[jimmzmatt]

To start with, I am new to Team BHP and I also do not own a car as of now. Unfortunately, my experience to own my first car has not been smooth which is why I was advised by my friends who are car enthusiasts to seek suggestions from Team BHP.

Below is the series of event that I am going through and any sort of help or advice from fellow BHPians to escalate this issue would be very much appreciated.

January:

I had decided to buy a Volkswagen Polo Highline AT (Toffee Brown) and had booked with EVM dealers at Perumbavoor, Kerala on January 1st, 2021. The booking amount they took was Rs. 5000/-, refundable if I decide to cancel. The sales executive told me the waiting period is three months to which I said I am completely fine with it. The vehicle's on-road price they quoted was 10.70. I wanted to give a surprise to my family, so I had not discussed this with them. However, my 10-year-old son found the brochure in the same week, and I had to break my surprise. This also made me to change the color variant from Toffee brown to Flash Red. I at once informed the sales rep about the change in my colour preference and asked them if it was possible to do so; if not, I was fine with it. They told me that it can be arranged.

February:

I was called by EVM Perumbavoor, Kerala that there is Highline AT available, and the price is Rs.10.80. I mentioned that I am fine with the price, but color is flash red of my son's choice. They said it was fine.

March:

EVM Perumbavoor quotes the price as 10.90 but this time the colour is Carbon steel. I very politely told them, I'm fine with the price but cannot change my son's decision to go for flash red. Sometime near the end of the March, when I called to check the status of the car, as 3 months was nearing, they tell me that Volkswagen has stopped the manufacturing of Highline. I was completely shocked. What happened to my booking? If the car was not manufactured, then why they took the booking? If after the booking, the car is manufactured, isn't it the dealer's responsibility to honor their commitment? What are the dealers doing with the booking amount (There is a specific reason for this question)?

April:

I tweet about this experience to Volkswagen on twitter (https://twitter.com/volkswagenindia/...35056390864898) And I did get a call from them. The Customer care rep told me Highline AT was not stopped, and it could be that dealer is not having that car. He told me had escalated the issue and I would get a call. No Response from Volkswagen after that.

I checked with few people and one guy recommended me to check with EVM Kottayam. The sales Rep told me Highline AT is not available, but GT is, and it can be delivered on April 20th. The price quoted was Rs11.50. Since I waited for three months, and considering the urgency, I decided to go for GT variant now. He asked me to place a cancellation request to EVM Perumbavoor, and do a fresh booking of GT by paying Rs.5000 to which I agreed as well. I was reconfirming with the sales exec about the delivery date on every call that I made, and he reassured me the same. The invoice raised by them however had the price as 11,67804. They had included Ceramic quoting charge of Rs.22600. I did not want that, but the sales rep was continuously pressuring me to go for it and when he found that my stand was clear, he asked me to get an approval directly from Volkswagen Regional manager. They even pressurized me to take the finance from EVM to which I said no, as my finance from SBI was already in place. After lot of pestering, the sales rep sent the invoice of Rs.1149604, our final agreed upon price so that SBI can sanction the loan. This was on 16th of April. On 19th when I checked about the status of the car, I’m informed that there is a price hike, and he is not aware how much that amount is.

• Are the car dealers so greedy? Don’t they have an iota of ethics in this line of business or is it that their sales executives behave this way?
  
• Does Volkswagen have no say on this?
  
• What do they do with the booking amount? Is that a source of revenue too?

I understand that this post long, but any advice or suggestion to escalate this issue or way forward from fellow BHPians and Petrolheads is welcome and much appreciated. Thank You.

[TokyoDrifter]

Originally Posted by jimmzmatt

I understand that this post long, but any advice or suggestion to escalate this issue or way forward from fellow BHPians and Petrolheads is welcome and much appreciated. Thank You.

Welcome! You are at the right place.

Coming straight to the point, the sales rep has taken your nice-ness for granted and is trying to palm off everything to you. You don't have to give in.

Every VW showroom has a CRM department, get hold of that no. and be a little more vocal this time about the pathetic experience you have had. They will come around. You have the right to ask for the colour of your choice only, and say no to any accessories that you do not wish to purchase.

There are some odd sales reps in every dealership/city that spoil the CX to immense level. Be stern, don't give in. It might be painful given the follow-ups but it will eventually come through in your favour - you being the customer, and paying the money rightfully for what you want and what only you want.

[jimmzmatt]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I have got hold of the email of CRM head. Is there any way to get the contacts of Volkswagen?

[Raghu M]

Very poor experience that you are going through and VW is to be blamed for it. Can't imagine how a global brand wants to run in markets like India. Anyway, please reach out to the Customer Care department and be assertive with your approach. I don't understand how the price of the car jumped by almost 90K. Also, take a detailed breakout of the cost. I am sure the add ons by the showroom will amount to no less than 60 to 70K. Take a comparative quote of insurance from a third party and see the difference. Write to the higher ups and I think the problem should be resolved. Please keep us posted. Good luck!

[Chetan_Rao]

First, unless you've already paid money on top of the booking amount, DO NOT pay or authorize your loan to be disbursed until you're satisfied in all aspects.

Second, get a hold of the CRM. Be polite but firm, and get everything (esp. detailed price breakdown) agreed upon in writing. Do not accept any 'please make payment, we'll take care' verbal offers.

Third, be prepared to walk away. You shouldn't abandon a product you like due to a poor sales experience, but should be ready to abandon a dealership if they can't live up to even reasonable expectations.

It's your first car. Get what you want, not what they want to sell. And don't forget to enjoy it. Firsts don't come around a second time.

[akash_v12]

Honestly, this thing with dealers have been going on ever since I can remember. Like the above BHPians have said, it's simple. Get in touch with the CRM and be vocal about the issue.

- Dealers can do anything to extract the most money out of you. You've to be careful and not agree to anything except what's important (This includes handling charges, accesory packs, detailing equipment etc). I believe that no dealer should ever throw customers into such trouble that the former completely pulls out of the relationship with them. I believe these malpractices are more evident with the EVM group. Isn't there any other dealer that you could probably go and book a car at? If yes, go ahead and do that. Forget about the EVM dealers completely, take the refund and get a VW Polo, like you wanted from another dealer. If I were you, I wouldn't even trust them with delivering me a new car (after such treatment, I'd not be surprised to see problems crop up in the vehicle.)

- Manufacturers are the ones who announce price hikes. IIRC, the price hikes are usually announced at the start of the month and very rarely between months. So, any increase in price seems to be completely from the dealer's side.

- The booking amount is just taken to ensure that you're actually committed to the deal and don't back out and play any tricks with the dealer. But this time, it's just the opposite.

Also, the Polo GT was worth getting earlier since it had the 1.2L Turbo but now both the GTs and normal Polos share the same engine. So IMO, there's no point paying extra just for the GT badge.

Like Mod Chetan said above, get the car you love and everytime you drive it, it'll bring a smile on your face and take away the worries of life!

[GTO]

Sorry to hear about your first car buying experience going sour. Hope that driving your Polo brings enough smiles to erase these memories from that hard-drive inside your head.

Two points:

- The supplies of almost every manufacturer are hit due to Covid, lockdowns and the chip shortage. Delays are now more common than on-time deliveries.

- Dealers are usually thugs or rogues or both. Very few outlets are actually "good" dealers.

What really disappoints me is this:

Originally Posted by jimmzmatt

I tweet about this experience to Volkswagen on twitter (https://twitter.com/volkswagenindia/...35056390864898) And I did get a call from them. The Customer care rep told me Highline AT was not stopped, and it could be that dealer is not having that car. He told me had escalated the issue and I would get a call. No Response from Volkswagen after that.

You'd think VW doesn't want to sell cars at all! Now you know why VW has a bad reputation in India, and their sales are so poor. At the time of its entry in India, VW used to think they will beat Maruti & Hyundai. Forget the big boys, in 2021, VW is found at the rear of the class, joined by niche brand Jeep, sibling Skoda & loser Datsun.

Am sending a link of this thread to some people at VW. Hopefully common sense prevails. Just allow some time for them to revert because of the lockdown.

[TrackDay]

When I started reading this thread, I felt that I had read something on a different thread but with some similar names. Do check this out too.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ps-kerala.html (Duopoly of Volkswagen dealerships in Kerala)
The customer ended up getting the car and color of his choice from another state/city within 2 weeks from the date of booking. The Polo is still a wonderful car and will put a smile your face after every drive. If it is the car you love, it is the car you should get

[jothishX]

Had a bitter experience with EVM Honda few years back. But that was for a two wheeler and the showroom felt like a fish market. When shopping for a car in Kerala, always try to get a quote from other showrooms also. You might get a better deal. In this case, you can check with Kochi or nearby district VW dealers if they have your variant in stock or can make it available. With the new registration process coming in, you need not go for temp and directly get the permanent number with HSRP from the showroom itself. Banks won't have a problem with financing, wherever the showroom is in Kerala.

Lastly, only few of the sales execs I've interacted with were genuine. Most of them will keep a straight face and lie through their teeth to meet their targets. I had booked a WRV from Trivandrum and requested for a color change. The executive who took the color change request in writing forgot to update in their system. They argued that I never requested for a color change. Luckily I had a photo of the request letter with their seal which helped.

[jimmzmatt]

Update as on 21/04/2021: Thanks for all the help and suggestions from the fellow BHPians; but honestly, I never expected the responses from this site to be so fast. Based on the suggestion, I got hold of some of the email addresses of CRMs of EVM and had sent a detailed email of my experiences and what all transpired from January till now, yesterday. I got a call from them and they didn't want me to escalate this further. Post which, the Sales rep alson calls me and asked me to send a mail mentioning I'm satisfied with the service and he commits that the car will be delivered before 10th next month. Once bitten twice shy, I have asked him to email me the delivery date on the said price, and once it's delivered, I would send a feedback mail. They have not responded so far. He mentioned that the car was available, but it was delivered to the guy who took the finance from them. This is kind of strange, as I feel that it's the consumer who decides what should be mode of payment.

I expected the transition to be smooth and seamless especially from a brand like Volkswagen, but that definitely is in chaos. Once again, I'm grateful for all the inputs you all have been sharing. I will keep you all posted on the progress. Thank you

Originally Posted by TokyoDrifter

Welcome! You are at the right place.

Coming straight to the point, the sales rep has taken your nice-ness for granted and is trying to palm off everything to you. You don't have to give in.

Every VW showroom has a CRM department, get hold of that no. and be a little more vocal this time about the pathetic experience you have had. They will come around. You have the right to ask for the colour of your choice only, and say no to any accessories that you do not wish to purchase.

There are some odd sales reps in every dealership/city that spoil the CX to immense level. Be stern, don't give in. It might be painful given the follow-ups but it will eventually come through in your favour - you being the customer, and paying the money rightfully for what you want and what only you want.

That would be very kind of you. I really want the top heads of VW come in to the picture. Especially, with all the "Model is stopped" reasons that the dealer gave me initially which made me switch to GT. Sad thing is there is no way you can contact Indian VW officials. However, the German site has the media link.

Originally Posted by GTO

...

Am sending a link of this thread to some people at VW. Hopefully common sense prevails. Just allow some time for them to revert because of the lockdown.

Wow! That thread. They said the same to me. Highline AT is stopped and I was made to switch to GT!

Originally Posted by TrackDay

When I started reading this thread, I felt that I had read something on a different thread but with some similar names. Do check this out too.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ps-kerala.html (Duopoly of Volkswagen dealerships in Kerala)
The customer ended up getting the car and color of his choice from another state/city within 2 weeks from the date of booking. The Polo is still a wonderful car and will put a smile your face after every drive. If it is the car you love, it is the car you should get

Note from Support: Please avoid posting back-to-back in the same thread. Use multi-quote instead. Thanks.

[any23]

Originally Posted by jimmzmatt

Update as on 21/04/2021: Thanks for all the help and suggestions from the fellow BHPians; but honestly, I never expected the responses from this site to be so fast. Based on the suggestion, I got hold of some of the email addresses of CRMs of EVM and had sent a detailed email of my experiences and what all transpired from January till now, yesterday. I got a call from them and they didn't want me to escalate this further. Post which, the Sales rep alson calls me and asked me to send a mail mentioning I'm satisfied with the service and he commits that the car will be delivered before 10th next month. Once bitten twice shy, I have asked him to email me the delivery date on the said price, and once it's delivered, I would send a feedback mail. They have not responded so far. He mentioned that the car was available, but it was delivered to the guy who took the finance from them. This is kind of strange, as I feel that it's the consumer who decides what should be mode of payment.

I expected the transition to be smooth and seamless especially from a brand like Volkswagen, but that definitely is in chaos. Once again, I'm grateful for all the inputs you all have been sharing. I will keep you all posted on the progress. Thank you

Really heart breaking to read the experience you have gone through, being a big fan of VW & Skoda cars it's really disappointing to see how few bad dealers are ruining the game for these brands in India.

I will request you to escalate the matter so that it comes in the knowledge of VW top officials. The dealer will try to ask for good feedback etc etc. but make sure it is highlighted.
I think you must tag Zac Hollis too, specially on Facebook, as the 2.0 strategy for Skoda & VW is headed by Skoda.

It's not the brands but the dealerships and the sales representative, I got delivered my Skoda Rapid with the promise that I will be getting seat covers and rear spoiler as free accessories, ended up buying seat covers for 16k and my car is still without rear spoiler. Came to know that due to regular complaints against the sales representative regarding false promising accessories to customers , the sales executive was fired from the dealership.

And as I have mentioned on other related thread that from buying to maintaining a car it's about getting in touch with right people.

[MayurS]

Originally Posted by jimmzmatt

Wow! That thread. They said the same to me. Highline AT is stopped and I was made to switch to GT!

As far as i know highline AT is not stopped and still in production. I booked the Highline AT on 27th Feb and got the delivery on March 9 for Flash red colour. They even accommodated my request to get a newly manufactured car instead of selling me from what’s available from showroom and even called me to be present there when the vehicle arrived from plant. The VIN when decoded showed the Feb Manufactured vehicle which I’m completely satisfied so far.

[AKSarkar1]

This is personally a massive déjà-vu for me. Back in 2012, I had placed an order for a new VW Polo Highline Petrol in Flash Red too. The amount for the car was paid in full since there were good discounts. We paid the amount in full and that turned out to be the biggest mistake ever.

Around 2 weeks before the scheduled delivery date we were informed that there was some problem with the ABS module of Highline cars and that Highline version that we have paid for would no longer be available. Instead, they offered us a Comfortline version of the same car, with some extra features and goodies while also refunding a part of full amount paid to them. Shortly I took delivery of my comfortline vehicle, the GT launched for the first time ever and I felt massively cheated since we were handed an inferior vehicle when a better one was just around the corner.

Back in 2012, the Comfortline version came quite badly equipped IMHO and things haven't changed much since then. Despite getting refunds, goodies and a great deal on the Comfortline car, the soreness was always felt. Let go of the vehicle after just 2.5 years.

I would try to find some people higher up in the hierarchy and send you their credentials privately. Hope your troubles get sorted soon and you have a mint new German car in your driveway as per your likings and not what is avaible.

[shibujp]

Frankly if I were you I would have cancelled this booking. Gone off to Skoda and got a flash red Skoda Rapid. The mid variants cost lower, you get the same engine and a bigger car.

Your experience is not surprising though. Even I had a bad experience buying my GT TDI 7 years back in spite of being very careful not to let their attitude spoil the excitement of the purchase. Had 3 wonderful years and 90k kms on it purely because I literally deleted them from the service experience.

And no, VW never gets into customer complaints directly. They always take great pleasure is pushing you back into the arms of the dealer who was the problem in the first place. Zac Hollis of Skoda is a breath of fresh air from the usual shenanigans of the group. Unfortunately in a recent interaction with Nexa, Maruti too seems to be picking up these bad habits.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[anb]

Really sad to hear the sales experience from EVM Kottayam. I have bought 2 Polo GTs from EVM Kottayam (2015& 2016) and sales experience was good. They didn’t demand anything about finance and insurance.