[pkk_84]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I would suggest reconsider you're requirements. List down you're requirements from the car and also identify the one's which are absolutely essential and those you're willing to compromise on. If the Ecosport trumps the other cars and you can afford it without it becoming a burden, go ahead and get it. Else get a hatch.

I'm also in a similar situation with the Titanium + being too close to the sedan's pricing and a hatch will do just fine for my requirements as well.

The dealer cannot force you to take insurance from him, also cancellation is only 3k not 5k

Thanks for your suggestion Shashank..
Considering my needs, I'm happy with Classic. Still there would be a craze in SUV which doesn't let me miss Eco.. :(

[himanshuchadha]

Originally Posted by ecosport

It is a trend nowadays with manufacturers to start off with introductory prices, and jack up in a few months. That was why i had pre-booked the very second day after they announced pre-bookings. And even though i did not have an immediate need for a car, i fought with the dealer relentlessly to get the car delivered. I just beat the hike by 10 days. I did take a risk by booking a car without seeing one let alone without a test drive. Just to beat the price hike.

And i don't hesitate one bit when i say that i am happy with the hike. One, it got proved that i was right about my convictions. Two, the value of my asset just increased a bit.

Opportunities do not wait for anyone. It is wise to reassess the current situation and make a decision. Knee jerk reactions would hurt further.

Dear Sir,
A statement coming from one member on these forums means a lot to everyone. It does so to me. Even if you were happy, you should realize that the hike has affected everyone including people who had PreBooked their vehicles (I did on 22nd June).

So I am going to give the same piece of my head that I gave the customer relations person at Ford India today on a phone call- it is perfectly legal but completely unethical. And to you sir, I will wish to see a day when there is some soul in this world who shares his happiness out of his small fortune while you alongside the many others are given a treatment by one such corporate.

The decision to buy OR not to buy a car should never be 'knee jerk'. I will still buy the ecosport. But if on a public forum such as this, you wish to tell everyone here that you are happy with the hike then I am afraid you do not understand the whole reason for such a forum to exist.

Ecosport isn't Ford's first Car nor will it be their last. Karma exists, and you can't outrun it.

[Red Color Lover]

Just spoke to several people at Metro Ford Bangalore. I had booked my 1.5 P MT Titanium Mars Red at the end of June. No one at the dealership had a clue how to track the booking. Finally they said that the dealership has no control over allotments and are clueless. Everything happens from Ford itself.

Shockingly one of the ladies at the dealership said that from now on every month they will hike prices. She further elaborated that they have a fine print which says price prevailing at the time of delivery has to be paid. If this is true then in a few months by end of the year we will pay around 1.5 to 2 lacs more, almost equal to the Duster.

Metro Ford St. Marks Road had promised a 1.5 P MT Ecosports for test drive by July starting. 2 months later they are still waiting.

[pkk_84]

Originally Posted by firsttimeowner

@pkk_84

Firstly Thanks for the update on the increase in prices. Makes me feel lucky!

Secondly, Insurance is not compulsory. I chose Royal Sundaram, Zero Dep, Bumper to Bumper policy for Rs. 21,443/- The dealer quoted approximately Rs. 29000/- and I'm not sure if what he quoted was a Zero Depreciation Policy. Royal Sundaram is extremely consumer friendly too. They helped through the booking explaining each and every clause of the policy and in a few seconds I had my insurance policy in my mail box. Also, most importantly, the first time I booked the insurance, I had inadvertantly made a mistake in the date of registration. THe lady on the phone was kind enough to change this crucial entry even after I had paid the entire amount and my policy was crystallized and mailed to me.

Thirdly, my dealer didn't insist on any accessories. In the proforma invoice that he gave me, the essential pack of Rs. 4500/- was included which consists of Mud Flaps, Floor Mats and Perfume. However, he stated later that if I didnt want these, I could opt out.

All the best!

Thanks Firsttimeowner for the informations.

Here in Chennai all the dealers plays the same trick saying that the insurance is provided as a package and can't be taken individually. I've crossed verified it. I'm just stepping out of dealer ship and they are not ready to take any booking without dealership provided insurance.

[pkk_84]

Originally Posted by arunphilip

Ford does not mandate that you take insurance from their dealers. Its just the dealer's way of earning a few thousand more. You can write to Ford's customer care stating the name of the dealer, to get Ford's official response that insurance and accessories from the dealer are not mandatory. You can take a printout of that response when you meet your dealer next.

On the other hand, the cancellation fee charged by a dealer is set by the dealer, it is not centrally controlled by Ford. In Bangalore, it is 3K for Lathangi Ford.

If you wish to cancel, see if you can transfer the booking to someone else, instead of cancelling it.

@arunphilip

Thanks for your suggestion. I'm exactly planning to do the same. I'm gonna write an email to ford India to get the confirmation and show it the dealer.

Cancellation is my last option..

[djpeesh]

There are lots of comments here about cancellations and Ford being greedy by raising prices. I have nothing to do with Ford, but I think they're completely justified. As far as I know, they were losing money on the ecosport at launch price. Once they were sure about the product succeeding in the market, they raised prices.

Every manufacturer aims to increase profitability. The shareholders demand it and it is the management's job to get as much profit as possible. At a time like this, the fact that Ford has pricing power to raise prices is pretty impressive.

[arunphilip]

FYI - my initial ownership review has gone up here. Its for my 1.0P EcoBoost in Kinetic Blue.

[ecosport]

Originally Posted by himanshuchadha

Dear Sir,
A statement coming from one member on these forums means a lot to everyone. It does so to me. Even if you were happy, you should realize that the hike has affected everyone including people who had PreBooked their vehicles (I did on 22nd June).

So I am going to give the same piece of my head that I gave the customer relations person at Ford India today on a phone call- it is perfectly legal but completely unethical. And to you sir, I will wish to see a day when there is some soul in this world who shares his happiness out of his small fortune while you alongside the many others are given a treatment by one such corporate.

The decision to buy OR not to buy a car should never be 'knee jerk'. I will still buy the ecosport. But if on a public forum such as this, you wish to tell everyone here that you are happy with the hike then I am afraid you do not understand the whole reason for such a forum to exist.

Ecosport isn't Ford's first Car nor will it be their last. Karma exists, and you can't outrun it.

I might have been equally outraged as you, if i had been in your shoes. But that does not take away the fact that i am in fact happy that i am not in that situation. I cannot put up a fake grief on my face just because the rest of the world is mourning.

We can argue for days on what is ethical and what is not, but ultimately it is Ford who should take a decision on what kind of ethics is beneficial for them. I hope they have given enough thought. If they offer price protection, they would try to get back the lost amounts from future buyers. That is unethical for future buyers, isn't it?

There is no way they could have given a selective price protection. If say they give it to the first 10000 bookings, the 10001th buyer would have felt cheated. If june 25th was a deadline, those who booked on 26th would have felt cheated. These are not easy decisions. Some gets benefited while some feel left out. It is part of life. In another instance it might me me who would be left out.

Big deal. Take what life offers and move on.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by ecosport

There is no way they could have given a selective price protection. If say they give it to the first 1000 bookings, the 10001th buyer would have felt cheated. If june 25th was a deadline, those who booked on 26th would have felt cheated. These are not easy decisions. Some gets benefited while some feel left out. It is part of life. In another instance it might me me who would be left out.

They could have kept things simple. Offer price protection to all those who booked before 1st September,2013. It would have helped their goodwill too. The rupee will stabilise in future, will they then revert back the price hike ? No. Why then penalise customers who've been waiting with no clear delivery dates and handling arrogant/ignorant dealers.

[ecosport]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

They could have kept things simple. Offer price protection to all those who booked before 1st September,2013. It would have helped their goodwill too. The rupee will stabilise in future, will they then revert back the price hike ? No. Why then penalise customers who've been waiting with no clear delivery dates and handling arrogant/ignorant dealers.

Then wouldn't those who booked after june 1st feel cheated? There will be no end.

Whatever Ford claims, I think the hike has little to do with rupee depreciation. They would have anyway increased the prices once the VFM tag has come to stick. Now, with rupee depreciation, and prices of commodities increasing, Ford would have thought it is the right time to push the hike through.

[Srinivas C]

But they had this pre-booking concept. By them . Not by their dealers. If they knew they were losing money at launch time itself and the whole thing was pre planned, then they have cheated people. As soon as they touched a figure of say 5000 they could have increased prices from that date for all new bookings. That would have been fair and not cheating. Imagine a product is advertised for 100 and when you actually get to buy it it is 200. Is that justified. No.

By your logic, if the rupee falls down to 58 will Ford reduce prices for all existing bookings?

Originally Posted by ecosport

Then wouldn't those who booked after june 1st feel cheated? There will be no end.

Whatever Ford claims, I think the hike has little to do with rupee depreciation. They would have anyway increased the prices once the VFM tag has come to stick. Now, with rupee depreciation, and prices of commodities increasing, Ford would have thought it is the right time to push the hike through.

[himanshuchadha]

Originally Posted by ecosport

Then wouldn't those who booked after june 1st feel cheated? There will be no end.

Whatever Ford claims, I think the hike has little to do with rupee depreciation. They would have anyway increased the prices once the VFM tag has come to stick. Now, with rupee depreciation, and prices of commodities increasing, Ford would have thought it is the right time to push the hike through.

I personally do not keep buying cars. This is the first instant where the cars which were booked prior to the price release haven't been delivered yet and we see a price increase. Infact the customer sales executive told me that my car would get delivered by 20-25 September. As if they were waiting for the price to be increased.

Also I do not believe in being happy at having avoided the bad. What someone else goes through today will happen to me someday. If the educated and informed ones speak selfishly then I guess we all know where we are headed.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by ecosport

Then wouldn't those who booked after june 1st feel cheated? There will be no end.

Err..how ? I mentioned price protection to those who booked before the hike. The customer who wants to book on 1st September will take a call on the price-list,with a reasonable assumption of no further price hikes before delivery. The one's who booked early will be satisfied that they beat the hike, and early booking didn't go in waste even though they were made to wait. Very similar to how you said you feel since you beat the hike

Whatever Ford claims, I think the hike has little to do with rupee depreciation. They would have anyway increased the prices once the VFM tag has come to stick. Now, with rupee depreciation, and prices of commodities increasing, Ford would have thought it is the right time to push the hike through.

Agreed. Rupee depreciation was simply what the told the press, the real reason (may be) was they were sure the product is already a big hit and even if 10% cancel their recoveries from the other 90% will more than make up for it. Interest earned and cancellation fees notwithstanding.

[revmaxx]

A simple question to Ford. What about the interest earned on the booking amount of 50000, across dealers nationwide? Who gets to keep this excess money earned? If customers are made to wait for 3 months upwards, isnt it wise to repay the interest earned on the bookings? Food for thought for all those who are stumped by the steep hike in prices.

[ecosport]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Err..how ? I mentioned price protection to those who booked before the hike. The customer who wants to book on 1st September will take a call on the price-list,with a reasonable assumption of no further price hikes before delivery. The one's who booked early will be satisfied that they beat the hike, and early booking didn't go in waste even though they were made to wait. Very similar to how you said you feel since you beat the hike
.

Ok, but hike is from sep 5, not sep 1.

One, ford loses too much on profits, 40k per car in the backlog. To cover that up, they would have to hike the prices at least by 10% for bookings after sep 5.

Above that, trust the dealers to make some hay by squeezing in a few surrogate bookings with sep4 date. It is easier this way, invoice date being the cut off.