[dileep]

Horrible experience of transporting a car from Delhi to Bangalore through a transporter.

Be careful – DO NOT USE – OM SAI PACKERS & LOGISTICS, GURGAON (mobiles – 9650053657, 9650053757, omsaipackersandlogistics.com)


I sold my car, a Toyoto Qualis (through Team-BHP Classifieds) to a gentleman in Mysore, Karnataka. The deal happened over email and phone and all work was done – payment, form 29 & 30, NOC from Delhi RTO, delivery note. Everything was looking very nice.

Then the question came - how the car was going to go to Mysore. The decision was between having it driven from Delhi to Mysore (2500km) or sending it through a transporter who would load it on to a container and deliver it. Looking at the cost and wear & tear of driving it to Mysore, the buyer decided to have it transported by truck to Bangalore and the buyer would pick up the car there. He did a web search and made web enquiries and got 3 calls from transporters.

He gave me these numbers to follow up and see who would be appropriate to transport the car. We zeroed down on Om Sai Packers & Logistics, Gurgaon. The reason for choosing them was – they have a good website and a impressive list of clients. Their rate was competitive and they were responsive on Whatsapp and SMS.

I got a call from RAHUL (only to find out later that this is not his real name) – 9650053657. After receiving a quotation from them on Whatsapp, we decided that the car would be picked by their driver from my residence in Delhi on 7th August 2016. The driver (Sandeep – 9540065001) came, issued a consignment note, car condition report, took photos of the car and drove off. I took a copy of his Driver’s License. He said the car would be loaded on to a container truck in 1-2 days since it takes that much time to collect a load-full.

All looked well. But…

I started to follow up with Rahul(?) from the next day and he kept promising that the car would get loaded. After 3 days, he tells me that their Depot Manager has had a major accident and that there will be a delay of 2-3 more days. This went on till 11th August. Rahul(?) also called me for advance payment but I told him – unless I get proof of the loading of my car I will not pay.

So on 11th August I get an SMS with a truck number HR 61 B 1247, saying that my car has been loaded. I ask for a Whatsapp image of loading. But he said, since the manager is in hospital they could not do one. I still did not make payment. I wanted the truck driver’s number. Rahul(?) gave me Vikas (alias Monu) Goyal’s number 9530455555 saying that it is his truck.

I called Monu. He said the truck had reached Madhya Pradesh on its way to Bangalore and due to heavy rain the progress is slow. Meanwhile Rahul sends me Monu Goyal’s account details wanting the payment in his account. Monu also calls several times for payment saying that the truck driver has run out of money for diesel and that he needs the money.

So on 15th August, I make an IMPS transfer of Rs.10000/- to Monu’s account in ICICI Bank, Gurgaon. He promises my car will reach Bangalore in 2-3 days. I keep following up but get no proof or definitive answer.

In the meantime I called Sandeep (the driver who picked my car) to find out. He informs me (to my complete shock) that according to him the car has not been shipped as yet and is being used locally in and around Gurgaon.

On 17th August I start to get worried and call my friends to find a police contact in Gurgaon. On 18th I call a very senior police officer and tell him about this and send him all the documents and images on email & Whatsapp. His Inspector calls Rahul(?) to ask and gets the same answer – that it will reach in 2-3 days. On asking that it is being used here, Rahul(?) says the driver Sandeep is lying.

This goes on for a few more days. The police Inspector asks me to wait. Monu Goyal informs that the truck has reached Karnataka border but is stuck there awaiting some border clearance. His story sounds convincing and I check this with other people who have experience in truck transport.

Meanwhile, I get another very senior police officer to speak to the concerned SHO in Gurgaon. The SHO calls Rahul(?) and gets the same answer – 2-3 days more and the car will be delivered in Bangalore!! So the SHO asks me to wait again.

Finally fed up on 29 August, I call the earlier police officer for help and give him Sandeep’s number. Sandeep helps the police nab Rahul (real name RAVINDER) and Vikas (Monu) Goyal and question them. The car is in some village 160km from Gurgaon. We send Sandeep to fetch the car. It comes back to Gurgaon on 30th August.

We get the car, but the condition is really very bad. They used it for more than 3000km in 23 days!! We also need to get our advance refunded and compensation for this.

On 31st August, both RAHUL (RAVINDER) and VIKAS (MONU) GOYAL are summoned to the Police Station and we confront them. They give various stories but all are lies. They have been renting the car to various people.

Finally they write out and sign a letter and pay us Rs. 20000 (not enough).

The saga ends. I get the Qualis back which is now in Toyota workshop for servicing. The buyer will be sending his trusted driver to take it to Mysore.

Please be very careful. Do not depend only on websites, phone, SMS. Physically check the transporters office, warehouse, etc. Do not make any cash payments. Keep all records – Documents, ID proofs, SMS, Whatapp, phone conversations can be recorded. (I had started recording phone calls after the 17th)

I hope this does not happen to anyone.

Be careful – DO NOT USE – OM SAI PACKERS & LOGISTICS, GURGAON (mobiles – 9650053657, 9650053757, omsaipackersandlogistics.com)

[Lalvaz]

Scary tale. Wonder what all we need to check for even the simplest of things. Sometimes I wonder if we should just stick to the well known brands rather than go through this sort of criminal behaviour. You're a lucky person that you were able to nab these scoundrels. But I'm appalled that they got away with only a token payment of 20000. So, the cops don't really take any action like putting these low lifes behind bars for cheating u/s 420?

On a funnier note, the address of the crooked firm is next to "Louts" Hospital. That should have been a giveaway.

[Zappo]

Thank you for sharing with us. This is an alarming story. I think if you insisted these guys could have been booked for fraud and under a few more sections of the IPC.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

Scary tale. Wonder what all we need to check for even the simplest of things. Sometimes I wonder if we should just stick to the well known brands rather than go through this sort of criminal behaviour. You're a lucky person that you were able to nab these scoundrels. But I'm appalled that they got away with only a token payment of 20000. So, the cops don't really take any action like putting these low lifes behind bars for cheating u/s 420?

On a funnier note, the address of the crooked firm is next to "Louts" Hospital. That should have been a giveaway.

It is a bit complicated. My car is 14 years and 10 months old and needs a new home very soon, else the RC will expire. If I had filed an FIR the cops would have nabbed the guys, I would have got a better compensation, my car would be taken from them into police custody and then I would get the car back from the Court on 'superdari'. This means I cannot sell the car until the case is settled in court. And I dont know any case in India that can get over in less than 2 months.

Hence, we chose not to make an official complaint. I made a complaint, but did not register it.

[Shivanshu]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Its scary and an eye opener too. You had contacts that's why you could get the car back to you, imagine what a mere soul would do if he had no contacts in the Police or Administration department. I think the car would have had vanished completely.

[drive_angry]

You are one lucky guy sir. Recovering a car that too from Gurgaon. Lucky!

I was thinking to get my car shipped from Aggarwal packers and movers from Delhi to Bangalore. The car is Maruti Suzuki Zen. The car holds a lot of sentimental value rather than its actual cost. I would be traumatized if it would have happened to my car.

How much is the total damage? Did they take the car for a joyride or were there any external damages as well? So, is the chapter closed now? I think they got off easy.

[hrman]

You were lucky. And what frauds of the highest order. If I were you, I would have slapped some more charges against them to ensure they cool their heels in prison.

Hope the car is ok and damages if any are superficial.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

Thank you so much for sharing this. Its scary and an eye opener too. You had contacts that's why you could get the car back to you, imagine what a mere soul would do if he had no contacts in the Police or Administration department. I think the car would have had vanished completely.

Yes, the car could have vanished. Police told me that these frauds change the number, rub off the chassis plate and sell it in a remote village where no one can find it. Without contacts it may have just disappeared.

Originally Posted by drive_angry

You are one lucky guy sir. Recovering a car that too from Gurgaon. Lucky!

Agarwal's are good and reliable as far as I know. But their costs are prohibitive. I had also asked them for a quote - they wanted Rs. 29000/- from Delhi to Mysore. This company wanted 12000. Please do your research and also visit these companies before taking a decision.

They used my car possibly as a taxi. When I got it back it had done over 3000km in 23 days! The front left bumper & indicator light cluster had been damaged and were missing, AC gas has leaked, the car was soggy and full of mud & trash inside, all tools were missing (except the jack, handle and wheel spanner). But being a Qualis and the build quality that Toyota gives, its almost back to normal. With a little TLC she's be swinging on the road again.

[navpreet318]

If you have still not sent the car via the drive route, try aggrawal movers and packers. These guys are the single most trusted movers and packers in the country. Their trademark truck color is yellow. I sent my civic and other stuff to and fro from Pune. Everything including the civic landed as per schedule and in perfect order. No issues at all.
Edit: the quote for the civic from Pune to Dehradun was 14k. Reasonable according to me.

[drmohitg]

Interesting turn of events and glad that you atleast got the car back in working condition. A few observations:

1. Rs. 12k for transporting a big car like Qualis doesn't sound right to me that too for a distance of 2500 kms. I got a Santro shipped in similar way in 2004 to Bangalore and then back to Delhi in 2009 and at that time paid a similar amount. The current charges for the same would atleast be around Rs. 20k and more.

2. What I am unable to understand is that what was the exact motive of these guys? Steal your vehicle? In which case it hardly takes them an hour to dispose it off to places where you will never trace it or sell it part by part. They surely did not think that they will use this as a rental cab as it involved too much headache and liability on their part. Even if they wanted to do that, they could have easily forged the papers and changed the number plates and possibly the color of the vehicle, again hardly a few hours job.
So what exactly were they thinking? And above all any fraud, as pointed out by cops too, would change all their contact details the moment they dupe the victim. Isn't it? Afterall its a car and not some toothbrush that the victim would not follow up with them or try to go to the Police. So once they had received the remaining payment from you, what stopped them from completely vanishing and not return your calls. It does not add up.

3. Lastly and off-topic, how did you manage to get NOC for your 10+ year old diesel car from Delhi? I thought they had stopped issuing those for vehicles older than 10 years.

[aaggoswami]

Just plain Horrible ! Thanks for sharing the stuff, helps others to be more careful.

Its good that you were able to nab those guys, also the driver who picked up your car seems to be a better person or was trying to get the other two culprits nabbed for one reason or other.

Where I work, cost of hiring a truck with 19' loading bay, from Vadodara to Faridabad, is around Rs. 25,000 to Rs. 28,000/-. So the quote given by the transport company for 2500 kms. transit distance is quite less. Additional charges of container would be different.

Also, they mentioned full load, it means your car could have been transported along with other goods, now that's part load. Part load = lot of varied stuff. The other goods could be put into the container. Avoid such part loads.

Please ensure that they give in writing about the car given for hiring. God forbid, but if the car was used for any crime or involved in accident and trace comes back to you, the document having confession of culprits will help you.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Interesting turn of events and glad that you atleast got the car back in working condition. A few observations:

3. Lastly and off-topic, how did you manage to get NOC for your 10+ year old diesel car from Delhi? I thought they had stopped issuing those for vehicles older than 10 years.

The Supreme Court has ordered that all cars which are less than 15 years old (diesel or petrol) should be issued NOCs. The NGT had issued an order that NOC cannot be issued. But Supreme Court is higher authority. So the RTOs in Delhi are issuing NOCs.

Getting the NOC was not a problem. Just time - they take 30-45 days. I got mine in 30 days.

[drmohitg]

Well more I think about this, more I feel that this was just a trick by these scamsters to earn some extra buck by hiring out your car as a Taxi and probably cite all kinds of reasons to you for a delay. After sometime they would have probably shipped the vehicle. That is the only explanation I can think of which can explain them not changing their contact details and still staying in touch.

[libranof1987]

I have come to believe that the probability that your car will come out unscathed from a transit is so remote that you work with the assumption that there will be damage.

Also, beware when you see such a drastic difference in quote: 12k vs 29k. When we were seeking quotes for shipping the car, one gentleman in Gurgaon was kind enough to enlighten us that when the quotes are that low, rest assured that the car is going to be driven down to the destination, not shipped in a trailer.

Originally Posted by drive_angry

I was thinking to get my car shipped from Aggarwal packers and movers from Delhi to Bangalore.

Originally Posted by dileep

Agarwal's are good and reliable as far as I know. But their costs are prohibitive. I had also asked them for a quote - they wanted Rs. 29000/- from Delhi to Mysore. This company wanted 12000. Please do your research and also visit these companies before taking a decision.

Aggarwal is not good as such; they're just the lesser evil.

I got my Corsa shipped from Gurgaon to Bangalore in '10 for about 17k; the total transit took about three weeks, more double of what they promised initially.

When I got the delivery, one of the headlights was clearly non-OEM, the hood had visibly gone denting and painting work and it would not open with a simple pull on the lever in the dash. And the music system wouldn't work (I had take off the front panel but kept the main body with the car).

I called their manager and he flatly refused that the car had met with an accident; he refused to even acknowledge that the headlights were different or the difference in color and finish of the hood from the rest of the car. He started off implying I was lying about these changes to have happened during transit. Then at one point, he slyly mentioned that whoever caused the damage was at least kind enough to "fix" it.

I said I'd withhold payment and take it to the cops; he said he wouldn't deliver the car if I didn't pay him and that he knew my address so he'd find a way to take the car back; and didn't flinch a bit, in fact, boldly asked me to go to the cops. He also refused to pay for damages since the car inherently has insurance cover.

[drive_angry]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

I have come to believe that the probability that your car will come out unscathed from a transit is so remote that you work with the assumption that there will be damage.
...

I guess in that case our best bet to transfer a vehicle over long distances would be:

1) Good Old Family Road Trip: I guess it would cost you less if you drive your vehicle yourself to the said destination. With the garage life of the vehicle decreasing day by day, it would be nice idea to put in at least some kilometers before we had to let go of the vehicle. Also, if you have small kids at home they would be thrilled to go on such vacation.

2) Hire a driver: Everything is getting delivered to your doorstep these days including the driver (If you don't have in your home already). If you get tired easily or you don't want to drive that long, hiring a help would come in handy and you can enjoy the backseat for a change.

My humble opinion.


drive_angry

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