I would like to share my terrible experience(s) with Tata motors, specifically whilst booking the Hexa.
So I had decided to book a Hexa and called up TAFE motors, chennai. They said they will assign a sales advisor for me and he will call me back. It's been two years and I still have not heard from them. Meanwhile, I decided to try Tata's own showroom, Concorde motors. I went up to the Velachery showroom as it's a huge one, even though Ambattur is nearer to me. I went inside the showroom, waited for 30 minutes for atleast one person to ask me what I was looking for. Nothing. I left. Decided not to go to OMR as they appeared to be lethargic, when I had to cancel a previous booking with them, they took 6 months to refund the money and I had to involve Tata motors helpline.
Tried Ambattur and made a booking with them for a Tata Hexa XT in November, 2017. A couple of weeks later I got to know that I may be going abroad for my career and decided to hold the booking till I get a clear idea. In March 2018 I decided to stay here and wanted to continue with my pursuit of the Hexa. Called them up and asked them to place a new order. They said for some reason I had to make a new booking and the old one would be refunded. So went ahead and paid for the new booking and asked them to let me know when the car arrived at the yard so that I could do a PDI. I was informed that it wasn't possible to do a PDI, and I could only see the vehicle after it has been registered in my name. That raised a red flag. Were they trying to sell me a demo vehicle? Or worse, a test drive vehicle? Still decided to give them the benefit of doubt and asked for the VIN number. Apparently that couldn't be shared as it's against company policy. And that is when I decided that it wasn't to going to happen and decided to cancel my booking. Tata can make great vehicles, but as long as they still have dealers who still operate like it's 1998, they are not gonna go anywhere.
I went ahead and brought home a 2018 Honda City VMT in May 2018. Happy with my choice. The experience at Honda was miles ahead and I certainly feel like I made the best choice. Service isnt top notch, but then, I'd be needing the service less at Honda.
Back to the topic, I was refunded for only one of my bookings, and that too only after calling up the Tata helpline(Again). The other booking seems to be an eternal mystery. First the booking was somehow lost. Then they found it and refunded 9000, but I had paid 11,000. Apparently they SA had pocketed the 2000 and now I'm chasing after him to return my money. Word of advice here, never ask the SA to come home and make the booking. Always go to the showroom and pay at the cashier there. Never trust your SA.
And with the number of times I'm having to call up the customer care for basic things like booking amount refund, it just scares me to think what would have happened if I had actually bought the car. I would have had to call them up for each and every issue. I have heard of lot of positive experiences with the members of this forum and that's why I decided to go with the Hexa, but as the review says, it's a bit of a hit or miss with Tata, in service and sales.
My Honda city will serve me for 5 years and then I'll move upmarket. I had planned for the Hexa to be a 10 year car and it wasn't to be.
No offense meant to existing owners, but you are all really lucky to have a good car and a good dealer. It just wasn't meant to be for me. And in the future I am not gonna touch a Tata with a barge pole. I still feel a bit sad when I see a Hexa on the road, but the peace of mind I get from my Honda is worth more than anything else.
Anyone choosing a Tata, please just think twice before you make the jump. I don't think we have great Tata dealers in Chennai like Prerana motors in Bangalore. And that is the most important aspect of a car purchase. A good dealer.
Last edited by navin : 11th October 2018 at 13:03.
Reason: typo
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