[ishan12]

This post made me remember the Pegasus con job that Royal Enfield pulled off
Related thread
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/motor...als-350-a.html (Royal Enfield Pegasus 500 owners feel cheated, express disappointment over cheaper Signals 350)

Such is life and such is business. Tell your friend there is no point in chasing this or even discussing it at lengths.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

2) Bad and hurtful news for those who recently bought the MPi engine Polo/Vento.

We bought a Polo 1.0MPI in late 2018, skipping the DSG because of the horror stories (already have a 1.8TSI+DSG). It is slow but it gets the job done. But now that my mother wants a smaller car to drive (she drives only automatics), it is really painful that a better engine+torque converter combination was launched just a year later. And recently, a TSI variant was launched at a lower price than we purchased our 1.0MPI for (albeit with a manual transmission), which really stings. But things like this will always keep happening. VW launches special editions very often and this is not something unprecedented. I wouldn't recommend that the sender swaps his 1.0MPI for a 1.0TSI unless he absolutely can't live with the 1.0MPI.

Most car manufacturers won't prioritise keeping old customers happy when they can attract new customers instead. Just ask Polo GTI owners how they feel about the facelifted Polo with the honeycomb grille and diffuser.

Edit: I just went through the email, and whatever does the sender mean by "making it equivalent to a Comfortline TSI"?

[R_Gowardhan]

The manufacturers are not doing anything wrong and are in their own rights if they decide on portfolio shake up or price revisions to garner more sales at any point in time. Right from a vegetable vendor to a real estate giant may change prices/ give more for the same price without any prior notice to existing buyers. However, it's more about the balancing act between getting new customers into your shop and the experience you want to leave behind for your existing customers thereby ensuring loyalty for repeat purchase.

Back in 2016 when Maruti Suzuki decided to give a massive 2.5 Lacs price cut to its recently launched premium product i.e. the S Cross 1.6, they refunded 90,000/- to the early customers to ensure that the early customers who placed their trust in the company's new product (from a nascent segment in 2015-16) don't feel cheated. One of the few reasons why Maruti Suzuki attracts an unmatched brand loyalty.

Link to a related news article:

http://https://auto.economictimes.in...uyers/51522228

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

I made peace with my purchase as I am still a Trendline buyer(and a sedate driver too) who got the Trendline at great discounts.
But what about those who just bought the Comfortline with MPi engine?

Good you've made peace with your purchase. A Polo trendline is a better car than its rivals at that price point.

Buyers remorse is common. Change is constant.

[jithin23]

I'd say enjoy the car once you have bought it. It makes no sense in selling the car. Agreed, the engine update is good but there will be some many other scenarios in life that such things happen. If we keep cribbing, it'll ruin our present moment. Enjoy the present.

In that case, Ford owners need to keep changing their car every alternate month because of the constant feature shuffle.

I got my EcoSport in 18 April 2018 and 9 May 2018, EcoBoost and Sports variant is out. Such things are common and every manufacturer states and features and variants are subject to change without notice. So, legally the company is safe. We need to do our research before buying and again the best way to punish such manufacturers is to stop buying their products.

So I've made peace with my car and I try to enhance it as much as I can by enhancing the existing features or performance or looks

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

below is the original email of dissent from one such Comfortline buyer (a known friend)

Is your known friend (are there unknown friends?) going to sue his parents because he was born at the wrong time? What a nitwit. I pity the people he lives around.

Originally Posted by venkyhere

why does this ranting and crying over sour grapes, deserve a thread ? Mods, please close/delete this thread. Makes TBHP look like an agony aunt / neighbourhood gossip forum

I have to agree with this. But I'll get my 2c in before it gets shut...

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Perhaps VW could throw in a flying unicorn for the inconvenience?

And we wonder why some manufacturers don't take our market seriously.

[sam264_2000]

That email is unreasonable and self-entitled! Live with it.
Imagine what happens to OnePlus mobile buyers. The company launches a new version every 6 months, so the moment you buy a OnePlus mobile, it is outdated in less than 6 months.

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

Questions I want to ask fellow bhpians on this:
1) Is VW justified in doing such thing? Why could not VW inform this in advance and sell the Mpi variant at higher discounts to allow customers decide what they want, if stock clearance was their main point to sustain business.
2) What should one do now? Will ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED entertain such email requests?
3) If company does not entertain then what is the practical solution for such buyers?
Sell their new car on used car platforms like cars24/spinny/droom etc.?
How much loss is expected in doing so?

1. Yes - that's business my friend. Main aim of business is profits for shareholders unless it's a charity. Future strategy is extremely confidential and wouldn't be known to anyone apart from few folks till point of execution.
2. No way. They've done nothing wrong.
3. You did the research and bought the car man. Why the sour grapes! Just enjoy the car. Else try the consumer court and learn why they did nothing wrong.

As for your friend, I think the smiley will summarise - :

[NiInJa]

Can't do anything about it now ! All I can say is that I felt the 1.0 NA was priced exorbitantly then. The bodyshell is almost 10 years old, the interiors too aren't updated, so the price was not justified anyway. But, the things working in the car's favor are safety, build and paint quality and hopefully, better reliability of a simple NA engine. Trust me, when the car becomes 5/6 years old, you will realize that peace of mind is much more valuable than outright performance I thought of getting the car for my dad then but he was fixated on Maruti Suzuki for the right reasons ! I would have definitely got it for myself !

[vj123]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

Is ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED betraying existing customers?

Questions I want to ask fellow bhpians on this:
1) Is VW justified in doing such thing? Why could not VW inform this in advance and sell the Mpi variant at higher discounts to allow customers decide what they want, if stock clearance was their main point to sustain business.
2) What should one do now? Will ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED entertain such email requests?
3) If company does not entertain then what is the practical solution for such buyers?
Sell their new car on used car platforms like cars24/spinny/droom etc.?
How much loss is expected in doing so?

1. Yes its totally justified from VW's POV. Do you want OEMs to give everyone a detailed plan of their launches for the next couple of years in advance at the beginning of every year. In that case, buyers will not be content with any of the options in the market and will keep looking forward to the next best launch.
2. Nothing. VW will not entertain these requests and this email might be a part of internal trainings on how to handle different customers.
3. Come into a self agreement that you have bought the vehicle and move on.

It might sound strong, but the email in OP's thread is a joke. How can he even think about requesting his vehicle to be taken to the manufacturing plant and retrofitting components. I can imagine how much of a fun VW executives have had reading his email.

I hope we dont see similar tBHP threads in the future.

[Liverpool]

From what I understand what this situation is - it's pure business. It's not VW alone. I bet higher-end car makers do the same. Who will buy a finished product otherwise? Yes, I agree that it is the end customer who is at a loss or suffering. But one has to understand that because of this he/she got a sweet deal. If a car manufacturer will disclose a business plan, it will surely backfire. Unsold inventory will pile up. Losses will occur at unprecedented amounts, leading to a collapse and eventual shutdown.

I suggest enjoying the car. It is new and trouble-free. That's what matters. Another thing which I feel is, to keep cost under control, manufacturers nowadays add more technology and gizmos, but with a compromise on quality ( I may be wrong ). So every time a facelift arrives, I feel a bit of compromise on quality has been done to keep cost under control.

AFASIK, Manufacturers are not responsible for anyone's choice of car and buying decision. So in short they will not entertain such emails. Rather, clock tons of miles on her. Create memories. Go for long drives. And someday when you decide to sell her it will be with a heavy heart. And when you get that feeling, you will know that it was worth purchasing.

Safe drive.
Cheers.

[PrasannaDhana]

Hey Himan,

I still vividly remember reading your polo ownership thread, and drooling over that flash red polo of yours.

You were very strongly convinced that 1.0 mpi sufficed your needs. I understand that you could have gotten the tsi if you had waited. But hey, it was your conscious decision to buy the mpi and live with it. You even posted video on YouTube about how it is adequate for highway runs too.

Now don't beat yourselves up for the chance you missed. You gain nothing but lose your mental peace and the love for your existing polo.

The mpi is more fuel efficient, simpler than the tsi and you are safe from any of the reliability issues that may come with a turbo. I still can't forget the injector issues that plagued our 1.6 GT TDI.

There is a saying in Tamil - "ellam nanmaikey" which translates to "Everything happens for your good".


And regarding that email, they won't even consider replying to it.

Enjoy your mpi man.

I drive a 60 bhp Kwid as well as a 154 bhp Storme. I don't find the Kwid boring at all. On the road, any car is enjoyable.

[Gildarts]

I think the launch date and pricing were done aggressively to counter the new i20. Can't be equated to cheating customers.

[pannags]

The "opportunity cost" of delaying a purchase is more "expensive" than the perceived "savings" you get from waiting for the right time. I rest my case.

[Yieldway17]

I can sympathize a tiny bit as not every consumer is tuned to new releases in pipeline etc. and sometimes are sold a model which is on the verge of getting phased out.

But that's the way business is run and when you buy a car you buy the car as you saw not its future car. The email sounded so comical to me that I thought it was satire, no offense to you or your friend.

There is this viral legendary video about buying a car "as-is" which I would link here if not for its offensive nature. Although that video is about used low value cars, the concept is not much different for new cars. This video was the one which popped into my mind immediately after reading that email.

Just google "cash kars kc as is" and open the first video from the result and hope you can laugh at it.