[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by acidkill

I was called today by VW and was told that the delivery of my Vento Highline TDI would be delayed by another 45 days. I should have the longest wait for the vento as per TBHP records.. going to be 7 months now.

Beginning to consider a switchover to the SX4 diesel now. Just so frustrated.

7 months is a ridiculous time to wait for any car, let alone the Vento. While I do agree the Polo & Vento are good cars, I wouldnt wait this long for it. The SX4 & Linea diesel are pretty good alternatives.

[evilshantanu]

Guys! finally getting the delivery on Tuesday, next week. Finally there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel

But I think these VW dealers are very lazy, it takes n number of calls to wake them up. My car is in their yard since Saturday, But I dont know whats holding them back from delivering it. I guess they need to learn from the Maruti dealers

[noopster]

Originally Posted by acidkill

I was called today by VW and was told that the delivery of my Vento Highline TDI would be delayed by another 45 days. I should have the longest wait for the vento as per TBHP records.. going to be 7 months now.

Beginning to consider a switchover to the SX4 diesel now. Just so frustrated.

Total nonsense- they've obviously slotted you as a pushover and are playing games. 7 months means they've probably prioritized people above you, who either have "pull" or are pushy enough to make sure they get noticed. Good guys finish last in this business, unfortunately!

Schedule an emergency meeting with the General Manager of your dealership. Don't take No for an answr. Then calmly present the facts before him and tell him that if he will not commit to deliver your vehicle within the next 10 days, you will cancel the booking on the spot and walk into the Maruti dealership next door to book an SX4 diesel.

That'll show him that Men Are Back . Chances are they will buckle down and agree to this. If not ask for an immediate and full refund- they cannot deny you that at least.

[imjimmy]

Originally Posted by acidkill

I was called today by VW and was told that the delivery of my Vento Highline TDI would be delayed by another 45 days. I should have the longest wait for the vento as per TBHP records.. going to be 7 months now.

Beginning to consider a switchover to the SX4 diesel now. Just so frustrated.

Be persistent. 7 months is a LONG wait. I haven't know anyone wait close to this much for their Vento, no matter how busy it is. The dealer is surely taking you for a ride:

Try the following (in rough order)

* insist on speaking to the GM/owner of the dealership and give him a piece of your mind.

* Send messages to VW on Twitter and leave Feedback on their facebook page. They usually respond "promptly" to these asking for the details from you. VW then expedites delivery directly with the dealer for your specific case.

* Lodge complaints with the 800 number and call the VW head office in Bombay and ask them to connect you to sales.

Hopefully, with some luck, you should get your car soon.

Finally, trust me, the Vento Tdi is worth waiting for (although obviously not for 7 months)

You will be blown away with the performance, phenomenal F.E and the sheer quality of the vehicle!

[evilshantanu]

Got the delivery of my white shadowfax last night. The car is worth the wait!

will soon put up the ownership review

[Palio_2005]

Congratulations. Good to know that the car was worth it's wait. Number of Vento's in Mumbai are increasing and am sure will definitely replace ANHC as the most sought after especially in urban cities. Waiting for your ownership review

[maverickxx2006]

Sorry , I couldnt help myself from commenting.

I was just reading through all of the woes which the members have undergone and undergoing for getting their hands on a VW car. Certainly it doesn't deserve of a German car maker which has spent fortunes and fortunes on fancy advts and which has such a great reputation in Europe.

The service cost doesn't sound good either, looks like you will be spending at least 2K or 3K (if I'm correct) during a service. And I reckon parts arent dirt cheap either.

I purchased a Fiat Punto, but compared to Vento/Polo problems, issues I faced during purchase and service of Fiat are nothing. I got my car in around 3 weeks. Parts are dirt cheap and service not bad either.

Just an observation about two car makers and still the reputation amongst Indian people is exactly opposite.

PS: These are just my thoughts. I'm not a Fiat or VW fan or hater of both. I'm simple consumer.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

I purchased a Fiat Punto, but compared to Vento/Polo problems, issues I faced during purchase and service of Fiat are nothing. I got my car in around 3 weeks.

This is not a fair comparison. Fiat is barely selling 2000 units/month between the Punto and Linea, whereas VW (Polo + Vento) last month was around 7000. Also, Fiat has been selling mass market cars for a while in India and had enough time to get its dealers in line.

It's the high demand for the vehicles that is causing the long waiting period, not the other way around! I don't have a problem with this frankly- even the humble Swift has a 6 month waiting reported, let alone the Fortuner & Etios- but the way a dealer treats his customers given that there is a delay is what is putting most people on this thread off. And that is where VW has failed.

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by maverickxx2006

Sorry , I couldnt help myself from commenting.


I purchased a Fiat Punto, but compared to Vento/Polo problems, issues I faced during purchase and service of Fiat are nothing. I got my car in around 3 weeks. Parts are dirt cheap and service not bad either.

.

I purchased a Vento because the quality of plastics used in the interiors of Vento is much better as compared to Linea. Apart from that when I went to the showroom to take a test drive of the Linea, the sales guy was more interested in selling me a Manza, than a Linea, and finally I was offered a test drive in somebody else's car which was at the showroom for servicing, obviously I refused the test drive, and they never called me back. Well I dont think that can be categorized as a good experience. So you see all the manufacturers / dealers have their share of good and bad points, it is for the consumer to see what he exactly wants. You wanted a Punto, a lot of others wanted a Polo / Vento

I think Polo definitely lies in the league of premium hatchbacks in the country, and this is because of the interior fit and finish. On the other hand, Vento is already giving a neck to neck competition to ANHC, Linea has been there since quite some time (though it is an awesome car, if not Vento I would have bought a T-Jet), but FIAT never had the guts to challenge the monopoly of Honda.

Disclaimer: I dont have anything against ANHC, Linea, Punto or any other car. Just giving a fair comparison and facts.

[suman]

IMHO, anyone wondering why people are going ga-ga over the Vento should just test drive the TDI - will make it as clear as daylight why

[MaserQ]

The Vento TDi is an awesome car, period. But given the Mt. Everest-like waiting period, it remains to be seen if customers will move away to other cars like the soon to be launched New Fiesta TDCi, which is no slouch either.

Not only are VW driving away potential customers, but also damaging their reputation in India. There are a lot of people who keep away from Skoda for obvious reasons and VW would do well to get their house in order, sooner rather than later..

[drmohitg]

I dont think the Indian Customer is going to move away from buying a VW only because of the huge waiting period. If that was the case then there wouldn't be a waiting period in the first place na!

Vento is an excellent car and VFM also compared to the other cars in the same segment. Moreover VW still means luxury for many Indians if not all. That image is not easy to break. So unless VW's servicing costs run sky high I dont see the Indian Customer moving away from the brand.

[kaushikr]

Originally Posted by suman

IMHO, anyone wondering why people are going ga-ga over the Vento should just test drive the TDI - will make it as clear as daylight why

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I dont think the Indian Customer is going to move away from buying a VW only because of the huge waiting period. If that was the case then there wouldn't be a waiting period in the first place na!

evilshantanu, congrats on getting the car, finally!

After reading through the thread, it is quite clear that Vento is a good product to have people waiting patiently for months to own it, but VW dealers are not treating customers the right way.

Personally, I would not mind waiting for a few months (or even 6-7 months) to own a new car as it is going to be with me for few years. But that wait should be communicated to clearly. Why should the dealer avoid taking calls from the 'Customer' or behave as they are bestowing a favor? Does the customer have a voice with VW products?

When purchasing the RE classic 350, i waited for almost 3 months to lay my hands on the bike, after booking the bike on the day of the launch. But the dealer never stopped picking up my calls. When the wait period exceeded the promised delivery date, he put me thorough the regional sales head, who arranged for me to have the bike in about a month after reprimanding the dealer for giving incorrect waiting period. The delivery was followed up by the regional sales head.

All in all, my confidence in the company was not lost, and the customer was not punished for the incorrect information provided by the dealer.

If this can be done for 1L rupee bike, why cannot it be done to a car worth 10 L?

[Surprise]

Checked with Sundaram, Chennai on delivery time frame for top end diesel. Sales guy told me that I will be called back with details. Exactly in next 10 minutes, I got a call mentioning that delivery time frame for diesel top end would be 5 months & they will try to quicken the delivery time frame. Added that advance is Rs.75k and is 100% refundable without any penalty upon cancellation.

Looks like there is an improvement in the delivery schedules as the other dealer before couple of months told me that booking is closed temporarily as the waiting period has crossed 12 months

[Svis]

My delivery is tommorrow, and now the sales guy's on leave today and his cell is switched off. Dealership reply - "sir he only know your case, we will ask him to call you". ??? Ask him how, go to his house??

I've had it upto here with these guys...seems Customer issues will remain, pre, during and post delivery