[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by AveekKumar

... No wonder Team-BHP puts so much stress on the VIN. When i booked my Elite I opted for the stardust because i saw too many reds on the road. My view was a less common color would be available faster than the most common color. However, i still haven't received any conformation from my sales guy. Lets see what happens.
Kudos to Ford for their customer-centric approach. Wish other manufacturers would learn.

Hey there! Has the dealership told you about any waiting period for your i20? If not, please do ask for an ETA for the same! The VIN number is THE most critical & useful piece of information about your new car. Please ensure your dealer tells you the VIN number the moment your car arrives in the stockyard.

Also, please note that the complete 19 digit VIN, including the last 2 digits indicating month of manufacture, for the i20 is stamped under the driver seat. I am, honestly, very very surprised to see Ford India taking such steps to keep the customer informed about their purchase!

It is a genuinely nice touch to an otherwise extremely disconnected experience. Oh how I wish this is made into a mandate.

[AveekKumar]

Originally Posted by sourav9385

Has the dealership told you about any waiting period for your i20?

Please ensure your dealer tells you the VIN number the moment your car arrives in the stockyard.

Hey Sourav,

For stardust i was told it would take 5-6 weeks or by ganpati celebrations. For other colors its ~2 months. Diesel is 3 months waiting.

I will enquire about the VIN as soon as i get confirmation of the car having arrived. OT, in case the car is old/scratched/played around with, can we outright refuse to accept delivery? Will the dealer make the changes like scratches or depending on extent of damage, will have to wait for next available car?

[sourav9385]

Originally Posted by AveekKumar

Hey Sourav,

For stardust i was told it would take 5-6 weeks or by ganpati celebrations. For other colors its ~2 months. Diesel is 3 months waiting.

I will inquire about the VIN as soon as i get confirmation of the car having arrived. OT, in case the car is old/scratched/played around with, can we outright refuse to accept delivery? Will the dealer make the changes like scratches or depending on extent of damage, will have to wait for next available car?

Wow! 3 months waiting period for the Diesel?

And, 5-6 weeks to 2 months for other colors?

Hyundai is on a roll! Can't blame them, they do make excellent cars. And yes, you can and should, irrevocably, refuse to accept the car if it does not pass a successful PDI check. Why should you accept an old/faulty/damaged/scratched/demo car, or anything else for that matter? You're spending your hard earned money on something that is supposed to be delivered to you in pristine quality sans any defect.

Demand for another vehicle if you're not satisfied with the one allocated to you. It is your right. If you do happen to find flaws, and refuse to accept the car, chances are that the dealership will push you to accept the car by peddling stuff like: "We will fix it before delivery saar, no problem saar, we will paint it saar, it is only a little amount of rust saar!" etc etc.

Please stand your ground. Even if it's just a scratch, demand to see another vehicle. As said in the Tata Sky ads from a while ago, "poochne mein kya jaata hai!".

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by AveekKumar

My view was a less common color would be available faster than the most common color.

I think common colored ones will be available faster, because the manufacturer will start making the cars in anticipation of the demand. They would most probably wait for a confirmed order for not-so-common colors, because it is more difficult to sell if the order is cancelled.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

First, the sales advisor will check the dealer's own inventory for stock, and he/she will try and convince the customer to buy the variant/colour that is in stock.
If the customer is not convinced, then the dealer will check manufacturer stock. Yes, manufacturers have inventory piled up in factory and in various locations across the country (especially Maruti & Hyundai). If the car is found in manufacturer stock, then they will get that car for you.

Some dealers also mutually co-operate with each other. In that case, the sales guy can check if another dealer has the desired colour + variant in stock, and then source it from him.

[Skyline GT-R]

Except high end customized cars, none of the mainstream manufacturers have any idea about which car goes to which customer. Customer care depts would have customer data but they do not link the car to customer until the warranty is activated. Even the dealer invoice will not reflect in company records.

Ford is an exception it seems. However i feel it is a generic mail to keep the customer feel important rather than actually allocating a car in their system.

[krichared]

Originally Posted by Viju

Apart from the Gypsy which has a separate assembly line, many of these 13 models are made on same assembly lines - and at speeds which enable assembly of 4000 cars in a single day (even considering multiple shifts and multiple assembly lines, the speed at which lines move has to be seen to be believed).

I am curious on how the gypsy orders are met , I am looking at picking up a brand new one sometime in 2016, with all the stories of gypsy going to be pulled off and next to nothing orders, wonder how they are processed.

[kilireddy0]

Hello,

So I booked Figo Aspire on the 21st of last month, base model, petrol, for my dad. The dealer promised to deliver it in two weeks, then it turned to four and now its uncertain and they say can happen in the next 6 weeks which is absurd. I did not get the tracking number and email as a lot of you mentioned here from ford. I initially suspected the reason for delay was because the dealer was pushing us to take the next variant. But today they told us "We are not sure about when we can deliver the base version, it will take at least two months".

What do you guys reckon is the real reason. I have asked him to return the advance and they are going to do it. I am trying to get it from a different place now.

[Sudeep_Kimster]

Based on my personal experience with MSIL,I would like to share my delivery experience after the car was booked.

I had booked my Swift ZXi at a dealership in Bhubaneswar,Odisha, on 25th Aug 2011.
I was ensured delivery after 45 days.
I didnt get delivery till October end.
Unfortunately MSIL Gurgaon and Manesar plants were going under a turmoil time, due to labour strikes at that time.

I raised a greviance mail to the Customer Care of MSIL.
Thanks to the Customer Care service, i was enlightened by the facts which were unknown to me, even though I worked in Engineering team of the same industry for 3 years at that time.

The process as explained to me (all facts as explained to me by Regional officer):
1. I booked my car in showroom, booking amount paid. Booking done is specific to Model, Variant and Color.
2. This data is logged into MSIL Dealership Server, that is being tracked at Center (By center he meant MSIL customer services i guess).
3. Based on this data, the customer number is alloted w.r.t Dealership code, area code and Zonal Code.
4. This goes on to the queue for vehicle allotment from Plant production line.
4. Based on queue number and variant produced, vehicle is alloted to me.
5. Once Vehicle is alloted implies, Vehicle chassis number, and Engine number allocated to my name.
6. I was shared details of my vehicle status based on its position on production line ( I was glad sitting at home, I was able to track my car status even though this was because of dealer not meeting its delivery deadline.)
7. Once vehicle is off the line and all quality checks done, the logistics and delivery department takes over.
8. The vehicle despatch details ( Transport Service, Transport Truck Number, Despatch Date and Expected Delivery Date) were sent to me by mail.
9. Vehicle delivered to me on Dec 10th 2011, estimated date provided by logistics was 13 Dec 2011.

NOTE : These details are tracked by dealership, they are not shared to customers unless special cases like me, whose vehicle delivery gets delayed due to unwanted conditions like Plant strike, natural calamity, accidents while transportation etc.

Now till vehicle despatch to dealership, cancellation is not considered as option.
Vehicle will reach dealership stockyard anyhow since order was generated by them, if i would have changed my mind for some other model or color or variant, it would have been allocated to me based on availability at Dealer Stockyard.

And my previously booked vehicle would have had his new owner based on matching requirements.

I hope this information was helpful.

[Saarth]

Originally Posted by GTO

Some dealers also mutually co-operate with each other. In that case, the sales guy can check if another dealer has the desired colour + variant in stock, and then source it from him.

I've always wondered how that works at dealership level. Do the two dealers then share the profit, or does the original dealer that stocked the car get the profit on paper? Would the two dealers have any agreements already in force for things like this?

[opendro]

It is hard to imagine why manufacturers cannot make a custom build variant based on the needs of the customer in this e-age. For instance, if I go to DELL site to buy a laptop, I can choose various components and accessories to build the laptop I want. It is utter non-sense to say that I cannot choose ABS and Airbag in an LDI or leave out the audio option in ZXI or for that matter, leave out all the variant names and simply choose the choice of engines, available optional features/accessories.

Why has nobody done it yet? It is just a matter of time before someone starts it.

[Edit:] Just see how FIAT gives in UK : http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/fiat500/500-configurator We can choose the variant, engines, interior fabric, safty - abs/airbag/etc. audio, A/C climate control, wheels, body graphics, etc. etc. That is how it should be.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Am I dreaming that...

Years ago (but in the www internet age, of course) a European VW customer, unless they were buying direct from dealer stock, could follow the progress of their car, even on the assembly line, and thence through distribution, to the dealer for delivery?

[i74js]

Originally Posted by Saarth

I've always wondered how that works at dealership level. Do the two dealers then share the profit, or does the original dealer that stocked the car get the profit on paper? Would the two dealers have any agreements already in force for things like this?

It is generally on sharing wherein the majority of profits are pocketed by the dealer who is able to do the sale while the handling charges and a small share from dealer margin are taken by the dealer who has the car in stockyard.I have also seen pure-play exchange of cars parked at the stockyards of two dealers depending upon the consumer demand wherein I am given to understand that no sharing of profit happens. Its like let the stuff move out of stockyard.

Several companies have also started sharing / cross sell of "spares" inventory among dealers to ensure quick availability of parts and turnaround of vehicles. This is monitored and ensured by manufacturer. I have personally witnessed in case of Ford and was told by service advisor that this is common with other manufacturers too

[vigvr]

From the car dealership's perspective - what are the things that happens from their end once a customer is ready to give a cheque AND after the cheque is given? I have been getting very inquisitive about this recently.

I'm sure there is a generic check list of things to do - both legally and as per OEM process. Can anyone help throw some light on that?

[thoma]

Just wanted to know if Ford is still following the same principle of keeping the customer in the loop?

I've booked an EcoSport and not got any mail from Ford but from the dealer about the booking and estimated delivery.