Laggard salesmen at Maruti dealerships

awini · 23rd July 2007, 09:32

on saturday i visited sikand motors on janpath in new delhi, to enquire about the grand vitara, which at 15 odd lakhs on road is marutis most expensive vehicle.
admitidly, it was about 7pm, so it was about closing time, but the doors were still open, when i asked about the car to a salesman sitting there, he did not even have the courtesy to stand up and attend to a potential customer for a very expensive car, when i couldnt get any information from him, i asked for the sales and price leaflets,he just kept sitting there and shrugged his shoulders, and said they dont have any, at that point i thanked him and walked out.
with this attitude i dont see maruti selling them very well. they still seem to be living in a time when they could sell crap like the maruti 1000 for 4 lakhs plus, about time they wake up.
well i guess ill be looking at the CRV more seriously now, perhaps even the Pajero, which though slightly more expensive, is extremely good value for money now. except that its not automatic.

esteem_lover · 23rd July 2007, 09:49

Pathetic behaviour by this dealer. Visit him again during the day time & give him an earful & forward your experience to MUL. He will get what he deserves. Anyway i think you'd be better off with the CR-V.

khanak · 23rd July 2007, 09:57

Try another dealer, no dealership that treats customers like that desrves your business.

anandpadhye · 23rd July 2007, 10:15

Why don't you speak to any time Maruti?

They will respond immediately + straighten up the dealer.

I am too keen on a test drive of the Grand Vitara and registered with Maruti online. They called back and confirmed they will soon arrange it. But the car has not physically arrived in Pune yet.

BTW, I specifically told Maruti Anytime guy I want a knowledgeable sales guy dealing with me. He noted this down. let's see.

Keep us informed on how it goes for you and what do you end up buying.

Isn't CRV way too expensive than the value and Pajero on it's way out (it does not have CRDi engine)?

theMAG · 23rd July 2007, 10:16

Thats atrocious. Skip this dealer and others who dont know where their salaries are funded from.

gemithomas · 23rd July 2007, 10:42

awini. Just go there one more time. Get the name of the person. And Take it to higher levels. We should not let people do such things to anyone. Its basic that you should learn how to respect another human being. He can very well say that we are closed today. Ignoring the presence of another human being is the highest level of insult. DOnt let him get away with such behaviour.

Probably he thought you are some window shopper with just dreams and no money!!!!

But even if thats the case this is no way to behave. If he does not know how to deal with people let him go for some back office job. Let him not be in the front end. and i feel we all should make it a point that we make people understand that we wont take such behaviour with a smile.

In the meanwhile i feel the Honda would be better if its quality that you are looking for.

akroy · 23rd July 2007, 10:44

Send a mail to MUL and see... you should get some positive outcome...

Abhi

iraghava · 23rd July 2007, 12:03

Sad to hear that Awini but these days it seems some dealerships just don't care. Let me compare this to my experience with Courtesy Honda where I had gone for a TD of the CR-V for a friend. We reached late at about 6:30-6:45 pm when all the sales staff bar one had already left (It was a saturday so there was minimal sales staff anyway) but as soon as I approached him he was courteous enough to ask me to have a seat in their lounge & went off to enquire about the car's availability.

It seems the Manual was not available since the head of the dealership uses it but the AT was offered to me for a TD within 2 minutes & after taking a copy of my license we were off for a longish TD. Pushed the car & enjoyed it without the salesman complaining even though he was getting thrown around big time in the rear seat! And after that we spent another 15 mins in the dealership taking another look at the Accord and even though we were the only ones there apart from the salesman there was no rush from his side.

As we left he just asked us for our numbers without any unnecessary sales talk. If I had to buy the car I would actually buy it from a company like them primarily for their friendly attitude & service.

Hellcat · 23rd July 2007, 12:09

I guess its the Dealership at fault in this situation and not Maruti.

Hellcat.

anandpadhye · 23rd July 2007, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellcat

I guess its the Dealership at fault in this situation and not Maruti.

Hellcat.

I agree.

And Grand Vitara is very cute looking - I am just unable to look at anything else without taking a TD.

Maruti is generally very good in Customer Service.

My experience with the Honda Dealership in Pune has been pathetic.

They think they are HONDA DEALER so customers are lesser form of life!
Honda, are you listening?

CrAzY dRiVeR · 23rd July 2007, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Why don't you speak to any time Maruti?
They will respond immediately + straighten up the dealer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akroy

Send a mail to MUL and see... you should get some positive outcome...

Maruti usually responds fast and well to customer complaints, and its not without reason that they stand as first in customer satisfaction.

In this case, dealer action is pathetic, and am sure Maruti would respond quite favorably.

awini · 23rd July 2007, 14:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellcat

I guess its the Dealership at fault in this situation and not Maruti.

Hellcat.

well, their dealers are the public face of maruti so they are maruti as far as im concerned. as far as taking it to higher level is concered i can take it to mr Khattars desk if i want to,l.but its not a big enough issue.
its not just the sales staff, if you buy the car you also have to deal with the service staff again and again. if they are not interested in selling you a car where they make a commision, im not sure how good their after sales service would be.
an accessible service station is a factor for me when buying a new car,because i cant spend a whole day just to drop and pick a car for servicing.
mercedes and honda pick up and drop cars from my house when they need service,so i cant be bothered running after maruti.
this is presicely the reason i havent bought a maruti since a Zen automatic in 1996(since sold), there seems no change in their attitude.
there are already three hondas in the house, with a fourth ill certainly be better off than with a maruti.
serves them right because between friends and relatives, i influance the purchase of at least five cars a year,i might not recommend maruti now...

gemithomas · 23rd July 2007, 14:59

agreed awini. But the guys there should know what they have lost. If you dont let them know that there is just no point in you experiencing this. I believe its not worth the experience if you cant make any impact. Maybe they dont care for the loss but i feel we need to make our point. Its only then that the experience becomes worthy enough. Dont bother about the outcome. Just make your point. And make it loud and clear.

VBV · 23rd July 2007, 15:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellcat

I guess its the Dealership at fault in this situation and not Maruti.

Hellcat.

I would agree. I've got pretty good service from a few dealers of Maruti. It must be a dealership issue.

phamilyman · 23rd July 2007, 15:28

Brother,

It is indeed misfortunate that the gent in question lacked basic courtesy, esp for a premier customer. That being said, surely you'd agree that there is more to a dealer, than just the man-holding-fort@4pm - the deal you could get, or the service center - they are worth more. So its okay. Do remember that fellow's name, and give them an earful the next time you go

23rd July 2007, 09:32	#1
awini BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 580 Thanked: 476 Times	Laggard salesmen at Maruti dealerships on saturday i visited sikand motors on janpath in new delhi, to enquire about the grand vitara, which at 15 odd lakhs on road is marutis most expensive vehicle. admitidly, it was about 7pm, so it was about closing time, but the doors were still open, when i asked about the car to a salesman sitting there, he did not even have the courtesy to stand up and attend to a potential customer for a very expensive car, when i couldnt get any information from him, i asked for the sales and price leaflets,he just kept sitting there and shrugged his shoulders, and said they dont have any, at that point i thanked him and walked out. with this attitude i dont see maruti selling them very well. they still seem to be living in a time when they could sell crap like the maruti 1000 for 4 lakhs plus, about time they wake up. well i guess ill be looking at the CRV more seriously now, perhaps even the Pajero, which though slightly more expensive, is extremely good value for money now. except that its not automatic.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 09:49	#2
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Pathetic behaviour by this dealer. Visit him again during the day time & give him an earful & forward your experience to MUL. He will get what he deserves. Anyway i think you'd be better off with the CR-V.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 09:57	#3
khanak Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mumbai/Toronto Posts: 2,799 Thanked: 268 Times View My Garage	Try another dealer, no dealership that treats customers like that desrves your business.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 10:15	#4
anandpadhye Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 3,054 Thanked: 3,313 Times	Why don't you speak to any time Maruti? They will respond immediately + straighten up the dealer. I am too keen on a test drive of the Grand Vitara and registered with Maruti online. They called back and confirmed they will soon arrange it. But the car has not physically arrived in Pune yet. BTW, I specifically told Maruti Anytime guy I want a knowledgeable sales guy dealing with me. He noted this down. let's see. Keep us informed on how it goes for you and what do you end up buying. Isn't CRV way too expensive than the value and Pajero on it's way out (it does not have CRDi engine)?
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 10:16	#5
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,807 Times View My Garage	Thats atrocious. Skip this dealer and others who dont know where their salaries are funded from.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 10:42	#6
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	awini. Just go there one more time. Get the name of the person. And Take it to higher levels. We should not let people do such things to anyone. Its basic that you should learn how to respect another human being. He can very well say that we are closed today. Ignoring the presence of another human being is the highest level of insult. DOnt let him get away with such behaviour. Probably he thought you are some window shopper with just dreams and no money!!!! But even if thats the case this is no way to behave. If he does not know how to deal with people let him go for some back office job. Let him not be in the front end. and i feel we all should make it a point that we make people understand that we wont take such behaviour with a smile. In the meanwhile i feel the Honda would be better if its quality that you are looking for. Last edited by gemithomas : 23rd July 2007 at 10:44.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 10:44	#7
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	Send a mail to MUL and see... you should get some positive outcome... Abhi
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 12:03	#8
iraghava Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bhaiyyaland Posts: 8,033 Thanked: 265 Times View My Garage	Sad to hear that Awini but these days it seems some dealerships just don't care. Let me compare this to my experience with Courtesy Honda where I had gone for a TD of the CR-V for a friend. We reached late at about 6:30-6:45 pm when all the sales staff bar one had already left (It was a saturday so there was minimal sales staff anyway) but as soon as I approached him he was courteous enough to ask me to have a seat in their lounge & went off to enquire about the car's availability. It seems the Manual was not available since the head of the dealership uses it but the AT was offered to me for a TD within 2 minutes & after taking a copy of my license we were off for a longish TD. Pushed the car & enjoyed it without the salesman complaining even though he was getting thrown around big time in the rear seat! And after that we spent another 15 mins in the dealership taking another look at the Accord and even though we were the only ones there apart from the salesman there was no rush from his side. As we left he just asked us for our numbers without any unnecessary sales talk. If I had to buy the car I would actually buy it from a company like them primarily for their friendly attitude & service.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 12:09	#9
Hellcat BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 222 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	I guess its the Dealership at fault in this situation and not Maruti. Hellcat.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 14:59	#13
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	agreed awini. But the guys there should know what they have lost. If you dont let them know that there is just no point in you experiencing this. I believe its not worth the experience if you cant make any impact. Maybe they dont care for the loss but i feel we need to make our point. Its only then that the experience becomes worthy enough. Dont bother about the outcome. Just make your point. And make it loud and clear.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2007, 15:28	#15
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,968 Thanked: 4,642 Times	Brother, It is indeed misfortunate that the gent in question lacked basic courtesy, esp for a premier customer. That being said, surely you'd agree that there is more to a dealer, than just the man-holding-fort@4pm - the deal you could get, or the service center - they are worth more. So its okay. Do remember that fellow's name, and give them an earful the next time you go
	() Thanks