or the other –

1) “Sir, cushions that I have are stained. We have ordered another from Chennai”.
2) “Sir, the truck is at Krishnagiri, expected tomorrow”.
3) “Sir, give me 10 mins, I will check and call you back”.
4) “Sir, the truck has not yet arrived”.
5) “Sir, my mother is hospitalized and I am on leave”.

After learning that his mother was hospitalized, I didn’t call him for 15 days. On the 16th day, I sent him an SMS asking “How is your mom doing now?” He didn’t reply.

In the meantime there were some developments on my side. I was looking for a Job Change, and since I am from Gujarat, I had mentioned Pune as a preferred location as well. I was busy for the next 15 days, however, I kept on sending SMSes at regular intervals, to which I didn’t get a reply.
Finally, I got an offer from Pune, and plans started floating in on how to accomplish this move, what is the total cost for shifting to Pune, Incidental Charges, etc. One major thing that cropped up was paying Road Tax in Pune, and then applying for a refund in Bangalore RTO. Since the process was not clear for me, I decided to call the dealership and check with their RTO person. Called up the Sales Manager; he didn’t pick up the phone. Called again, same result.

Next day the Sales Manager called me and the first sentence he said was “Kya karna hai sir, aapka booking amount ka cheque bounce ho gaya hai”. I was like “what???” I told him to check the number he was calling to and he confirmed my name. I told him “forget about the booking amount cheque, you guys have encashed my down payment cheque as well, then how come are you calling me and saying that the cheque has bounced?” He didn’t say anything. Then I started talking to him about the process for moving my car to Pune. He said he was unaware of that and gave the phone to the RTO person. After talking to him I asked him to give the phone back to the Sales Manager. I asked him again about the cheque bounce thing he said earlier, and that what exactly was his intention. He said “Nai sir, aap bhool jao usko”. I was surprised as to how the matters were being conducted in this dealership.

Few more days passed along, and I got a better opportunity in Bangalore itself, so I decided to stay back. My wife as well was not too keen on moving out of Bangalore, and I was thinking that if I have to stay away from home, then it doesn’t matter whether it’s Pune or Bangalore. So, Bangalore it was!
Since I was not getting any reply from the Sales Person to my repeated queries, I called up the showroom and inquired about him. They said that he was on leave since his mother was unwell. That’s when I decided to visit the showroom and settle things.

Went to the showroom one afternoon. Inquired at the reception about the Sales Person, and to my astonishment got the reply “Sir, he is no longer working for us”!!

I told the Sales Manager about the pending items and showed him the paper containing the details and the Sales Person’s signature. He said “this document is not valid. Only if the owner of this showroom writes anything on a piece of paper is when the document stands valid”. I was stunned!! He said that he was not aware of the Sales Person making any commitments to me, and that they didn’t sell the cushions and seat belt covers in the first place.
We had a heated argument and finally the Sales Manager told me that he will deduct the amount from the Sales Person’s final settlement and deliver the pending items. I accepted his proposal considering that the Sales Person was the culprit, and that he deliberately hid facts from me. After being patient for so many days, I was not in a mood to forgive. We agreed that I would be receiving a call from the showroom in a couple of days and that the items would be delivered to me asap.

I did receive a call after 2 days, the Sales Person was on the call as well, but it was inconclusive. They again delayed the matter to next week.

In the meantime, my RC Book arrived, and it has an *incorrect* address. I was annoyed with the fact that despite reminding the Sales Person before hand, I was given a document with an incorrect address.

The original PDF that I received from Bajaj Allianz too had the same *incorrect* address. Worse was the Nominee Detail; instead of my wife’s name, they had just mentioned “AAAAAAAA”.

I didn’t want to call them and spoil my day, so I decided to keep it on emails. Got the Insurance thing corrected, along with the Nominee Details. Sent them a scanned copy of the RC Book, pointing the mistake. They said “we will do the needful”.

I called up the service centre incharge for the Brake Component replacement. He confirmed that my VIN Number was eligible for replacement, but since they didn’t have the part handy it would take some time. They didn’t follow up, and I had to call again, they again said the same thing. One day I got a call from the showroom informing me that my car was *ineligible* for the replacement part, and that if I had any other concerns. I told her to ask the Sales Manager to reply to my email, mentioning the same, and also along with the status on the Cushions and Seat belt covers.

As of today, following is the status-

1) It’s been more than 4 months, but I don’t have an RC Book yet.
2) Items promised have not been delivered, despite there being a written proof.
3) I am not receiving any email replies from the Sales Manager. May be he is not bothered as the product is already sold!
4) I enabled the Auto Door locking feature myself, based on the information available in GTO’s thread.

The car’s 1st service is due only in October, so I am not sure what to expect of them, but I am planning to get it done with the other dealer (if that’s possible).

The only thing that comes to my mind when I revisit this episode is -

1) It was a mistake to buy my vehicle from Surya Nissan.
2) They totally lack Professionalism. It’s a word that is not in their dictionary.

The car is a Gem, and I thank God that it’s not the dealerships who manufacture them!

[drkunaldas]

(I told the Sales Manager about the pending items and showed him the paper containing the details and the Sales Person’s signature. He said “this document is not valid. Only if the owner of this showroom writes anything on a piece of paper is when the document stands valid”. I was stunned!! )
my suggestion is why do not you meet the owner and confirm if this is true. ask him how many such things he has signed and apprise him of the deeds of the showroom staff. I think you, the sales-person and the owner may be all surprised with the results.

[GTO]

Welcome to the world of Nissan ownership! The dealer network absolutely sucks.

But then, what else can be expected when the manufacturer doesn't care about the sales & service module at all? They simply outsourced dealer recruitment, training & management to a 3rd party (i.e. Hover Automotive). Nissan must think that the likes of Maruti & Hyundai are crazy to be putting in all that hard work of managing their own dealership network. Well, guess who is laughing all the way to the bank?

The situation isn't expected to change. In fact, due to poor sales, empty service bays and complete lack of contact with Nissan, their dealers are an incredibly frustrated lot. Last December, they went on a 'strike' and refused any new inventory from the factory!!

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

The car is a Gem, and I thank God that it’s not the dealerships who manufacture them!

[NPV]

I empathise with you, Thanks for sharing the experience (honestly I think it's very difficult to share such stressful experiences) and wishing you well in getting the issues sorted out quickly.
Given the sad state of affairs with Nissan dealer/service network I'm not too sure if the Terrano is going to bother the Duster/EcoSport sales charts!

[drmohitg]

Such experiences just make me feel that sometimes the aggressive way is the right way to get things done at these dealerships. My dad would have blasted them right left and centre in the showroom in front of all the employees and customers. You will be surprised to see them change there style of working once they feel cornered. This is just plain cheating. Makes me wonder if we should make it a rule as to not to take delivery of the car unless all the things promised have been delivered. Once you sign on that delivery note, most dealers change there attitude.

[AbhishekB86]

I feel bad for your experiences with Surya Nissan but I think this is a good move . I recommend you now to share this on Nissan's Facebook,Twitter, Mouth Shut and consumer complaint forums.

I had a nasty experience with Chevrolet's SC where the SA was ready to get into a fist-fight with me. I came back and created a seperate thread on team bhp with details of what had happened. Some BHPians posted my experience on Chevy's FB page along with the link of my thread here. You should have seen how Chevy panicked. senior members from the company acknowledging their mistakes and giving me a patient hearing. From the senior management at Chevy to the owners of the dealership and the rude employee all were suddenly responsive & apologetic.

They were more worried about team bhp than anything else. Every second call was with reference to team bhp. I reached a point of exhaustion where I got sick of the calls.

The social media power can be very very effective. I would suggest you make this as visible on social media platforms as possible. Do leave the link of team bhp on their twitter/fb pages and in emails with Nissan.

I hope it all works out for you.

[mac187]

This is makes my blood boil.

4 months is a long time to set things right. You need to take these guys to task. Do not let these cheats get away with this. I am not sure if mailing to Nissan management would help considering the dealer network is not managed by them. But it is worth a try. Dont leave any stone unturned, and ensure you get more freebies on account of the delay.

[rajeshsundaram]

While it is good that you documented it here, you should have gone the extra mile to meet the higher ups and get this solved. With no RC book, and Nominee name as "AAAAAAAA", they made fun of you.

It is better to deal this matter legally, instead of expecting Nissan or anybody else to take some action.

[jkrishnakj]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

Disclaimer - After reading my post below, please take your own call on whether to deal with this dealer. I don't intend to influence anyone's decision based on what I experienced.

Booking Process

I initially called up Shawar Nissan, took an appointment and was given a test drive at the scheduled time. Post the drive I was negotiating with them for freebies, and they were firm on adding only the Insurance to the package. No mats, mud flaps, etc.
The car is a Gem, and I thank God that it’s not the dealerships who manufacture them!

Really crazy that you had to wait, but i can tell you that you have a very high limit on patience.

The car is a gem - enjoy a trouble free ride for the years to come.

And a quick question - i read through the post twice over, but couldnt figure out what car you bought.

[Safety is Param]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

And a quick question - i read through the post twice over, but couldn't figure out what car you bought.

True, I forgot to mention that I bought a Sunny XV-D.
Pretty soon I am going to take this up with the Proprietor of the showroom. Just that I am having some important matters in office to attend to, which is keeping me away from escalating this further.
On a related note, I still haven't received my RC Book

[PetrolRider]

I am deeply sorry to read your post. My advise to talk directly with showroom owner to devise any mutual result. At least ask them to get it written by the owner on the date part this time as told by them.

We had a heated argument and finally the Sales Manager told me that he will deduct the amount from the Sales Person’s final settlement and deliver the pending items.

I will suggest you to drop at the RTO and fix the address issue by yourself. Dealings in RTO offices in Bangalore is much smoother. This will save you energy and money (no need to go through agents, directly talk to the office in charge).

No wonder Bajaj Allianz do not have the Surya Nissan name in their network garage list.

To share my experience, I got my car 2 years back from shahwar motives and as you said, they are very very rigid on negotiation. There was a offer of 15K rupees of accessory free from Nissan and they did charge me the Rs 200/- that exceeds the 15K cap.

The delivery gets delayed by 1 month (I was told, it was because of sunny lunch) though the process was super quick (20 min flat). Also it is a trend that, the sales executive do not attain to you once the car is sold.

As Surya Nissan has not came up till recently, I never had a (mis)opportunity with them. I had thought of doing my regular paid service with them this time, but after reading your post, I may stick to Shahwar.

Regarding servicing, what I found in Shahwar Motives that:

1. Their service center is getting overcrowded and last time they could not return my car on same day, though I had booked for the morning session. Yes I agree to the fact that one of their service engineer dropped my car next day at my office out of courtesy and they didn't charge me for that.

2. I do not have any complain for the regular servicing till date. It is a well kept facility and the SA are attentive and responsive. Twice the Service Center manager came to me and had a chat and collected feed backs during my service. But recently the center is over crowded and it seems the personal touch is fading with it.

3. Do not expect any special service from them. Few scratches on the body is still there as they refuse to do touch ups (very rigid).

4. Accessories (not parts) are always not available. Still waiting for a vanity mirror for front passenger from my first service day (my model do not have it and I was interested).

5. They always forget to attain one or two points from you request list (till now the least important things).

6. If you have anything else other than regular servicing things, your delivery ought to be 8 pm or the next day. (Fixing a rat mesh took them 5 hours on a weekday with 4 bays empty).

So, be happy for having a very reliable car which will negate your frequent visits to the service center and also reduce your frustration of facing those faces again and again.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Originally Posted by Safety is Param

True, I forgot to mention that I bought a Sunny XV-D.
Pretty soon I am going to take this up with the Proprietor of the showroom. Just that I am having some important matters in office to attend to, which is keeping me away from escalating this further.
On a related note, I still haven't received my RC Book

Yes, you need to escalate the issue and directly converse with the showroom owner.
They are in business and not doing charity, must respect customers.
Such incident shall further lower the overall credibility of brand Nissan.

[mnrvokk]

I am not sure if you would have any better service or professionalism from the other Nissan dealer(Shawar) in Bangalore. I sincerely hope you resolve the documentation issues and have a trouble free ride in the Sunny.

I had to briefly deal with Shawar Nissan in Bangalore 6 months ago and I am lucky I did not go through with it. I was looking at the Micra in diesel and after a couple of test drives and price negotiations, the sales person basically ended the negotiation saying that he would consult with his manager and get back to me. I replied saying that he could collect the booking amount as soon as he agreed to our offer.

I did not hear from him for more than a week at which point, I grew impatient and ended up buying another car soon.

Funny end to this story is that the same sales person from Nissan called me 2 months after our last conversation and asked me if I had reconsidered his offer.



I told him to shove the offer in his a%^ and told him that I had purchased another vehicle. He actually had the gall to ask me which one. Part of me was very happy to tell him I bought a BMW X1 instead of a Micra. Nissan lost a customer for a measly 25K.

[katchkamalesh]

One of my close friend had booked the turquoise blue micra active in chennai as soon as it was launched. The delivery was supposed to happen within the next couple of weeks as he was one of the first set of customers for the active.

After completing all the formalities and loan being sanctioned, he was all excited to take delivery of car. But on the D-day he was informed that the car had some mysterious "white spots" and the quality of paint had deteriorated. The dealership people suspect that these "spots" were a result of painting (I have no clue) the new yet to launched terrano. So, they now ask my friend to wait for the turquoise blue or take immediate delivery of silver/white colours which was readily available.

Since this is his first car, he wanted to stick to blue colour and agreed to wait for another month and the delivery was promised before 20th sep. Now the situation is that even the sales advisor does not know as to when will he get stock of the blue coloured active. He stills says that white/silver as available and can be delivered asap.

When he tired to get in touch with the higher ups, there was no response and even the people who attended his call seemed to be rude and not helpful. Even when my friend threatened to take legal action, the person responded in a way which meant go ahead and lodge a complaint.

I am writing this on behalf of him because I was the one to suggest the active to him. He had already booked the Eon and after I informed him about the active's launch, he cancelled Eon's booking and paid for the active.

My friend still has some faith in the dealer where as I have lost it. Hope the dealer lives up to my friend' expectation.

[Safety is Param]

My XVD's 1st service is due on Oct 12, however, I am planning to get it done on the weekend of september 28/29, or max by Oct 5/6. Let me see how they respond to my request for getting the car serviced early.