[kiku007]

Originally Posted by finneyp

Shoddy & pathetic service by 1 or 2 Tata-Fiat service centers should not mean that entire Tata-Fiat service is bad!

True. The problem is that this number is not limited to 1 or 2 right?

Originally Posted by finneyp

The ratio of good to bad dealerships/service centers will be same across all the brands!

This should be the most grossly misleading statement ever!

Name 1 A.S.S in TN for each of the following brands who are NOTORIOUS for poor service (Similar to geeash's experience)
Maruti, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Chevrolet

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by kiku007

True. The problem is that this number is not limited to 1 or 2 right?

If you feel there are more, why don't you name them?
I guess you don't own a Fiat, but making all sorts of assumptions here!

Name 1 A.S.S in TN for each of the following brands who are NOTORIOUS for poor service (Similar to geeash's experience)
Maruti, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Chevrolet

You mean all Service centers of other brands in TN are doing a awesome job?
You are living in a dreamland for sure!

[Pragmites]

Originally Posted by firstguri

Ah! Finally someone gets my point of view. And also Linea's shortcomings are being confused here with the A.S.S. I want to ask- have all the Linea owners had the same experience as Geeash's? Am I the only odd one out?

No firstguri, you are not the odd man out. I have already posted about my good experiences with the A**. Unfortunately, most others who have good experiences have stopped posting here, as pointed out by Raj a few posts earlier.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by finneyp

If you feel there are more, why don't you name them?
I guess you don't own a Fiat, but making all sorts of assumptions here!

You mean all Service centers of other brands in TN are doing a awesome job?
You are leaving in a dreamland for sure!

1. Search the forum for poor A.S.S service and quality issues with FIAT and you'll know I'm not assuming.
2. For a start - I've never had issues with,
1. ABT & CARS India for my Maruti 800: 2002 - 2005
2. Here's a surprise, Concorde-Guindy for my uncles Tata Indica (I took care of the maintanence): 2001-2003
3. MPL and Chennai Ford for my Ikon: 2005 - till date

Note: Ford is the MOST expensive to maintain but they have never let me with a sour experience.

So am signing off with the facts and you please live in FIAT's dreamland where all is fine!

Makes no sense in replying an further!

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by Pragmites

No firstguri, you are not the odd man out. I have already posted about my good experiences with the A**. Unfortunately, most others who have good experiences have stopped posting here, as pointed out by Raj a few posts earlier.

Add my name to the list of those who have stopped posting any positives about Fiat & Tata Fiat after sales service.

I think the problem clearly lies in Tata-Fiat relationship and that is reflecting in some Fiat owners getting a bad experience.

I don't think Fiat has the money to start independent dealerships and service stations. Property prices just won't allow them to do that. All the funding Fiat has received has gone into their manufacturing unit.

Fiat is suffering in sales numbers. I am sure they want to do something about it but the finances and ground realities just don't allow them to do that.

If they don't launch new models, they won't be able to generate additional revenue and make a case to the guys sitting in Italy.

[PhiGolden]

Originally Posted by shamanth

I confirmed with my friend. In Concord service center in Dairy Circle bangalore they will do only free service for FIAT but paid service they wont do for FIAT due to space constraint, only TATA cars will be done for paid service. So priority is TATA cars not FIAT.

You are not entirely right. They service TATA ‘cars’ in diary circle. FIAT+ SUV’s(safari, Sumo) they service at begur gate.

[AnonymousCoward]

Well, of course other cars also have some issues, no one can denying that. (Except for Toyota, at least so far).

BUT, all other cars sell much more than Fiat. Fiat sells what, around 2.2-2.5K cars per month? That's a very small share in the segments that they compete with and the number of issues reported have been much more.

I think the problem clearly lies in Tata-Fiat relationship and that is reflecting in some Fiat owners getting a bad experience.

I don't think Fiat has the money to start independent dealerships and service stations. Property prices just won't allow them to do that. All the funding Fiat has received has gone into their manufacturing unit.

Fiat is suffering in sales numbers. I am sure they want to do something about it but the finances and ground realities just don't allow them to do that.

If they don't launch new models, they won't be able to generate additional revenue and make a case to the guys sitting in Italy.

amogh, probably you are right. But this is a chicken and egg problem right? Unless they sell more cars, they can't raise the service standards. And they can't sell more cars because the service standards are not satisfactory. But they can't expect customers to do charity service by buying their cars and not have them serviced properly.

The least that they could have done is to have their own flagship showrooms and service centers at least in major cities. Without a shop floor all for themselves and a service centre equipped with competent personnel, how can they showcase their products as better ones and their service as rewarding?

Not only are they eroding their reputation further, they are even paying someone else for that!

[KITE RUNNER]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Me thinks they are all busy hunting for Fiat spares. Or they are standing at the service center while their cars are being serviced. Let's have a poll like Raveendra suggested and include these two options too. *hides*

Hilarious, you are too good to come up with such a spontaneous one.


IMHO, the best option for Geeash is to look for another service centre in Chennai and get things sorted out.

For Fiat, it's own Service network is the real solution. If Hyundai, a relatively unknown company few years back, can build this sort of support system within a few years, why can't Fiat? Brand building exercise may take some time, no easy way out. Fiat is already well known to Indian homes and in no need of an introduction like Hyundai.

Imagine Fiat coming out with Turbo charged linea and the customers getting this sort of treatment at the service centres - set things right first, new models later.

'Honest criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls urgent attention to an unhealthy satate of things' - Winston Churchill

[PhiGolden]

I own a Palio SDX from august 2008. I am pretty happy with the way things are handled at Concorde begur gate. I got my car serviced there twice and had a pleasant experience both times.
Non Fiat owners might find the service deficient as they do not get any service at all from Fiat.

[geeash]

Why dont you change your service centre even after repeated requests by other members? People have pleaded you from the very first service to change your service centre but you never listened. Going a 50 kms extra to VST is better than banging head against this service centre. Karthik is also in Chennai but takes his car to VST and is a much happy man, even got his speakers exchanged in a jiffy.

Yes i am definitely going to change to VST for sure. but the fog lamp has already been ordered by concorde so i have to atleast get that from them. It is not available at VST either i have enquired!!!

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by AnonymousCoward

amogh, probably you are right. But this is a chicken and egg problem right? Unless they sell more cars, they can't raise the service standards. And they can't sell more cars because the service standards are not satisfactory. But they can't expect customers to do charity service by buying their cars and not have them serviced properly.

The least that they could have done is to have their own flagship showrooms and service centers at least in major cities. Without a shop floor all for themselves and a service centre equipped with competent personnel, how can they showcase their products as better ones and their service as rewarding?

Not only are they eroding their reputation further, they are even paying someone else for that!

As it is said : it is always easy to connect the dots going backwards. You can never connect them going forward.

Little did Fiat know that the Tata partnership is not going to result into good sales figures or that Fiat customers are going to get a step brotherly treatment from Tata dealers. Little did they know that even after the partnership with Tata they are going to sell only 1200 - 1600 Punto's a month and 1000 - 1300 Linea's a month.

If Tata would not have been there : Fiat would not have launched the Linea & the Punto - it is as simple as that. Fiat simply did not have the money to go on its own in India.

Their strategy was : to leverage Tata's network and achieve good sales volumes. Little did they know that the service network is going to let them down.

I look at it this way : If the Punto had not been launched - I was going to buy an Indica Vista. So in any case, I was going to go to the same dealership and service station. Made very little difference to me.

And the larger reason for lack of Fiat's sales is NOT their service backup. It is the baggage they have been carrying.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by AnonymousCoward

The least that they could have done is to have their own flagship showrooms and service centers at least in major cities. Without a shop floor all for themselves and a service centre equipped with competent personnel, how can they showcase their products as better ones and their service as rewarding?

A Showroom and service center would cost how much? 5 to 10 crores depending on the city , size of the showroom and service area? That's just the cost of land of showroom, building and service station equipments. Maybe includes labour and staff too. That's it? Seems fair to me. Then you have to buy the products you want to sell - in this case cars from fiat. No prizes for guessing that these cars are slow movers. What are the terms of doing business here? How much credit does Fiat give? 30 days? Surely there will be no volume discounts from manufacturer. Will a car sell off in 30 days so that the business does not end up locking money in stock? Surely, most dealers must be holding stock for more then 30 days.
Question is can a businessman recover his investments selling 2500 cars a month and servcing a few more? Even service intervals are now stretched to 15K by Fiat. Surely setting up a Honda service would be more lucrative due to the 5K service intervals!
Don't forget it's not just holding cars in stock but also parts. What are the credit terms from fiat for holding spares? If I buy 5 headlights of the Linea and pay Fiat in 30 days and I get no requirement for 3 months then what? Due to low volumes it's quite possible that parts requirement is also less. Point I am making is if I was setting up a dealership, I would prefer to set up a Maruti, Hyundai or Honda dealership. They sell more and due to high volumes I am assured of future business of sales and service. Most important is they sell easily. I could hire absolute morons and the cars would still sell.
It's very easy to say Fiat should set up dealerships. They are on a restructuring phase. Why would a businessman risk crores on a company that's restructuring and whose future potential of selling is still unknown?
That was precisely the reason Fiat needed Tata to display their cars in. No body in his right senses would set up a fiat dealership today. Even I would put up a Honda dealership if I had that kind of money and buy a Punto and enjoy the drive. !!

[sanjayc]

Is it possible that Concorde is deliberately putting geeash in such a unenviable situation keeping in the mind such ruckus he had created in Corcorde/Fiat/TBHP with those plethora of emails/calls etc! Just thinking out aloud..maybe someone at Concorde/Fiat have been rubbed the wrong way;-}

I have personally felt this type of behavioural changes by Kodak/HP in the past once I started escalating to the top management at the drop of a hat.

I have followed all of geeash's threads and was ready to buy Linea coming Jan without even bothering for a TD...would have purchased by now, till the thread about 1.6 launch next year appeared.

[parimal_g]

But TATA dealers are doing really great job,4 months before i changed headlights of my Palio,but the headlight starting fogging so yesterday took the appointment of Fortune motors powai,The service adviser immediately agreed to replace and promised me he will give me a call once he receives the material from Fiat.

[sanjayc]

@amoghchaphalkar - you have hit the nail on the head.

When we are buying a product, we need to complete the due diligence. This type of risks are inherent in any product you buy nowadays. With margins coming down (e.g. Computers/LCDs/Home theater/Comsumer Electronics/Mobiles etc etc etc), and with multitude of global brands, you never know couple of years down the line, the brand will survive in the country or vanish.

Initial niggling issues apart, Methinks, we need to know if all A.S.S. for Fiat across the country are having the same issues with the spare parts availibility or geeash's problem is an isolated case.

What is needed is a regulatory body like TRAI for the car market as well.

@geeash, this is not to belittle you frustrations or problems you are facing, but early technology adapters have to go thru this annoyances. Case in point - iPhone in India - which is tied to a service provider...and I cannot change my talk plan..though the rates of other talk plans are falling like nine-pins. Within 6 months of the first iPhone launch, the price was dropped by almost half in US-just imagine the heartburning early iPhone users would have felt.

I purchased a Sony VAIO touchscreen UMPC - couple of yrs back - for around a lakh - now the prices of better/faster netbooks/umpcs are 15-20K. Also bought a HCL miLeap netbook with touch screen for appx 29K on launch...croma stores were selling the same for 15K in a stock clearance sell within 6-8 months of the launch of miLeap...so there you are. On a side note, only after going thru the threads of TBHP, now I am having ideas of converting these 2 into some kind of carputer for my car.