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Old 11th July 2021, 23:23   #16
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

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Originally Posted by Cavityavenger View Post

There's no doubt that car manufacturers, dealers all keep a keen eye on these forums to judge public sentiment and get feedback, so keep posting folks...!
If that would be true, how come we still have not dozens but hundreds of threads of members complaining about the service they are getting? If this, or any other forum would have any impact on how most Dealerships operate and deal with customers, we would see a very different kind of sentiment I would imagine. As it is, with a few exceptions, I see everybody complaining bitterly about service, or the lack thereof.

I am sure there are cases that ended up well due to publicity on TeamBHP.

Although I can’t proof it, my take on those is that the owners involved were very well articulated, and extremely persistent. They probably would have got their cases solved without it being mentioned on TeamBHP.

Read some of those stories, look carefully on how those cases are written, how they mobilise other stakeholders, how persistent they are, how they bring in outside expertise. How they position their case.

There are those that are just very well at dealing with these sort of setbacks and the people that cause it. Their posts on TeamBHP is just one of the very many irons they keep in the fire so to speak. It is the tenacity, skill and competence of the owners that solves these issues, sometimes with abut of help of their case being published on TeamBHP. Minor role for the latter at best, I would think.

I could be wrong.

Jeroen
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Old 11th July 2021, 23:46   #17
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

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Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
If that would be true, how come we still have not dozens but hundreds of threads of members complaining about the service they are getting? If this, or any other forum would have any impact on how most Dealerships operate and deal with customers, we would see a very different kind of sentiment I would imagine. As it is, with a few exceptions, I see everybody complaining bitterly about service, or the lack thereof.
Thanks for the reply, I agree that the persistent nature of the car owners is ultimately what determines the resolution.

I am simply stating my experience with a particular dealer, YMMV (your mileage may vary). I had followed the protocol of first dealing directly with the dealer about the issue and then escalated to MB India but both times I got the run-around with no resolution. My final hail-mary was posting it here to see how other folks in a similar situation might have navigated the issue and I was surprised the Mercedes-Benz took notice of the post here and acted on it.

Other folks might've not had a similar experience, but my point is that posting on team-bhp does matter. Even if it's an issue that might not get resolved, it does help create a narrative for prospective buyers in the market.

Last edited by Aditya : 13th July 2021 at 15:08. Reason: Abbreviation; quoted text trimmed
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Old 12th July 2021, 00:08   #18
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

Agree with what Jeroen said and if I may add, if views of members of the forum and what they post are taken into account by the dealers and car makers, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai would not be selling in such high numbers. A Ford Freestyle would be a top selling car and there would be folks lining up to buy a Skoda Kodiaq in hordes !!

Posting views on this forum and to be taken seriously for those posts by all and sundry is too much of tall expectation. Continuing from my previous post, if bad press scared the car makers and the dealers, VW would have solved the DSG issue by now and Renault would have offered free injectors to the owners

All said and done, there are feel good stories across many cities and even small towns from the hinterland and people have hugely benefited from the content posted including the reviews and other associated articles due to the forum and that’s heartwarming. As GTO said, as long as things are said in true honesty, this forum will be a stand out for sure and we will keep pushing the boundaries, views from auto makers and dealers not withstanding !!

Last edited by ABHI_1512 : 12th July 2021 at 00:32.
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Old 12th July 2021, 01:27   #19
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

The Nandi Toyota SA stopped trying to sell me add-ons after I mentioned how I read about Fortuners running extremely well without any add-on services on Team-BHP. If a BHPian is not satisfied, they'll make sure their voice is heard on T-BHP. And a thread on the homepage means bad publicity. So manufacturers have to be aware.

Influence on dealers/manufacturers? I can't comment on the effectiveness - VAG cars & dealers have the same set of complaints every year. I doubt an online forum can change the rotten attitude of VW/Skoda that comes from the top management.

Also, I'm pretty sure manufacturers are using web scraping to read forum discussions and pick up crucial information for facelifts/next-gen product development.
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Old 12th July 2021, 09:30   #20
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

I've never mentioned Team BHP in any dealership, but find that my knowledge gleaned from Team BHP reviews is mostly much more than that of the sales personnel.

As a result I just ask to be left alone when checking out a vehicle, as I'm reaffirming in person what I've read on Team BHP.

I also recommend reading the official BHP review as mandatory for any relative, friend or acquaintance in the market for a vehicle and all of them have been mightily impressed with the reviews and quite a few have made buying decisions post reading BHP reviews.
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Old 12th July 2021, 09:46   #21
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

There are many reasons why I wanted to be an active part of this community and Yes, its a community of like minded people who share their experiences and opinions.

I do not trust the Famous Auto-related websites as most of the reviews are biased. They never talk about the Cons, just the Pros. But here, fellow members will do a complete autopsy and that is helpful whenever someone or anyone is going to invest his or her hard earned money.
Three of my colleagues bought cars as per TeamBHP reviews and the reason was to weigh Pros vs Cons.

Coming back to the post from @RaghuVis, Dealership, Car Manufacturers do not take -ve Feedback in a +ve way. That is why no one has come out in Public saying that the Opinion/Review or Experiences shared on TBHP are not biased.

TeamBHP covered issues related to VW DSG Gearbox. Then SKODA dealership horror stories. Even how in the name of Insurance, Dealerships are trying to skim the customers.
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Old 12th July 2021, 10:28   #22
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

Is the general population aware of Team bhp. The answer is No. However people in auto industry (including management and senior sales officials) are definitely aware of this forum.
As a senior BHPian mentioned, most problems with your vehicle would get sorted out , if you are persistent with service people. However a common car owner is not aware of all the technical nitty gritty, and gets exploited.
This is where Team BHP is making a difference. The erudite members of the forum have enriched various threads of car care, be it PDI, or car wash or even puncture kits, with most authentic information. The info is vetted and confirmed, making it, the Go To forum, for any car related queries. And because of the Altruistic and No Nonsense nature of the forum, the dealership knows that they can not get away from their deficiencies, by unscrupulous means. We may be small in number, but we make right kind of noises. The auto industry is aware of it. And respect for Team BHP comes for the knowledge that the members have .

A man is known by the company he keeps and choices he makes.
This is one company I’m definitely proud of, because it helps me and many others, to make right choices.
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Old 12th July 2021, 10:34   #23
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

First, when someone is about to make their second highest CapEx (after a home), or the highest depreciating CapEx, it is expected that they are going to be self centered. There is nothing wrong with that. If I were employed by the auto makers to do a thorough tech audit of their cars, I may view them differently. Not when I am about to pledge capital that can go to a dozen other uses.

Second, there is a grain of truth regarding the "snob" factor of these forums. There are some strongly held opinions in these forums. Like 'rubberband effect' in CVTs, Maruti's "outdated" 4 speed TC, "jerky" AMTs, "lovely" DSGs etc. In the course of test driving these cars over the last month, I've come to appreciate their utility and why someone would want to buy them. Members in team bhp seem to have favorites and assign 100% marks to those cars while assigning 0% to the rest. May be the other cars in a spectrum of 40% to 80%? Most of the general public would find a car that is 50% in team bhp's evaluation to be more than adequate.

Last edited by sramanat : 12th July 2021 at 10:36. Reason: fix typo
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Old 12th July 2021, 10:51   #24
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

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Originally Posted by RaghuVis View Post
I got the idea of this thread while talking to a relative who works in a dealership(VW) after the Kushaq Release. The conversation went like this.

Me : Did you see the price of Kushaq?
Him : Yeah. What do you think about the pricing?
Me : Not happy. I think it a bit too steep.
Him : Yes it is on higher side but not too much. the 1.5 DSG will be a delight to drive. The best one in the class and even one above.
Me : But I would not trust your DSG be it in Skoda or VW. Totally problematic.
Him : Where did you hear that?
Me : Just see how many threads are there in team-bhp.
Him : Oh team-Bhp. That site is crymongers delight
Me : What? Those are genuine customer reviews, not like the one you guys pay and do it.
Him : Oh Come on. That site is just a bunch of people who are self centric in nature.
Me : Well, I am a member of that site and you know I am not self centric.
Him : What! You are?! How did you get it?
Me :
Loved this! I have had a similar conversation with one of my very close friends who has great knowledge about cars. During our discussion he said TBHP members think that they are the Smartcats of the world and I said I am one of them. And then I came to know that he had been trying to get the membership for a long time and still couldn't crack the code.

Now coming to the topic, I don't think a lot of dealers follow TBHP or any other forum/portal for that matter but almost all of them in metro cities are aware of TBHP and the influence it has had on potential customers. So when they come to know that you are a TBHP member they become conscious and careful about what they say. They know we are knowledgeable people when it comes to cars and they can't lie or manipulate us like an unsuspecting customer.

Another instance is when I took my car for service to a new service station and the the SA was impressed with the way I have maintained my car and also tried to sell a couple of useless add-ons. I politely declined stating the reasons to which he was like "how do you know this" and I mentioned about learning things on TBPH and other forums. He has not tried selling anything unnecessary since then.
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Old 12th July 2021, 11:11   #25
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

Quote:
Originally Posted by sramanat View Post

Second, there is a grain of truth regarding the "snob" factor of these forums. There are some strongly held opinions in these forums. Like 'rubberband effect' in CVTs, Maruti's "outdated" 4 speed TC, "jerky" AMTs, "lovely" DSGs etc. In the course of test driving these cars over the last month, I've come to appreciate their utility and why someone would want to buy them. Members in team bhp seem to have favorites and assign 100% marks to those cars while assigning 0% to the rest. May be the other cars in a spectrum of 40% to 80%? Most of the general public would find a car that is 50% in team bhp's evaluation to be more than adequate.
I agree with you! It is often the case here that a popular opinion becomes a well established fact. Regarding the influence/impression TBHP has on dealers, in all of the last 10 years of dealing with 3 different dealerships of different brands, I have come to realize that treating the sales and service personnel in a polite but firm way has always been effective enough to get a good experience. Ofcourse, if the dealer/company is being unreasonable then publishing a post on Team-BHP regarding your grievances seems to have the desired effect in most cases, but so will any viral post on social media like FB, Twitter or Instagram.
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Old 12th July 2021, 11:43   #26
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

My Ciaz is a regular with the Bommanahalli branch of Suraksha. They are aware of Team BHP and I 'd like to believe that's the reason they don't try to oversell any add on services to me.

One funny incident i remember is this: i had advertised to sell my 2001 Baleno, sometime in 2009. The youngster with whom I clinched the deal was super excited that the car had Team BHP stickers affixed. He begged me not to remove them!!
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Old 12th July 2021, 11:54   #27
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

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Originally Posted by Jeroen View Post
There are those that are just very well at dealing with these sort of setbacks and the people that cause it. Their posts on TeamBHP is just one of the very many irons they keep in the fire so to speak. It is the tenacity, skill and competence of the owners that solves these issues, sometimes with abut of help of their case being published on TeamBHP. Minor role for the latter at best, I would think.

I could be wrong.

Jeroen
That's actually well said. I guess its also important for the person to have enough drive and for the matter to be important enough. I have passed on on fighting with VW on several occasions when they have pulled off utter nonsense (several minor breakages within the cabin over several years of ownership) and chosen to fight on other occasions (engine overheating that went unresolved eventually and was sorted out by a FNG).

However on a more recent issue involving a car parking in my building I have chosen to be persistent and not let it be so easily. It is important enough to not tolerate nonsense.

Last edited by Annibaddh : 12th July 2021 at 12:09.
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Old 12th July 2021, 12:04   #28
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

OEM's are much like political parties who want to control the narrative. So OEM's rubbishing TBHP as elite and full of cribbers is par for the course.

Yet I know for most of my immediate contacts TBHP is the go to online reference for all things automotive. As for myself I avidly read not just the auto reviews but also travelogues, insurance, DIY, personal health posts to get a balanced objective view from multiple well informed sources and then take a call.

Let the OEM's fret. TBHP is Vox Populi and no amount of PR budgets on their part can change this ever. Once again humbled to be part of this forum!!!
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Old 12th July 2021, 12:14   #29
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

The only issue I have with brand recognition here is the absolute lack of control in who buys and uses team-bhp merchandise. I have seen plenty of cabs and cabbies have the got bhp sticker on their bumpers and driving like absolute morons, rather being true to their cabbie selves. For a lay person, this may reflect poorly on the forum, assuming it to be full of idiotic showoff drivers.
For the educated section a team-bhp review is something to go by, to hold against. I am sure OEM refer/follow our reviews and feedback seriously.
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Old 12th July 2021, 12:25   #30
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Re: What Indian OEMs / Dealers think about Team-BHP

More than OEM or dealership my family gets fed up or annoyed when I start taking over from sales executive like I've read in tbhp. Based on past shopping experiences I simply keep silent when I hear already known features from sales executive. Initial few times times it was enjoyable when I knew more details than any staff of dealership. But over a period of time this knowledge has become an irritation to my family. So best for them is to hear from dealer staff. Later at home I correct the wrong explanations given by staff. This way all are happy and feel good.
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