[asingh1977]

Please wait for the new unit to come independently and not go in for a swap, even if they disengage a new unit from an unsold car. Make sure of the following:

1. The package is opened in front of you [so they should not extract it from another car].
2. The units VIN is factory mated to your car's VIN or done in front of you.
3. Mechanically wired and installed in front of you.
4. Paper stating the above and that a part was swapped.
5. Apology letter [doubt you will get this].

Stop servicing at dealership centers, go to a service center not aligned to a seller. Lesser of two evils.

DO NOT go in for "new unit from new car".

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

He is unsure on what to do now, and asked me for advice. I have 0 clue on how to deal with things like this, as I'm yet to own my first car myself. So I asked him and decided to post here, to see what you folks think.
DP

Happy to see that there is some progress in this case. Me personally, I wouldn't push for a brand new car. These kind of business (criminal enterprises really) have lawyers on retainer that they won't hesitate to drag this out in our notorious court system. Besides, they might be able to convince the judge that they tried to arrive at a compromise but the customer was unreasonable.

I would push to have the car restored to the condition that it was in when it went for service (i.e. a brand new infotainment system and dashboard). Plus I would ask them for extended warranty for the 4th and 5th year (in case your friend doesn't already have it).

What is the convenience pack about? Also, I am not really sure what is point of offering a free 2nd and 3rd service. It's not like they actually cost much.

Finally, I would request the mods to let this thread stay up even if the OP's friend and Frontier KIA get into a settlement. Unless, Frontier comes out with a public statement about what happened and what corrective action they have taken (I would love to see stuff like 'We have installed CCTV camera to allow our customers to watch their cars being serviced in real time' kind of stuff but I don't have high hopes on this) I don't see any reason to erase any negative publicity associated with them.

[airbus]

Dealers should be more strict about ethics and manufacturer must step in when such issues are reported to them, which may impact their brand image.

Several years back while visiting native, I took my father's car for a paid service. The service adviser offered me to reduce the service bill if I pay him Rs. 500/- and that was a major Maruti dealer in Assam.

Couple of years back I was with my friend in Guwahati. He had some problem with headlight switch controls in his Ford Figo. He called a mechanic with a Ford dealer and the mechanic told my friend to park the car little away from the service station. The mechanic came with the part and replaced it at a reduced cost. From where did the mechanic sourced the part is a question?

[SideView]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

Tariq would like to thank you all for your support. There is also an update in this matter.



He is unsure on what to do now, and asked me for advice. I have 0 clue on how to deal with things like this, as I'm yet to own my first car myself. So I asked him and decided to post here, to see what you folks think.

DP

Wait a sec! I truly hope they didnt say they will swap the Head unit with a new car.

That means someone else is going to end up with an old one. These idiots seemed to have learnt nothing.

Do not agree to swap but wait for a new one mated to your VIN.

[Col Mehta]

As someone who likes to keep his car in immaculate condition, both inside and outside, I would hate to see those ugly scratches on the dashboard, reminding me of the thievery done by these unsympathetic morons everytime I drive the car.

In the context of the current situation, I would demand Kia to replace the infotainment system (brand new from the factory, and not being swapped with another car) and restore the entire dashboard back to its full glory. Replacing the whole car wouldn't be the right call as it can complicate the case unnecessarily.

I really hope Kia is reading this and other similar threads. They have had a dream start in India but they also need to realise that things will go down for them real soon if they continue with this kind of apathy towards their customers. Their products have been mixed bags so far with poor safety ratings, severe quality issues etc. Poor customer support is the last thing Kia would want if they are serious about doing business here.

[rdst_1]

I don't know whether my idea is possible to implement or not in the real world as I don't have real world knowledge of how our courts and law works, but, if the dealership agrees to it's mistake in writing, can't I then just go and file a case against them with a written confirmation of guilt.
Also, in case of such a fraud, are there any provisions of a huge payout in India or will it just be a criminal case with the guilty being punished to the maximum extent of the law.

[Blueeyedboy]

Looks like all the Youtube videos have been removed due to copyright strike. I can't imagine why Youtube would think that its a valid request, other than blatant misuse of the copyright act. Does anyone have any perspective on the removal?

[John]

Video has not been removed. It’s still visible on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/1ZbMAG3gqqM

[Blueeyedboy]

Yes, thats right. Looks like the main video is still up. The other sub-videos seem to have been removed. I missed the link for the main video Thanks for pointing this out.

[SolidusSnake]

Hello fellow bhpians, couldn't resist making my first post in this thread, having just spent 20 lakhs on a Creta, seeing the video has sent chills down my spine. It seems Hyundai & Kia have same customer relations tactics, I had sent 2 emails to Hyundai, one was simply forwarded to the dealer and other was never responded to. As a legal professional myself, I can say that in this case 2 wrongs were done to the owner- a civil wrong of deficiency of service and secondly make no mistake a crime was committed i.e. criminal breach of trust (as the owner had entrusted his property to the dealer and same was misappropriated). If it was me, I would straight away lodge a FIR (it shouldn't be difficult as commission of crime has been admitted on a video) and for remedy of civil wrong, would've have asked for replacement of head unit, scratched panels etc. in my presence.

If Kia is not willing to provide a satisfactory resolution, owner can approach the district consumer forum, though resolution of consumer complaints on merits often take many years, but if complainant has a strong case, like here, the court often at the initial stages itself compels such companies to enter into satisfactory settlement with the consumer. Also resolution of civil wrong doesn't absolve perpetrator from the consequences of crime and remedy of both are separate things. Once an FIR is registered it cannot be withdrawn even by the complainant and police necessarily has to investigate the incident and either file a chargesheet or a closure report (in case no evidence of crime is found). On a related note, though we can stand with the car during regular service, but in case of accidental work, which sometimes takes days, our cars will be at the mercy of these kind of unscrupulous technicians.

[drmohitg]

It is sad but at the end of every thread where dealer scams are caught, the whole evidence is simply deleted. The same goes for this case. The Youtube videos have been deleted as expected. It makes me wonder if there was any justice after all. The dealer got away without any damage. Swapping the unit for a new one wasn't in any way a punishment as that was the basic right of the customer. But with such overwhelming evidence, I would like to see the dealership pay up for its misdeeds either in form of hefty compensation or some sort of disciplinary action. The simple fact that in the end, the dealership will most likely continue to cheat unsuspecting customers is extremely disturbing.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by DeathPig

The below content was sent to me by Tariq Umar.

Dear DeathPig

What's the final update in the case? Looks like Mr. Umar has been provided some goodies from the Kia, but at least, we, the BHPians, deserve to know the outcome, if not completely (Which will any way never be known), but at least partially. What happened to the head unit and all?

Originally Posted by drmohitg

It is sad but at the end of every thread where dealer scams are caught, the whole evidence is simply deleted. The same goes for this case.

Probably the reason, because of which many members have now started developing a cold shoulder when any such case appears, and the same, somewhere, applies to me too, especially when it comes to the cases of non members.

Here Mr. Umar, this guy wants views only on his Youtube channel, hence got the videos uploaded by everyone else removed, and now is missing himself too.

[DeathPig]

Originally Posted by VKumar

Dear DeathPig

What's the final update in the case? Looks like Mr. Umar has been provided some goodies from the Kia, but at least, we, the BHPians, deserve to know the outcome, if not completely (Which will any way never be known), but at least partially. What happened to the head unit and all?


Probably the reason, because of which many members have now started developing a cold shoulder when any such case appears, and the same, somewhere, applies to me too, especially when it comes to the cases of non members.

Here Mr. Umar, this guy wants views only on his Youtube channel, hence got the videos uploaded by everyone else removed, and now is missing himself too.

Sorry! I thought I had posted here. I believe I drafted the message and then forgot to submit. Anyway, the final response from him verbatim.

Tomorrow i am.going for repair works, they are replacing the whole dashboard and infotainment system as a compensation they are giving me a additonal 2 years for warranty i.e for 6th and 7th year and also Kia Convenience package for 5year 50k kms.

Again, I apologize for the inactivity. Work has been crazy, and I've just been popping in to see the Kia Sonet thread.

Thank you for your support in this matter. Pretty sure this helped Tariq... although I did not hear about the same from him. :P

@GTO, this could be added to the conclusion in the OP if it'll be helpful, as nobody would want to go through the entire thread to look at the conclusion.