[himanshumor]

Is ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED betraying existing customers?

Polo & Vento Turbo editions launched on 15th Feb 2021
1) Good news for those who were just about to buy the Polo/Vento as they can get the TSi engine for 6.99/8.69 lacs.
2) Bad and hurtful news for those who recently bought the MPi engine Polo/Vento.
Original news post below:
https://www.team-bhp.com/news/volksw...ion-polo-vento

This post is primarily about the point number 2.
I myself bought a Polo Trendline to close a value for money deal back in October,2020

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...xperience.html (Review: My 2020 Flash Red VW Polo Trendline 1.0 MPi comes home - Initial Ownership Experience)

Watching this news, I was shocked and felt a bit betrayed as I could buy the Tsi engine for approx. 1.2 lacs more, but 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?
I have received so many calls from such people who just took their MPi Comfortline deliveries and below is the original email of dissent from one such Comfortline buyer (a known friend)



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?

[GTO]

I understand your POV, but that's business. Things change & surprise deals can shock. Not just in cars, but even smartphones, restaurants, real estate etc. I know someone who bought a 10-crore apartment @ Lodha, and has to live with the same property now being sold at 6 crore. How would you feel fine-dining at a pricey restaurant at full price, then knowing the next table used Zomato Gold for a 50% discount? How do customers who just bought the old i20 feel, when the new i20 gets caught in a scoop pic, thereby indicating an impending entry?

Generally, the more you wait, the better the car you will get. Question is = how much will you wait?

Of course, such "surprise deals" can lead to some disgruntled existing owners. But let me ask you a question = what if it had swung the other way? What if the price of the MPI had gone up by a further 1 lakh? Would you pay the difference? Obviously not.

Originally Posted by himanshumor

What should one do now?

You bought a car because you liked it at the time. Live with it. There is absolutely nothing that can be done, except some deep breathing & meditation to cool the mind .

[pavi]

This is how life is. You can also create a thread when the new Rapid comes, but the replies will be in the same line. I am a new owner of Rapid TSI, when the new model comes it may come with great interiors, lot of features, better space and may be more engine options, and what if the prices are maintained same??!! Will I repent my decision??!! I can say, I will not. According to me, at this point of time the best car I could buy and enjoy is Skoda Rapid TSI MT, and I can always upgrade to something else if I want to, in future.

To the Polo MPI owners, you made a great decision by buying a Polo whose pros are well known in this forum and did I say everyone loves it . Who cares if it is a 10 year old car, it looks hot even now. Enjoy the car, love it and it loves back.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by pavi

This is how life is. You can also create a thread when the new Rapid comes, but the replies will be in the same line. I am a new owner of Rapid TSI, --

Agree to all points but would like to comment on Rapid.

The new Sedan is not a Rapid replacement, but will be in a segment higher and priced at a premium too

[pavi]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Agree to all points but would like to comment on Rapid.

The new Sedan is not a Rapid replacement, but will be in a segment higher and priced at a premium too

Yes, you are correct. I have been following Zac Hollis. But in order to bring some drama to the comment, I forgot all those for sometime . But the main question any current sedan owner has to answer is "why did not you go for a SUV, Brezza, Seltos, etc. etc." It is offtopic, and may be a topic for another thread altogether.

[McLaren Rulez]

The guy in the email wants to send his car to the Chakan plant, have them insert his car in the middle of a production line, make it "equivalent to a TSI" i.e. add a turbo + other features and pay 17k for it.

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

[androdev]

Life is like a box of chocolates. Always enjoy a well-researched decision no matter what happens afterwards.

I think Polo will offer more pleasant surprises as VW brings in their Taigun, etc. They still haven't exhausted all variant possibilities with Polo :-)

Cheaper AT
Top-end with Paddles/LEDs
Offer DSG option
Affordable two door GTI

Doesn't matter how old Polo is, it will continue to appeal to the Euro lovers.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

The guy in the email wants to send his car to the Chakan plant, have them insert his car in the middle of a production line, make it "equivalent to a TSI" i.e. add a turbo + other features and pay 17k for it.

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

I think he is just taking a wild shot! Maybe hoping that VW compensates him with some freebies. To be fair, VW has done nothing thats wrong. Manufacturers update their products all the time, for various reasons, to increase their sales, react to competition etc. And sometimes customers feel a bit shortchanged. You have folks all the time buying cars just before a facelift and learning later that the facelifted version has much more features! Or in some cases the updated car becomes more expensive, in a very typical Hyundai fashion. So in this case would the customer pay back some money to the company?

I bought my Creta 1.6 diesel SX in Feb 2018 and just 2-3 months down the line the facelifted Creta was launched with much more features. But I made peace with it, I always knew the update was bound to happen that year, and probably in my case I paid a little lower too. I did miss a lot of features, especially since mine was the SX version.

[PrideRed]

You buy polo turbo edition now for 6.99 lacs, VW will add few more kit and even an autobox and launch a Sticker edition for 7.49 lacs after a month. While we are discussing on Turbo Edition, I am sure VW has already started working on next edition.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by himanshumor

Is ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED betraying existing customers?

As already mentioned by others, we get to see both sides of the coin - deep discounts and VFM variants launched for slow selling models and, major price hikes for popular models few months after launch. In business, any deal applicable at this moment might not be available at the next one and you can't blame the buyer or seller. That's how it is supposed to work.

For now, let's just say '

the grapes are sour

' and move on.

Just some thoughts around your queries.

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.

How much in advance? What happens to someone who bought a day before this 'advance date'?

2) What should one do now? Will ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED entertain such email requests?

In the past, Maruti Suzuki refunded money to early buyers of S-Cross 1.6 when the latter saw price cuts. Though in this case, the company has launched a new variant at a slightly higher price.

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?

Not worth as you will lose a lot of money in resale. Please hold on to the car for atleast another 3-4 years and then plan for a lateral upgrade.

Until then, the grapes are sour.

[cryptarchy]

I bought comfortline variant in 2019, so it is not the same for me compared to someone who got it recently. But I don’t regret buying the polo as the build and finish is of high quality. Mpi engine is fine in the city but lacks the quick acceleration required to overtake on the highways and that’s the only time you miss the more powerful engine.

[veedub89]

I think we need to stop getting outraged and offended at everything.

You bought a car that you wanted to buy at a price you were willing to pay. You knew all the options that were available in the market and you based your decision on that.

What would you want companies to do? Take out full page adverts in newspapers to tell customers what their next move is? That is both impractical and unreasonable.

Model variations/upgradations/facelifts are a part of the business. We have to deal with it.

Buyer's remorse is real. But get over it. Enjoy what you have and stop worrying about what you don't.

[TrackDay]

Don't worry this is way too common. At least your car looks almost identical in terms of exterior design. If anything you have to thank VW for that. If it is any comfort, think about Hyundai owners, especially the Verna. That car is refreshed like every two years or something. Or better think about the luxury car segment buyers who went out and got a Maybach and then come to know next gen is announced

If it is any solace, going by their history they might launch another special edition some time later maybe in a couple of months .Would the Turbo edition owners feel offended then ?

[igemini]

This is business, there is no need to be angry or to think that you have been betrayed by VW. Like every other business, car manufacturers also have to increase their market share and when the competition becomes higher, they will find numerous ways to outsell the competition.

Now the Altroz Turbo is about to come to the market, VW has used their strategy to counter the Altorz Turbo by providing a steep price cut or by introducing this new comfortline TSI model.

It is a fact that as a customer, you would have really annoyed by this move by the manufacturer. There is nothing much you can do about that. But again, at the time of purchase, you might have really loved the car and what it offers at that point of time. Thus you went with the purchase. Apart from the engine performance compared to the TSI, I don't think you are missing many. Take the positive sides of the car and enjoy the car when you have it. I have read a few threads here from the happy owners of the 1.0 MPI Polo.

Instead of thinking about what you have not got, think about what you have currently got and how to enjoy it while you have it. Happy and safe motoring. Take things on a positive note.

[hemanth.anand]

I had read this somewhere
Once you get married or Once you buy a phone/car, don't again look at new offerings. you'll always feel "Damn! if only I had waited for some more time, I could've got a better one"

Humour aside, this is the same story everywhere. More so when you are at the cusp of some change. I know it's not a good feeling but we can do nothing much. However, life is an equalizer...sometimes you buy something and the price jumps up. We have to Move on!