[saket77]

I had an 'enlightening' experience @ Honda Showroom. I was there for a simple commuting bike, as I don't have the patience to drive my car to work through the chaotic morning & evening rush. Neither have the extra money to burn that extra fuel & that too, only for me...no car pooling, etc.

So, I was looking at a city commuting bike & I was little inclined towards the Shine. Balanced city commuting bike. The sales rep pushed me for the Stunner but I was a little reluctant if it would go with my thin & long (moderate) build. But after a TD, I liked the balance & braking of the bike & I asked when would I get the Stunner, if I 'book' it paying a token amount. He said a few weeks...(I don't remember the exact no. of weeks he told). Same for bank finance. I said I want to pay in cash, right now.
I came out of the showroom later that day... riding the silver Stunner!

The thing I thought played a role is that if you are paying fully in cash, they might sell you the bike, provided its really available. But if you going for bank finance option, or by booking in advance, they know that they now have you, so you have no option to 'run', so they can safely afford to keep you waiting. But if you pay in cash, they will prefer to sell you the product right away because 'The bike is their's, but the cash is your's!' You can well have a change of mind any second & opt for other brands that way, of course, a situation that they won't like to be in!

My 2 cents,

Regards.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by saket77

The thing I thought played a role is that if you are paying fully in cash, they might sell you the bike, provided its really available. But if you going for bank finance option, or by booking in advance, they know that they now have you, so you have no option to 'run', so they can safely afford to keep you waiting. But if you pay in cash, they will prefer to sell you the product right away because 'The bike is their's, but the cash is your's!' You can well have a change of mind any second & opt for other brands that way, of course, a situation that they won't like to be in!

Saket Sir, I feel you are right in one way and may not also be right in the other.
What you have written is convincing enough to be right in every manner BUT, I differ at one thing. We have bought all our vehicles till date by paying cash or through a single cheque. We have never opted for bank finance options.
When my dad talked about paying the amount, it was through cash and not any bank formalities involved. Still the answer was "10K more".
IMO, even here in Mumbai the Stunner isn't one of the vehicles on which they have a long waiting period. It gets delivered within a week. I can't comment about Ranchi.
In your case, I feel the answer by the representative "a few weeks" was not true enough to be trusted or he must have said it due to some unknown reasons.

As some BHP-ians have stated, its a gimmick played by Honda dealers only here in Mumbai.I strongly feel so.

-Bhargav

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

Saket Sir, I feel you are right in one way and may not also be right in the other.
What you have written is convincing enough to be right in every manner BUT, I differ at one thing. We have bought all our vehicles till date by paying cash or through a single cheque. We have never opted for bank finance options.
When my dad talked about paying the amount, it was through cash and not any bank formalities involved. Still the answer was "10K more".
IMO, even here in Mumbai the Stunner isn't one of the vehicles on which they have a long waiting period. It gets delivered within a week. I can't comment about Ranchi.
In your case, I feel the answer by the representative "a few weeks" was not true enough to be trusted or he must have said it due to some unknown reasons.

As some BHP-ians have stated, its a gimmick played by Honda dealers only here in Mumbai.I strongly feel so.

-Bhargav

Hello Bhargav,

The last line in your post is probably one of the most significant reason! It is what I wanted to say. Albeit, there is no doubt that Honda vehicles, esp. like the Activa, are in huge demand & rightly so, but I think the showroom guys prefer to deliver the people more promptly who pay in cash.

Regarding your case, I can identify such a situation very much as in Mumbai, the demand would be multiple times higher and I will not be astonished if some dealers would sell on preferential basis to those willing to shell out extra money. Actually this same thing used to happen in the early 80s with our much loved 'Hamara Bajaj' scooters. People waited for years & paid extra money to get their scooters in 'black' as if they were cinema hall tickets!! You won't imagine that people whose turn came for the delivery would sell their brand new scooters at a higher price! This was the situation.

With all acknowledgment to your experience, I was actually jotting down my own experience dealing with these showroom guys On another note, I would also like to tell you that when I offered them a cheque, again the 'waiting period' issue came to the scene...a 3 day waiting period this time...& no prizes for guessing that the waiting period would be the time required to get the cheque cleared!
That was some 3 years ago, in 2010 & there were only 2 Honda dealers in Ranchi. Now, we have plenty of them, so I think the situation must have eased a bit.

Best Regards,
Saket

[riteshritesh]

I 2nd Octane powers woes. A month ago, I was in the same spot as you are and my 1st visit was to the Om Sai Honda ( or Pilot)showroom( for the Dio) at Govandi,it being next to my office.
I was turned off by the attitude of the store manager, who was least interested in selling anything to me. Plus he wanted to sell me "mandatory" accessories for 3000 + extra. He was just short of telling me to 'go take a hike', if I dont want to buy those accessories.

I wrote back to Honda Feedback, giving them my peace of mind, mentioning exactly, how the product is available immediately, if I pay a premium. The next day, I got a call from the dealer asking me, who what and why I had complained. 15 days later, I was a proud owner of the Yamaha Ray. I went back to the Honda Dealer and showed him my new vehicle. He had the same ' who cares a hoot' attitude, which wont go a long way for Honda.

[snowmane]

Originally Posted by saket77

I had an 'enlightening' experience @ Honda Showroom. I was there for a simple commuting bike, as I don't have the patience to drive my car to work through the chaotic morning & evening rush. Neither have the extra money to burn that extra fuel & that too, only for me...no car pooling, etc.

So, I was looking at a city commuting bike & I was little inclined towards the Shine. Balanced city commuting bike. The sales rep pushed me for the Stunner but I was a little reluctant if it would go with my thin & long (moderate) build. But after a TD, I liked the balance & braking of the bike & I asked when would I get the Stunner, if I 'book' it paying a token amount. He said a few weeks...(I don't remember the exact no. of weeks he told). Same for bank finance. I said I want to pay in cash, right now.
I came out of the showroom later that day... riding the silver Stunner!

The thing I thought played a role is that if you are paying fully in cash, they might sell you the bike, provided its really available. But if you going for bank finance option, or by booking in advance, they know that they now have you, so you have no option to 'run', so they can safely afford to keep you waiting. But if you pay in cash, they will prefer to sell you the product right away because 'The bike is their's, but the cash is your's!' You can well have a change of mind any second & opt for other brands that way, of course, a situation that they won't like to be in!

My 2 cents,

Regards.

I had a very similar experience at one of the dealers for Honda in Pune.

I had gone there to TD the CBR 250 along with my friend who had already decided to buy the Dream Yuga and had the finance ready.

What turned us away is that when we went there none of the sales agents cared to actually inform us the vehicle details the price etc.

We had to ask one of them who was least interested and responded back saying that we do not have anything in stock, every booking has a waiting period of at least 45 days.

I am not sure why these dealers are so arrogant, I felt like I was the one who was going to get paid.

On the other hand, the BAL sales people are very enthusiastic, the day is not far when they will lead in all the segments judging at the rate at which they are improving their quality!!

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by saket77

Actually this same thing used to happen in the early 80s with our much loved 'Hamara Bajaj' scooters. People waited for years & paid extra money to get their scooters in 'black' as if they were cinema hall tickets!! You won't imagine that people whose turn came for the delivery would sell their brand new scooters at a higher price! This was the situation.

Yes I asked my dad,if he came across this phenomenon while buying his Chetak(basically it was my uncle's but dad had done all the formalities,so I asked him) My dad got a Vespa later on which is still serving us with a smile;been 21 years. He told yes,those days there was a crazy euphoria following Bajaj scooters.

Originally Posted by riteshritesh

I was turned off by the attitude of the store manager, who was least interested in selling anything to me. Plus he wanted to sell me "mandatory" accessories for 3000 + extra. He was just short of telling me to 'go take a hike', if I dont want to buy those accessories.

I wrote back to Honda Feedback, giving them my peace of mind, mentioning exactly, how the product is available immediately, if I pay a premium. The next day, I got a call from the dealer asking me, who what and why I had complained. 15 days later, I was a proud owner of the Yamaha Ray. I went back to the Honda Dealer and showed him my new vehicle. He had the same ' who cares a hoot' attitude, which wont go a long way for Honda.

I just can't understand how and why did Honda Feedback notify the dealer of your e-mail. It has to be kept anonymous and steps should be taken against the dealer and not the other way round where the dealer calls you up and asks you "Why did you complaint". Its quite ridiculous and not at all a good customer-satisfaction gesture. Pathetic is the word!
But, Om Sai Honda here at Malad is quite good. Good staff and back up they provide. But still the behaviour with you is not at all acceptable.

O Yes, by the way, I and dad will be going now to book our Hero Maestro And the icing on the cake is that Hero service center is just 1 and a half minute from my place !!

-Bhargav

[saket77]

Originally Posted by snowmane

I am not sure why these dealers are so arrogant, I felt like I was the one who was going to get paid.

On the other hand, the BAL sales people are very enthusiastic, the day is not far when they will lead in all the segments judging at the rate at which they are improving their quality!!

Yes, that attitude from Honda is there pretty sure. Don't know why but Honda guys are quite laid back, even upto the extent they almost ignore the customers walking into their showroom. During my bike hunt, I also visited Bajaj showroom which was only across the road & had a look at Pulsar 135 LS. Though, I was determined to get a Honda, but I really liked the way BAL people attended us and answered all our queries.

The only sales pitch we got received from Honda was that 'instead of going for Shine, I suggest you to go for the Stunner.'

As I said previously that I was determined to get a Honda product, probably this 'determination' of customers is the reason of Honda chaps behave the way they do.

Originally Posted by Octane_Power

O Yes, by the way, I and dad will be going now to book our Hero Maestro And the icing on the cake is that Hero service center is just 1 and a half minute from my place !!

-Bhargav

Congrats Bhargav on your new purchase! Have thousands of happy miles ahead with your Maestro. There goes one Honda Customer!

Best Regards,
Saket

[kaushikr]

Can't agree more with people who have complained about Honda Dealer attitudes. We had a similar experience back in 2002, when we booked our Activa, 3 months waiting. Since there were not lot of options back then we stuck with it. Can't complain about the vehicle, was everything we expected of it (weak brakes apart).

However, few years back, when we were looking to replace it with the slightly lighter Dio for our Mom and walked into the Honda dealer showroom, the sales people had a 'don't care' attitude and quoted long waiting time. We went to a TVS showroom and have been happy owners of Scooty since.

I guess the Honda dealers are minting money with Sales and Service now and can't care less about getting new customers.

[saket77]

& for this same attitude problem, I decided after my second service that all other services including free services will be done at other reputed private workshops & not Honda's. To share my experience of service, during my first service, I reached the service centre by 10 AM. I was stranded till 4 in the evening. Then the SA came to me & asked me to leave my bike & collect it the next day This for the job of oil change & a wash! After much argument, I was able to get it done at about 6 PM. so, my entire Sunday was fried...just for an oil change & a wash.
By second service, I went there again thinking that things might have improved or last time was a one-off incident...but this time again, I had to wait from 11 AM to 5 PM, just to get the bike washed & get its chain tightened! There was absolutely nothing that they did extra in the service.
I would like to make a point, that the service centre I am referring to, did not even checked the pointers mentioned in the Instruction manual at the service intervals. Just oil changes, wash and asking if the bike has any problem. I decided that this was it.

I never went to those guys again. I change the engine oil myself at about 7K kms (I use synthetic oils) and get other things fixed by a good local mechanic & maintain my own service record. I am glad that I did not shell out extra money for extended warranty which was the only thing I felt they were keen on pushing at the showroom.

[ghodlur]

The major factors attracting customers to Honda inspite of the dealer/workshop attitude is the belief in the reliability of the Honda product and Honda being the first mover in the scooter segment had made a name in the erstwhile small market. I know a few people who still swear by the older Honda Activa - the scooter was built to last although the same cannot be said about the new gen Activa's. I have had my share of conflicts with the workshop during the regular servicing which IMO had made me rethink whether the Activa indeed was a good product. I had referred a few friends to Honda for the Activa based on my personal buying experiences but the dealer attitude and the age old excuse of waiting period actually put them off. They are now happy owning an Access/Wego.

[Octane_Power]

Originally Posted by saket77

As I said previously that I was determined to get a Honda product, probably this 'determination' of customers is the reason of Honda chaps behave the way they do.



Congrats Bhargav on your new purchase! Have thousands of happy miles ahead with your Maestro. There goes one Honda Customer!

Best Regards,
Saket

Thanks a lot Saket.
And the thing which you have said about the laid back attitude of Honda guys- You are very true. The reason is everyone feels Honda is the best in quality and service.No one can beat Honda.Their refinement levels are of international standards.It is a herd-mentality nothing else.
However Saket, I am more than satisfied by the service which I get here for my bike. I can say its the best hands-down! Every time I give it for servicing I am always left with a big smile post-service.But its not the same with a friend of mine. He feels they rip him off every time he gives his Unicorn for servicing; hence he has also started doing the same thing which you do.Get it serviced from a good mechanic!

Originally Posted by ghodlur

I know a few people who still swear by the older Honda Activa - the scooter was built to last although the same cannot be said about the new gen Activa's. I have had my share of conflicts with the workshop during the regular servicing which IMO had made me rethink whether the Activa indeed was a good product.

Perfectly right when you say that people go to Honda for just one reason- Reliability.
And the thing about old Activa is cent percent correct! I have heard so many problems and niggles about the new Activa to name a few-the new "dry" battery,engine problems etc. The old Activa was miles ahead of this new one.In fact, when I was out in the market for an automatic scooter, I was scouting for an old Activa, found 1 but there were too many problems with it to be solved so dropped the idea and finally settled with the Maestro.

-Bhargav

[dass]

I remember seeing a banner on couple of Honda TW showrooms here in Bangalore, which were in bold and said prominently that ACTIVA was available for Immediate delivery and there are no waiting periods. Beats me to think that Mumbai still has to wait, when the largest TW market in the country can get it immediately. Must be a gimmick , albeit a decade old from Honda. Time to move on to access or wego.

[akhil_007]

How is the attitude of suzuki dealers in Bangalore? Was planning to buy access or activa this month. But reading Honda dealers attitude here makes me a bit worried, specially A.S.S

[aargee]

Just want to understand if this thread is started for the purpose of clarifying a question or HMSI bash thread? Reason to ask is because, I haven't come across one dealer IN INDIA who can do better than HMSI for what they're offering unless the prices are ridiculous tagged with "PREMIUM" in which case, I can very well quote the service experiences from Hyosung & Ducati in India.

[ironshark]

No such pseudo dearth in Pune at least. Went to check out the Activa for my wife a couple of weeks back at Sterling Honda, Chinchwad. The sales guys said the vehicle will be delivered in max 10 days. I did experience a "take it or leave it attitude" when I enquired about discounts or any free accessories.

Anyways, have chucked the plan to buy the Activa and decided to get the TVS Wego instead