[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by MumBiker

I am not sure why Simple_Car smells a "Rant" here.

Cause it is. While, I am not excusing the dealer, but I atleast expect that informed members of this community to approach the service of their cars in a more informed and different way.

Is it because the issue is with service from his friendly A.S.S Auto Hangar ?

Really sir? What statements did I make that makes you think this way. If you were to search the forum, you will find that I have made my fair share of mistakes, and I definitely hold a grudge against a particular dealer myself.

Or is he simply saying "Live with it" ?

Nope. I am not going to point out exactly where you have made the mistake, since oddly enough, I can empathize with you.

Or is it a thumb rule that everyone receives good service, because he did ?

Please re-read my post. I have had terrible experiences with both Autohangar and Shaman. I had a similar problem as yours when dealing with Autohangar and a much more serious problem when dealing with Shaman, and it was solved amicably by just one visit. I speak by experience when I say that MB will not respond so easily.

Am i supposed to take a car back with a blown compressor and not complain ?

You have every right to do so, but your experience will be similar to the common man who complains day in and out against the government. Where has that led anyone?

Why is it an accepted fact that manufacturers will not respond ?

A philosophical question indeed, and one that can be debated upon (and for that matter has been debated upon) to no end.

Or is it that we should all take this in our stride and not even make others aware of issues that a consumer might face.

You have every right, and for that matter I appreciate you trying to spread some awareness. However, you had no such major grouse against MB or it's A.S.S. since many years of your ownership. In fact, you have bought many more cars from them. So, just because you have had one bad experience, why should I/any informed guy change his/her opinion. I am myself in the service sector, and it is impossible to keep everyone happy in our enviornment. I said it in my earlier post, and I am repeating this: I am not excusing Autohangar's behaviour. Just calm down, and focus on getting your car fixed and back home.

My major cause of worry is that the Air Conditioning Failure was first attributed to a blown compressor and now it seems its just an "O" ring.

How am i to believe this guys ? what happens if things start falling apart once it leaves the A.S.S. (the acronym itself is self descriptive of their attitude )

There are two ways to go about this:
1. Trust Autohangar, and let them do their job.
2. Take the car back from Autohangar, and have it fixed outside from a FNG.

My only request to MB has been to look into the issue and reassure me that things have been done in accordance with MB standards as expected by buyers of this iconic brand.

A very mature and reasonable approach by you there, sir. Please let us know if MB responds to you. It will reaffirm my faith in their service (their cars have already done that for me ).

Originally Posted by MumBiker

I am a travelling person and its very difficult for me to be at the service center or contact them on a daily basis.

Sad to know the fact that you believe that one should take it all lying down, not speak to anyone about it and fight it alone, would surely make the manufacturer and the Service Centers happy if everyone does that.

Anyways my only point of posting it was to make others aware.

Perfect, that makes two of us. I travel quite often as well, and I too cannot waste time with A.S.S.. That's why I have my own ways of dealing with them.

I only offered practical advice. If you are ready to fight with MB and their dealers, then I (and I hope others) would surely extend support to the best of my abilities.

Thanks for informing, but sadly, this isn't going to help most of the people.

Originally Posted by androdev

There is a serious lapse in service quality. People suggesting otherwise probably have too much time on their hands to wait in the workshop lounge or have low service quality expectations.

They called in the car without actually procuring the part. This is pathetic. This alone is a reason enough to be very upset. How can the dealer justify such a lapse? And then they just dragged it for many days by possibly saying "any time now..", if you have been in such situations you know the the days just add up so quickly before even you realize. You just want to be done with instead of getting the car back, and sending it again, etc. If no one follows up and apologises then you pretty much know you should not be doing business with them.

To make things worse, they have cleverly revealed the AC issue after collecting the cash. Shouldn't they be informing this much earlier so MumBiker can either dispute or combine this job with the on-going job? How the heck can they inform after delivery paper work/payment is completed? Full of malice. There is no other way to look at it. And manufacturer ignores the customer's complaint.

Overall, it is a bitter experience whichever way you look at it. It doesn't matter if it is one off case from Auto Hangar, they messed it up.

I hope you are not hinting at me atleast To people who know me, my car is maintained in a 'no expenses spared' way. Although, I have messed up at times, but I have improved upon, and still keep on learning.

The dealer is expected to service the car without causing any inconvenience to the owner. IMO, MumBiker has been very mature in dealing with this: he didn't moan why the wind-shield cracked, he didn't complain when they said the part is not in stock, he was willing to allow them to take their own time to procure the part and have the car dropped off for service, he wasn't complaining about the cost of the repair. I don't see any unnecessary rant here.

I call it a rant simply because, given the situation, there are faults from both sides. While, I am not excusing Autohangar (man... I will have to repeat this line time and again), but the fact is this: Both the MB dealers in bombay are average at best. I personally prefer Autohangar, but the only difference is this: I have my own different way of dealing with them.
The other fact is this: Atleast in my experience MB does not respond to customer complaints all the time. I was in a similar situation as the OP last year, and just 6-7 months back, and mails to MB did not help. I learnt my lesson, and came to know that as of today, how things stand, we as customers do not have support from the law. Hence, we will be mercy of the dealer no matter. The only saving grace is the fact that the newer MB's are a lot more reliable, and do not give serious problems anymore.

Originally Posted by MumBiker

Thanks a ton mate for all those kind words and understanding my dilemma.

i have been at the receiving end from both with Auto Hangars service and some members here, you just showed me a ray of hope.

Thanks androdev once again for all that understanding.

Take it lying down or ohh that's expected was not what i was expecting from my community.

I think, these two statements make it very clear what you are expecting: sympathy.
I empathize with you, but not sympathize.
I offered a practical and realistic solution. It's upto you to decide now.

I felt folks here would advice me on how to get this resolved instead of tearing me apart.

1. Take your car to a FNG, and get it fixed. Simplest, and the best solution.
2. If you wish to stick to an A.S.S., take your car to either Shaman, or better still B.U. Bhandari, Pune.
3. Or else, if you can, just sit and talk to the seniors at Autohangar, and settle the issue amicably.
4. If you wish to fight with Autohangar, try getting the numbers of regional managers of MB, and fight it out.
5. If you can, start defaming them publicly... say park your car outside the dealer gates and do something which will draw the media's attention. I am talking about your news channels and the likes. Start a campaign trying to educate people of MB's after sales attitude.

We expect some luxury and priority service when we buy a big brand. Am i wrong to have expected that ? Why do we have to live with low expectations and Chalta Hai attitude ?

You aren't wrong to expect. However, and this is a fact: the demand for MB's A.S.S. outstrips the supply (i.e. what MB can provide). If you are a businessman, you will know that this is a manufacturer's market.
Wish to bring MB/*insert any other luxury brand* to their knees? Talk people out into buying their products, and make a dent into their monthly sales consistently. Things will change immediately. As of now, I expect things to get only worse, before they get better.

I dont want to bow down my head, fall prey to the system and pick up my car. The simple reason for that is because it will strengthen their belief that they can do it again with someone else.

Respect sir (genuinely!). I hope for the best.

What else can a single user do, except to pour out his/her woes on the social media ?

I come from the world of Open Source and Sharing is Caring is what i believe in.

You say that you come from a world of open source and sharing is caring? Then, you shall certainly be aware of this: 'crows are black everywhere'.
Let's just forget of the internet. This forum has multiple posts on similar issues. While I refrain from commenting from every threads, since I do not necessarily agree with most of the comments posted, however, I am not going to deny that there is a hint of truth in those threads.

I would not over expect from anyone, but please give me whats due to me.

I am just asking them (MB) to reassure me that they have looked into the m,atter and i need not be worried. Is that too much for a manufacturer to do ?

You are certainly right in your stand, however, as you have experienced it yourself; it certainly appears that it is indeed too much for MB to set things right.

So, once again, I sincerely hope that your situation comes to a happy ending. I hope that you can start enjoying the car at the earliest, and if you wish to fight it out with MB and their dealer, let me know, and I will help out in the best way I can.

Please guys i am not fighting any of you, i am fighting against a system thats trying to exploit my situation.

Neither is anyone fighting you. We just showed you a different approach to your situation. If it is unacceptable to you, then we are none the wiser.

Originally Posted by androdev

I am surprised and maybe you wish to elaborate why you are not getting audience (phone call) with the GM of the dealership and an MB representative. They may refuse to offer a solution to your satisfaction but refusing an audience/discussion is very unusual and that is why some of the members feel something is missing here. You can try to find the contact info of MB regional service manages either through the other dealer or fellow members here. The case is incomplete till you discuss it with an MB rep.

Keep us posted.

Very true. @MumBiker, if you do get an audience with the seniors, do post their contacts here. I, for one will be grateful.

Thanks,
Simple_car

[mints21]

What i have noticed is that they are too used to dealing with corporates who send in their vehicles with their chauffeur and don't like to attend to clients who come themselves and know a thing or two about cars.

This is one precise reason that the Auto Hanger realises that an individual can own at the best one or two cars but the corporates have fleets of them. The cars are just sent to the workshop where the chauffeur gets it serviced, the administration department clears the bills and the chairman of the group is not even aware of the small issues the car may have had. Moreover, in the above circumstances what I have seen is in case there is an issue which is brought to the attention of the chairman of a particular corporate then their staff usually speaks to the office of the head of MB and things starts to roll. Mercedes knows for sure that they can't afford to avoid big corporates as they are not only bulk buyers but also change the car every three to four years and are regular customers.

A single owner with 3-4 cars may not matter to them.

I offered a practical and realistic solution. It's upto you to decide now.

The solution offered by each and every member on this thread is very practical and realistic. As of now, the best thing is to settle things amicably and is the opinion of most members.

Both simple_car and Tejas have learned from their experience and have started handling the dealers in their own ways. If things are not working as per you then it is best you devise a strategy and implement it to ensure that your peace of mind is not disturbed.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Simple_car

Cause it is. While, I am not excusing the dealer, but I atleast expect that informed members of this community to approach the service of their cars in a more informed and different way.

@Simple_car, I disagree ;-) please don't take personally.

It is not a rant. I want to thank and encourage people like MumBiker to share their bad experiences. That is how individual consumers can apply pressure on establishments to change for the better. These days not many people book hotels without checking out the feedback on tripadvisor, etc. You actually see hotel managers responding to customers on tripadvisor. We have been seeing such trend on many public forums including team-bhp.

As an informed member of this community, I would strive to get the service I deserve and not strive to work around the dealer's incompetence.

It is unfortunate that individual car owners don't get treated well by Auto Hangar. I am in Bangalore, so can't compare with Mumbai. The day I stop getting "extremely courteous service befitting of a luxury brand" I would stop buying their stupid cars. If they don't treat me well, then I see no point in paying such a premium when equally capable cars are available at much lesser price.

[ad3952n]

Originally Posted by MumBiker

I have 2 Mercedes Benz and regret having bought them for the pathetic service doled out each time by the service centre. Stolen Hub caps, Cigarette Lighters etc. post service have been all too common.

Hi mate, Firstly I would like to say that being an owner of a car brings in responsibility of keeping it in shape which you fulfilled. Now going by your views for the A.S.C; I opine that even the best of the service centres cant be 100% accurate because ultimately they are run by humans like us and not robots but not providing adequate service to you is surely bad on their part which does not make the brand bad. I also would like to inform you that before purchasing the car you should have taken the required info about the service network and believe me our forum would have given a good insight in all respects before you bought the car.

Lastly, I am very surprised that Benz has been non-communicative to you because they have a good reputation in India and they have been competent in maintaining it for so long. In the end I would like to sum up that it was your decision to go for this brand and you were not pushed or forced to buy it. Hence, In my view you change the service centre and what ever is your personal view on this car we respect it as an individual's thought.

Thanks

AD

[mints21]

Dear friend, it has been almost a month when you reported an issue with Auto Hanger. You have not updated the thread thereafter. What is the latest update? We're you able to resolve the issue with auto hanger and what was the outcome of your complainants to all concerned. Please take sometime to update us all on this.

Best wishes