Volkswagen Polo: A disaster - Dealer unable to deliver the car. Update: Now delivered

bunty · 23rd June 2010, 00:27

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.

Palio_2005 · 23rd June 2010, 09:59

Well if this is the situation before delivering the car you can only imagine what would the after sales service would be. Why didn't you just cancel the booking and go for another car? The fact that you chose to wait is what emboldens companies like VW to treat the customers the way that you do. If they had received many cancellations then they would have definitely mended their ways.

KiloAlpha · 23rd June 2010, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palio_2005

... Why didn't you just cancel the booking and go for another car? ...

I agree 100%. Vote with your feet, and encourage others to do so as well. The choice is, as always, entirely yours. Companies like VW assume (often correctly) that we don't exercise our power of choice. Which is why they can get away with BS.

s3va · 23rd June 2010, 10:08

somewhere or the other, the Volkswagens and Skodas share a common point ! I sincerely hope Volkswagen dont stick to this common point for good ! We dont want another Skoda India story !

challa · 23rd June 2010, 10:09

Hi Bunty

Its shame on VW part on not keeping up their dates, i guess the VW is going Skoda way in treating their customers. Unless you are desperate of the brand and car you always have choice of other cars around ( Prevention is better than cure). You decide and take your call.

svaid · 23rd June 2010, 10:36

Pretty sad to hear your ordeal. And if I just go by your experience - its a shame on part of Volkswagen that they are spoiling their brand image like this.

On one hand you do Polo racing events/get your show on MTV to generate public/youth awareness/credibility and on the other don't even care to respond to a simple customer email - this is really disgusting.

I recommend - you better send a link to this thread on their email id. They better know - its not only the readers on this forum which will create a bad impression but also their near and dear ones who are contemplating to purchase a car in near future.

If they want to learn the hard way - so be it.

I sincerely hope this ends up being a one off incident rather than the norm.

chncar · 23rd June 2010, 10:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by s3va

somewhere or the other, the Volkswagens and Skodas share a common point ! I sincerely hope Volkswagen dont stick to this common point for good ! We dont want another Skoda India story !

'

Add Audi to the list as well. There is another thread detailing the issues with their Mumbai dealer, for which Audi and by extension VW owns the responsibility towards the customers.

sameer551 · 23rd June 2010, 10:39

Thats really awful, even myself had suffered last week such a blow of non commitment and running after the salesman in my case it was Fiat. I felt harassed and was treated like some 3rd class customer from a co. which is yet to blossom again. I however did not sit idle and shot mails to CEO corner, called up all managers whom I could at Fiat and gave my feedback and some piece of mind. But think thats not enough to get things on.

I am just wondering if there could be some legal way to teach such co's a lesson and demand for damages. Does consumer court handles such cases where in there is no written consent but oral commitment from co's. I feel its really high time and we must take some action. Overall car buying experience in India is very poor.

METISWHG · 23rd June 2010, 10:41

cancel your order and get another car.

recently i was checking out new cars for my parents and checked Polo in gurgaon. the dealership was just not interested while i kept standing by the car for 5 odd minutes. the company hasn't geared up systems for small car yet - be it sales or customer service.

I am now deciding between wagon R and Figo basis what dad likes

thelightening · 23rd June 2010, 10:41

Very bad to hear this regarding a reputed company like VW. I am sure, they are taking the scenarios as granted for car with 3 pot engines. Guys, if you are not happy, get the amount back and book some other good cars. We have a lot in this category.

I feel VW polo will be in the same state of Skoda Fabia soon.

vc.vinay · 23rd June 2010, 10:57

Very sad to hear your story , but the ground reality is that Volkswagen POLO is an early delivery.the company is not ready with infrastructure what is required to sell a "small" car in india

.these companies take indian customers for granted.

Ajay_J · 23rd June 2010, 11:01

Cancel and move on. There are plenty of choices available.No point in dragging the matter any further. They are ready to refund the booking amount, right ?

xingamazon · 23rd June 2010, 11:07

Hi Bunty

My sympathies with you for the ordeal that you are going thro. But frankly I do not think, it has got any overtunes of a nationalist sentiment, i.e. talking about German indian etc is not the right way to put it.

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.

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.

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.

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

WindRide · 23rd June 2010, 11:10

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.

pawan_pullarwar · 23rd June 2010, 11:15

It is better to stop taking booking if they are not able to deliver like what Toyota did with the Fortuner some times back.

23rd June 2010, 00:27	#1
bunty Newbie Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 17 Thanked: 0 Times	Volkswagen Polo: A disaster - Dealer unable to deliver the car. Update: Now delivered 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.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 09:59	#2
Palio_2005 BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 991 Thanked: 878 Times	Well if this is the situation before delivering the car you can only imagine what would the after sales service would be. Why didn't you just cancel the booking and go for another car? The fact that you chose to wait is what emboldens companies like VW to treat the customers the way that you do. If they had received many cancellations then they would have definitely mended their ways.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:08	#4
s3va BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Dubai Posts: 646 Thanked: 5 Times View My Garage	somewhere or the other, the Volkswagens and Skodas share a common point ! I sincerely hope Volkswagen dont stick to this common point for good ! We dont want another Skoda India story !
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:09	#5
challa BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 81 Thanked: Once	Hi Bunty Its shame on VW part on not keeping up their dates, i guess the VW is going Skoda way in treating their customers. Unless you are desperate of the brand and car you always have choice of other cars around ( Prevention is better than cure). You decide and take your call.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:36	#6
svaid BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 226 Thanked: 7 Times	Pretty sad to hear your ordeal. And if I just go by your experience - its a shame on part of Volkswagen that they are spoiling their brand image like this. On one hand you do Polo racing events/get your show on MTV to generate public/youth awareness/credibility and on the other don't even care to respond to a simple customer email - this is really disgusting. I recommend - you better send a link to this thread on their email id. They better know - its not only the readers on this forum which will create a bad impression but also their near and dear ones who are contemplating to purchase a car in near future. If they want to learn the hard way - so be it. I sincerely hope this ends up being a one off incident rather than the norm.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:39	#8
sameer551 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 309 Thanked: 0 Times	Thats really awful, even myself had suffered last week such a blow of non commitment and running after the salesman in my case it was Fiat. I felt harassed and was treated like some 3rd class customer from a co. which is yet to blossom again. I however did not sit idle and shot mails to CEO corner, called up all managers whom I could at Fiat and gave my feedback and some piece of mind. But think thats not enough to get things on. I am just wondering if there could be some legal way to teach such co's a lesson and demand for damages. Does consumer court handles such cases where in there is no written consent but oral commitment from co's. I feel its really high time and we must take some action. Overall car buying experience in India is very poor.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:41	#9
METISWHG BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Una Posts: 119 Thanked: 11 Times	cancel your order and get another car. recently i was checking out new cars for my parents and checked Polo in gurgaon. the dealership was just not interested while i kept standing by the car for 5 odd minutes. the company hasn't geared up systems for small car yet - be it sales or customer service. I am now deciding between wagon R and Figo basis what dad likes Last edited by METISWHG : 23rd June 2010 at 10:42. Reason: spellcheck
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:41	#10
thelightening BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 262 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	Very bad to hear this regarding a reputed company like VW. I am sure, they are taking the scenarios as granted for car with 3 pot engines. Guys, if you are not happy, get the amount back and book some other good cars. We have a lot in this category. I feel VW polo will be in the same state of Skoda Fabia soon.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:57	#11
vc.vinay BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Delhi Posts: 33 Thanked: 30 Times	Very sad to hear your story , but the ground reality is that Volkswagen POLO is an early delivery.the company is not ready with infrastructure what is required to sell a "small" car in india .these companies take indian customers for granted.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 11:01	#12
Ajay_J BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 360 Thanked: 0 Times	Cancel and move on. There are plenty of choices available.No point in dragging the matter any further. They are ready to refund the booking amount, right ?
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 11:07	#13
xingamazon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,400 Thanked: 121 Times	Hi Bunty My sympathies with you for the ordeal that you are going thro. But frankly I do not think, it has got any overtunes of a nationalist sentiment, i.e. talking about German indian etc is not the right way to put it. 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. 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. 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. I think we should recommend to change the title to something like " Issue with Polo Booking etc." Its pretty misleading. Last edited by xingamazon : 23rd June 2010 at 11:08.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 11:10	#14
WindRide BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 682 Thanked: 479 Times	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.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 11:15	#15
pawan_pullarwar BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pune - Now in Munich, Germany Posts: 778 Thanked: 129 Times	It is better to stop taking booking if they are not able to deliver like what Toyota did with the Fortuner some times back.
	() Thanks