Fiat announces "Fiat First" - A Customer Care program

maverickxx2006 · 2nd December 2009, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by finneyp

Fiat First program is available for older models (Palio/Petra/ Sienna/Adventure) too, but on chargeable basis.

Recently, clevermax availed this facility for his Palio 1.2

Yes agreed Fiat First is available for older models on chargeable basis. What I don't understand is why Palio Stile (which is still in production) is not included in this program.

Rehaan · 2nd December 2009, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by finneyp

Fiat First program is available for older models (Palio/Petra/ Sienna/Adventure) too, but on chargeable basis....

I think this might be a bit of a misleading statement.

"Fiat First" -- ie all the services, including warranty etc is NOT available for the older models.

The Road Side Assistance (RSA) is. And this is what clevermax had availed of.

cya
R

rajathv8 · 11th December 2009, 13:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

I do not understand why FIAT has included only Punto and Linea in the Fiat First. Have they forgotten that they still have Palio Stile (petrol & MJD) still in production??

What is the crime of Palio Stiles for not being included in Fiat First program??

maybe fiat don't trust their own car

i love the brand and hope the palio 1.6 lives till i can get hold of one. and i really hope fiat start their own dealership at least after introduction of the bravo.

varriers · 17th January 2010, 13:16

It has been sometime since my last post. Here goes my latest one.

Christmas Eve 2009, I was off to Kerala from Bangalore in Fiat Palio MJD SDX. Close 400KM covered in 7 Hrs. I was home at 11:00 am Positive. Got down from my car, locked the door, open the trunk, took my luggage, closed the hatch. Gosh!!!! Keys inside. Duplicate keys are in Bangalore and I am about to start another 150KM drive to my sisters place at 3:00 PM per the plan. What to do, Called up my cousine in Bangalore, another Fiat MJD owner, he inturn got in touch with the Fiat Showroom. Suggestion came from all corners. And they are as follows.

1) Break the window glass
2) Contact the Fiat folks and check the possibilities
3) Take the Duplicate keys based on the number and get another set of keys

I went to the mechanic, he said, Fiat we would not be able to open like we open Maruti vehicles.

All options were not seem to be quick. In any case my cousine, contacted Fiat customer care. They in turn called me and assured help. Then came the call, a 3 way conference,me, Fiat Customer Care and the Fiat calicut Road side assistance.

The Fiat road side assistance was at my door step exactly 4:45 PM, with the tool set, they opened the door with out any issues in flat 15 minutes. When I tried to pay, they said, since my car is under one year, the service is free of cost.

I started my drive to my sisters place, at 6:00 PM. 3 hrs offset from my plans. But, I am happy customer, every one say, After Sales Service and Road Side Assistance is not good. But I would say, FIAT is chaging. Changing for good.

Thanks FIAT. I appreciate your help when it is most required. And I would thank all my networks/Fiat Road Side Assistance Calicut who moved right resources to get the help quickly at my door step. Thank You Guys!!!

nkrishnap · 17th January 2010, 22:45

Things like these needs to be spread. But this good bits in the word of mouth publicity will yield long term results rather than short term.

Good Going FIAT

Amartya · 17th January 2010, 22:52

@varriers

This is the kind of service that is going to see Fiat India make a turnaround.
One satisfied customer can lead to multiple car sales, it is such a obvious deduction but most companies fail to do that.

NutsNBolts · 18th January 2010, 11:54

Talk about raising it to new levels. A three way conferencing with a hapless customer is the first of its kind, if I am not wrong. Kudos to Fiat for ushering in such changes.

maverickxx2006 · 18th January 2010, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by varriers

It has been sometime since my last post. Here goes my latest one.

Christmas Eve 2009, I was off to Kerala from Bangalore in Fiat Palio MJD SDX. Close 400KM covered in 7 Hrs. I was home at 11:00 am Positive. Got down from my car, locked the door, open the trunk, took my luggage, closed the hatch. Gosh!!!! Keys inside. Duplicate keys are in Bangalore and I am about to start another 150KM drive to my sisters place at 3:00 PM per the plan. What to do, Called up my cousine in Bangalore, another Fiat MJD owner, he inturn got in touch with the Fiat Showroom. Suggestion came from all corners. And they are as follows.

1) Break the window glass
2) Contact the Fiat folks and check the possibilities
3) Take the Duplicate keys based on the number and get another set of keys

I went to the mechanic, he said, Fiat we would not be able to open like we open Maruti vehicles.

All options were not seem to be quick. In any case my cousine, contacted Fiat customer care. They in turn called me and assured help. Then came the call, a 3 way conference,me, Fiat Customer Care and the Fiat calicut Road side assistance.

The Fiat road side assistance was at my door step exactly 4:45 PM, with the tool set, they opened the door with out any issues in flat 15 minutes. When I tried to pay, they said, since my car is under one year, the service is free of cost.

I started my drive to my sisters place, at 6:00 PM. 3 hrs offset from my plans. But, I am happy customer, every one say, After Sales Service and Road Side Assistance is not good. But I would say, FIAT is chaging. Changing for good.

Thanks FIAT. I appreciate your help when it is most required. And I would thank all my networks/Fiat Road Side Assistance Calicut who moved right resources to get the help quickly at my door step. Thank You Guys!!!

That sounds straight out of Utopia world. This is really a great service and a great effort from FIAT. Keep it up FIAT.

So indeed Palio Stile is covered in RSA?

ph03n!x · 18th January 2010, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by varriers

The Fiat road side assistance was at my door step exactly 4:45 PM, with the tool set, they opened the door with out any issues in flat 15 minutes. When I tried to pay, they said, since my car is under one year, the service is free of cost.

I started my drive to my sisters place, at 6:00 PM. 3 hrs offset from my plans. But, I am happy customer, every one say, After Sales Service and Road Side Assistance is not good. But I would say, FIAT is chaging. Changing for good.

Thanks FIAT. I appreciate your help when it is most required. And I would thank all my networks/Fiat Road Side Assistance Calicut who moved right resources to get the help quickly at my door step. Thank You Guys!!!

This is really heartening. Hope this not a one-off, and we will see more and more of such good things. And hopefully the 1.6 MJD Punto is my next car!

varriers · 25th January 2010, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

That sounds straight out of Utopia world. This is really a great service and a great effort from FIAT. Keep it up FIAT.

So indeed Palio Stile is covered in RSA?

I guess so. Because I got the service from them with out paying anything. In any case, if they continue to give same service to every FIAT OWNER, I bet they are going to rock. It is really great to see so many PUNTOs and LINEAs, for that matter Stile MJDs around. FIAT is no more rare on roads, they are showing their presence.

UKR · 25th January 2010, 17:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by varriers

It has been sometime since my last post. Here goes my latest one.

Christmas Eve 2009, I was off to Kerala from Bangalore in Fiat Palio MJD SDX. Close 400KM covered in 7 Hrs. I was home at 11:00 am Positive. Got down from my car, locked the door, open the trunk, took my luggage, closed the hatch. Gosh!!!! Keys inside. Duplicate keys are in Bangalore and I am about to start another 150KM drive to my sisters place at 3:00 PM per the plan. What to do, Called up my cousine in Bangalore, another Fiat MJD owner, he inturn got in touch with the Fiat Showroom. Suggestion came from all corners. And they are as follows.

1) Break the window glass
2) Contact the Fiat folks and check the possibilities
3) Take the Duplicate keys based on the number and get another set of keys

I went to the mechanic, he said, Fiat we would not be able to open like we open Maruti vehicles.

All options were not seem to be quick. In any case my cousine, contacted Fiat customer care. They in turn called me and assured help. Then came the call, a 3 way conference,me, Fiat Customer Care and the Fiat calicut Road side assistance.

The Fiat road side assistance was at my door step exactly 4:45 PM, with the tool set, they opened the door with out any issues in flat 15 minutes. When I tried to pay, they said, since my car is under one year, the service is free of cost.

I started my drive to my sisters place, at 6:00 PM. 3 hrs offset from my plans. But, I am happy customer, every one say, After Sales Service and Road Side Assistance is not good. But I would say, FIAT is chaging. Changing for good.

Thanks FIAT. I appreciate your help when it is most required. And I would thank all my networks/Fiat Road Side Assistance Calicut who moved right resources to get the help quickly at my door step. Thank You Guys!!!

You are not alone my friend. I also did the same thing on my Linea, closed the boot with keys inside and that too on a Sunday. The fiat guys turned up in no time with proper tools and opened the door without any problems and yes everything was done FOC.

I hope this is not a two-off occurance

.

I would say that even though fiat service has room for improvement, it is at acceptable levels and genuine efforts are being made to improve it as is evident from the above experiences.

varriers · 26th January 2010, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by UKR

You are not alone my friend. I also did the same thing on my Linea, closed the boot with keys inside and that too on a Sunday. The fiat guys turned up in no time with proper tools and opened the door without any problems and yes everything was done FOC.

I hope this is not a two-off occurance

.

I would say that even though fiat service has room for improvement, it is at acceptable levels and genuine efforts are being made to improve it as is evident from the above experiences.

That's really nice to hear. I am sure, it would not be 2 off cases

. There are some genuine efforts for a face lift and they are trying to serve the customer in a lot better than their own normal standards.

vinay_ss · 10th March 2010, 10:25

Folks,

As a very big fan of Fiat and having owned 4 Fiats (Uno, NE 118 (if thats a fiat), Petra, Palio MJD, Adventure and the Linea) i have been interacting with folks from Fiat service and support over a couple of years.

I wanted to update this forum on some of the serious initiatives taken by Fiat over the last 8-10 months - the impact of which is either already visible to a lot of Fiat customers, or would be hopefully borne out in the next few months. From what i noticed on the poll running on Team BHP, it appears that Fiat service is now at acceptable levels for more than 70 percent owners, which clearly is a good sign.

I had an occassion to specifically interact with the following Fiat folks and I am summarising my discussions and commitments given by them:
1. Mr Ravi Bhatia (VP - Operations)
2. Mr Mangesh Kodalkar (Customer Service, FIAPL)
3. Mr Thirumal (Regional Service Manager, Tata Motors, Bangalore)

Some very positive and specific initiatives already taken and results of which are already being witnessed or would be seen by customers in next 4-6 months -

1. Warehouse moved to new central location on the Poona-Bombay highway and parts inventorised and catalogued, specially the older models of Fiats sold in India (Palio, Adventure, Petra etc)

2. Better and crisper cataloguing of parts specific to Indian models

3. REactivation of older vendors and batch processing and procurement of old parts that are required for cars and which were not in stock. This has been done at significant cost, and with a reassurance that discontinued models would continue to be supported by Fiat

4. Categorical service support from Fiat India for 10 years after formal
announcement of phasing out of the models from the market. Hence technically there is assurance that there cannot be a problem in supporting older cars which is a big relief to us and provides a formal escalation matrix to Fiat if dealers act funny

5. Specific training to Parts Managers etc for indenting right parts with part numbers. Capability of taking pictures of critical parts, where there could be multiple vendors/minor variation in parts, and emailed to the Spares folks to enable proper and the right supply the first time around.

6. Remote Diagnostic using ECU for electronics. The Car ECU would now be connected online with trained team in Factory at Ranjangaon as well as Turin for handling escalation and diagnostics on electronics. This initiative should address a lot of diagnostic related escalations, specially for newer Lineas and Puntos. The pilot run is completed, and this should be soon rolled out across all dealerships.

7. Request to please use the email set up for formal escalation process which would be attended to without fail by Service support teams within Tata Motors (responsible for Fiat distribution and support) and by FIAPL itself.

8. To follow up with dealer and ask them to give the "Vehicle Off Road" or VOR docket number where engine or other key parts are not available at dealership, and quote the same in escalations to Fiat. VOR is tracked very seriously and any vehicle in the workshop beyond 5 days attracts serious attention from Tata Motors and FIAPL and a VOR docket number quoted in emails would assist in easy follow up for closure. Asking for a VOR number would also put pressure on dealerships to ensure that car diagnostic and service delivery is prioritised.

9. Dealer commissions on sales are also being linked to service feedback from customers (as a part of JD Survey).

I hope all this woudl bring back confidence in what they are doing and confident in support for our cars going forward. We should be happy that Fiat is seriously talking, taking feedback and putting actions into place for the service support in its service comeback initiative.

Ravi has specifically mentioned that the Fiat management is aware that patience of customers is low, choices are plenty and Fiat is committed more than ever before to get the support right.

I hope this information is useful to all Fiat owners.

Cheers
Vinay Sambaragimath

neoonwheels · 10th March 2010, 10:38

Wow a really nice initiative from FIAT. If this is implemented to the core, I am sure theres nothing that can stop FIAT from taking larger share in the market. Its been a year since they launched Linea now, on a serious note they are doing good at this time. May be another couple of years with good service record can make people think to go for FIAT and can increase the awareness about the brand in the market.

wildon · 10th March 2010, 10:45

Very good initiative...

I wonder why it took so much time to materialize. This all could have done when Fiat launched Linea, so to win the hearts of all existing and prospective customers.

Its a Second life .. and FIAT is heading to the right direction.

17th January 2010, 13:16	#64
varriers BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 55 Thanked: 0 Times	Road Side Assistance. Fiat is Changing for good It has been sometime since my last post. Here goes my latest one. Christmas Eve 2009, I was off to Kerala from Bangalore in Fiat Palio MJD SDX. Close 400KM covered in 7 Hrs. I was home at 11:00 am Positive. Got down from my car, locked the door, open the trunk, took my luggage, closed the hatch. Gosh!!!! Keys inside. Duplicate keys are in Bangalore and I am about to start another 150KM drive to my sisters place at 3:00 PM per the plan. What to do, Called up my cousine in Bangalore, another Fiat MJD owner, he inturn got in touch with the Fiat Showroom. Suggestion came from all corners. And they are as follows. 1) Break the window glass 2) Contact the Fiat folks and check the possibilities 3) Take the Duplicate keys based on the number and get another set of keys I went to the mechanic, he said, Fiat we would not be able to open like we open Maruti vehicles. All options were not seem to be quick. In any case my cousine, contacted Fiat customer care. They in turn called me and assured help. Then came the call, a 3 way conference,me, Fiat Customer Care and the Fiat calicut Road side assistance. The Fiat road side assistance was at my door step exactly 4:45 PM, with the tool set, they opened the door with out any issues in flat 15 minutes. When I tried to pay, they said, since my car is under one year, the service is free of cost. I started my drive to my sisters place, at 6:00 PM. 3 hrs offset from my plans. But, I am happy customer, every one say, After Sales Service and Road Side Assistance is not good. But I would say, FIAT is chaging. Changing for good. Thanks FIAT. I appreciate your help when it is most required. And I would thank all my networks/Fiat Road Side Assistance Calicut who moved right resources to get the help quickly at my door step. Thank You Guys!!!
	() Thanks

17th January 2010, 22:45	#65
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,989 Thanked: 7,465 Times View My Garage	Things like these needs to be spread. But this good bits in the word of mouth publicity will yield long term results rather than short term. Good Going FIAT
	() Thanks

17th January 2010, 22:52	#66
Amartya Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Evanston Posts: 1,748 Thanked: 738 Times	@varriers This is the kind of service that is going to see Fiat India make a turnaround. One satisfied customer can lead to multiple car sales, it is such a obvious deduction but most companies fail to do that.
	() Thanks

18th January 2010, 11:54	#67
NutsNBolts BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Jammu Posts: 817 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	Talk about raising it to new levels. A three way conferencing with a hapless customer is the first of its kind, if I am not wrong. Kudos to Fiat for ushering in such changes.
	() Thanks

10th March 2010, 10:25	#73
vinay_ss BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: BANGALORE Posts: 177 Thanked: 224 Times	FIAT India - Service Initiatives Folks, As a very big fan of Fiat and having owned 4 Fiats (Uno, NE 118 (if thats a fiat), Petra, Palio MJD, Adventure and the Linea) i have been interacting with folks from Fiat service and support over a couple of years. I wanted to update this forum on some of the serious initiatives taken by Fiat over the last 8-10 months - the impact of which is either already visible to a lot of Fiat customers, or would be hopefully borne out in the next few months. From what i noticed on the poll running on Team BHP, it appears that Fiat service is now at acceptable levels for more than 70 percent owners, which clearly is a good sign. I had an occassion to specifically interact with the following Fiat folks and I am summarising my discussions and commitments given by them: 1. Mr Ravi Bhatia (VP - Operations) 2. Mr Mangesh Kodalkar (Customer Service, FIAPL) 3. Mr Thirumal (Regional Service Manager, Tata Motors, Bangalore) Some very positive and specific initiatives already taken and results of which are already being witnessed or would be seen by customers in next 4-6 months - 1. Warehouse moved to new central location on the Poona-Bombay highway and parts inventorised and catalogued, specially the older models of Fiats sold in India (Palio, Adventure, Petra etc) 2. Better and crisper cataloguing of parts specific to Indian models 3. REactivation of older vendors and batch processing and procurement of old parts that are required for cars and which were not in stock. This has been done at significant cost, and with a reassurance that discontinued models would continue to be supported by Fiat 4. Categorical service support from Fiat India for 10 years after formal announcement of phasing out of the models from the market. Hence technically there is assurance that there cannot be a problem in supporting older cars which is a big relief to us and provides a formal escalation matrix to Fiat if dealers act funny 5. Specific training to Parts Managers etc for indenting right parts with part numbers. Capability of taking pictures of critical parts, where there could be multiple vendors/minor variation in parts, and emailed to the Spares folks to enable proper and the right supply the first time around. 6. Remote Diagnostic using ECU for electronics. The Car ECU would now be connected online with trained team in Factory at Ranjangaon as well as Turin for handling escalation and diagnostics on electronics. This initiative should address a lot of diagnostic related escalations, specially for newer Lineas and Puntos. The pilot run is completed, and this should be soon rolled out across all dealerships. 7. Request to please use the email set up for formal escalation process which would be attended to without fail by Service support teams within Tata Motors (responsible for Fiat distribution and support) and by FIAPL itself. 8. To follow up with dealer and ask them to give the "Vehicle Off Road" or VOR docket number where engine or other key parts are not available at dealership, and quote the same in escalations to Fiat. VOR is tracked very seriously and any vehicle in the workshop beyond 5 days attracts serious attention from Tata Motors and FIAPL and a VOR docket number quoted in emails would assist in easy follow up for closure. Asking for a VOR number would also put pressure on dealerships to ensure that car diagnostic and service delivery is prioritised. 9. Dealer commissions on sales are also being linked to service feedback from customers (as a part of JD Survey). I hope all this woudl bring back confidence in what they are doing and confident in support for our cars going forward. We should be happy that Fiat is seriously talking, taking feedback and putting actions into place for the service support in its service comeback initiative. Ravi has specifically mentioned that the Fiat management is aware that patience of customers is low, choices are plenty and Fiat is committed more than ever before to get the support right. I hope this information is useful to all Fiat owners. Cheers Vinay Sambaragimath
	() Thanks

10th March 2010, 10:38	#74
neoonwheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 2,070 Thanked: 1,882 Times View My Garage	Wow a really nice initiative from FIAT. If this is implemented to the core, I am sure theres nothing that can stop FIAT from taking larger share in the market. Its been a year since they launched Linea now, on a serious note they are doing good at this time. May be another couple of years with good service record can make people think to go for FIAT and can increase the awareness about the brand in the market.
	() Thanks

10th March 2010, 10:45	#75
wildon BANNED Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,442 Thanked: 1,255 Times View My Garage	Very good initiative... I wonder why it took so much time to materialize. This all could have done when Fiat launched Linea, so to win the hearts of all existing and prospective customers. Its a Second life .. and FIAT is heading to the right direction.
	() Thanks