[I-Chief]

Gentlemen, need some sound advice regarding how to deal with my situation mentioned in detail below.

I booked a Maruti Gypsy Hard Top around mid January 2019, when I learnt of the company planning to stop production. Booking amount was accepted by the dealer, receipt provided and a confirmation from Maruti also received with Booking number.
At the time I was told that the wait would be 3 months, which I happily agreed.

End of Feb, I was contacted by the dealer that Cars were ready for despatch at the plant and that I should arrange to make the balance payment. The dealership put me in touch with their finance team who in turn put me on to ICICI bank for the finance part which was completed in no time.

Dealer sales representative then sends me a WhatsApp message that there is some despatch issue at the MSIL plant but did not mention any details despite questioning, a couple of days later when I called to inquire what the despatch issue was, I was told by the sales rep. that MSIL have raised their hands and say they don't have any more cars left. Now... cutting short to the chase.

Last 2 weeks I have been running from the dealer to the Maruti regional manager for my car or details and answers.

Dealer says that the booking was made but Maruti Regional Manager says that the dealership did not make a booking and the Confirmation message from Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) is a system generated booking no. The Maruti rep says that the dealership needs to send a mail for low volume products being ordered whereas dealer says that there is no such policy. And both the dealer and Maruti rep are pulling their legs and wearing me out but not giving anything in writing.

Now, apart from going to the consumer court I don't see any way out and I am sure I will not be getting a New Gypsy ever. Going to print media or the Auto Magazines may not work cause they may not want to cross ways with MSIL.

Any suggestions or contacts at Maruti who I can approach in one last ditch effort will be much appreciated.

Dreams of owning a new Gypsy shattered.

[abhishek46]

Well, have they atleast agreed to refund the booking amount?

If yes, then there will be no merit in going to the court.

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

Well, have they atleast agreed to refund the booking amount?

If yes, then there will be no merit in going to the court.

Fully Agree. Consumer court, at the max will ask the dealer to refund the amount in full with interest (if applicable, i.e., for the bank loan)

If the dealer is ready to pay this amount, there is no point in going to consumer court

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by I-Chief

Dreams of owning a new Gypsy shattered.

Get the refund, buy pre-owned.

If the company has indeed stopped production and no stocks are left to be dispatched - going to consumer court to get the company to build one unit again may never work.

[roy_libran]

I suspect that your booking has been subverted towards another customer somewhere, and the likely place where that has happened is at MSIL. The dealership wouldn't have been able to pull this off. People are now just pointing you towards the red tape to put an end to this matter. I have no doubt that you will get your money back though.


Going to consumer court will be worthless given that the assembly lines have been dismantled. I don't really see any recourse, other than a silent promise to yourself, never to touch a MSIL product ever again.

[anjan_c2007]

Sad to read your plight. You may first file a FIR requesting the respective police station to register your complaint under relevant sections of the IPC and the Mah. Police Act. They should scurry for cover and arrive at a compromise soon.

If they are unable to mend their ways thereafter, you can file a case in the consumer court attaching a copy of the FIR as annexure. Here you can seek a hefty compensation which the forum usually awards. The case may go on for at least two to three years.

[procrastinator]

Escalate in writing to support head here
Describe your case in detail by attaching relevant proofs.

There have been 74 dispatches in February and 486 in January. The mean is over usual monthly sales so I believe there should be few in factory and dealer inventory.
As reference number generated is from Maruti Suzuki means your case exists in system and they should provide one from their unsold stock or redirect to dealer holding at least one.

Good Luck!

[dhanushs]

Since the vehicle in question is the Maruti Gypsy, I'd suggest to get the booking amount back from the dealer and be done with the issue.

The car will be in HUGE demand since production is being stopped, and if you decide to pursue this matter will have to spend a good deal of time and money without the result, which is getting a brand new Gypsy.

Again, since the car in question is the Gypsy, get a light used one, and redo it. Will look and perform sometimes even better than new cars. For example, most Brand New Gypsys have overheating problem.

[GTO]

I wouldn't be surprised if a new Gypsy is selling at a premium over MRP since it is an iconic car that's just been discontinued. Nevertheless, don't waste your time with this dealer.

- Lodge a complaint formally with Maruti. If you're lucky, they'll allocate you one.

- Since you are keen on a brand new piece, check with other Maruti dealers if anyone has a piece in stock. If you are a persistent personality, call 100 dealers, including out of state ones.

- Buy pre-owned. These are simple vehicles mechanically and can be made to perform like new easily. As an example, my 1997 Classic today drives better than when it was new (due to the mods and more powerful engine I swapped in).

[mac187]

I wouldn't recommend going to consumer court for this issue. Yes, you will have to make do without a brand new Gypsy but its certainly not worth the trouble in this case. All you should push for is that your booking amount is returned at the earliest. Hope you find a good Gypsy soon.

As someone here mentioned, its highly likely that the Gypsy meant to be delivered to you has been redirected to someone else.

[richie4u]

I-Chief, being a small part of the Maruti system itself I can tell you, what your dealership is telling you about the allocation process is completely wrong and it doesn't work that way. They have been plain lethargic in handling your process and when they couldn't get allocations any more via Maruti, gave up and cried wolf.

Now there is no point in going to consumer court itself cause there being no stock with the plant as the cars have already been dispatched to the dealerships that have ordered for the same. So first step would be to write a stinker to the higher-ups at Maruti and get your refund from the dealership. Then your next option in case you want to own a new Gypsy is to hunt for any available stock in your state or your neighboring states as well. I'll help you out with any availability in my home state-will PM you if available.

[I-Chief]

Gents, thanks a lot for the inputs. I gave up and took my refund from the dealership for the booking amount. Will keep an eye out for an orphaned car or a sparingly used car if I find one.