[greenhorn]

zappo, i think your *** has come up with some financially innovative billing. If you check out praveenmnarayan's 40k bill at tiug, he's been billed for the wiper, and nothing extra for the installation.

heck I got an entire wiper assembly installed and they didnt charge any labour for it ( though this was done under insurance)

[teknophobia]

@greenhorn, I picked up one of the new mirrors with a metal strip the other day, they didn't charge anything for installation and I've never paid a paisa for labour for small stuff like fuse replacement or even one situation where they fixed a dent on my rear hatch or adjusted wipers. At the same time, my sister's SS has added a lot of odd charges at times, sometime adding up to several hundred rupees. So I guess I have been lucky in my choice of centre.

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by AbhiJ

My Indica V2 costed me more in maintainence and repair overall as compared to my Accent CRDi... a car which costs 1.75 times more ... ...

We had a 2003 Indica V2 DLS, in 2006 / 2007 around 54,000km, there was a play in the gear lever, took to the TASS, they said the shifter was the culprit. They gave an estimate of 5000/- to fix it. Thanks to zappo(he suggested to get the bush kit changed), I decided against giving in to the TASS folks, went to the local garage guy who caters to taxi cars(read indicabs). He simply changed the bush kit, charged me 200/- for the bush kit and 40/- for the labour charges. I sold the vehicle in 2009 around 1 lakh mark, never bothered to think about the changing the shifter!!

Similarly on the same occassion, the TASS guy warned me that if I dont change the shifter, I might have to change the clutch, which would cost me around 20,000/-. A fellow bhpian changed the clutch of his accent viva CRDi for 5,000/- from Hyundai Service Center last month!!!

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by Zappo

Oh, by the way, before closing this post let me tell you that some 8 months back I asked the TASS to change the bearings of the rear wheels. Besides the bearing costs (some 650 bucks I think) they also charged me a cool 950 bucks as labor charges to put that bearing in.

Not typical!

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...fe-so-far.html

I am quoting the relevant prtion from post no. 22 in the above thread:

On 10/12/2008 with the odo at 50700kms the car visited the service centre for a humming sound. As suspected it was the right rear wheel bearing.

Rs 783.23 was paid as follows:

270233607805 hub seal 1 @ 17.81
284335106501 Lock nut 1 @ 23.05
AP2CSTL GREASE CASTROL 0.06 @ 165.00 9.90
G265433403107 FRT.HUB BRG OUTER (TISCO) 1 @ 218.93
g269533403104 OUTER BRG (TISCO) 1 @ 246.16

Total - 515.85
Tax 64.49
Cess 1% 0.64
Total for parts = 580.98

RR RH INNER & OUTER BEARING RENEWED 180.00
SSERVTAX 21.60
EDU CESS 3% 0.65

Total for labour = 202.25
*************

I have been charged Rs 50 long back for my Indica wiper change which was done in the parking lot.

For a comparison, the wheel bearing in my Honda (changed under warranty) was almost Rs 5000!

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

zappo, i think your A.S.S. has come up with some financially innovative billing.

heck I got an entire wiper assembly installed and they didnt charge any labour for it ( though this was done under insurance)

Ummm. Now that brings two things to my mind.

1. In August I did a Hyderabad-Kolkata-Mirik and back drive. In the Hyderabad-Kolkata stretch the wiper blade of the Turbo tore apart on the highway. We somehow reached Vizag in the pouring rain and then called Tata helpline. They helped us to reach SRMT who are the Tata dealers in Vizag. They just charged us the Wiper blade cost and no labor! Mind you we just went for the wiper blade change and not service.

2. Financially innovative billing it must be and I believe it is a speciality of many of these guys. During the last service at Detroit they billed me Rs.100 for black smoke issue that I reported. They only pumped the accelerator and billed it as CatCon cleaning. I am now wondering whether that head in the billing system has been created for something else altogether which these guys are misusing. If you check the manual it very clearly says that smoke emission check is a part of the service routine. Then how did they bill me for it separately?

[greenhorn]

I once went to my tasc for a busted fuse ( which i busted while playing around with LED's) , which had died by my own fault. they changed it for free with the spare fuse, and billed me only for another which i asked for.

opening up the fusebox of an indica is by no means an easy task. Both I, and a mech from a nearby workshop tried and gave up. You should try it - might need to do it some rainy day!

and they did it for free

[maglev]

One should be firm and not give in to the service advisors pitch. I was once billed for an engine oil additive by Hyundai A.S.S. for my Accent. Upon receiving the bill I simply refused to pay for it. I even threatened them that I would leave the premises without paying the bill and take delivery of the car (The keys were with me as I had taken a test-drive and it was parked outside there premises). To which they called in the workshop manager, who also tried to convince me.

After some heated argument, I pretended to be a complete novice and finally made the most hilarious offer ever, I told him to remove the oil + Additive from my car and put in new oil, the (Oil + Additive) was just a few hours old and hence they could re-use it. This took him totally by surprise he had absolutely nothing to say (He must have thought that I am mad). He said nothing except uttering okay.
I finally got the bill reduced and ended up saving around Rs: 700/- plus taxes.


P.S.: Evan after all of this they didn't change the oil. I got the additive for free.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by maglev

.

After some heated argument, I pretended to be a complete novice and finally made the most hilarious offer ever, I told him to remove the oil + Additive from my car and put in new oil, the (Oil + Additive) was just a few hours old and hence they could re-use it. This took him totally by surprise he had absolutely nothing to say (He must have thought that I am mad). He said nothing except uttering okay.
I finally got the bill reduced and ended up saving around Rs: 700/- plus taxes.


P.S.: Evan after all of this they didn't change the oil. I got the additive for free.

Wicked - Obviously they didn't he must have been shocked and figured arguing any further with you with logic would not work. nice trick - they deserved it.

[Zappo]

These guys will never improve.

Today Tata called me up for their customary call from Pune (020). The lady at the other end just started a barrage in Telugu. Nice thought. They now have people who speak the local lingo to call up that region. However once I said I am sorry but I am bit a bit challenged in Telugu dept she switched over to her broken Hindi.

As Greenhorn said once earlier, all rigged questions! I told them about the billing issue. The moment I finished she said that she has noted it down and will convey to the authorities. Unless she was a shorthand expert she could not have noted it down so fast.

And then of course the same questions, how was the wash, how was the environment. All bunkum standard questions... How will they improve if they do not capture the voice of the customer? Their standard questions are just too standard now and service stations ensure that they take care of those issues. How was the wash? Of course excellent. How good was the welcome party? Well... here I at least said that there was no welcome party. Neither do I care. Were you made to feel welcome? Yeah, they served me coffee twice.

But actual guffaws which fall outside the purview of these questions are given a heave-ho.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

I once went to my tasc for a busted fuse ( which i busted while playing around with LED's) , which had died by my own fault. they changed it for free with the spare fuse, and billed me only for another which i asked for.

and they did it for free

Yep - exactly what i have experienced many times for my safari, there is the good service appropriately priced like yours above as well as the bad service.

Originally Posted by Zappo

These guys will never improve.

Unless she was a shorthand expert she could not have noted it down so fast.

And then of course the same questions, how was the wash, how was the environment. All bunkum standard questions... How will they improve if they do not capture the voice of the customer? Their standard questions are just too standard now and service stations ensure that they take care of those issues. How was the wash? Of course excellent. How good was the welcome party? Well... here I at least said that there was no welcome party. Neither do I care. Were you made to feel welcome? Yeah, they served me coffee twice.

But actual guffaws which fall outside the purview of these questions are given a heave-ho.

I get similar calls after my service by Balaji at Thane for TATA and from JMD at Mulund for Laura, in both cases if I do have a complaint they do call back to solve the issue.

JMD for Laura once even offered to pick up and drop the car after resolving the car rattle issue, but since I did not really want to send the car out I declined. (They do not charge for this pick up and drop service) which I have availed about 3-4 times.

[greenhorn]

Funnily, A free pickup/dropoff is usually added to my bills ( which is never done). I've always wondered why. since its not charged, i dont bother

[Gilead]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Funnily, A free pickup/dropoff is usually added to my bills ( which is never done). I've always wondered why. since its not charged, i dont bother

This is probably done for the benefit of Tata personnel who come for audits. 'Saar, we have given so many free pick up/drops to so many customers. See the bills'.

[nicesachin]

Well Today only I went to TASS and got my left side rear view mirror replace for Linea. Some one tried to steal it and actually ended up in breaking it. They didnt charge me for any Labour cost. Its just 1750/- the Part cost and nothing above that.

[sanstorm]

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ce-report.html

proves it well.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Gilead

This is probably done for the benefit of Tata personnel who come for audits. 'Saar, we have given so many free pick up/drops to so many customers. See the bills'.

Lets give some service centre benifit of doubt, cant be critical even of the positives.

Originally Posted by nicesachin

Well Today only I went to TASS and got my left side rear view mirror replace for Linea. Some one tried to steal it and actually ended up in breaking it. They didnt charge me for any Labour cost. Its just 1750/- the Part cost and nothing above that.

They make min 10% on the part cost and can give the labour free for goodwill. Another example of good & resonable service.

The fact is that we do not report good economical service and go vocal about the bad incidents. It is human nature and how we all are built to think I guess - in general - not meaning to offend anyone.