Thanks for the patience, but with utmost despondency, bordering disgust, I will have to report a rather gloomy update on the ensuing case. I have been waiting for some discussions with the aggrieved and getting conclusive information regarding this case, hence did not want to jump the gun.
Like I had said earlier, “appreciation for where it’s due” and the official remark from Skoda offering a definitive deadline for resolution did indeed provide a semblance of rationality to this madness. 10 days after and scores of calls/ discussions later, the aggrieved are still lighter by the amount paid to Senator and Skoda for their car. It has become pointless to harp upon the adage of the joy and aspiration of customers on buying a new car. Specially when we see thousands flock to the nearby showrooms to book and drive away with their families on auspicious occasions right from Diwali till the time the new year sets in. But for some families, incidents like these leave them scarred to the extent that they lose faith in the corporate systems present to apparently make this a joyous time.
How it has played out since the last update:
Senator “Skoda” (not sure if I can call them ‘Senator Skoda’ anymore after they have publicly renounced their relationship with the dealership, but will continue to do so since the Company had ‘Appointed’ them in the past) had issued two post-dated cheques in the first week of December, only to be encashed on the 8th and 10th respectively. This was almost echoing the helplessness of the issuer, as if to say “
Sir! Paise hote toh kya baat hoti?” (If the money was there, then we won’t be fussing about on this issue now!) Reluctantly, this was accepted. I had, on my part, provided the precedence of the earlier case posted on this thread, wherein the customer booking the Superb was issued a cheque that bounced. Needless to say, the cheque presented for payment on the 8th promptly bounced for “lack of sufficient funds”. On calling Mr. Marathe, who now has been posted to AVK Ford, apologies were offered for an apparent ‘accounts department issue’ and a request to re-present the bounced cheque on the 10th and delay the other one till the 11th.
Today, the first cheque has again been declined by the bank due to “insufficient funds”. Hardly surprising! Note: The second cheque has not been presented yet. Toilet paper anyone?
What has Skoda done till now:
- Emailed the Team BHP community pledging their support to this cause. Appreciated.
- Customer Service call to ‘ensure’ this was a ‘genuine concern’. Weird, but I have nothing against validation!
- The aggrieved called back Skoda to enquire what was the outcome of the call made a week back. Mr. Umesh Chaphekar called him back ensuring the aggrieved that they have taken note of this raging issue, and doing the needful. He has also coordinated with ICICI Bank to get all parties involved in the matter on the same platform.
Infact, on the 10th earlier this month, representatives from Senator, Skoda and ICICI Bank had met to discuss these issues; and we have gotten from reliable sources that the bank has been asked to spool out details of loan accounts that have been processed in favor of the now-defunct dealership. However, surprisingly, in an email correspondence from Skoda to the aggrieved as of 2nd December has stated “
we have given Senator Motors 15 days starting 26th November to complete the entire process and provide us with the aforesaid solutions effectively”. As I write now, the 18th day has literally ‘dawned’.
What has the bank done:
I work in a bank, and trust me when I say this, there is no way on Earth and everything true and bright in a day on it, can the bank be oblivious to this scam and perpetrators of unscrupulous activities in Senator. Every bank has a robust system of identifying individuals/ companies who have a chequered past. This is done through scanning their past payment history, analyzing their past relationships and scrutinizing their financial obligations. It is called a ‘Screening’ process. On many occasions, they maintain a local ‘sanctions list’ including person(s) with such past indiscretions. Despite India not having a formalized ‘sanctions list’, a list of fraudulent accounts and willful defaulters are to be reported as part of the Fraud Framework, that has been revised as recently as May of this year.
Now don’t tell me ICICI, the largest private bank in India has such a lopsided operations team, that it doesn’t believe in having systems that automatically red-flagged Senator Motors account. Added to this, the Direct Sales Advisor (DSA) channel representative was introduced, on premises, to the aggrieved by the dealership. Nexus anyone? Hell yeah! At this point in time, ICICI is not in the radar for being a party to the litigation plans, but they are not very far from getting their hands in a dirt bin, they wished they had never sought. As part of an annual compliance reporting to the RBI, the bank is required to report performances of all its ‘outsourced sales function’, and it’ll be very easy to prove that they did not follow due diligence and justified processes before disbursing the loan to a ‘should have been sanctioned’ party.
I wish I had something good to write down; unfortunately for everyone concerned, that seems to be a day to be followed after a long, long night!