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-   -   Bangalore: Lathangi Ford crashes customer EcoSport; 1.6 Lakhs of damage. UPDATE: Resolved by Ford! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-dealerships/178165-bangalore-lathangi-ford-crashes-customer-ecosport-1-6-lakhs-damage-update-resolved-ford-3.html)

RESOLVED?

Createrkid, I spotted this on twitter yesterday. Could we have an update please...

Thank you Rajeev for providing the email ID, thanks to you, the issue has almost been resolved.

Alright guys, here's the update.

Ford India got in touch with the customer right after an email was sent to Mr Nigel Harris thanks to Rajeev.

After a series of discussions, Ford has given her these options.


I must say, Ford has handled this really well after all that has happened. So well that the customer has had no reason to interact with the dealership. My friend also says that this entire interaction has restored her faith in the brand and she will be going for a brand new Ford EcoSport automatic. Metro Ford got in touch with her and offered a long testdrive of the EcoSport automatic and that mostly sealed the deal for her but opinions are always welcome.

I must thank everybody here for all their inputs. Will keep this thread updated if anything happens.

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear your friend is happy.

It's these 'small' gestures from big companies that really build or break brands.


Thread title updated.

Happy for your friend. Way to go Ford.

We Indians are funny people, we wanted them to leave India when they ruled us, and when they left us, it is "THEM" who have to intervene to save us from each other.

While I'm happy for this ONE customer - she deserves her person, time and hard earned money be shown due respect - I'm also miffed that recourse that's probably offered without question in another market with proper consumer protection, needs to be extracted by repeated follow-up, requests and/or threats of legal action here.

I respect the consumer for sticking it out and definitely don't want to tar an entire organisation with the same brush that the particular dealership deserve a thick coat of, but FORD gains no kudos from me. They did the bare minimum expected from any reasonable company, AFTER the situation escalated way beyond reasonable.

Despite the happy ending, the lesson here is one can't get treated reasonably in this country even after paying hard-earned money, unless one is willing to indulge in a protracted tussle. What's to be proud of or happy about here, exactly?

That's a good gesture by Ford, but also let us know which option your friend opted for. I would say, go for the option 2 is cash permits and if they really like the vehicle. Option 1 is also very good option provided the total maintenance plan proves to solve any future issues free of cost.

Glad the issue has reached a mutually agreeable solution and in the end the customer has got the fair offer. But the complete ordeal must have had its share of toll and the way she has maintained her dignity without name calling the brand is really commendable. It also speak volume of Ford as a brand and how some of the lesser interested dealership stains the brand name by resorting to cheap services.

I completely agree, people in India consider it a great thing to even get what they paid for. Ford deserves no praise for this. They are just doing damage control once the incident blew up online and on social media. This is not customer service, it's customer harassment...

It's great to see a satisfactory solution to this this situation. What I would have liked to see in the email, as well as the financial stuff, is a simple apology. The human issue remain unadressed.

I guess by the time such issue is resolved (mainly to contain the embarassment and negative publicity), the customer is fed up and has lost all hopes. Hence, anything that moves in a positive way thereafter is considered 'GOOD'!

I for one fail to understand, why does the OEM not take these dealers to task? It is only damanging their reputation and future growth prospects. If it is Maruti one reason may be there is a huge queue outside, but I don't think Ford enjoys that sort of following in here!

It is sad to see that while chosing a car one of the main make or break point influencing the decison is the local dealer/ ASS. I know many cases where people had to let go of the car they always wanted just because of such apprehensions. :deadhorse

Good to see this ordeal ending for the owner, and happy to hear she's gone back for an EcoSport.

Points in favour of Ford India

• They resolved it
• They resolved it quickly*
• In the absence of meaningful lemon laws and timely consumer protection, this is as good an outcome as one can hope for.

* Yeah, a few weeks from when it was escalated to Ford India, but that can be ascribed to fact-finding and kicking the behinds of some people to make wheels turn.

Points against Ford India

• No apology from Lathangi Ford for the crap they pulled, and the cheating they attempted? The owner needs to still check if there are legal grounds for a time/expenses/mental agony type of lawsuit against Lathangi Ford themselves, particularly since they were not involved or not instrumental in the final solutions offered.
• No written apology from Ford India for the crap that one of their appointed dealers tried to pull. I only hope that Ford India have some manner of a 3-strikes rule and this incident has been counted against Lathangi, even if an apology to the customer hasn't been tendered.
• No meaningful escalation/grievance mechanism, particularly for egregious cases like this - honestly man, do you expect every Ford customer to have to write to Nigel Harris? Do you only respond sensibly when your behinds are kicked from higher-ups?

Given that we aren't spoilt for choice when it comes to car manufacturers in India, I - for one - have to view this as an acceptable outcome when it comes to my opinion of Ford India.

However, we owners do have multiple dealerships to choose from, and Lathangi Ford are fast moving into my 'bad' list. My next service is with Metro Ford.

I am glad the this issue has been resolved. And i am happy that your friend is once again opting for a Ford. I would have done the same following such apt decision making from their side. However, i am dissappointed at this issue was not resolved by the dealer or lower level Ford personel. The only reason for this resolution is Twitter!

Its good to see that the issue has been resolved with some previous angst and now a bit of happiness.

I have a question. In this case, there was only physical damage to the vehicle. What happens if there is a damage to person within the vehicle or outside the vehicle. The driver is liable to be arrested. What happens to the car ? Does it get seized by the police as crime evidence ? Who pays for accident insurance, death etc when you have a comprehensive cover. What is the redressal mechanism then ?

Most of the dealers who offer pick up and drop ask customers to sign the form absolving them of all liability. How can they be absolved in this case ?

This seems like no fair treatment at all. Any just response should either a car in exactly the same condition (which means the same car after all, and therefore, not possible in this case), or a new replacement car (as your friend had demanded in the first communication). Anything less is just incremental to what was offered by the dealer, albeit with a Ford experiential rather than a dealership experience.
File a criminal case against the dealership if your resources and connections allow for it, and keep pressing Ford India.

Shocked after reading the entire incident since I'm also a regular customer at Lathangis Hosur road service centre and now getting a bit skeptical whether to take my vehicle for the next device again there. Damaging a car for an estimated amount of 1.6l is something extreme and asking to pay amount from customer's insurance is bullshit. There should some amicable settlement for the customer's time she spent behind this issue and the agony she was passing through during the time. Ford Indian delaying the solution for such a big issue due to a dealers mistake is also something they should recheck and there should be some regulations on how the dealership employees handle customers cars when it given to them. Have been seeing the staff over revving and speeding the cars for no reason while in their dealership for long time .