“I am not your yaar, ok. Don’t call me yaar, call me SIR or Mr. Nitin…” the Yamaha service manager to me..
I had gone to give my Yamaha gladiator for the third free service at the company operated Yamaha Pro-service centre at Wakkadewadi, Pune, and have decided never to go there again. I ended up having a slightly heated argument with the service manager, and realized how they don’t give a damn if you come to them or not.
My first 2 services were also done here, and my general observation was that they did a good job on the vehicle as compared to other service centres (who just change the oil and wash the bike). On the downside though, they definitely had quite an arrogant attitude, and were least bothered about customer service (It’s like the customer needs them, and they don’t need the customer). I don’t usually bother going to a service station, since I can service my vehicle much better than any service centre does. But I needed to in order to keep the warranty valid
, and so I continued going to them since I love my bike, and am willing to put up with their attitude if it means I get a proper job done. Not anymore though.
The history of events preceding today is what really ended up in today’s fiasco. My vehicle was due for the third free service (scheduled between 4500-5000 kms, or 6 months). When the vehicle was at around 4600 kms, I went to leave my vehicle for servicing. This was sometime in the second week of December. On that particular day, they said they were doing up their inventories, and so couldn’t take my vehicle. I tried requesting them to keep my vehicle and give it the next day or the day after that, explaining how my office timings and the timings of the service centre don’t match, and that my house is a good 10-12 kms from the service centre. They flatly said no,
“Hum kya kar sakte hain? Aapki gaadi hai toh aapko adjust karna padega..”
I went again 2 weeks later when my vehicle had done 4900 kms (I struggled really hard those 2 weeks to use my bike as little as possible). Once again they said they could not take my vehicle, saying that they were fully booked (I had taken a half day leave just to drop my vehicle off for service). This time, I didn’t try to reason with them, I just said look, my bike is going to exceed 5K kms the next time I come here, and you are going to do the service for me without charge. I also asked for their number (I should have done that a long time ago) which one of the technicians told me was the number in the owner’s manual.
Today, (Saturday, 9-1-10) I tried calling desperately all morning on the number given in the manual, but nobody responds. I needed to get to work as well so I get fed-up and get to the service centre with my vehicle. I reach at around 10:15 am and there were 2 mechanics and the service manager Mr. Nitin. He was busy preparing the invoice for another customer’s accident repair, and so I tried approaching one of the mechanics to take up my job-card. As soon as I started getting near them, they get busy opening up another vehicle. So I decided to wait for Mr. Nitin to finish his invoice, and start timepassing around reading posters and looking at some of the spares lying around. 15-20 mins pass by and I start losing my patience (I still needed to get to work). I then stood near Mr. Nitin and waited for him to take notice. He probably thought I was reading into what he was writing, and I think he got a little irritated with that. So he called one of the mechanics to take my vehicle in and make a job card. Mission accomplished! (or so I thought).
Everything went on well till we got to my vehicle’s ODO reading, 5185 kms. The mechanic immediately stops and says I have exceeded the specified range, and will have to pay for the service. I patiently try to explain to him what all had happened, but he was not the kind who would even let me speak. As soon as I tried to start explaining to him, he would speak over me saying its not his mistake, and he won’t do anything about it and all. I even told him how I tried calling them in the morning to which he said his phone was not working,
“Main kya kar sakta hoon, phone kaam nahin kar raha hai toh mera problem nahin hain. Aapko pay karna padega”. Seeing that there was no point trying to reason with him, I said I want to speak with the manager.
At this stage I was guided to Mr. Nitin. I started off saying how everytime I come here I end up having to argue with them, but before I could complete this, he cut across saying
, ”Toh aap khud maante hain ki aap jhagade shuru karate hain….” I was taken aback; is this the first thing that the service manager had to say? I was about to reply back that I don’t need to argue unless you guys give me a reason to argue, and that you have made me run back and forth so many times for one service, and you don’t have even the least bit of concern for others difficulties. I started off using the words “Arrey Yaar..” and he cut across saying the line that shook me,
“I am not your yaar, ok. Don’t call me yaar, call me SIR or Mr. Nitin…” My reaction was :Shockked. (It’s not even like he was a senior person or anything, he was probably in his late 20’s). I experienced a proper shock for the first time in my life. The service manager of a company operated Yamaha Factory outlet expects me to call him sir…….SIR????? I didn’t speak for the next 10 seconds, and the shock was definitely visible on my face.
He then went on to explain how he does a ‘qualtiy job’ and that’s why he does not take more than a particular number of bikes a day, and how the number I had been calling was wrong (the number was working it seems, unlike the mechanics claim) an gave me the right number. And at the end of it all, he agrees to take the vehicle for a free service. Not without boosting his ego a little bit more though; on the owner’s manual where the service history is recorded, he writes “
taken on good will”, like he’s done me a great big favor by giving me a free service.
I realized one more thing at the end of all this though; when I went to collect my vehicle in the evening, there was grease on my clutch lever (which I had to clean off myself), the rear brake had been tightened to a hazardous extent, and the he had left my rear wheel untouched (I had specifically told him that the chain tension was too much, and that it needed to be slackened, and that the rear wheel alignment was off a bit). Infact, he had not even cleaned the chain, all the dirt and muck that had collected at the driving sprocket was inact… guess his standard of quality was not as good as I thought it was
…(or maybe he just wanted to kill me..)