[S_U_N]

Going through the site, I can say, Cama motors has open a box of worms.
There is enough factual evidence (loads of PDF's) to prove their point.
I am spreading the link through social media.
At least that will get a better response from MB, instead of filing a defamation law suite.

MB has enough muscle to bring down the site. I hope that there is a mirror coming up soon.

[radek]

Is there a pattern that any dealer that falls apart ends up creating trouble for Mercedes? Few years back, Millenium from Pune had lodged FIR against MB about forgery of account statement. I recently heard whispers that Millenium's claim was solid, so MB had to make a big payout outside the court. However, this was case about finanical irregularities and nothing to do with quality of cars or servicing.

[SankalpDesai]

Here's the part that has been recently updated by the news website -

Mercedes Benz India, however, has refuted all the allegations made by Cama Motors. In an email response, it said, “We strongly refute all the allegations levelled against us. We find these comments highly defamatory, vexatious and frivolous in nature and Cama Motors (our estranged dealer) is trying to tarnish our image; as such Mercedes-Benz India will pursue suitable legal course of action. We would also like to mention that a defamatory suit has already been filed against Cama Motors in Ahmedabad for similar defamatory activities carried on by him.”

Rustom Cama says, “The battle between Cama Motors and Daimler AG is not contingent on anybody’s support or help and we will pursue our duty to its end. However the lack of regulation and the sorry state of this country where even the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) Act seemed better than its replacement cannot be handled by us. I am sure that the CCI does not even see itself as the relevant body for the range of issues raised by us and the ministries concerned have the impunity to disregard facts in spite of using the RTI act".

And the link - The truth about Mercedes India-2: Absence of regulation - Moneylife

[scooby05]

I have too many Mercedes cars, so shouldnt really crib, BUT, Its very Sad the Way we are treated and the way Mercedes takes its customers for a ride. I have had too many occasions over the past 15 years here in India, where I felt short changed/cheated by MB.
Its high time they realise the importance of Customers, and stop their High Nosed style! They are In India, they must remember, and our buying public are very aware and well read.

[vikramvicky1984]

I had a very long meeting with Mr. Cama shortly after he had given up MB dealership in 2009 and shifted to importing cars regarding some consulting work (I was studying in college then).

He seemed to be a very knowledgeable upright guy. He showed me pictures of his personal CLS which had to undergo major work within one year.

A lot of other malpractices at MBIL management were told of (some of which I shouldn't put here as it was directed towards individuals at MBIL and I do not have any proof of it).

He also explained how promotion policies and margins (E class having thrice the margin for an M class and MBIL asking dealers to push M class..how is that possible!!)were hurting Mercedes against BMW in India.

He even talked about reasons for quitting Mitsubishi and Skoda dealerships (frustration at lack of launching new products asked for by dealers and bad A$$ support respectively)

Cama family is well reputed in Ahmedabad (owns a well known hotel and has been in car dealership business for over 70 years ford/HM/Skoda/MB etc). I have known of old mercedes loyals in Ahmadabad still sending there cars to Cama for service even after they left the A$$ business.

The points might have been exaggerated but there definitely some fire beneath the smoke. Cama has a very good reputation out there and definitely would not looking at scoring some more through cheap publicity gimmick.
Hope Mercedes either clarifies its stand or makes amends on these allegations for the benefit of merc lovers. No reaction would definitely mean "daal mein kaala hai"

[driven646]

Quite shocking this post.

Tough to glean the truth in this matter....the estranged dealer has put up some convincing material - however, the fact that the dealer has stayed silent till now is suspicious.

I don't own a Mercedes or even any of the other high end German cars - but i do have friends who do.

One friend had bought a previous generation 'C' Class and had a lot of problems with the car and hated it, spitefully selling it off for a pittance and promising to never ever touch a Mercedes product again. He is very happy with his Audi A6 and curses Mercedes to this day.

Another friend bought a BMW 3 series in 2009 and loved it and has now bought himself a BMW 7 series in 2012.

I bought a VW Passat in October last year and have had a enjoyable, hassle free ownership experience thus far.

Based on my friends experiences - I had considered a BMW 3 series CE but settled on the VW 2011 Passat.

According to my friend who had the troubled 'C' Class - A lot of Indian customers face problems with Mercedes and that if one want's to spend that kind of money on truly German luxury - then they should consider only BMW or Audi.

[maxbhp]

The Brand under threat is the flagship brand of Germany. Any allegations if proved right can give a big blow on the brand itself to such an extent that it will not be able to get back to where it is now without a considerable effort and not to mention about winning back customers.

The Brand also has enough power to put pressure on Cama via all sources Industry / Political.

As someone had pointed out earlier , the question is not about testing whether the news is genuine but to ensure that the right news is spread through our forum.

If Cama's allegations are proven right, then we should propogande the message most effectively and dedicate a thread showing facts with supporting proof and links on all the networking media like facebook, twitter etc.

Other super brands should take a note of this incident and remember the consquence before they follow such measures.

[StarrySky]

This is potentially very damaging for the Mercedes brand in India. Those pdfs at the site (IF genuine), especially some that even mention a draft letter format to call the customer for free inspection, when in fact some parts like turbocharger are changed, basically amounts to cheating and violation of customer rights.

I somehow don't think that a dealer could take on a company as big as Mercedes armed with fake documents.

On a lighter note, Cama Motors could approach Mr.Goenka (sunfilm PIL guy) to file a PIL in the Supreme Court.

[kippu]

Do you really want to wait till this case gets to court and then is buried in paperwork and finally decided, which is a big IF , because these will never go to full distance .So after 8-10 years , you decide that the allegations were true and now we can spread this message?

Or you can read through the site ,see the pdfs read through them ( of course they are not forgery ) and make an informed decision and then spread the message?

[rrsteer]

Some more bad news for Mercedes. According to the link that follows, Mercedes C Class fairs poorly in frontal crash tests.
Frontal Crash Test Results Dull the Gleam of Some Midsize Luxury Sedans - NYTimes.com

[download2live]

MB is already losing share in India.
So even if they manage to put a lid on this case how will they put a lid on the mouth of people?

In case of high end purchases "word of mouth" plays a crucial role.

[johy]

Originally Posted by sudev

If the web site is indeed by Indian dealer then why all the contacts in the domain WHOIS are privacy protected and from Australia??

More often than not when you register a domain using a 3rd-party vendor, they will use Privacy Protect. It is essentially to block spam.

The site clearly has videos, links, pdfs, and address with maps et al. This is a major thing and am sure is going to hit MB badly.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by diffsoft

I was reading a post in Moneylife.in (run in part by Sucheta Dalal a fiercely independent Padma Shri journalist) The truth about Mercedes Benz India-1: Sneakily replacing dangerously defective parts! - Moneylife that talked about "sneakily replacing defective parts" during a "free inspection".

I disagree with Sucheta Dalal on a lot of a stuff. But one thing is that she isn't a paid lackey for corporates or politicians like most other journalists are. If her magazine carries an article, it's because she believes it.

There are very few magazines which are reasonably independent - Moneylife and Open are 2 of them.

[avishar]

There is a post here which says that recalls and upgradations are a common occurrence in consumer goods and shoudnt frowned upon.Well its true that modern cars are filled to the gills with electronics and sensors and they all have a shelf-life.However i do not agree with that anology at all.

If this instead was a report of XUVs electronics failing and Mahindra replacing them surreptiously it would been lambasted left and right.A skoda engine goes into safe mode and the owner would have raised a hue and cry over it,forget being duped for years.So why show sympathy for mercedes?This is down right criminal of what they had been doing,and its not that they have been issuing public recalls,they are replacing components on the sly!

Cama motives cannot be ascertained right now,and maybe they have been doing this hand in glove for sometime but looking at their past reputation,i would atleast give them the benefit of doubt.And no one would dare to openly go against a behemoth like MBIL if you do not have solid info backing up your claim.

A person who buys a Mercedes is already paying an outrageous amount for the car thanks to our duty structure,so the least he can expect is some extent of reliability.But Turbochargers being defective?O2 sensors?I guess one problem is that a typical E-class buyer cannot be bothered with the nitty-gritty of servicing,he justs gives the car,sees the bill and pays it.He has to have the car for the office-run or evening party.50,000 is not going make a large dent on this wallet,so Mercedes must have found it easy to just fed their own stories to not-too-bothered clients.

Its a very well known fact that SBC(Sensotronic Brake Control) was a feature which was found to have unexpected results and was an unreliable technology which Mercedes found it very prudent to remove them from all of its cars and not to offer it anymore.Remember the famous "ELK" tests of the A-class?GTO has chronicled his problems with its C-class,especially the re-occurring AC issue.

This is the perfect time for Lexus to crack the market.They MUST come to India pronto.They should be aggressive and ingrain into the Indian consumer psyche about the reliability and refinement of their cars,and set new standards in after sales and servicing.Remember that Ad?A wine glass balancing on the bonnet of a revving Lexus?We need something like that.

[pgsagar]

The important issue here is not about the timing of revelation by Cama Motors. It is, whether what they revealed is true. If true, then God help Mercedes in this country because already this brand is under fierce attack by BMW and Audi who are consolidating their positions with each passing day. Benz is passe now and BMW / Audi the happening brands.

Cama Motors was a dealer and a dealer has to play second fiddle to the manufacturer who calls the shots. Cama should be perceived here as a whistle-blower. Cama's revelation may sound insinuatory but if found true, Cama should be thanked for exposing Merc's mis-deeds. Agreed that Cama is no angel here and have their own axe to grind but if what say is true then Merc turns out to be bigger villain.