[Amartya]

Originally Posted by WindRide

Why buy Polo? Coz it looks good and has better build quality than most 'Indian' hatches.

Now, if you can ignore the above two factors, cancel the booking and go for Swift 1.2. Enjoy a very good car and very good A.S.S / customer care.

Go for an i20 or a Punto.

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I think we should recommend to change the title to something like " Issue with Polo Booking etc." Its pretty misleading.

Something that I agree in total. How about "VW Polo booking experience: A disaster" ?

[ghodlur]

I would suggest first cancel the booking, shoot e-mails to the top managment (thru website if possible). The Germans think they can walk tall with their technology and give BS about Indian reqmts, they need to think twice on that. Many brands had to leave India coz they could not work on the customer support which in India is such a senstive issue.
Go all guns man against the VW, dont let the bagde bother you. You would be better off in an Indica or Ritz for that matter, atleast you have a collar to catch if something goes wrong.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

Agreed, they were not professional, but dont think it because they are a German company and we are Indians etc. At the end of the day dont forget on papers its a German company but the reality is except for few VPs all others are Indian employees.

Easier said than done Xingy. Org's culture always flows down the pyramid. Therefore, even if 95% of the employees are Indians, if the top brass has airs around itself, it would reverberate in the attitude and professionalism of those down the food chain.

Moreover, dont think matching the booking related issues with the service expectation is a right approach. They are totally different ballgame, it would be too naive to relate this to service expections.

OTOH, it would be too naive not to relate the two. Sales org of any org is the showcase. Imagine, if the showcase is such, the internals/other departments functioning/professionalism should be anyone's guess.

Skoda and Audi are totally different company, though under VW umbrella. It would not be ideal to make assumption just because they come under one umbrella.

And just why not? It is the culture I would say which exists within the group which is getting manifested in forms of shoddy sales/service at Skoda et al.

I think we should recommend to change the title to something like " Issue with Polo Booking etc." Its pretty misleading.

Yes, something I do agree with you

And yes Bunty, there isn't anything preventing you from moving on unless you are a big VW fan

[theragingbull]

This is the problem with most European manufacturers in India. They have extremely good cars but they don't know how to sell it! VW is taking its customers for granted here, as they think the Polo is such a good car that people can wait for months to get their hands on one.

Ideally, you should have got your car delivered by June as there is a 3 month waiting period. But this getting extended to September is just ridiculous! We have members on team bhp who had booked their car in March and are enjoying it right now.

I think the main problem is at your dealership. May be you should rant at the sales person rather than calling up customer care. VW is doing everything to deliver the Polos in time.

I hope you get your Polo soon. I had booked mine on 21st April and the SP had promised delivery in July. But now he's saying August. Still unclear when it's gonna come.

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

Easier said than done Xingy. Org's culture always flows down the pyramid. Therefore, even if 95% of the employees are Indians, if the top brass has airs around itself, it would reverberate in the attitude and professionalism of those down the food chain.

I agree, but only for companies which are settled like Hyundai, suzuki and Ford. Imagine VW as a company is brand new and invariably all the employees will be hardly 3 years old in the organization, dont think they would have caught up with the German ideology. I might be wrong, but I am just guessing.

Originally Posted by AlokSriva

And just why not? It is the culture I would say which exists within the group which is getting manifested in forms of shoddy sales/service at Skoda et al.

Same here, it is just new and too early to make these judgements.

[mkh]

I have had a few interactions with the dealer here in BLR- i must say their attitude is - you are getting a VW at this price, that itself is a great thing, whats the problem then with waiting for your car? They are clearly showing an attitude, big time. I think its VW that needs india and indian customers and not the reverse, cause if they want business, india is THE place now.
Hope they understand this and behave accordingly else they may end up with a meager market share

[VictorSinha]

VW is taking things for granted. The same story happened with one of my friend also. They have got the take it or leave it attitude.

To people who has already bought one. God save them. If this is the attitude in sales, service and warrantry is sure going to be on hell of a story.

And finally what I felt after Tding a Polo. THe 3-pot Petrol is not going to take the car anywhere. The way less priced i10 or Ritz is leading by a too far margin. People who are buying the Polo are just for the new thing in town. I am sure the sales will go to South Pole after this craze end. And finally if the attitude does not end here, then the South Pole may be more steeper.

Anyday I will go with Maruti or Hyundai. But VW not in the next 5 years or so at least.

[himanshugoswami]

this is downright pathetic. It seems that these German companies have a huge superiority complex- Skoda has finally been rattled by the negative publicity that they have recieved, I gues VW will also learn teh hard way.

you should seriously consider cancelling your booking and look for alternatives.

These guys should learn a thing or two from maruti or hyundai who have consistently good customer servie despite the huge volumes they handle.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by VictorSinha

And finally what I felt after Tding a Polo. THe 3-pot Petrol is not going to take the car anywhere. The way less priced i10 or Ritz is leading by a too far margin. People who are buying the Polo are just for the new thing in town. I am sure the sales will go to South Pole after this craze end. And finally if the attitude does not end here, then the South Pole may be more steeper.
Anyday I will go with Maruti or Hyundai. But VW not in the next 5 years or so at least.

If you are talking about the Petrol, I do not agree with the "not going...anywhere". Mind you, I do not like the engine being a 3-pot but it still works pretty well in the city. The diesel on the other hand, falls flat on it's face when compared to the Figo 1.4 TDCi and the Fiat 1.3 MJD mills.

I also agree that any person who can look beyond the badge (which isn't that great in my opinion), won't buy this car in any avatar other than the 1.6. There just isn't any USP for the car, I remember Xingamazon raising this same question in the Polo thread and there aren't any answers to that till the 1.6 is launched.

@bunty, after this kind of pre-sales issues, why stick to this car?

[poloman]

First of all the title of the thread should be changed. Polo as a car is not at all a disaster and I can vouch for it from my ownership. The delivery schedule and the dealerships are disastrous in their own terms. Any thing more than a 3 month waiting period should not be acceptable for any cars. you have lot of choices in the market and the best way to react is to cancel the booking and go for an alternative. To other people who are bashing VW and heaping praise on Maruti and Hyundai, should check up the waiting period of their popular models in person. This after decades of presence in India.VW is new to mass markets in India. Please give them some time.

[karmania]

There were some comments about there being Indians in VW except a few German VPs. I agree that this is something expected as is the careless attitude towards the customers. They should realize that pre-sales support is as important as post-sales. If the company is not worried about pre-sales, then what can we expect about post-sales. Imagine you being stuck for weeks for some parts to be delivered only to be informed that you need to wait for a few more weeks.... It is not that it is a privilege to own a german car... after all it is a people's car.

If I had a Jag, Rolly Royce, Mercedes SLK, then I can expect this type of delay... If I had the money to get one of these cars, then almost certainly I would have a backup car... but imagine people who put in their hard earned money on the people's car and being taken for a ride for post-sales service. It is a no no for me...

This is the reason I have moved on to i20 which I will book by the end of the month and be riding in within a few weeks!

[issigonis]

Originally Posted by bunty

Hi all. Starting a new thread here to share my terrible experience with Volkswagen Auto.

I had booked a Volkswagen Polo Hiline Petrol in Red Color on 25th March, 2010 in Pune. An initial booking amount of Rs. 50,000/- as demanded by the company was paid. The dealer assured me orally that my car would be delivered in May or latest by June.

On enquiring in May, the dealer said my allotment is for June and asked me to get in touch with him around 15th June. I called the dealership on 15th June, to be told that my car cannot be delivered before September, 2010.
Since then, Volkswagen Auto has not had the decency to reply to my repeated telephone calls to their Customer Service Numbers (1800 2090909) or emails at customer.care@volkswagen.co.in. The attitude of their Customer Service Executives is one of complete indifference to the customers queries. Standard replies include "We shall get back to you in 24/48 hours" and which they never do. A copy of the unreplied email is attached to this email.

German companies (I deal with them as part of my business) expect a reply to emails sent in the first half of the day on the same day and those sent in the second half, latest by noon of the next working day. In my case, Volkswagen, a German company seems to have decided to ignore my mails completely.

On the contrary, an Indian company like Maruti (Whose Ritz & Swift I own) has one of the best Customer Care programs I have come across. I remember them calling me regularly when I booked the cars informing me of the status of my order. As a matter of fact, I had to request them not call too often.

Does Volkswagen thinks Indians are too eager for their so-called superior German Engineering and shall wait endlessly for their cars? I could take the easy way out of this problem and buy a car from any other manufacturer like many other Polo aspirants have, but Volkswagen has wasted 3 months of my time. In this time I could have easily bought any other car. I feel cheated as Volkswagen has repeatedly failed on its commitments. They have also resorted to lying time and again to hide their chortcomings. I expect an apology from Volkswagen for their callousness and ineptitude.

>>> I think car manufacturers, through their dealers provide a document stating the delivery date (or the date range). Why didn't you get that?

Also, it is a fact that a significant level of customer satisfaction can be directly attributed to the dealer and his/her employees. If the dealer is dodgy or unprofessional, the brand image suffers. Happens with all marques. Generally speaking the staff manning the customer service helpline, regardless of product type, are not well equipped (not well trained)to deal with exceptional issues as your case seems to be.

Escalating the issue and talking on the phone (or directly) with the employee of the manufacturer might solve the issue.

Else, consumers in post-1991 India have choices- you can vote with your feet.

Hope your troubles end soon.

Regards

[nairrk]

Horrible, never expected such treatment to a customer from VW?
6 months waiting time for this car (that too not guaranteed as yet) -I think VW is asking too much in the Indian market.
If you are not particular about VW Polo, just cancell the booking and go for other good cars available in the market.

[ashutoshb]

Unfortunate for Volkswagen that they can not cope up with the demand. They should have been better prepared.

In this market, where there are more than twenty options to choose from, a customer is ready to wait for your product for months, and this is how you treat him!!