[booboo]

had sold my rx 135 14 yrs old recently and was looking to upgrade to a bike which could be a everyday runabout and a part time tourer if required. the choice was just between the pulsar 220 and the karizma zmr. test rode both and decided to go with the zmr.

visited the dealer - 'sri harsha motors - vizag' and asked him for an on the spot delivery regarding the zmr. said only white was available, asked him to give me the display vehicle which was black and 3.1 km on the odo - cash down.

dealer agreed and about 1400 hrs handed over a check for the on road amount and i was to collect the bike the next day

next evening - cheque amount having been credited to the dealer was going through the pdi when i noticed the blunder - my name on all the showroom documents and most important the temporarily registration was spelled wrongly
(just the insurance document was rightly spelled and documented)

now on asking the sheepishly apologetic manager all i could get was - 'sorry sir - human error - i admit my mistake, very sorry etc'

sat down to discuss the rectification plan and all i got was these options from the manager :
aa) get this wrong spelling name registered on your name, when original comes we will get it corrected
(is that not unlawful ? besides being dumb !)
bb) showroom will make draft at own expense etc and get it corrected

i refused to take delivery when he informs me that the 'sale is made'. unless i would get the correct documents the sale i reminded him remains open and not closed

next day morning i called him for an update and he informs me that on monday 24th he shall have the bike with correct papers ready
i have informed him vide email that should my bike not be delivered on monday i will have no option but to proceed in the consumer court.
the manager is not confident if this can be done on monday 24th but is simply hopeful that it will be done

have got in touch with a lawyer cousin who will be proceeding with legal action in case bike is not delivered by monday 24th

what i feel should have been done to ensure it does not happen again:
aa) during temp registration which is done online every customer should be informed so if he/she wants to be present or personally fill in the data they should be allowed to do so
bb) hero motors should call a customer directly on booking / expected delivery to take the feedback regarding the dealer and sale directly form the customer
(2 cents advice to hero motors - please beg mahindra to let your salesman and showroom staff work there for a month to see and learn how good an indian company can be - unless you want to go back to selling cycles that require no registration )

by the silence i can only presume hero is happy with dealers and too busy to keep a tab on them - hero will do well for themselves to remember that hero to zero is just an alphabet away, hope they nip the problem in the bud. hurts to see an indian company watch quietly as its own dealers rip apart them apart.

bajaj seemed miles ahead with the probiking salesman and staff - thoroughly professional and knowledgeable
staff at hero did not even know the fuel tank capacity of their flagship model, tyres size would have been a bad blow - shame on hero and not just sri harsha motors i would say.

posting this problem on hero's facebook and other forums so buyers are aware of these careless dealers. anything else i need to look into or do? guys need our advice - this careless attitude of these jokers harms hero's reputation badly

[libranof1987]

This is actually a VERY common error; and it doesn't reflect badly on the manufacturer. It is the dealer's mistake.

Yes, the manufacturer ought to keep a tab on the dealer but what do they do if someone makes spelling mistakes!

Get this : a Honda dealer up north screwed up my dad's name on our City's RC. Of course, the dealer took the onus of having it rectified in RTO's records.

Just be behind the dealer to rectify the error asap and enjoy the bike!

[booboo]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

This is actually a VERY common error; and it doesn't reflect badly on the manufacturer. It is the dealer's mistake.

Yes, the manufacturer ought to keep a tab on the dealer but what do they do if someone makes spelling mistakes!

Get this : a Honda dealer up north screwed up my dad's name on our City's RC. Of course, the dealer took the onus of having it rectified in RTO's records.

Just be behind the dealer to rectify the error asap and enjoy the bike!

what is the manufacturer doing to rectify this? the flagship model does not even warrant a call? god forbid had this happened if i had booked a splendor??? end of the day it is the manufacturer whose reputation is dented, the dealer i am sad to say is not too affected by such ' human error saar'

not worried about the bike - will get it i know. just that it hurts to see indian companies go down this way. hero needs to be alert now that they have much more to prove on their own.

like i suggested let the customer fill up the online temperory registration form
and let the manufacturer call the customer when he is booking taking delivery/post delivery

or is that asking for too much

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by booboo

what is the manufacturer doing to rectify this?

The manufacturer can't babysit the dealers!

Agree, once you've posted it on their website, they ought to follow-up with the dealer.

Don't differentiate between dealers of Indian and non-Indian manufacturers; Honda messed up mine. Skoda regularly messes up!

I can understand why you're worked up; all I'm saying is, no point blaming Hero.

[honeybee]

I too don't see how this reflects badly on Hero Motors as manufacturers. Does the product have any defects?

What the dealer's staff does or does not do is not Hero Motors' responsibility. It's not a company owned showroom.

[booboo]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The manufacturer can't babysit the dealers!

Agree, once you've posted it on their website, they ought to follow-up with the dealer.

Don't differentiate between dealers of Indian and non-Indian manufacturers; Honda messed up mine. Skoda regularly messes up!

I can understand why you're worked up; all I'm saying is, no point blaming Hero.

dont get me wrong - just hurts to see manufacturers (indian or otherwise) unable to rectify what you refererred to as a common problem.

just because non-indian guys mess up too does not mean the indian ones do too, thats wrong.

(towards servicing i deal with Mahindra - the best /hyundai - next /honda - i find mahindra miles ahead - now that makes me proud - an indian company, which is why i am being so critical of hero)

which ever manufacturer is unable to keep a tab on these things ultimately has to sit down and work out a solution. if they cant babysit do not handout dealership to babies is all i can say or ensure these babies are well trained

am i too hard on hero (i guess i was maybe because they are Indian and that hurts deep) - well i rest my case if it reflects thus

14 years have gone by last since i bought a bike
(your cut with honda runs deeper than mine - four wheels and a mess up would really hurt i know, two are bleeding me with the indefinite waiting)

felt good with the exchange, thanks for the same and now i am back to my scorpio mist silver 2.6 crde until 'ravenheart - panther black zmr' arrives, she will soothe me on a long beach road drive until then.

[Warwithwheels]

Your thread title is very misleading. How would have Honda helped the dealership from not committing these kinda errors??

I completely understand your anguish and the error is no way justified. But I personally feel that you should go a little slow on this. IMO, the case is not so serious enough to rope in a lawyer et all.

The dealer has also promised to get the name corrected at his expense. Just get a written confirmation from the dealer to that effect. There is nothing unlawful unless you are riding a smuggled bike. Moreover you are not gonna put your RC on the visor for the public to see.

BTW are you really sure that you wanna go in for that display vehicle which is promised to you? Are you sure the ODO reading is genuine and it was not used as a test drive mule? These are the larger issues that you have to focus on.

[booboo]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I too don't see how this reflects badly on Hero Motors as manufacturers. Does the product have any defects?

What the dealer's staff does or does not do is not Hero Motors' responsibility. It's not a company owned showroom.

i did not once mention the product except name it - defects are way off.
as long as things go smooth nothing matters , by default a dealer represents a manufacturer's representative to a customer. good ones enhance the manufacturer's reputation and bad ones do the opposite.

the thin red line between reputation and responsibility is very blurred and one needs to step over it and cross over to the other side many a times to ensure a smooth deal

anyway just got a call from the dealer not to get into the consumer court issue and am fine with the same and will hopefully have it resolve faster - just disappointed that mahindra can check up after a minor servicing and hero cannot even check up after a purchase to ensure it has been smooth?
(is it wrong to compare car and two wheeler dealers )

only when a manufacturer starts to take these 'small' things seriously will the objective of total customer satisfaction be met imho
so instead of trying to side step the issue the manufacturer and the dealer must work together to ensure it does not not happen again - a happy customer is good for both i guess.

[booboo]

Originally Posted by Warwithwheels

Your thread title is very misleading. How would have Honda helped the dealership from not committing these kinda errors??

I completely understand your anguish and the error is no way justified. But I personally feel that you should go a little slow on this. IMO, the case is not so serious enough to rope in a lawyer et all.

The dealer has also promised to get the name corrected at his expense. Just get a written confirmation from the dealer to that effect. There is nothing unlawful unless you are riding a smuggled bike. Moreover you are not gonna put your RC on the visor for the public to see.

BTW are you really sure that you wanna go in for that display vehicle which is promised to you? Are you sure the ODO reading is genuine and it was not used as a test drive mule? These are the larger issues that you have to focus on.

i have a honda dio which is followed up on service schedules religiously by the honda dealer. post service call back is standard too.

please explain :
aa) is my insurance valid? (names different on registration and insurance document)
bb) but i will put the rc in the hands of the cops to check if stopped
cc) just a lawyer pal who bumped into me - called it off like i said in my last post and the dealership spoke to me just a while back

test drive mule is white and a dedicated bike so i am sure of this bike. the stockyard to the showroom is about 2.5 km so i dont doubt that. my cousin last fortnight had to settle for a yellow color from another dealer as he had no black to pick from any of the dealers.

he never agreed to giving me anything in black and white so i was livid.
btw man cops here go hard on bikers so one has to be better prepared with the document stuff. in my native land would have never bothered about this maybe but here - no way.

[HammerHead]

IMHO, all is well if they fix the 'human error' before handing over the bike to you.
Dealer is the one to blame for this.

[NikhilReddy]

Originally Posted by booboo

i noticed the blunder - my name on all the showroom documents and most important the temporarily registration was spelled wrongly
(just the insurance document was rightly spelled and documented)

I will equally be disappointed and angry if my name is spelt incorrectly. Just to avoid this situation when ever someone asks for these details and overtly try to fill the form I makesure that I enter my name plus address myself on the form. Typos can't be pardoned while filling the form online as this creates unnecessary hassles. If I were the dealer I will give some accessories to make it up. For me a happy customer is valuable than an accessory that make my customer happy.

However Hero is a great company and its rather impossible to manage issues like this even if you are six sigma. But what is important is how the company and their dealers respond when issues like this occur.

[booboo]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

IMHO, all is well if they fix the 'human error' before handing over the bike to you.
Dealer is the one to blame for this.

true , beyond the blame game i think they need to put in place a error check system to ensure somebody who has traded his old bike for the new instant delivery is not harassed for no wrong of his (did not affect me since i had other rides to fall back on) or left stranded without any bike. imagine that happening to you?

man this bike is just a fun addition to my garage - i would blown my fuse if it had been my bread and butter ride and had this happened

sorry guys - wont blame hero motors anymore : most here feel different from me , guess at sea i take responsibility for every one of my staff so i felt the same applies to the manufacturer which i maybe 'rightly' learn is not the case.

hey nikhilreddy - i agree, not looking for any accessories nor i am personally mad at the dealer, i am professionally upset with him though . yes hero is too big to bother about these issues and that hurts. my impression of them is not too rosy right now

- the panther black zmr is loveable, i feel it will break the chains these guys have around it and rush into my arms soon, very soon. havent even touched her yet, will make up shortly.

over and out

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by booboo

btw man cops here go hard on bikers so one has to be better prepared with the document stuff. in my native land would have never bothered about this maybe but here - no way.

So you are ok with the paperwork being goofed up in your native land? Do you insist on all these formalities only because cops check them?

I am sorry, but from your posts, I am not entirely convinced you have exercised due caution in the whole process. Buyer Beware is the principle which applies to all such transactions and it seems you haven't entirely done your due diligence.

It's comforting to know the dealer is willing to rectify the errors. To the best of my knowledge in case there are spelling mistakes, they can be corrected from the respective authorities (either the RTO or the insurance company as applicable), so it's not a major worry.

[booboo]

Originally Posted by honeybee

So you are ok with the paperwork being goofed up in your native land? Do you insist on all these formalities only because cops check them?

I am sorry, but from your posts, I am not entirely convinced you have exercised due caution in the whole process. Buyer Beware is the principle which applies to all such transactions and it seems you haven't entirely done your due diligence.

It's comforting to know the dealer is willing to rectify the errors. To the best of my knowledge in case there are spelling mistakes, they can be corrected from the respective authorities (either the RTO or the insurance company as applicable), so it's not a major worry.

you got me wrong - had it been my native land i would have taken delivery and then got the dealer to get the correction done and not let the bike to languish at the dealership and not insist on having it rectified before delivery maybe. the reason being i have a relative who works in a dealership and learnt that dealers there do issue a letter stating the rectification process is underway which this dealer refused (not that he could remember when it last happened at his dealership though - had to check this info with his manager i guess) this was refused by the manager and only then i refused delivery.

thanks for reassuring me that it is not a major worry. but which due diligence do you attribute to my overlook?

am i grateful that the dealer is willing to rectify the error - what can i say, you guys make me feel i should be overwhelmed

just wondering had this same happened with a 10 lakh plus bike? would the reactions still be the same

what is wrong in expecting these dealers to be perfect?

[honeybee]

There's nothing wrong in expecting the dealers to be perfect, however mis-spelling of your name on the registration documents is not a serious issue that could not be rectified, and on top of that saying Hero minus Honda is Zero because the dealer misspelt the name on the documents sounds a little too overboard.

Just FYI, someone already mentioned in this thread that such mistakes are also made by Honda dealers.