Concorde Motors : FIAT India : A Bad Experience : Still waiting for reponse

eagle_bush · 8th October 2010, 12:10

Not so many days ago, I fell in love with the Punto. I had requested for a test drive from Concorde Motors, and booked the car on 25th September 2010. I was told that the GP Emotion Bossa Nova White would reach in 5 days. Since I wanted delivery on the 9th of October, I made the payment in full as the SA said the discounts would reduce from 1st of October. I have been following up with them since, and the answer I got was "The car is in transit". After listening to the same response for the past 12 days, I decided to go to the showroom to get the facts. The response still being the same I contacted Tata Motors territory manager for Hyderabad. Mr Sarath (territory Manager) said he would get back to me with the details in one hour. I waited waited, kept waiting till 4 in the evening and finally gave him a call. He said, the car was not yet dispatched and would reach only by the 11th of october. To this response, I had nothing else to say. I wanted to escalte this issue up the ladder and after some search on the internet, I finally got hold of the e-mail ID's of FIAT personnel. Below is the e-mail sent.

---------------------------------
I had booked a Punto (D) Emotion Bossa Nova White on 25th September and the payment (in full) was made to Concorde Motors Hyderabad on 30 Sep 2010.
I wanted the vehicle on the 9-Oct-2010. The Sales executive promised delivery on that date on the booking day as well as on the day of payment.

Since the payment the response I get from the dealer is that the car is in transit. I still can't believe the car is in transit from Pune from the past 12 days!
On talking to the Territory Manager Mr Sarath, I get unconfirmed information that the car would not arrive till the 11th of October. Delivery on the 9th is very important to me due to some auspicious reasons.

It is really sad to know that facts are not put in front of a customer when he is paying almost 7 Lakhs for a car. The response always is "We'll get back to you". This never happens.
I really feel embarassed to keep calling to know the status though there is no positive news all this time.

I have seen dealerships going an extra mile to satisfy the customers to ensure repeat business/recommendations. But this kind of behaviour is least expected and would adversely effect the image of the brand as such.

All promises made before the payment are now no more valid in my case.

Is this how a customer is treated at a TATA-FIAT dealership?
Is there a solution for this?
Can things still be fixed?
Would there be any response to this e-mail?
Will this e-mail make the promises made valid?
Will both of us get the car we want in the color we want on 9-Oct?

These are few questions running in my mind. I don't know if there would be any answers to this mail :(

We obviously want to promote the brand both TATA and FIAT but if this is the experience, I don't think I can talk of the brand as a customer friendly one, or can I?

A not so happy customer so far,
-----------------------------------------

Response

Dear sir,

Thank you for your communication, regret inconvenience caused to you with regards to concerns refereed on new car delivery schedule of Fiat Grande Punto.

We have coordinated the matter with our product team/distributor Tata Motors for update , you will be hearing shortly through them .

Thanking you for your cooperation & assuring you of our best services at all times.

With warm regards,

Mangesh Kodalkar

Customer Services Department
( For Fiat Linea and Fiat Grande Punto)

Fiat India Automobiles Limited
B-19,Ranjangaon MIDC Industrial Area
Ranjangaon-412210
Taluka Shirur,District Pune
Maharashtra,India
Tel +91 2138 672764

Fax +91 2138 672800

---------------------------------------

Nothing happened after this reponse. I had to keep calling the dealer and the Territory Manager, who surprisingly are in a Meeting for the whole day, without even a gap for lunch. Surprising for me!

Finally in the evening, the dealer gives me an option. They have a BNW Grande Punto Emotion (D), but to get this car I would have to shell out 6000 more because my vehicle was already billed.

. Or I had to wait till Monday to get my (billed) vehicle. This didn't make sense to me at all. When I asked the SA to give me in writing that he would indeed deliver the car on Monday - He laughs and says, that is not possible. I had to again wrote an e-mail with this experience yesterday expecting something would be done. Below is a copy.
------------------------------------

I would like to thank Mr Mangesh Kodalkar to have responded to the e-mail.

The following are the updates.

1. No one from TML/Concorde called me to give me an update, I had to follow up on the issue myself - DSAT (Dissatisfied).
2. Mr. Sarath (TM) was not available throughout the day for any comment, except for a few moments after lunch. No communication later - DSAT.
3. After a few calls to Concorde, the update by evening was "We do have a vehicle, Grande Punto Emotion (D) BNW, but because your vehicle is already billed, you have to pay 6000 more if you need delivery on 9-Oct-2010". I really have no words to say on this. As I understand from the Sales person that the vehicle which is available could not be delivered to a customer due some finance issue. My request was to deliver this car to me since the other customer wanted a delivery a day before Dusshera and the Car booked my me would reach them by Monday. To this the response again is - "It would cost you 6000 rupees more Sir". This was like adding insult to injury (If you want a car on 9th pay 6000 more and take it). 09-Oct-2010 is a very auspicious day for me, and even with the same variant with the same color still available, I will have to shell out 6000 or wait till Monday evening to take delivery (which is again a word of mouth and no written confirmation). Is this justified? Can't anyone (FIAPL/TML/Dealer) take a step forward and try to deliver a Vehicle on the promised date to ensure a smile on the customers face? I deal with customers in my own field and we are very particular about CSAT! After all our customer is our brand ambassador, nothing gives you more publicity and marketing than a Happy customer. Its not a question of waiting for 2 more days, it's that, the excitement and the precious moment is lost. I feel I have compromised on my happiness in spite of having a vehicle in stock.

If you were in my shoes just imagine the pain of following up with people from TML/Dealership to hear some positive news and by EoD you are asked to pay 6000 more! :(.
Is it that difficult to buy a car?? - DSAT

After all this, If I ask for a guarantee of delivery of the vehicle on Monday, 11th Oct in written from the dealer, all I get is "I'll get back to you Sir". It's been 2 hours and still no response!

I would be happy even after all this, If someone takes a step forward to ensure I get my car on the 9th of October. It's a request. I feel embarrassed to be writing such e-mails, and am shocked myself as I am having to run helter-skelter in spite of being a customer who has paid the money in full and expecting nothing more than that was promised.

Regards,
----------------------------------

I have not recieved any response till now neither from FIAT nor from the dealer.

I have no idea whom to approach or contact regarding this issue. All my cries have been unheard so far. Can anyone guide me

.

clevermax · 8th October 2010, 12:14

Just third week of your booking right?
I booked a Punto and never asked a question to the dealership after that, on 25th day, the car was given to me. No big hassles. I think that 4 weeks waiting is somewhat normal for this car.

You just seem to be dying to get the car

It will be so, especially in case of a Punto!

Lesson to be learnt is that never believe them when they say the car will reach in a week! I had also booked a Linea for my BIL, and they said the car will be delivered in a week; guess what, they took 23 days to deliver that as well.

eagle_bush · 8th October 2010, 12:27

I can understand delay in transit, but when the dealership already has a car, why can't they deliver that to me? I still couldn't understand their reasons but if there is a same variant same color already available, is it a pain for them to deliver that!

HappyWheels · 8th October 2010, 13:00

Major mistake - paying up front.

If things do not work out, ask them for a full refund and take your business elsewhere. Else, only option, escalate and keep doing that. And also make your presence felt really well in the showroom with the SA and his manager.

Looks like they are just take you for a ride knowing that they can.

eagle_bush · 8th October 2010, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Major mistake - paying up front.

If things do not work out, ask them for a full refund and take your business elsewhere. Else, only option, escalate and keep doing that. And also make your presence felt really well in the showroom with the SA and his manager.

Looks like they are just take you for a ride knowing that they can.

I want them to go through the pain, and the best way to to this is get the work done by them using all means of escalations. I don't want any other person to face the same issue ever. I got my hands on the phone number of Mr Hari: Concorde Motors Head for the Zone, who apparently is in a meeting, so couldn't get his time. Will talk to him directly and see where this goes.

Can anyone help me with the e-mail ID's of Fiat Higher ups?

HappyWheels · 8th October 2010, 13:39

^^ Thats that way! Give back some of the pain! It is only when people whine and take the BS meted out to them by these dealers, that they get more arrogant.

Reach out to the FIAT top guy, Rajeev Kapoor : rajeev.kapoor @ fiat.com

clevermax · 8th October 2010, 14:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by eagle_bush

I can understand delay in transit, but when the dealership already has a car, why can't they deliver that to me? I still couldn't understand their reasons but if there is a same variant same color already available, is it a pain for them to deliver that!

Who knows the condition of the car which is already there in the showroom / yard? They might have given that for few test drives and I have even seen those guys taking such cars for going out for lunch!

They can even do this with a fresh car - yes that's written by me and driven by me as well.

I'd any day prefer a car that's freshly arrived. In my case, the car arrived one day evening, and next day morning I was there to take the delivery, a car that just showed 8 Kms of running in the odo.

eagle_bush · 19th October 2010, 16:53

I finally got my car delivered on Monday 11th October. The car which was supposed to arrive was still in transit. They delivered the car which was with them. The car conformed to the the PDI checklist. Ownership review here (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2110841)

8th October 2010, 12:10	#1
eagle_bush BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 141 Thanked: 57 Times	Concorde Motors : FIAT India : A Bad Experience : Still waiting for reponse Not so many days ago, I fell in love with the Punto. I had requested for a test drive from Concorde Motors, and booked the car on 25th September 2010. I was told that the GP Emotion Bossa Nova White would reach in 5 days. Since I wanted delivery on the 9th of October, I made the payment in full as the SA said the discounts would reduce from 1st of October. I have been following up with them since, and the answer I got was "The car is in transit". After listening to the same response for the past 12 days, I decided to go to the showroom to get the facts. The response still being the same I contacted Tata Motors territory manager for Hyderabad. Mr Sarath (territory Manager) said he would get back to me with the details in one hour. I waited waited, kept waiting till 4 in the evening and finally gave him a call. He said, the car was not yet dispatched and would reach only by the 11th of october. To this response, I had nothing else to say. I wanted to escalte this issue up the ladder and after some search on the internet, I finally got hold of the e-mail ID's of FIAT personnel. Below is the e-mail sent. --------------------------------- I had booked a Punto (D) Emotion Bossa Nova White on 25th September and the payment (in full) was made to Concorde Motors Hyderabad on 30 Sep 2010. I wanted the vehicle on the 9-Oct-2010. The Sales executive promised delivery on that date on the booking day as well as on the day of payment. Since the payment the response I get from the dealer is that the car is in transit. I still can't believe the car is in transit from Pune from the past 12 days! On talking to the Territory Manager Mr Sarath, I get unconfirmed information that the car would not arrive till the 11th of October. Delivery on the 9th is very important to me due to some auspicious reasons. It is really sad to know that facts are not put in front of a customer when he is paying almost 7 Lakhs for a car. The response always is "We'll get back to you". This never happens. I really feel embarassed to keep calling to know the status though there is no positive news all this time. I have seen dealerships going an extra mile to satisfy the customers to ensure repeat business/recommendations. But this kind of behaviour is least expected and would adversely effect the image of the brand as such. All promises made before the payment are now no more valid in my case. Is this how a customer is treated at a TATA-FIAT dealership? Is there a solution for this? Can things still be fixed? Would there be any response to this e-mail? Will this e-mail make the promises made valid? Will both of us get the car we want in the color we want on 9-Oct? These are few questions running in my mind. I don't know if there would be any answers to this mail :( We obviously want to promote the brand both TATA and FIAT but if this is the experience, I don't think I can talk of the brand as a customer friendly one, or can I? A not so happy customer so far, ----------------------------------------- Response Dear sir, Thank you for your communication, regret inconvenience caused to you with regards to concerns refereed on new car delivery schedule of Fiat Grande Punto. We have coordinated the matter with our product team/distributor Tata Motors for update , you will be hearing shortly through them . Thanking you for your cooperation & assuring you of our best services at all times. With warm regards, Mangesh Kodalkar Customer Services Department ( For Fiat Linea and Fiat Grande Punto) Fiat India Automobiles Limited B-19,Ranjangaon MIDC Industrial Area Ranjangaon-412210 Taluka Shirur,District Pune Maharashtra,India Tel +91 2138 672764 Fax +91 2138 672800 --------------------------------------- Nothing happened after this reponse. I had to keep calling the dealer and the Territory Manager, who surprisingly are in a Meeting for the whole day, without even a gap for lunch. Surprising for me! Finally in the evening, the dealer gives me an option. They have a BNW Grande Punto Emotion (D), but to get this car I would have to shell out 6000 more because my vehicle was already billed. . Or I had to wait till Monday to get my (billed) vehicle. This didn't make sense to me at all. When I asked the SA to give me in writing that he would indeed deliver the car on Monday - He laughs and says, that is not possible. I had to again wrote an e-mail with this experience yesterday expecting something would be done. Below is a copy. ------------------------------------ I would like to thank Mr Mangesh Kodalkar to have responded to the e-mail. The following are the updates. 1. No one from TML/Concorde called me to give me an update, I had to follow up on the issue myself - DSAT (Dissatisfied). 2. Mr. Sarath (TM) was not available throughout the day for any comment, except for a few moments after lunch. No communication later - DSAT. 3. After a few calls to Concorde, the update by evening was "We do have a vehicle, Grande Punto Emotion (D) BNW, but because your vehicle is already billed, you have to pay 6000 more if you need delivery on 9-Oct-2010". I really have no words to say on this. As I understand from the Sales person that the vehicle which is available could not be delivered to a customer due some finance issue. My request was to deliver this car to me since the other customer wanted a delivery a day before Dusshera and the Car booked my me would reach them by Monday. To this the response again is - "It would cost you 6000 rupees more Sir". This was like adding insult to injury (If you want a car on 9th pay 6000 more and take it). 09-Oct-2010 is a very auspicious day for me, and even with the same variant with the same color still available, I will have to shell out 6000 or wait till Monday evening to take delivery (which is again a word of mouth and no written confirmation). Is this justified? Can't anyone (FIAPL/TML/Dealer) take a step forward and try to deliver a Vehicle on the promised date to ensure a smile on the customers face? I deal with customers in my own field and we are very particular about CSAT! After all our customer is our brand ambassador, nothing gives you more publicity and marketing than a Happy customer. Its not a question of waiting for 2 more days, it's that, the excitement and the precious moment is lost. I feel I have compromised on my happiness in spite of having a vehicle in stock. If you were in my shoes just imagine the pain of following up with people from TML/Dealership to hear some positive news and by EoD you are asked to pay 6000 more! :(. Is it that difficult to buy a car?? - DSAT After all this, If I ask for a guarantee of delivery of the vehicle on Monday, 11th Oct in written from the dealer, all I get is "I'll get back to you Sir". It's been 2 hours and still no response! I would be happy even after all this, If someone takes a step forward to ensure I get my car on the 9th of October. It's a request. I feel embarrassed to be writing such e-mails, and am shocked myself as I am having to run helter-skelter in spite of being a customer who has paid the money in full and expecting nothing more than that was promised. Regards, ---------------------------------- I have not recieved any response till now neither from FIAT nor from the dealer. I have no idea whom to approach or contact regarding this issue. All my cries have been unheard so far. Can anyone guide me . Last edited by eagle_bush : 8th October 2010 at 12:29.
	() Thanks

8th October 2010, 12:14	#2
clevermax Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tvm/Amsterdam Posts: 2,086 Thanked: 2,640 Times View My Garage	Just third week of your booking right? I booked a Punto and never asked a question to the dealership after that, on 25th day, the car was given to me. No big hassles. I think that 4 weeks waiting is somewhat normal for this car. You just seem to be dying to get the car It will be so, especially in case of a Punto! Lesson to be learnt is that never believe them when they say the car will reach in a week! I had also booked a Linea for my BIL, and they said the car will be delivered in a week; guess what, they took 23 days to deliver that as well. Last edited by clevermax : 8th October 2010 at 12:20.
	() Thanks

8th October 2010, 12:27	#3
eagle_bush BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 141 Thanked: 57 Times	I can understand delay in transit, but when the dealership already has a car, why can't they deliver that to me? I still couldn't understand their reasons but if there is a same variant same color already available, is it a pain for them to deliver that!
	() Thanks

8th October 2010, 13:00	#4
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Major mistake - paying up front. If things do not work out, ask them for a full refund and take your business elsewhere. Else, only option, escalate and keep doing that. And also make your presence felt really well in the showroom with the SA and his manager. Looks like they are just take you for a ride knowing that they can.
	() Thanks

8th October 2010, 13:39	#6
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	^^ Thats that way! Give back some of the pain! It is only when people whine and take the BS meted out to them by these dealers, that they get more arrogant. Reach out to the FIAT top guy, Rajeev Kapoor : rajeev.kapoor @ fiat.com
	() Thanks

19th October 2010, 16:53	#8
eagle_bush BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 141 Thanked: 57 Times	I finally got my car delivered on Monday 11th October. The car which was supposed to arrive was still in transit. They delivered the car which was with them. The car conformed to the the PDI checklist. Ownership review here (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2110841)
	() Thanks