[sam264_2000]

As a family, we have owned 6 Tata cars till date - 3 Indicas (total of 1,75,000km between them), a Manza (1,86,000km), a Nexon (56,000km - still running) and a Zest (62,000km) and NONE of these have posed any issues. My father bought the 1st Indica when it was launched in India. Contrary to the general perception that Tata cars are a piece of junk and that TASS is pathetic, we have had a completely opposite and pleasant experience owning these cars. Today, Tata are as reliable as any other mass manufacturer in India. They are built better - you feel like as if you are driving a tank.

Agreed, Tata's Quality Control is not perfect. But IMO, that could be true for any other manufacturer. In the last 2 to 3 years, many of our family and friends have reached out to us to know from our Tata experience and I have always happily recommended them Altroz, Tiago, Nexon and now Harrier. Just goes on to show that Tata is constantly improving and that is one reason the brand perception has gone a major change.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by sam264_2000

As a family, we have owned 6 Tata cars till date - 3 Indicas (total of 1,75,000km between them), a Manza (1,86,000km), a Nexon (56,000km - still running) and a Zest (62,000km) and NONE of these have posed any issues. My father bought the 1st Indica when it was launched in India. Contrary to the general perception that Tata cars are a piece of junk and that TASS is pathetic, we have had a completely opposite and pleasant experience owning these cars. Today, Tata are as reliable as any other mass manufacturer in India. They are built better - you feel like as if you are driving a tank.

Agreed, Tata's Quality Control is not perfect. But IMO, that could be true for any other manufacturer. In the last 2 to 3 years, many of our family and friends have reached out to us to know from our Tata experience and I have always happily recommended them Altroz, Tiago, Nexon and now Harrier. Just goes on to show that Tata is constantly improving and that is one reason the brand perception has gone a major change.

You have confirmed my observations yourself. Cars like the Nexon, Zest, Bolt and the likes were much much more reliable than the Harrier and Altroz in my opinion.

Tata seems to be struggling with the reliability of the Harrier and Altroz only majorly, and it's not minor niggles that are cropping up. You mentioned their QC isn't "perfect", but let me ask you this, can it be imperfect enough for:

- A 1.5 year old Harrier to suffer a crankshaft oil seal leakage?

- A brand new Tata Altroz to suffer a tappet cover leakage, come back from the service centre after being fixed and then again for the exact same issue to crop up

- A number of 2020 Harriers throwing up false CELs and low oil pressure warnings and tata mechanics simply shrugging it off and claiming it's to remind the customer that the car is due for servicing (this isn't a joke, I have spoken to multiple owners and confirmed these frivolous claims)

The fact that they are improving doesn't mean that they have achieved what they set out to. It is amply clear tata is struggling to get their QC correct even after a year and a half of the Harrier being launched and a BS-6 upgrade. And let me also add that neither tata nor the people are stuck in the good old Indica days. Both have come a long way. No one expects such slip ups from a company that has been making cars for 30 odd years and has made reliable enough cars (the Zests and the Bolts you mentioned) before. Things are as simple as that.

TATA needs to step up if it wants customers to cough up 15+L for any of its products and so does the after sales. Period.

[TrackDay]

Originally Posted by Nayan

I have purchased Tata’s so-called premium (or flagship or whatever) product, the Harrier XZ+ MT (DT). So, it makes me entitled to give my opinion about Tata cars, the dealers and TASS.

Thank you for writing your experiences & I agree that a customer paying big bucks deserve better treatment. Maybe Tata should try out something like a 'Nexa' strategy. Tata has products that sell, they need to get the service/sales sorted out now and also polish their products better.

As a past Tata owner I always wished for the brand to grow and excel. They have come leaps and bounds in terms of product design and brand value. I believe with the compact SUV around the corner, their portfolio/lineup will be complete with EVs too. They need to focus on fit/finish/quality next. They need to revamp the game from the ground up just like how they came from the days of Indica/Sumo to the Tiago/Nexon.

I hope the issues are ironed out as soon as possible and that you can enjoy the Harrier to the fullest !

Originally Posted by Technic90

I was happy to see Toyota service where all taxi and salaried/businessman folks were treated the same, neither special nor poor. Come, get your car serviced, chill in their lounge and get out. In fact the only person who got more attention was this old gentleman who brought his 2 decade old Qualis for regular service and new tyres. More than respect for him, it was the respect for the car for surviving so long in almost perfect condition.

I agree wholeheartedly with you. Although not a Toyota customer in India, I have seen this in the Middle East. They know how to treat their customers right and seems to be a part of their global customer service.

[viren83]

Originally Posted by Nayan

It is the premium feel whenever we are with the vehicle (in every aspect like looks, interior quality, exterior quality, ergonomics, hardware used, driving dynamics etc) & overall experience that we purchase from the company and not just the car which takes us from point A to point B.

Nayan, don't let the purchase and service experience spoil your car's feel. Harrier is a great car and you should be a proud owner. Enjoy it and forget the dealer.

TATA is really in a tough situation with its dealers, it can't let them upgrade the facilities so easily as it's been just 2 years that the sales have picked up for them, these poor dealers were the biggest loss-makers in the industry for almost a decade.

While I'd also point the gun at TATA's head, they could have at least tried to make the experience better for a person who walks in to buy a 20L car. Mahindra at least did this during XUV 5oo's launch by improving their dealerships.

In Mumbai, a majority of the TATA dealers are fit for a 2 wheeler showroom, leave alone the permission to sell a car like Harrier.

[Nayan]

Thanks for the suggestions and support from all the forum members.

I will like to update the recent development in this regards.

As mentioned in my post, I received two calls from TaMo and both times I narrated my experience, however I did not receive any update.
But after my post on Team-BHP, there seems to be some activity happening in TaMo. I am really happy that Team-BHP has achieved this status and opinions expressed in forum are considered valuable.

I will like to add few details. My booking and delivery of the car from the start to end was handled by Team leader (Mr PY) and his assistant (Mr J) in Keshva Motors. I am deliberately not disclosing their names for privacy concerns at their end. Right from the beginning to end (even after car delivery), both were very eager to help and always responsive. The pre-delivery experience was good. I will rate it equal to Maruti/Honda, if not less. My request for PDI was accepted immediately. I was given benefit of price-protection as per the policy of TaMo, without creating any trouble. However Mr PY was on leave on the day of car delivery. And I am sure that if he wouldn’t have been on leave that day, everything would have gone smooth. It is just that few things were not in their hands.

I decided to add these details, because today (28/04/2021), I received call from Mr PY requesting me to take back my complaint. He requested me that it will affect him and no one else. Now I myself don’t know how to convey TaMo that both of them (Mr PY & Mr J) were very good in their work and it was not their fault at all.

Today even the sales manager (Mr PS) also called. He mentioned about my post on Team BHP and requested to take it back. Now he is the same person, who didn’t have courtesy to take my calls when I was struggling to get refund and to get the RTO registration done. I was so frustrated with delay in RTO registration that I told Mr PS clearly, “OK sir, I have done mistake that I purchased a TaMo car and I did another mistake that I purchased it from you. I accept my mistake and I promise that I shall not do such mistake in my life again. But please get the registration work completed.” Even then there was no effect. He used to just pacify me on phone by promising to look into matter, but then no effect. Even the dealer’s person involved in exchange of my old car, Mr AT, was not responsive when I tried to contact him regarding problems in getting refund. He had promised me that he will take care of any problems related to car exchange and its refund. He attended my first call when I tried to explain the problem and thereafter he refused to attend the calls. Here I am not saying that these people were doing all this deliberately with an intention to hurt the customer. But then why they can’t be transparent and explain in detail?

I am really thankful for forum members who expressed their support.

And I am again repeating from my previous post on 25th April,

“For first service, I contacted the TaMo service station in my hometown. It has newly opened. The response by the service centre was excellent. They followed up with me regularly. I will rate them equal or better compared to Maruti and Honda service stations (as per my experience). The service manager was very cooperative and explained everything to me.”

“I will not disclose the name of the service centre and I don’t blame them. They were very attentive and whatever damage happened, it was by mistake and not by neglect.”

My experience with this TASS was very good and I have recommended it for servicing to at least 2 people who own TaMo car. I felt bad for the scratches, but I accepted it and didn’t complaint to TASS during feedback call, just because they were very responsive and interested in serving the customers.

Also from my another post on 26th April,
“Please do not generalize my opinion and experience regarding TaMo and quality of service offered by TaMo dealers and TASS. In my post, I have even praised the other TASS (newly opened in my hometown). Whatever happened was “my” experience which can be one in hundreds. For my one negative experience, you can find multiple positive experiences as well.”

The intention of quoting lines from my previous posts is, please, please, do not generalize my experience for all TaMo products and dealers. There are many customers, even in this forum, which are very happy with TaMo, its dealers and TASS. They must be feeling sad after reading all the comments. And I personally feel, that the discussion is going off-topic and deviating towards the complaints against TaMo in general rather than review of Harrier. The sole intention of my post was to make the forum members aware of my experience, so that it will help them to make a better decision. If anyone asks me my personal opinion about buying Harrier, it remains the same as in my OP.

And regarding Tata as a company. I am 100 % sure that if there is any business house which has helped India the most, then it is Tata and Tata only. Others are nothing as compared to them. Right from the generation of employment to nation building, there is no match to Tata’s selfless contribution. Even today, highest share of their profit goes for charity and many charitable institutes will stop functioning if Tata Trust decides to stop their funding and concentrates on profiteering. So please refrain from criticizing Tata as a whole and their policies. It is just that their some or more business arms are not up to the mark in providing quality to customers. But that does not belittle their contribution to our motherland. Criticize TaMo & its products for not being competent, but not the Tata. I am not as wise as rest of the forum members to opine about Tata and their contribution. But I felt that I should express my opinion, so I wrote it. It is not directed at any member’s particular post.

Thanks again.

[fhdowntheline]

While this thread is about a specific issue, I cant help but observe the classist bent in our thoughts, comparisons with taxiwallas, comparison to 2 wheeler dealers etc.
Providing good customer experience requires an attitude that needs to be built on deeply ingrained philosophy. It cannot be acquired even if you create an ultra posh showroom with staff wearing Armani suits. Even mass brand 2 wheeler dealers provide a wonderful experience on many occasions.

[KPR]

Oflate I've been entering several dealerships in order to purchase a car. I've gone into almost every dealership except Mahindra in the past 3 months. All I've to say is MS/Hyundai dealership experience has always been a level above than other brands. No matter how good or bad their products are.
Still I give full respect to brand Tata for running their business with best human values. Dealer owner and employees may not reciprocate Tata business nature and may think only on cash terms. It is high time Tata revamp their dealership experience similar to Nexa with their own style.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by KPR

Oflate I've been entering several dealerships in order to purchase a car. I've gone into almost every dealership except Mahindra in the past 3 months. All I've to say is MS/Hyundai dealership experience has always been a level above than other brands. No matter how good or bad their products are.
Still I give full respect to brand Tata for running their business with best human values.

Strange if you are talking about Trichy city here.

I have been to all dealerships in the last 3 weeks too.

Hyundai has been the worst. Got some insider news that the sales rep are denied their salary if they don't finish 3 sales every month. Every one of them looked depressed. Poor fellas.

Tata was actually good (may be because the sales manager used to be my student).

Honda was amazing. We went at 7 pm and they still welcomed us very pleasantly.

Maruti was above average.

Mahindra was meh!

Skoda was okay, Volkswagen was disinterested.

[tarunkassana]

Just read this on twitter.
Big breaking news! Pratap Bose quits Tata Motors after an illustrious 14 year stint. Will be interesting to see where he goes next. Martin Uhlarik tipped to take over as overall design head of Tata Motors.

Intresting times for Tata ahead, Pratap was the face of the company , especially with the CEO situation.

[jeetumg27]

Really sad to read about this - its so unfortunate that dealerships don't understand the value of a new vehicle being delivered - getting a door repainted on a new car is unbelievable!!

I experienced this briefly while taking a Tata Nexon test drive - though the car is built like a tank, smothered bad Mumbai roads smoothly during a brief test drive - some ergonomic niggles & the lacklustre dealership attitude was a major put off.

I think Tata really needs a "Pratap Bose" in the Sales & Service experience!

[MCR]

Originally Posted by Nayan

Thanks for the suggestions and support from all the forum members.

I will like to update the recent development in this regards....

Good to know that Tata Motors are responding to your complaint.
I can completely understand your frustration and its very Valid. Instead of making amends after escalations and complaints on social media, it would serve Tata better if they can get the feel of the Customer vibe in the initial stages itself. Believe me its not difficult and we have seen how Hyundai and MSIL (NEXA in particular) respond.
Its unfair for the dealership to harm the foot soldiers, whereas the Leadership goes un-impacted. This itself shows that the dealership in question is operating with a bygone era mindset and they need to change this immediately.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Nayan

I will like to add few details. My booking and delivery of the car from the start to end was handled by Team leader (Mr PY) and his assistant (Mr J) in Keshva Motors.

I think we need to pin the Dealer here. I think the lack of refund is held up because he is using your money as working capital. Dealers do that all the time, especially when cash is tight!

[KPR]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Strange if you are talking about Trichy city here. I have been to all dealerships in the last 3 weeks too.

My wife looks for dealership experiences but I go with the car. Still, I would rate Tata as lower than other dealerships.

Two years back, during a TD of the petrol Tiago, the clutch was vibrating with 10k odd showing on the car's odometer. When my wife asked why it was so, the sales guy denied it. Later, he drove and acknowledged the vibration and said that the car was due for service and it is normal in any car .

I failed in convincing my wife, although I wanted the Tiago at that time. My wife wasn't sure about Tata's clutch and the niggles that may come later with product, overlooking the sales person's explanation. Last month, for a TD of the Nexon, the sales executive asked their driver to bring the car from the backyard to the front area. I was waiting with my family for more than 15 minutes as the AC was not switched on at the dealer's premises and my kid was roaming around here and there. I requested the executive to get the car ready and until then we would wait in our parked car with the AC on as there was no AC in the dealership due to Covid and / or cost cutting. The manager / lead overheard it and yelled at the sales executive for not arranging the car on time and I felt as if I was not co-operating with their 'delay'. In fact, we felt bitter on seeing this behaviour.

Finally, we waited for another 15 minutes, sweating it out in their premises and then we drove the car 'just only' to save the sales executive from embarrassment. My wife gave up on the product (Nexon) even before the TD citing the Tiago's clutch experience and polarising looks once again overlooking this incident as it is one off. Such instances have never happened anywhere else for sure. No drama with TDs anywhere else.

[neil.jericho]

Nayan, you come across as a very genuine and humble person. Needless to say, this will certainly take you far in life. You are far more forgiving and accommodating than most of us here. Unfortunately, this has also led to the dealership in question (not every person there, as you rightfully pointed out) to take advantage of the situation and withhold your hard earned money. I believe that you are still being too kind to the dealership and the service center.

I am quoting from your earlier post regarding the new service center. I have highlighted a section of your content.

However they have a very steep and curved ramp, up which, the vehicle needs to be driven carefully to reach the service area. When I saw it for the first time, I was sure that sooner or later someone’s vehicle (especially bigger vehicles like Harrier) will definitely get damaged on this ramp. Service was over, however the USB issue was not resolved and I had to visit again the next day for a software update. This time, I insisted that they let me also into the service area. But, I was not allowed. Then the vehicle was handed over after a software update (USB has not given any hiccups thereafter). However, when I went to fill fuel on the same day, the petrol pump attendant asked me about the scratches on the bumper. I immediately knew these scratches were due the edges of the ramp. I called up and informed the person who took the vehicle on the ramp. He immediately accepted that the vehicle was damaged while driving on the ramp and requested me to come to the workshop. It would be rectified free of charge. I was so disappointed - why couldn’t he inform me about the damage at the time of delivery? What was he thinking? Will a customer not come to know or he will be able to escape the blame if a customer comes to know later? Doesn’t such behavior spoil the reputation of the TASS? Here, I will not disclose the name of the service center and I don’t blame them. They were very attentive and whatever damage happened, it was by mistake and not by neglect. But again, why should I bear the damages?

Though it didnt happen intentionally, the SVC certainly hid it from you. If they were not sure that it happened on their premises, would they just accept any customers claim over the phone? There definitely was deceit involved on the part of the service center.

It would help the community if you shared the name of the SVC so that other customers too are aware of this. A less forgiving member would have named and shamed the dealership immediately. The same steep and curved ramp is going to damage several other vehicles that go there for service. And the SVC is going to continue to hide these damages from customers or feign ignorance.

Originally Posted by Nayan

Today even the sales manager (Mr PS) also called. He mentioned about my post on Team BHP and requested to take it back. Now he is the same person, who didn’t have courtesy to take my calls when I was struggling to get refund and to get the RTO registration done. I was so frustrated with delay in RTO registration that I told Mr PS clearly, “OK sir, I have done mistake that I purchased a TaMo car and I did another mistake that I purchased it from you. I accept my mistake and I promise that I shall not do such mistake in my life again. But please get the registration work completed.” Even then there was no effect.

Sometimes you are the hammer. And sometimes, you are the nail.

If he genuinely was keen on getting you to take back the complaint, he would give offer to pay you the interest earned for every day that they withheld your money. I hope someone from Tata is reading this and guides the dealership to do the right thing.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Any other alternatives I should consider @Nayan?

Diesel automatic the basis of after sales services from a personal perspective
1. Toyota Innova
2. Hyundai Tucson