An further update fellow motor-heads.
19th June 2014
Post my email to Customer Service Department at Honda, and to the owners of the Shaman Group, tables have turned overnight.
I replied to the email sent to me by the owners of the group with following reply
Dear XXX,
Thank you for understanding, I really expected similar levels of service from the front end team. What I simply expected from your team is delivering on commitments which they haven't done and on the top of everything didn't expect arrogance.
I tried to reach Mr. Sandeep Singhal yesterday, but no body from your team was ready to connect me through him. On the top of it, Girish says, "You can refund the money and go, I have other customers waiting. Unfortunately, this is when I had to take harsh course of action of getting Honda Car India into picture.
Thanks,
Minutes of me sending this mail, I get an immediate response from their VP Sales
Dear Mr XXXji ,
Thank you for your mail which I have read with a lot of concern & pain .
While extending my sincerest & personal apologies for this sad experience , I would like to meet up with you & sort out this issue to change your impression of our organization !
In the meantime , I did try and call you up to talk to you but unfortunately could not connect . I have also sent you an SMS in this regard .
If you could kindly let me know a convenient time for us to talk telephonically , and also fix up for a personal meeting .
Waiting for a confirmation .
Warm regards
XXX
This mail hits me at 14:00 hrs in the afternoon, I get a call from him at 14:30 once again. And out of no where, I get a car allotted to me, White Honda City SV-CVT. He requests me to get the car evaluated at showroom, and post my confirmation would proceed for further proceedings. Plus, I receive an confirmatory email for the same from his side.
Dear XXXji !
A pleasure to talk to you a while back !
Once again ,my sincere apologies for the “painful” (that is the most appropriate word which comes to my mind immediately) experience !
As discussed , we hope to correct this and have you change your mind about our organization ! Believe me , this is NOT the way we at Shaman deal with our valued customers !
In the meantime , as conveyed , we have arranged for a White colour City Sv-CVT against your order in the name of M/s Mahindra Retail . The car is being called to Mumbai and hopefully should be there at the Bhandup Showroom by tomorrow . No sooner does it come , we will inform you so that you can inspect the car personally , and then give the go ahead for the further process .
Hoping this meets up to your expectation .
Warm regards
XXX
20th June 2014
As confirmed today morning armed with PDI Checklist, I reach the Showroom at 10:45 in the morning. I am greeted by the receptionists. I ask for Girish, the main hero of our story.
Well, he hasn't reached the store yet, so then I ask for Sushant, he comes within a minute and greets me. So I greet him with an interesting question "How was your last evening?" As I am discussing about the car further, Girish joins in. The first thing he blurts out, "Sir I am personally Very Sorry".
Between all this my colleague drops by, the car is ready outside the dealership, and we proceed to check the car.
We check the car thoroughly using the checklist, decode the VIN, and figure out that the car is June 2014 manufactured product. We ask him to put the car on ramp so that we can inspect under chassis for any visible damage. Don't find any and therefore pay the remaining balance of 1.44 lacs and not 1.66 lacs that we thought earlier and proceed to work.
Posting some snaps of the car.
Front View
Side View
More snaps probably at the time of delivery.
Further update,
As I type this, I get this response from Team Honda
Dear Mr. XXX,
This is in reference to your trailing mail received by us.
At the outset we sincerely regret to learn of your feedback. It is the true connoisseurs like your good self who take the time to tell us what they feel and give us and our dealerships an opportunity to improvise .
Sir, post receiving your feedback we have taken up the matter with the higher authority at the dealership and we sincerely apologize on their behalf, we wish to assure you that our dealership have taken counter measures to ensure that such incidence do not reoccur in future. Further Sr. official of our dealership are trying to get in touch with you for necessary resolution of your concern. We are sure your future interaction with our dealership would assure you of the same .
Please be assured that at Honda, any of our customer concern is resolved with utmost care.
Thanking you and assuring you of a joyous association with Honda.
Regards,
Axxx
Customer Relationship Management
Honda Cars India Ltd., Greater Noida
PS- Some questions still unanswered, from where did this car suddenly come overnight? Though the VP told me that he his transferring someone else's car to our name. And the doubt that I seriously have is, this car was always supposed to be car to be allotted to us and Girish was not allotting it to us due to his Ego Issues.
Second question, what if we didn't have access to owners of the dealership? The kind of silly reply I have received from Honda, I think I would have to be at the mercy at dealers.