Metro Ford suck!! They totalled my Fiesta while testing EDIT: WON the case in court!!

shivasuma · 5th July 2006, 12:14

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and want to share my experience with Metro Ford Bangalore and my Ford car.
I bought a Fiesta 1.4TDCi on Jan 25th at Metro Ford. I was very happy with the car until this below mentioned incident.

After my first service, I took the car out to Tirupathi and at high speeds the car steering felt very vague and vibrated a lot. I went to Metro Ford and thought the car needed alignment and so asked them to check it. This was 20th Feb 2006. At 4.15PM or so the same day I get a call from Metro Ford saying the car had met with a minor accident while testing and that the front bumper had to be replaced. Since my office is very close to Metro Ford I rushed to see the extent of the damage. It seemed to like they had run over something and they wouldnt let me see the complete damage. I decided to let my dad assess the damage( since he is from the automobile industry). The next day we went to their repair centre and we were shocked to see the damage. I was told by their personnel that the damage was about 1.5-1.75 lakhs. Apparently while testing at high speed(110+ Kmph), the mechanic had lost control of the car and run over a divider. The underbody had been completed damaged and the transmission unit had been dislodged on one side(the big fat bolt and nut had broken) and just hanging by the 2nd bolt. There was extensive damage to the left suspension and radiator and other parts. The alloy wheels were bent due to the impact.

The service manager then approached us and said that Metro Ford would repair the car free of cost. But my dad and I were apprehensive about the structural integrity of the car and also the value of the car after the accident. We flatly refused to accept the repaired car since this was a major accident and not a "minor" one as they made it sound. Initially, they even had the audacity to ask me to avail my insurance towards repair and they would pay me whatever no-claim bonus I would lose. After that one of their own representatives, whom I know personally, told me not to take the repaired car as it was badly damaged. So I asked them to give me a new car since my car was barely 3 weeks old and run about 1500kms. The service manager said that that was not in their policy. I gave him about a weeks time to talk to the management about it. After a week when I did not receive a response from him, I sent him a legal notice. They wouldn't budge from their stance and so I had to file a complaint in the consumer court.

Since then the service manager has been trying to convince me to take the repaired car but I refused. He sent also sent a letter to the court saying I was non-cooperative and that I was trying to blackmail them and make money. All I asked was a new car. Because of Metro Ford's inefficient and incompetent service I had to buy another car( on loan) and have to go thru all this.
As of now, the hearing is set for the 21st of July and probably the judgement too. The service manager had called me about 3 weeks ago to settle this out of court and I met him. He said he would give me a new car but I had to shell out a lakh rupees. I told him I couldnt afford it and he went back saying he would talk to his management. I haven't heard from him yet. I just got to know that they had repaired the car without my permission.

I just want people to know how Metro Ford takes its customers for granted. Also, complaining to Ford India was useless, because they washed their hands off saying it was between me and Metro Ford. They don't care about the reputation of their dealers. I hope I get justice because after having spent nearly 8.6 lahks, I don't want to take a repaired car which has lost its value. And I have serious doubts regarding the state of the chassis after the accident though Metro Ford claims its new technology and the chassis was not damaged ( which I personally think is B.S).
I think I made the right decision to go to court.

Funny part, the service manager told me this had happened with others too and they had accepted repaired cars and I was the only one who was being adamant. The statement shows how good they are at service.

Suhas

deepakhon · 5th July 2006, 12:21

Hi Suhas,

It is very unfortunate that you had to go through all this. You definitely did the right thing to go to the consumer court. I sincerely hope that you will win this case and get a new car from Metro Ford.

All the best,

humyum · 5th July 2006, 12:35

I think u should see to it that u get a new car or full refund+compensation.Blow the hell out of them until your demands are fulfilled.This is a horrible incident man.Consumer courts are consumer friendly and yours is a clear cut case.U will get a new car or refund as asap.BEST OF LUCK

satish_appasani · 5th July 2006, 13:02

I believe you have done the right thing. As you said the dealer has already repaired the car, do you have the pics of the damaged car? The dealer may say to the court that the car has minor damage and show the repaired car.

If they are same people who own the Metro Ford in Hyderabad, then i believe they will do this. I went to them to enquire about new car. Their attitude was so bad that i walked out in 3 min after i entered the showroom.

Yes, many dealers show that attitude, "Everybody accept what we do. So why not you". I feel like saying "Everybody accepts me kicking them." and kick him in.....

Jaggu · 5th July 2006, 13:15

This indeed is an unfortunate incident and i think going to the courts is the right course of action. All the very best and do keep us posted on the outcome.

FORD as a company should seriously look into such issues instead of washing off their hands.

shivasuma · 5th July 2006, 13:30

Hi Satish,

Yes, I do have the pics of the damage and also a report from a chartered engineer with the damage done. Initially when I sent that particular engineer to write a report, he made the report supporting Metro Ford saying everything can be repaired/changed and the vehicle can be brought back to the same condition and wouldn't lose any value. I was baffled by this report. Then my dad who knows the auto industry well, called up that engineer and blasted him and asked him to just give a report about the damage done. Just after a few minutes we get a call from the service manager of Metro Ford asking to meet us regarding the change of report. Thats when we got to know that this engineer was known to the Metro Ford guy and was a regular CE hired by them to assess damaged cars. But now I have the complete true report plus the pictures.
If given an option I will opt for a complete refund + compensation since I want nothing to do with Metro Ford. I don't trust those guys anymore.

naveendhyani · 5th July 2006, 15:19

hi shivashuma, welcome on board and sorry to hear ur experience with metro ford. from what i cud make out they have really made a mess of what seemed a more logical reason plus giving u all the BS for their mess. in the consumer court u should not only fight for a new vehicle (or the complete OTR cost of the car, since u have already bought a new car), but for ur legal expenses & damages.

# the new car cost for screwing up ur car which they used as a playground.
# the legal expenses for u incurring all the costs during the court case.
# damages for u to spend so much time & energy plus it will act as a notice for them to stop giving such bull$hit to consumers from now on. IMHO this should be substancial as this should act as a deterrant.

you should also seek unconditional & written apology from them regarding the same.

good luck for the hearing, keep us posted.

shivasuma · 5th July 2006, 16:57

Thanks guys for the encouragement.

Hi Naveen,
I have asked compensation(daily travel cost + interest on the loan I have taken + additional compensation) along with the legal costs. The worst part is I am paying EMI on the car without having the car. I am in talks with my bank to stop the EMI payment until the case is settled.

naveendhyani · 5th July 2006, 17:33

i dont think the bank guys will b able 2 do much help with this but u sure can take a notification from the consumer court on the 21st (i guess thats the date for the next hearing) to stop payment until the case is settled. most likely they wud rather have u pay the EMIs just in case they decide 2 replace ur car.

also consumer courts are really fast so i hope everything will fall into place sooner than later.

200mph · 5th July 2006, 17:59

hey man really bad to hear what happened with you, just incase they give you a replacement make sure that its not a BS test drive car or something and they dont chnage the parts and fit the ones out of your old ones these people are really sick and you never know of them. best of luck and just dont be so sure of the judgement being on the 21st only, am studying law thats why am saying this, the indian judicial system is sometimes dAMNN slow. hopfully though this should not happen in your case.

shivasuma · 18th July 2006, 16:58

Hi guys,
I need help with the email address of CNBC TV18 Uncovered program. I want to send my complaint against Metro Ford to them but I am unable to do it through their website because of some Java programming error. I would appreciate if anyone here could give me the email ID to where I can send my complaint.
Thanks,

Suhas

s.prashanth · 18th July 2006, 17:20

Sue them for a new car I got Maruti to replace my defective esteem in 2003, after having used the car for 14months, I did pay the difference for the Baleno

naveendhyani · 18th July 2006, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by shivasuma

Hi guys,
I need help with the email address of CNBC TV18 Uncovered program. I want to send my complaint against Metro Ford to them but I am unable to do it through their website because of some Java programming error. I would appreciate if anyone here could give me the email ID to where I can send my complaint.
Thanks,

Suhas

u got it. send a mail to bivek.law@tv18online.com & cc to vivek.law@tv18online.com. pls bcc that 2 me at naveen_dhyani@yahoo.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by s.prashanth

Sue them for a new car I got Maruti to replace my defective esteem in 2003, after having used the car for 14months, I did pay the difference for the Baleno

good on u prasanth. one must fight for ur rights.

GTO · 18th July 2006, 18:02

Hi Shiva

I am extremely sorry to hear about your misfortune on the Ford Fiesta, and the dealer had no right to be test-driving a brand new car at 100 - 120 km/h. Lets get one thing straight here - You are going to have to put up a strong fight.

In each and every discussion with them, talk tough. You have been wronged and make it clear to them that they will have to bend over backward to set things right. Hire the services of a pro-grade consumer lawyer. Look within your city or use the contact I used in my case against Mercedes (www.icrpc.org)

Take help of the press in this. If there is one thing that business' dont like, its bad publicity. Post this exact same review on mouthshut.com. Write to the Autocarindia help desk (help@autocarindia.com). They will get in touch with Ford India with absolute certainty.

Dont mean to discourage you, but you are going to lose some $$$ in any situation. For e.g., even if Ford does give you a brand new car, your finance company will not "transfer" the loan on the existing car to the new one. Meaning, you will be paying some loan foreclosure charges. The key is to minimise damage.

Please do feel free to contact me if you need any help in particular.

GTO

GTO · 18th July 2006, 18:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by suman

The topic has been modified incorrectly. If I'm not mistaken, its a Fiesta they totalled not an Ikon

THanks. Done.

GTO

5th July 2006, 12:14	#1
shivasuma BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 872 Thanked: 469 Times	Metro Ford suck!! They totalled my Fiesta while testing EDIT: WON the case in court!! Hi all, I am new to this forum and want to share my experience with Metro Ford Bangalore and my Ford car. I bought a Fiesta 1.4TDCi on Jan 25th at Metro Ford. I was very happy with the car until this below mentioned incident. After my first service, I took the car out to Tirupathi and at high speeds the car steering felt very vague and vibrated a lot. I went to Metro Ford and thought the car needed alignment and so asked them to check it. This was 20th Feb 2006. At 4.15PM or so the same day I get a call from Metro Ford saying the car had met with a minor accident while testing and that the front bumper had to be replaced. Since my office is very close to Metro Ford I rushed to see the extent of the damage. It seemed to like they had run over something and they wouldnt let me see the complete damage. I decided to let my dad assess the damage( since he is from the automobile industry). The next day we went to their repair centre and we were shocked to see the damage. I was told by their personnel that the damage was about 1.5-1.75 lakhs. Apparently while testing at high speed(110+ Kmph), the mechanic had lost control of the car and run over a divider. The underbody had been completed damaged and the transmission unit had been dislodged on one side(the big fat bolt and nut had broken) and just hanging by the 2nd bolt. There was extensive damage to the left suspension and radiator and other parts. The alloy wheels were bent due to the impact. The service manager then approached us and said that Metro Ford would repair the car free of cost. But my dad and I were apprehensive about the structural integrity of the car and also the value of the car after the accident. We flatly refused to accept the repaired car since this was a major accident and not a "minor" one as they made it sound. Initially, they even had the audacity to ask me to avail my insurance towards repair and they would pay me whatever no-claim bonus I would lose. After that one of their own representatives, whom I know personally, told me not to take the repaired car as it was badly damaged. So I asked them to give me a new car since my car was barely 3 weeks old and run about 1500kms. The service manager said that that was not in their policy. I gave him about a weeks time to talk to the management about it. After a week when I did not receive a response from him, I sent him a legal notice. They wouldn't budge from their stance and so I had to file a complaint in the consumer court. Since then the service manager has been trying to convince me to take the repaired car but I refused. He sent also sent a letter to the court saying I was non-cooperative and that I was trying to blackmail them and make money. All I asked was a new car. Because of Metro Ford's inefficient and incompetent service I had to buy another car( on loan) and have to go thru all this. As of now, the hearing is set for the 21st of July and probably the judgement too. The service manager had called me about 3 weeks ago to settle this out of court and I met him. He said he would give me a new car but I had to shell out a lakh rupees. I told him I couldnt afford it and he went back saying he would talk to his management. I haven't heard from him yet. I just got to know that they had repaired the car without my permission. I just want people to know how Metro Ford takes its customers for granted. Also, complaining to Ford India was useless, because they washed their hands off saying it was between me and Metro Ford. They don't care about the reputation of their dealers. I hope I get justice because after having spent nearly 8.6 lahks, I don't want to take a repaired car which has lost its value. And I have serious doubts regarding the state of the chassis after the accident though Metro Ford claims its new technology and the chassis was not damaged ( which I personally think is B.S). I think I made the right decision to go to court. Funny part, the service manager told me this had happened with others too and they had accepted repaired cars and I was the only one who was being adamant. The statement shows how good they are at service. Suhas
	(3) Thanks

5th July 2006, 12:21	#2
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 66 Times	Hi Suhas, It is very unfortunate that you had to go through all this. You definitely did the right thing to go to the consumer court. I sincerely hope that you will win this case and get a new car from Metro Ford. All the best,
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 12:35	#3
humyum Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,793 Thanked: 5,619 Times	I think u should see to it that u get a new car or full refund+compensation.Blow the hell out of them until your demands are fulfilled.This is a horrible incident man.Consumer courts are consumer friendly and yours is a clear cut case.U will get a new car or refund as asap.BEST OF LUCK Last edited by Rehaan : 9th August 2006 at 07:35.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 13:02	#4
satish_appasani Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,113 Thanked: 105 Times View My Garage	I believe you have done the right thing. As you said the dealer has already repaired the car, do you have the pics of the damaged car? The dealer may say to the court that the car has minor damage and show the repaired car. If they are same people who own the Metro Ford in Hyderabad, then i believe they will do this. I went to them to enquire about new car. Their attitude was so bad that i walked out in 3 min after i entered the showroom. Yes, many dealers show that attitude, "Everybody accept what we do. So why not you". I feel like saying "Everybody accepts me kicking them." and kick him in..... Last edited by satish_appasani : 5th July 2006 at 13:05.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 13:15	#5
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,383 Thanked: 16,896 Times	This indeed is an unfortunate incident and i think going to the courts is the right course of action. All the very best and do keep us posted on the outcome. FORD as a company should seriously look into such issues instead of washing off their hands.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 13:30	#6
shivasuma BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 872 Thanked: 469 Times	Hi Satish, Yes, I do have the pics of the damage and also a report from a chartered engineer with the damage done. Initially when I sent that particular engineer to write a report, he made the report supporting Metro Ford saying everything can be repaired/changed and the vehicle can be brought back to the same condition and wouldn't lose any value. I was baffled by this report. Then my dad who knows the auto industry well, called up that engineer and blasted him and asked him to just give a report about the damage done. Just after a few minutes we get a call from the service manager of Metro Ford asking to meet us regarding the change of report. Thats when we got to know that this engineer was known to the Metro Ford guy and was a regular CE hired by them to assess damaged cars. But now I have the complete true report plus the pictures. If given an option I will opt for a complete refund + compensation since I want nothing to do with Metro Ford. I don't trust those guys anymore.
	(1) Thanks

5th July 2006, 15:19	#7
naveendhyani BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 542 Thanked: 9 Times	hi shivashuma, welcome on board and sorry to hear ur experience with metro ford. from what i cud make out they have really made a mess of what seemed a more logical reason plus giving u all the BS for their mess. in the consumer court u should not only fight for a new vehicle (or the complete OTR cost of the car, since u have already bought a new car), but for ur legal expenses & damages. # the new car cost for screwing up ur car which they used as a playground. # the legal expenses for u incurring all the costs during the court case. # damages for u to spend so much time & energy plus it will act as a notice for them to stop giving such bull$hit to consumers from now on. IMHO this should be substancial as this should act as a deterrant. you should also seek unconditional & written apology from them regarding the same. good luck for the hearing, keep us posted.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 16:57	#8
shivasuma BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 872 Thanked: 469 Times	Thanks guys for the encouragement. Hi Naveen, I have asked compensation(daily travel cost + interest on the loan I have taken + additional compensation) along with the legal costs. The worst part is I am paying EMI on the car without having the car. I am in talks with my bank to stop the EMI payment until the case is settled.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 17:33	#9
naveendhyani BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 542 Thanked: 9 Times	i dont think the bank guys will b able 2 do much help with this but u sure can take a notification from the consumer court on the 21st (i guess thats the date for the next hearing) to stop payment until the case is settled. most likely they wud rather have u pay the EMIs just in case they decide 2 replace ur car. also consumer courts are really fast so i hope everything will fall into place sooner than later.
	() Thanks

5th July 2006, 17:59	#10
200mph BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: new delhi Posts: 166 Thanked: Once	hey man really bad to hear what happened with you, just incase they give you a replacement make sure that its not a BS test drive car or something and they dont chnage the parts and fit the ones out of your old ones these people are really sick and you never know of them. best of luck and just dont be so sure of the judgement being on the 21st only, am studying law thats why am saying this, the indian judicial system is sometimes dAMNN slow. hopfully though this should not happen in your case.
	() Thanks

18th July 2006, 16:58	#11
shivasuma BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 872 Thanked: 469 Times	Need Help Hi guys, I need help with the email address of CNBC TV18 Uncovered program. I want to send my complaint against Metro Ford to them but I am unable to do it through their website because of some Java programming error. I would appreciate if anyone here could give me the email ID to where I can send my complaint. Thanks, Suhas
	() Thanks

18th July 2006, 17:20	#12
s.prashanth BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 365 Thanked: 85 Times	Sue them for a new car I got Maruti to replace my defective esteem in 2003, after having used the car for 14months, I did pay the difference for the Baleno
	() Thanks

18th July 2006, 18:02	#14
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 72,163 Thanked: 314,840 Times View My Garage	Hi Shiva I am extremely sorry to hear about your misfortune on the Ford Fiesta, and the dealer had no right to be test-driving a brand new car at 100 - 120 km/h. Lets get one thing straight here - You are going to have to put up a strong fight. In each and every discussion with them, talk tough. You have been wronged and make it clear to them that they will have to bend over backward to set things right. Hire the services of a pro-grade consumer lawyer. Look within your city or use the contact I used in my case against Mercedes (www.icrpc.org) Take help of the press in this. If there is one thing that business' dont like, its bad publicity. Post this exact same review on mouthshut.com. Write to the Autocarindia help desk (help@autocarindia.com). They will get in touch with Ford India with absolute certainty. Dont mean to discourage you, but you are going to lose some $$$ in any situation. For e.g., even if Ford does give you a brand new car, your finance company will not "transfer" the loan on the existing car to the new one. Meaning, you will be paying some loan foreclosure charges. The key is to minimise damage. Please do feel free to contact me if you need any help in particular. GTO Last edited by Rudra Sen : 18th July 2006 at 18:53.
	(1) Thanks

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