[1lokesh]

Came across this Facebook post today doing rounds on my timeline. MSIL and Pasco Motors (Nexa showroom by MSIL in Gurgaon) seem to be hand in glove for the sufferings of a poor guy who was a die-hard Maruti fan. They delivered him a used car / demo car in disguise of a brand new vehicle. The ordeal of this gentleman is quite depressing for anyone planning to buy a new car, especially from a Nexa showroom. I just shared this post with one of my friend who was interested in buying the new Baleno. May be it will help him in planning the purchase in a better way.

Is this how Maruti Suzuki guys plan to make their presence felt in Premium Cars segment? For me any brand is as good as its representatives and dealers. Nexa or no Nexa.

I shall fight and I shall win! Lend me your support. ‪#‎PascoFiasco‬

Pasco Gurgaon Maruti Nexa Dealership Cheats Customer : Sells Used & Faulty SCross As New

Summary:

· Pasco Gurgaon delivers a used SCross (driven 322 kms at the time of delivery) at the price of new. Claims this was ‘normal’ due to 'testing' and ‘transporting’

· Several issues in the car surface including reverse gear jamming, bubbling/vibration, worn out car keys, faulty reverse camera, missing service booklet and misspelling in temp certificate which were immediately reported

· The car was picked back multiple times and has been with the dealership virtually for over 2 months for the above issues which continue to resurface

· Pasco Gurgaon refuses to return or exchange the car and offers free accessories worth Rs 10,000 to ‘ignore’ the 322 kms driven issue

· Maruti sales team steps in on escalating to Maruti with emails to several senior executives, but washes its hands off and hands over the case to Service team.

· Maruti Service Team technicians acknowledge the reverse gear fault during a 30-min test drive but send a false ‘OK’ report later denying the issues

· Consumer case notice sent to Pasco Gurgaon and Maruti

· Pasco Gurgaon denies all charges and arm-twists via notice to impose Rs 10,000 / day fine if the replacement car isn’t returned and threat calls from Gurgaon Police falsely implicating the customer

· Consumer returns replacement vehicle and files case against Pasco Gurgaon and Maruti

# The ‘holiday shopping’ at Pasco Gurgaon:

I've been a loyal Maruti customer for decades. My first tryst with Maruti happened when my father discarded his Premier Padmini for a swanky red 800 (old shape) when I was 15 or so. I have since owned a number of Maruti vehicles including a Zen and the rare Baleno Altura Hatchback (which I still own, and swear by). And then something happened that changed my opinion about Maruti: NEXA - Maruti's premium dealership network. Nexa would cater to the more premium segment of customers and sell only the more expensive cars including the new Baleno and SCROSS - the premium crossover.

As much as I love it, my Baleno was turning old. My work requires me to commute from Noida to Gurgaon every day. In December 2015, I test drove the SCross and liked it instantly. I got in touch with sales representative Manish Manchanda of NEXA PASCO GURGAON who offered me the SCross in the colour I had been looking for - the only one in stock that could be delivered immediately.

Excited about enjoying my new year holidays with family driving out of town, I booked the car on December 20th, 2015. I was told by Rajiv Bhatia, GM, Pasco Gurgaon that the vehicle could only be delivered the next day after fitting the alloys, and other accessories. The next day being Monday (a working day for me), they assured that the vehicle would be delivered in a truck during the day at my office. 'Hum baithe hain na, sir!' the reassuring statement from Rajiv with a smile sealed it for me. 'Premium service! Nexa has arrived' - I told my wife.

# Beginning of the nightmare:

On 21 December, a dozen phone calls and follow ups later, I was told by Manish that he was delayed and the car would reach well before 6 pm at my office. At 6 pm, Manish confirmed that he had started from Gurgaon. On my sharing that my office would be closed by the time he would reach, he insisted that he'll drop it directly at my residence in Noida. With my scheduled holiday around the corner and a dozen things to close at work the next day, I agreed. Finally, at 10 pm, Manish arrived at our residence followed by the Scross loaded on a truck. He looked tired and we were half asleep. So he quickly handed us a bouquet of flowers and some chocolates and signed off. 'Premium Nexa!' my wife exclaimed this time. But hey, where was the Service Booklet? 'I seemed to have forgotten it at the showroom. Don't worry, we'll send it to you, Manish said. 'And wait, my name is misspelt on the temporary registration?!' I pointed out. 'Is it? We'll correct that', he promptly replied before leaving.

After Manish left, we decided to take the car to the Gurudwara for a small ritual. As I started the car, I noticed the meter reading showed 322 kms already! One would ideally expect a new car to show zero reading or at max 15-20 kms, as dealers use trucks to transport cars and even charge a few thousand rupees as 'handling charges' as part of the car cost from customers. After taking a photo of the meter, I called Manish, who was still on his way back. 'This is normal practice, sir!' he said in his ever reassuring voice. 'We test drive every car for quality and then the car arrives from the factory to our showroom, so you see...'. Aap gaadi chalao.. don't worry. Hum baithe hain na!' 'May be you’re thinking too much,' my wife said, and we decided to go for a spin. During the drive, I felt the car was not very stable and would wobble even on a smooth road. 'The car key buttons don't seem to be working' my nephew who joined us on the way to Gurudwara pointed out. I asked him to try the other key. 'Why do these keys look worn out? They are scratched all over. You sure you've bought a new car? He joked. I took a close look. He was right. The keys carried more scratches than that of my over-a-decade-old Baleno. I took photos of the same to take up the issue with Pasco the next day. By then, my nephew confirmed he felt the same wobbling while driving as I did. The excitement of a new car had died by then. The last straw to the experience was when I tried to park the car. The reverse gear refused to engage. I checked if I was engaging it the right way. May be there was a different way to it which Manish had forgotten to share. There wasn't. It would just not engage. After struggling with it for some time, it finally did engage and I parked it. The trouble had just begun! I should have not got the delivery at home, I kept thinking the whole night. I hope we're able to make it to our holiday in our new car. May be Rajiv Bhatia will help. After all, it's a premium dealership - I assured myself.

# The ordeal had just begun:

The following day, after a few phone calls to Pasco Gurgaon and an email to their service team to look into the matter, they apologised and picked the car back. Despite my repeated requests to return or replace the car, Manish and Rajiv kept insisting that it was not an option as their ‘senior has declined the request’ and that it was ‘absolutely normal’ for a new car to be driven that much and that they would look into the other issues. The same car was sent back the next day with a personalised call from Pasco Gurgaon GM Rajiv Bhatia saying “Sir, hum baithe hain na… We have solved all the issues. Aaap gaadi chalao. After that, we will do whatever you please.” I also received an email promising to issue a fresh set of keys to me. And just when I thought of focusing on our family holiday for which we had to drive out of town only a day later, the reverse gear of the car again started acting up- so much that I had to manually push it out of parking space a few times. It would unpredictably get stuck once in every 3-4 times.

This time, a ‘technician’ from Pasco visited my office, surprisingly, without any tools or gadgets, suggesting that he would ‘reset some wires’ under the bonnet which might be causing the reverse gear issue. I explained to him that the issue occurs only after long drives, and unpredictably, and not every time, so there was no way I could confirm instantly After spending quick 5 minutes fiddling with wires inside the bonnet, he Okayed the car from his side. “ho gaya, sir! Ab problem nahi hogi.” But as anticipated the issue resurfaced and I ended up pushing the car into the parking space. I was so done with all this!

Once again, Pasco offered to pick the car. This time I insisted I needed a replacement car till my issue was completely resolved, to which they agreed. We had to by this time push our holiday plan. A day later, they dropped the car back claiming the gear issue has been resolved and the car was ready to be taken anywhere. Trusting them, we started on our trip and during the journey the gear would every once in a while act stubborn, just like before.
This was getting serious. I had spent 8.85 lakhs rupees on a new car. And what I was receiving was anything but a new car experience, let alone premium! We decided to cut short our holiday and return to Delhi.
I consulted some auto expert friends, all of who suggested that it was not normal for a new car to have driven 322 kms at the time of delivery. And that the reverse gear issue was certainly not something that could be ignored. The car must have been used for demo/test drives by the dealership. Other brands/dealers normally sell off such cars at huge discounts. Volvo recently gave an ad in the paper offering as much as 25% off on such cars, for example.

# Maruti gets involved; Pasco Gurgaon goes from acknowledgement to suppression: “Maamla khatm karte hain na, sir!”:

The gear issue was not sorted and so my car was picked once again by PASCO on complaining and a replacement car was issued to me.
I decided to escalate the matter to Maruti, so I filed a complaint with Maruti Customer Care online and and wrote a detailed email to some of their senior executives with my concerns. While one Stuti Gandhi from Maruti sales team was quick to respond, she was equally quick to handover the case to Amit Verma of Maruti Service Team even as I insisted that it was a sales issue – that of ‘delivering’ a used and faulty car. I also insisted Maruti to me give in writing that it was normal for their cars to be driven over 300 km before delivery and that the gear issue has been resolved completely. Days went by. I wrote a series of emails to multiple senior officers. Posted tweets. And then, Mr Rajiv Bhatia, GM Pasco called me saying – “Sir, maamla lamba kyo kheechte ho.. pareshaani aap ko hi hogi.” Confirming that the Maruti team has sorted the gear issue, he offered me to accept Rs 10,000 worth of free accessories only if I were to ignore the fact that the vehicle was driven 322 km at the time of delivery.

I decided to go and meet Amit Verma – Service Manager, Maruti who assured me that he would join me in a test drive of the vehicle. On 24 January, 3 Maruti accompanied me to test-drive the car parked at Pasco Gurgaon workshop and the reverse gear got stuck atleast 8 out of 20 times during the 30 minute drive. Amit Verma and his colleagues took turns to drive the car and experienced/acknowledged the snag. While they claimed the car had a smart chip to log all faults, this fault which was evident, was something the car chip could not have detected, they agreed. Amit Verma and his two team-mates promised to share a fair report with me and Maruti the following day. I informed Rajiv Bhatia the same and left. After reminding Amit Verma for the report, I was shocked to see an email from him saying that the technical examination revealed no issues. On calling him, his reply was “sir, samjho aap… while I understand your issue, we can only write what we are allowed to write. We have a job to protect”!! In this entire 2 month episode, the car had been me barely for a week.

I was convinced I was being duped by Pasco and that Maruti had become a party to it. I consulted my lawyer friends and sent Pasco and Maruti a Legal Notice. In response to this, Ashwini from Maruti Service and Rajiv Bhatia from Pasco Gurgaon requested to meet in person and ‘discuss’ the issue – “aap jahan kahoge hum aa jayenge, sir” Rajiv Bhatia had insisted. A meeting was fixed for 12 noon, February 06 at a coffee shop in Noida. At the time of meeting, I along with my legal counsel waited at the designated coffee shop for 2.5 hours while Manish, Ashwini and Rajiv kept telling us that they were ‘on the way’. Since I had a flight to catch and my counsel had other business to attend, we finally left at 2:30 pm after Manish told they would take 30 more minutes to reach. With no reason left to trust this team, I asked them to suggest their solution on email. Instead of emails, Instead, on phone, I was told by the 3 gentlemen "Jo app chah rahe hain, wo to nahi hoga" in a rather threatening tone.

# Eventual denial and arm-twisting by Pasco:

A couple of days later, while I was traveling, I received a reply to my legal notice formally denying all charges (including the fact that the car was driven before delivery). In addition, I was sent a formal notice from Pasco, threatening to impose a fine of Rs 10,000/day and face ‘police action’ if I did not return their replacement car. The shocker came when I got a call from the Gurgaon Police asking me to return ‘Pasco’s demo vehicle’ (the replacement car). I explained to them that I was out of town and that Pasco had given this car to me as there were issues with the car delivered to me. The policeman (claimed to be the SHO) said he was approached by Rajiv Bhatia of Pasco that I was illegally detaining Pasco’s demo car, and that they will file a formal FIR if I did not return the car.

Harassed with all this, I returned the replacement car to Pasco. To my surprise, even as Pasco picked the vehicle, the driver refused to sign on an acknowledgement letter that referred to the car as a ‘Replacement Vehicle’ and instead insisted on referring to it as a ‘demo car they had given to me to drive’.

Now, over 2.5 months later, after having made full down payment of 8.85 lakhs and several visits to Pasco Dealership and workshop, I am left with no car and no choice but to fight a legal battle against the two giants – Pasco and Maruti. I have spent numerous days on the issue – from writing emails to seeking advice on the matter from friends and experts. My emails to Maruti senior executives are falling on deaf ears. The only choice these giants are now offering me is to accept their used and faulty car for the price of a new one. That’s Maruti Nexa premium dealership for you - Hum Baithe Hai Na, Sir!

- Amit Gundh
(Maruti Complaint Ref ID 1070314)

Source with supporting pictures.

P.S.: Mods please delete or merge this thread in appropriate discussion if it goes against the forum guidelines or is a repeat.

[glenmz]

Maruti was the last manufacturer from whom I expected this. I had a lot of faith and trust in Maruti and their customer care. Now, I am skeptical!
Thanks for sharing.

[AkMar]

Wow. This takes the NEXA "premium" experience to an all new level! As if all the bad experiences of BHPians were not enough, this one takes the cake This further reinforces the belief that NEXA is just a sham. They are nothing different than regular dealers operating under a different banner, equally unethical & equally willing to cheat unsuspecting customers.

Dear MSIL, Your NEXA is a FAILURE. Time to accept it now.

The 322 kms should have set the buyer's alarm bells ringing, though.

[vijit.gangwar]

In such situations it would always help to write to the Japanese executives at MSIL. Probably even to Ayukawa.

[kartavya]

I will tell you what, my friend just got a C class. The dealer in Ahmedabad told him that there is a car ready for delivery to another customer at the Surat showroom which they can give him since he was eager. He sent me the pictures of the car the dealer sent him from Surat and the name plate had C class mentioned on it just like you would have on a display car. It was also besides other such display cars. I told him to confirm this, but the dealer was adamant the car wasn't a display car saying that they have a different bay area for delivery cars. I also noticed in the picture the car had no plastic civer on seats or anywhere in the interiors. He isn't a fussy buyer so just took the delivery of the car, but I am sure he has been handed a display car.

This seems to be becoming a common practice and the buyers and us need to start getting fussy about it. Its such a shame to see him spend 45L on a car while knowing it is a display car.

Shame on the nexa dealers as well. Surely there is way he can contact and get it sorted with the top heirarchy.

[rdhawan15]

a) The buyer should have been more diligent at the time of taking delivery. How could he accept a vehicle with a reading of 322 Kms in the first place?

b) All dealers seem to be interested in making smart money at the expense of customers, be it the case of Maruti or another manufacturer.

c) In this case, the follow-up action that Suzuki Motors will take is of significance. If Suzuki throws its weight behind the customer, there is no way Pasco can get away from the clear fraud they have committed.

d) It would be interesting to see if Maruti takes any action, if at all, against the erring Nexa dealership.

I am hopeful that this issue may get sorted out soon due to the extent of damage that this thread can cause to other Nexa dealerships and Suzuki Motors as such.

I am definitely listening for quick updates !!!

[humyum]

I am horrified to hear this situation, specially when Maruti is the king of after sales service and taking care of its customers.

Let me find some follies with some of their explanation.

1) A brand new car will not have scratched key piece. Period. There can't be any discussion on this. They willing to issue new keys itself is a signal that they know what's going on.

2) NO Maruti Showroom test drives a car for quality, the quality check is done before its dispatched and the PDI is done at the yard which is a very basic one to check for everything working. A 322 km PDI is out of scope and has nothing to be discussed. Its cheating. Period. If they say that its a norm, ask them to give it in writing.

3) Faulty gear engagement scenario in your case cannot be fixed with any wires. Period.

He should go ahead with a case, I would have loved to help him with the technicalities if he was in Mumbai and I could have looked at it, but if you need a technical perspective to this, it can be talked over the phone, if 1lokesh knows this person.

[lamborghini]

I disagree with all the posts that say that the buyer should not have taken delivery, etc.

It is completely not the buyer's fault - we do not buy cars everyday that it is a routine act for us, and therefore most of us (non-enthusiasts) can get swayed easily, as is the case here.
Dealerships sell cars everyday, and it is a routine job for them. They are the experts in the business, and not the buyer.

Secondly - this is absolutely atrocious actions & behaviour displayed by Nexa and MSIL; and it is good to see it being circulated on social media. Today, social media is becoming common ground for customer issues - which benefits other potential customers immensely.
For instance - we booked an S-Cross. I may not be in town on the day of delivery, but after reading this ordeal, I wouldn't mind waiting a few days to take delivery to ensure the car is perfect.

Ideally, the complainant should also approach ACI and other publications to highlight the issue and help arrive at a solution (a new car) pronto.

[1lokesh]

Originally Posted by humyum

He should go ahead with a case, I would have loved to help him with the technicalities if he was in Mumbai and I could have looked at it, but if you need a technical perspective to this, it can be talked over the phone, if 1lokesh knows this person.

Hi humyum, I don't know the guy. But I have sent him a message mentioning that you want to help. Will let you know once he responds.
Glad to see your spirit of helping someone unknown.

Cheers!

[vishusingh]

This is atrocious! While I agree that he should have done a basic check before accepting the car but it can't be seen as his fault.

The car dealer is a clear cheat here and I don't know if I would've been able to remain calm as long as this gentleman has, the extent to which these guys have gone with this fraud is beyond me, “Chori upar se seenajori” at it's best.

[Lalvaz]

I cannot believe this. MSIL is totally process driven and they have been very prompt in rectifying even the slightest fault on the part of the dealers. Even service feedback is taken very seriously. I can totally understand a dealer adopting unethical tactics, but MSIL endorsing those tactics - that just seems UNREAL.

I hope that MSIL immediately looks into this issue and makes amends to the customer. Trust once lost is hard to regain.

[atnyia]

Finally Posco are getting the press they deserve!
IMO, it's hard to fault a layman for this. The 'fault' of the this man was that he was being a little naive with his money but nothing can defend the malafide swindling by Nexa/Posco.

Posco is the biggest dealer here in Gurgaon, that's why they got the Nexa. And that's why I can see why Maruti isn't going to take any action on this unless the bad press starts hurting them.
I had very terrible experiences with them both at Nexa for SCross and Posco for Ciaz. For ex., they promised a lot of discount when I made the booking, then recanted on most of them. They never gave same quote when I asked them i.e. before booking, at the time of booking and at the time for asking quote for bank processing.
It was then I had enough and cancelled my booking with them.
Then I booked at hometown in Sonipat where both us and the dealer are known entities.
It cost me 8K extra but the experience was much much better and our every request was carefully adhered to.

To the credit of Posco, the sales guy did manage a seamless refund, without I being required to visit the dealership.

[Chetan_Rao]

Call the customer naive, but there's a sizable lot of people out there just like him who trust the brand Maruti blindly. This particular case will play out as it may, but it's ultimately their 'India comes home in a Maruti' brand at risk.

If MSIL are prepared to risk their reputation for one hefty but unscrupulous dealer, they'll reap what they sow. I hope it doesn't come to that, at least for the buyer's sake.


P.S. Just to be fair to both sides, has the buyer's version of the story been corroborated by anyone? Genuine as it may seem, one-sided stories sometimes tend to wander away from fact.

[Dry Ice]

Time and again, threads like these make us understand the value of TBHP checklist and PDI prior to registration.

I really feel for the guy. But this reverse gear problem he mentions, would be interested to know what exactly is the problem? Does it not slot into reverse or gets stuck once in reverse, and what fixes the problem?

300 kms means it must have been handed out for 'test drives'. Given this is Gurgaon, and the factory is right next door, so many kms cannot be attained over just 'transportation'. Something is indeed fishy.

I hope the issue is settled amicably. Maruti had a strong rein over it's dealers to not try such antics. Or so we thought maybe.

PS: Was it Pasco earlier whose driver was caught picking up passengers by one of the members here sometime back? Sorry, can't find the thread now.

[a4anurag]

Sad to see NEXA too getting into such incidents. NEXA should ideally 'set ways' for other manufacturers to give customer premium experience rather than 'stealing' their new car experience. This does show the is no genuine control of Maruti Suzuki over these dealers who wear suits to give premium feel.

They are nothing but the regular dealers in white and black building with staff from posh background who know nothing about cars, sales, attitude, courtesy towards a new customer.

Never expected a thread or a post anywhere on the NEXA. Extremely sad to see a customer be treated this way.

Mr. R S Kalsi, get your act together or else it is difficult.

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

PS: Was it Pasco earlier whose driver was caught picking up passengers by one of the members here sometime back? Sorry, can't find the thread now.

Guess this is the thread you are referring to:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-delivery.html

It is Rohan Motors and not Pasco.