Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Indian Car Dealerships


Reply
  Search this Thread
36,374 views
Old 25th May 2010, 13:24   #1
BHPian
 
capt_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delhi NCR
Posts: 134
Thanked: 2 Times
Bad experience with Harpreet Ford

Dear Friends,

I booked a Ford Fiesta 1.6S Sea Grey on 13th May and was awaiting its delivery on 28th May as promised by Harpreet Ford, Delhi.

Before the booking, during test drives and showroom visits, the sales guy will prep you up with how amazing and dedicated the Dealership is and how they are the most reputed and most respected Ford dealers in the entire New Delhi/NCR region.

The color I liked, Aquarius Blue (which was actually the TD vehicle color too) went out of production. This was not told to me by the dealer. I had to find out through a request to Ford Customer Care in Chennai.

The dealer also told me that the Fiesta 1.6S and Endeavor cars go into production only when their orders are confirmed. Sounds strange for a company like Ford, which I thought would be mass producing these cars.

Also the color I liked next, Paprika Red, I was told would take 45 days to be delivered as this color is not ready in the Ford plant in Chennai.

The options left to me were Sea Grey, White or Black, so after a lot of thinking, I decided to go with Sea Grey as I needed the car urgently. (I'm guessing the dealer had already sensed my urgency as they were pressing to take the Black color which was ready in their own stockyard)

Now another shot of confusion. I was later found out that the delivery has been postponed by a week because the Sea Grey Fiesta ready the Ford plant in Chennai was BSIII only and in Delhi/NCR only BSIV cars can be registered.

So, Ford on their own made a new car which complies with BSIV standard and is shipping it now, so the delivery got delayed.
This was also not relayed by the dealership to me, I had to find out from them.
Also, the sales guy who put me on the pedestal before the booking has started avoiding my calls and gets irritated and says "you can talk to my seniors and do what you feel like!"
And since I am getting a better finance offer from outside the showroom, these guys are more pissed off and say that Ford wont co-operate because the loan is not being financed in-house. How stupid can that be???

Well, what can I say but "Well done Ford!!"

So folks, what do you think? Doesn't all this sound too weird and absurd?

Since I have given the booking amount of 1 lac rs. I will go ahead with the delivery, but what about all the remaining or future Ford buyers? Will their buying experience remain as confusing as well?

Last edited by bblost : 25th May 2010 at 15:11. Reason: Please do not use more than 2 smileys per post. Thanks.
capt_rocker is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 14:09   #2
Senior - BHPian
 
Gilead's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 2,142
Thanked: 60 Times

The Fiesta 1.6S is indeed made to order. The line makes the 1.6S on only one day in a month so they usually wait for orders to pile up before starting production.

I have never heard of anyone paying a booking amount of 1 lacs even for higher segment cars. You should have stuck to 25K which is the norm for the Fiesta.

Too bad about the dealer. It looks like they assigned a newbie or a moron or both to you. You should file a complaint with Ford customer service. They will put you on a conference call with the dealership's MD or GM and screw their happiness. That's what they did when my insurance papers were delayed. There is no way they can prevent you from taking a loan outside. Good luck.
Gilead is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 14:13   #3
BHPian
 
capt_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delhi NCR
Posts: 134
Thanked: 2 Times

A new thread by GTO - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...s-fiestas.html

Although this thread praises the efforts of Ford in India, my query still remains unanswered.

Am I being misled by Ford or its Dealers???

1. How can a car which is already well into production and over 2 years since launch, take 35-40 days for delivery?

2. How can they manufacture specific models like Fiesta 1.6S and Endeavor only upon confirmation of the order?

3. How come only a choice of 2 colors (sea grey and white) was ready at the Chennai plant and the color which I wanted next (Paprika Red) would take more than a month for delivery.

4. None of the showrooms in Delhi/NCR had any other color of Fiesta 1.6S? Some showrooms did not have the Fiesta 1,6S at all??

5. Only BSIII compliant cars were ready at Ford Chennai plant till 21st May and Ford delayed the delivery of the car by a week by manufacturing a newer car which is BSIV compliant and all this without informing the customer??

6. Ford will not co-operate with the customer if he finances his car from outside the dealership??

All this and much more was told to me by the most respected and reputed Ford dealer in Delhi, Harpreet Ford!!
capt_rocker is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 14:20   #4
BHPian
 
capt_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delhi NCR
Posts: 134
Thanked: 2 Times

You are right Gilead, I did end up paying more than the necessary booking amount but that was when I was assured delivery in 10-12 days. The delays kept happening ever since. I regret paying them so much as advance but cant help it now.

Also I compromised on the color and if Ford actually went into producing a newer BSIV car for me, they could have colored it as per my choice (Paprika Red if Aquarius Blue has been discontinued). But they never asked and went on with the production. Seemed a bit weird to me, that's all.

Also, GTO's thread on the Ford Chennai plant (worth appreciating his efforts!!) shows him in an Aquarius Blue Fiesta 1.6S. How come if the color has been discontinued? Or was it a Demo vehicle made earlier?? Could be!
capt_rocker is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 14:48   #5
Senior - BHPian
 
shajufx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: BLR & Singapore
Posts: 1,806
Thanked: 830 Times

All what you have faced till now is very much same to what I have gone through in my booking time July 2009 which is posted in detail through my fiesta thread. Its infact a sales guy or the dealer playing games here, not the brand nor the company. The chennai head office may not even know what you are going through. So, you better inform them about your ordeal and take the dealer to task. I dont think Ford HO will close their eyes to any dealer malpractices.

I got an apology call within 24 hours of my reporting, also the HO sent the RSM to meet me in person (with the dealer Sales Head and Team Manager) to explain the situation, putting the sales guy's career in a critical situation. RSM and team met me in person at a Coffee Day outlet of my convenience. Sales guy would have lost his job if I didnt turn softer. Later I got a Ford logo momento, complimentary underbody coating etc.

Here we have close to 100 Fiesta owners, many are silent readers and some are active contributors to fiesta threads that are over a dozen. So, once you own this beauty, you will forget everything else. Its such a pleasure to drive one.
shajufx is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 14:57   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
Gilead's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 2,142
Thanked: 60 Times

The Aquarius 1.6S that GTO was sitting in is obviously an old car and not one that was manufactured that day.

Most of your issues have a single reason behind them. Low volumes of the 1.6S. If your dealer or the plant does not already have the color of your choice ready, the wait is usually 30-40 days. But having said that, Harpreet Ford could have done a much better job in keeping you informed. The salesman telling you to talk to his seniors is unpardonable. Please file a complaint at the earliest.
Gilead is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 15:03   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
ghodlur's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Thane
Posts: 5,997
Thanked: 4,174 Times

@capt

Its a real shame that due to a couple of SE's and dealers the reputation of Ford is at stake. I would request you to call up this customer care nos
Regional Office - North

Ford India Pvt.Ltd.
Tower A, Ground Floor,
Unitech Cyber Park,
Greenwood City,
Sector 39,
Gurgaon - 122001
Haryana
Phone : 91 0124 6743000
Fax : 91 0124 6743075

Also put in a mail to custmail@ford.com &/or [COLOR=#0000ff]write2md@ford.com[/COLOR]. Let them know about your pains in details and I am sure someone from Ford will contact you in this regards. Dont worry surely Help will be on way. Be sure to take the Salesman to task.
I am sure once you get through this as Shaju said you will start enjoying the Fiesta. All the best.
ghodlur is online now  
Old 25th May 2010, 15:05   #8
Senior - BHPian
 
KiloAlpha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Cubicle
Posts: 1,604
Thanked: 2,992 Times

Harpreet Ford is unloading a huge cartload of BS on you. Don't stand for it. Complain to Ford directly, and complain hard. Very hard. Stick to the facts and be very very uncompromising about how you have been wronged.

" ... most reputable dealer ..." is all a load of sales crap. Just to make sure you ordered the car with them and not another Ford dealer. You are in the NCR, you had at least 3 accessible dealers, no?
KiloAlpha is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 15:11   #9
Senior - BHPian
 
sdp1975's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,700
Thanked: 1,273 Times

You can mail to the India MD of Ford, e-mail details are here :

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1059878
sdp1975 is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 15:42   #10
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Bombay
Posts: 503
Thanked: 437 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post

1. How can a car which is already well into production and over 2 years since launch, take 35-40 days for delivery?

2. How can they manufacture specific models like Fiesta 1.6S and Endeavor only upon confirmation of the order?
This is common to cars having a trim level that do not sell to the masses.

We have 8 Hyundai i10's at the office 5 of which are automatic transmissions. While the manual's were delivered on demand, the owners of each of the 5 automatics waited for 4 weeks at a minimum to get their car.

So I'd say this is standard across all manufacturers.
NevGin is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 16:01   #11
Senior - BHPian
 
longhorn's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 1,519
Thanked: 1,537 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
1. How can a car which is already well into production and over 2 years since launch, take 35-40 days for delivery?
The demand for the S variant/Endeavour is limited hence they are produced only once a minimum number of confirmed orders are received.

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
2. How can they manufacture specific models like Fiesta 1.6S and Endeavor only upon confirmation of the order?
As mentioned above, this is a niche segment, hence only produced to order. Ford would be nuts not to do this.

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
3. How come only a choice of 2 colors (sea grey and white) was ready at the Chennai plant and the color which I wanted next (Paprika Red) would take more than a month for delivery.
This again depends on the number of orders for each colour of that particular variant.

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
4. None of the showrooms in Delhi/NCR had any other color of Fiesta 1.6S? Some showrooms did not have the Fiesta 1,6S at all??
This again is due to the limited market for this particular variant.

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
5. Only BSIII compliant cars were ready at Ford Chennai plant till 21st May and Ford delayed the delivery of the car by a week by manufacturing a newer car which is BSIV compliant and all this without informing the customer??
We don't know if Ford delayed by a week or the dealer was beating around the bush.

Quote:
Originally Posted by capt_rocker View Post
6. Ford will not co-operate with the customer if he finances his car from outside the dealership??
The dealer is the one who makes money on this, so probably he was upset at losing his cut on the finance deal as you took it from outside.

Last edited by longhorn : 25th May 2010 at 16:03.
longhorn is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 16:45   #12
BHPian
 
capt_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delhi NCR
Posts: 134
Thanked: 2 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilead View Post
The Aquarius 1.6S that GTO was sitting in is obviously an old car and not one that was manufactured that day.

Most of your issues have a single reason behind them. Low volumes of the 1.6S. If your dealer or the plant does not already have the color of your choice ready, the wait is usually 30-40 days. But having said that, Harpreet Ford could have done a much better job in keeping you informed. The salesman telling you to talk to his seniors is unpardonable. Please file a complaint at the earliest.
Gilead, i do know that Aquarius 1.6s that GTO was driving wasnt manufactured that day

About the complaint, that i will file soon.
capt_rocker is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 17:09   #13
BHPian
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Chennai
Posts: 952
Thanked: 8 Times

Capt..that 1lac advance booking is a shocker! When I booked my SXI in dec09, I was asked to pay 50K advance, which the SE claimed as normal for Fiesta..on reading carefully I noticed, 50K is for Endeavour and only 25K for Fiesta!!!

This is another example of not falling into the trap where the dealer promises for early delivery if paid more..this is not how it works, unless you are shown the car in flesh upfront! So buyers, beware!

Normally, all variants of fiesta have a delivery period of 3-4 weeks, AFAIK, if the choice of color/trim is not already in stock with the dealer. A common color as Silver which I got, took around 2 weeks, that too since the dealer has already did some pre-booking with Ford.

Did the dealer gave any confirmed date in writing on the booking form?

Most of your queries have already been answered here...but this BS3/4 has already created a lot of trouble - remember seeing a new thread created about ANHC as well few days back becos of utter confusion between the buyer/dealer/honda.
sanjayc is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 17:13   #14
BHPian
 
capt_rocker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Delhi NCR
Posts: 134
Thanked: 2 Times

yes sanjayc, i know the 1lac advance is way too much. i should have restricted myself and not trusted the dealers word alone. But its done already and lets say i had the money ready at that time. but still no excuses. should have been more prudent!!
capt_rocker is offline  
Old 25th May 2010, 17:27   #15
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Faridabad
Posts: 719
Thanked: 40 Times

Recently, even I enquired about the Fiesta 1.6S here at NCR Ford in Faridabad and the sales guy was ignorant enough to say that the S version is nothing special and just a Petrol Fiesta with a Spoiler. Those were his exact words. Surprisingly, another Sales guy to whom I talked a few weeks before talking to this moron was quite good in his way of approaching customers and answered most of my queries satisfactorily. He was quite informative as well.
I think this idiot would have been a newbie.
I think it is always better to talk to experienced sales executives to avoid such problems. Now, what I have planned is to talk to various sales executives on phone and keep their names with me. After this evaluation, I shall go looking for the best that I select from my list personally in their showroom and go about buying my car. TOO MUCH OF A HASSLE TO JUST BUY A CAR! LOL!
abhipuru16 is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks