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Old 9th August 2016, 20:08   #1
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Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative. EDIT: Bikes delivered (page 11)

Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative. EDIT: Bikes delivered (page 11)-receipt.jpg

Neil Shah booked a Kawasaki Z800 on 9th May from SNK, Palm Beach, Navi Mumbai (an authorised Kawasaki outlet). It's 90 days up, there's no sign of the bike and no one is talking to him...not the dealer, not Kawasaki the company. What's worse, there are over 10 others who are in the same predicament. Some of these customers have booked big Kawasakis costing over Rs. 15 lakhs.

Kawasaki's response is simply "We haven't received money from the dealer" .

Dear Kawasaki, this dealer is listed on your website. He is your OFFICIAL representative, he is your face to the customer! You are RESPONSIBLE for any customers who do business with him. In case you missed the memo, that is the difference between an 'authorised' dealer and a roadside shop.

Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative. EDIT: Bikes delivered (page 11)-capture.jpg

When the dealership was inaugurated, the MD of Kawasaki India said:

Quote:
I would like to congratulate everyone on the opening of Kawasaki Palm Beach Showroom the new strategic base of further expanding our business to Mumbai area. I know all staffs are very thoroughly, well prepared, hardworking and knowledgeable. I have no doubt that we will be outstandingly successful to provide excellent service to the customers. India Kawasaki Motors will be in full support for you and am glad to share the same destination.
Source - Zigwheels

What happened to those promises, Mr. Y. Tamura? How prepared and hard-working are these staffs (sic) that you were so confident about? Whatever happened to the promised 'excellent service'? What about the 'full support' that you committed?

Considering how unresponsive Kawasaki (the company) has been to its customer, I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

This is FRAUD! Outright fraud. You have taken money for something and not given it. Such instances make my blood boil. Despite Neil Shah sending numerous reminders to Kawasaki, the company has not taken any action. End result, these customers are all stuck. Lakhs paid for a bike, but no delivery on the horizon. I'm sure some have started seeing EMIs being debited from their bank accounts.

The last time we saw such scams, they were from Ducati and Skoda dealers. Same practice - fraudulent dealer, an indifferent company that couldn't care less and broken reputations. It always ends badly, especially for a brand that has hopes of business in this country. LEARN Kawasaki, LEARN. Once your reputation is broken in India, not even God can resurrect it. Just give the customer his damn bike, or a refund.

My advice to Neil Shah & the others - Time to go legal, guys. Have your lawyers zap the heck out of Kawasaki & this rogue dealer for fraud. This is a classic case of 420 (cheating). Enough of emails, unanswered phone calls & reminders. Teach them such a lesson that they won't DARE cheat another customer in India.

Excerpts of emails shared and some receipts:

Quote:
From: Neil Shah <xxx@gmail.com>
Date: 8 August 2016 at 10:53
Subject: Reminder 5: Non delivery of motorcycles
To: sarthak malvadkar, nishikawa shigeto, tarun khanna, horiuchi y, info@kawasaki-india.com, yamasita yutaka

REMINDER 5

On 6 August 2016 at 06:53, Neil Shah <xxxx@gmail.com> wrote:


Dear Sirs,

I refer to the numerous conversations I have had with your Mr. Tarun in connection with my booking of Kawasaki Z800 motorcycle through your exclusive Mumbai dealer SNK Palm Beach. It has been more than 80 days now and I have not yet got the delivery of the motorcycle.

You had promised to look into the matter and resolve the issue at the earliest but sadly, just like the dealer all your commitments too have failed miserably and we have gone well over the last deadline of 29/07/2016. Clearly, if a company like yours can make false promises and not stick to deadlines, what more can I expect from a company’s exclusive dealer!

I have been trying to speak to your Mr. Tarun for the past few days but he is not responding to any calls. There is absolutely no update from either Mr. Tarun nor Mr. Satyen from SNK Palm Beach and there is no visible evidence that you guys are working round the clock to resolve this issue behind the stage. I have been very quiet and discreet about this whole matter hoping to resolve the matter amicably but it appears that you guys are taking us for a ride. It is such a shame that you being the Managing Director Mr. Yutaka Yamashita and your entire gang are well aware of the scenario but have just been silent bystanders with folded hands. Shame on you guys, shame on you.

Let me re-iterate myself, I am NOT here for any free lunch. I have paid my hard earned money to get what I want. You are not selling water bottles that you can wash your hands off this way.

I have had a Harley before and sold it to buy this one. Never had a single incident with them, right from booking to delivery. I have also enjoyed a very beautiful relationship with the Harley brothers and their dealerships, something which is even more than the kinds which one would share with their own siblings- all this even after I have sold the bike. And look at you guys - you have already broken all bonds by giving us step motherly treatment even after paying you guys in full and not receiving the delivery of the bike for more than 80 days.

Right from your sales guys at the dealership to CRM at IKM to your MD at IKM, you guys need some serious training on handling customers and satisfying them. While you guys are enjoying the celebrations over opening new dealerships, we customers are bleeding blood over our decision to choose the wrong brand like KAWASAKI.

The Japanese culture is all about respect & manners and not cheating anyone. You represent that culture, here in India. Sadly, your guys lack both the qualities. I hope this mail doesn’t fall on deaf ears and I would expect the MD to intervene and take steps towards controlling the damage, if you are really interested in resolving the issue.

Regards,

Neil Shah
Quote:
From: Neil Shah <xxx@gmail.com>
Date: 11 July 2016 at 16:01
Subject: Dealer not able to deliver Kawasaki Bikes
To: sarthak malvadkar, narendra dhoot, shigeto nishikawa


Dear Sir,

I had booked a Kawasaki Z800 on May 9th 2016 from SNK, Palm Beach, Navi Mumbai. It is more than 65 days now and we have not got the delivery of the bike.

We tried to speak to Mr. Tarun from Kawasaki India, who says that the dealer has not made the payment to Kawasaki India and hence are unable to dispatch the bikes. We are 14 people in all, who have booked these expensive superbikes and haven't been delivered. We have bought Kawasaki bikes for the brand names, by selling our Harleys and other big bikes. This has been our worst experience till date. The RTO has increased the tax structure from 7% to 20% in the midst of this delayed delivery. Who is going to pay the difference?

Every week the dealer promises us that the bikes shall be delivered to us and then he does not deliver the bikes.

Does this mean that Kawasaki India and the dealer have duped us??? We need an answer as nobody till date has given us an answer. We have entirely lost the faith in Kawasaki India and your entire team. Request you to kindly look into it.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Neil Shah
Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative. EDIT: Bikes delivered (page 11)-cheque-receipt.jpg

Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative. EDIT: Bikes delivered (page 11)-proforma-invoice.jpg

Last edited by GTO : 9th August 2016 at 20:18.
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Old 9th August 2016, 20:24   #2
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

To add other complaints separately:

Quote:
Originally Posted by mandheers View Post
This is crazy and true as can be. Thanks for your time to cover this GTO and Team-BHP. I sold off my 2012 Ninja 650 in April and decided to go for the Kawasaki Z800. Paid up a down payment of 4.25 lacs and financed the balance from HDFC - entire payment done and loan disbursed to Palm Beach Kawasaki on 27th April.

Was promised delivery by 29th May, was told it takes 20-25 days.

Kept following up all May, no response, no updates nothing. The sales guy Rathish also quit sometime in first week of June or end of May, not sure because he never answered calls or returned them. Have been debited June + July EMI towards my loan as well. I deliberately bounced the August EMI, and that's stirred another nest at HDFC since there is no bike hypothecated against the superbike loan.

The dealer, Kawasaki Palm Beach has had no bikes since Feb & March and there are 11 of us customers waiting to get either deliveries or refunds – with bikes ranging from Z800, Z1000, ZX10R, ZX14R and one H2.

4 customers have been refunded, from what appears to be the loan amount money disbursed by bank. IKM says they cannot do anything since they have not received money from the Dealer – Palm Beach Kawasaki – and their outstanding is even more than these 14 bikes' amount. Now I was told in 1st week of June that it would take 2 days for amount reversal via RTGS and loan cancellation at HDFC, but it's been over a month and everyday I'm told - Today!

The Bank is also planning to take legal action since loan was disbursed for 8 out of these 14 customers; and no bikes are hypothecated against the loans. Unable to attach (owing to proxy) the post dated cheques given by Satyen Karandikar for 7th July, which bounced when presented. I was asked to wait by Tarun Khanna of IKM since they were stepping into the picture and may deliver bikes to us, and settle with the Dealer on their accord – but that also didn’t happen.

Now even IKM is saying it's the dealer's responsibility to deliver these bikes, and IKM is standing by – with no definite date/time for when this might come to closure. What's now evident is that the dealer and IKM are both smug about it, and we are not even acknowledged as customers. There have been zero updates from Kawasaki and they have been very standoffish - saying that the dealer will have to do whatever it is.

SNK gave in writing with individual 10 names, that by 5th August the matter would be resolved amicably, and either money refunded or bikes delivered - which again didn't happen and was a tactic to defer the issue. We now have connected 11 customers with pending deliveries, all from social media posts. One customer as late as last night, in response to my post on the IKM Facebook page.

Moving court now all of us, as the only option is to sue for damages - and not just a refund or bike.
Here's Navin Bharti's experience:

Quote:
I have been CHEATED by a Kawasaki Dealer.
DEALER:
Kawasaki Palm Beach.
Shop No: 6 & 7, Plot 3A, Gahlot Majesty,
Palm Beach Road, Sec 46A, Seawood,
Nerul West, Navi Mumbai ,
Maharashtra. 400706.
INDIA

Booked a Z800 in May'16. Bike was to be delivered by June 20, 2016. Despite of multiple followup with the dealer, bike is not delivered as on date & dealer is no even willing to commit a delivery date as on date, nor are they willing to refund the money and pay the interest I have already incurred without even having laid hand on the bike!! When I somehow managed to reach out to the head office based in Pune (Official website doesn't list a contact number) I was told that they have no hold on the dealer (although the Kawasaki India official website lists the dealer as their exclusive dealer) & I should request them to refund. I'm not the only cheated customer..there are at least 15 of them, some waiting for their bike since March. Now I'm supposed to relocate to a different city by End August & don't know what to do..whom to reach out to?

Way I see it, my hard earned money which I have been saving for last 7 years so that I can finally afford my dream bike is stuck for don't know how much longer!!

I would warn all future Kawasaki dreamers to beware of their negligence towards their customers. They are selling bikes which costs a fortune & don't even care to sort out a regular issue of bike delivery.. Wonder what would happen if you own a bike & god forbid your bike faces a technical issue & dealer refuses to deal with it!!

I guess I am not even interested in the bike or Kawasaki brand altogether. I know at least 4 of my friends who went ahead to book a sports bike with another brand just because of the negligence of Kawasaki Dealers.

I just need the money to be refunded (have incurred a lot of interest & the bank charges extra for the loan's foreclosure charges). Can someone just give a solution to get the money refunded? Would be grateful..

Last edited by Rehaan : 10th August 2016 at 16:02.
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Old 9th August 2016, 20:31   #3
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

The number of such cases where a dealer indulges in some manner of malfeasance either in case of delivering a vehicle (as is the case here) or perhaps delivering a TD vehicle etc and then in terms of poor after sales support seem to be on the uptick !

The truly depressing part is that this is occurring across different brands and class of vehicle.
This trend clearly indicates that the dealers and the brands they represent are well aware of the latent delays in our judicial system and are more than willing to put their customers through an elaborate run-around.

Here's hoping that Navin gets a redressal thanks to Team-Bhp just as the person with the Ford Ecosport did here: Ford Ecosport

Cheers !

Sundar

Last edited by MavericK46 : 9th August 2016 at 20:36. Reason: Typograficak errours...
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:13   #4
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Kawasaki, a company so big should be an icon for other automotive companies to follow, be it sales, service etc. I mean, what is the difference between Kawasaki and Triumph now? Both resorted to cheating the customers. Only option left for the customers is to go legal, but by the time everything is resolved, I'm sure the dealer would have made huge money in interest itself !

Last edited by GTO : 10th August 2016 at 13:00. Reason: Typos
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:17   #5
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

This is very disappointing that a brand like Kawasaki can indulge in such a malpractice. Kawasaki cannot wash their hands off saying its a dealership matter as THEY have appointed a dealer and not Neil or many other customers.

I had a Kawasaki Z800 and was not happy with Bangalore svc but collecting money (that too many lacs) and not delivering bike is like day light robbery

Kawasaki and dealers know that our judicial system is weak or slow or whatever but they would loose trust and will loose many potential customer's if this news spreads on social media.

Hoping that Neil and others get money back as getting a bike won't make sense now as they might have lost trust in the brand itself.
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:28   #6
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Send a legal notice. Wait for the reply and if no reply within the stipulated time bring a suit for damages. If possible rope in people with similar problem. You are likely to get a speedy resolve when there are many complainants. The damages will include the amount paid plus interest plus cost of litigation. In case they are no more an authorized dealer then you have criminal remedy. Also get a snap shot of the page and date that states they are still the dealer from the kawasaki website just incase Kawasaki denies later.
It is not your prerogative to ensure the money reaches Kawasaki. You have fulfilled your part of the contract.Go through the fine print if any. It says that delivery is subject to the availability of stock/color etc. Try getting a document or evidence showing that the delay is not for this particular reason.

Last edited by bigron : 9th August 2016 at 21:53.
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:34   #7
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It's really sad if India Kawasaki treats its premium customers this way. There have been multiple complaints regarding the Z800 and Z1000 after sales service experience from owners on online forums, but this kind of unethical practices were not expected from Kawasaki.

I hope Neil, Navin and the other people get justice soon. These are beautiful machines, but this kind of trauma during the buying experience is not warranted.

Last edited by anilp : 9th August 2016 at 21:40.
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:39   #8
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

This is really atrocious. If an authorised dealer commits this kind of fraud, it's equivalent to Kawasaki doing this. For the customers, dealer is Kawasaki itself because it's with them they are buying the products.

A reputed manufacturer like them should have addressed this issue much earlier and things should have been sorted out.
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:40   #9
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

This showroom/dealer/thief whatever was heard shutting down. They don't even have any board which says Kawasaki Palm Beach. Just 2 days ago I saw it, barely any bikes inside. Shop condition on the verge of being closed, no people inside?

Now the question is, if any dealer is being shut down, how can they take booking in the first place?
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Old 9th August 2016, 21:44   #10
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper View Post
This showroom/dealer/thief whatever was heard shutting down. They don't even have any board which says Kawasaki Palm Beach.
Even if dealer is shutting down, Kawasaki cannot absolve themselves from this episode. Till date they are published as the 'Authorised Dealer' in their website. Also, for most of these complaints, company representatives are in loop.
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Old 9th August 2016, 22:30   #11
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Attachment 1540091

Neil Shah booked a Kawasaki Z800 on 9th May from SNK, Palm Beach, Navi Mumbai (an authorised Kawasaki outlet). It's 90 days up, there's no sign of the bike and no one is talking to him...not the dealer, not Kawasaki the company. What's worse, there are over 10 others who are in the same predicament. Some of these customers have booked big Kawasakis costing over Rs. 15 lakhs.

Kawasaki's response is simply "We haven't received money from the dealer" .
This is daylight robbery.

But, I believe we should be really careful before releasing our hard earned money. I also purchased Z800 from Kawasaki Kochi dealer, this march 2016. I paid Rs.50,000/- as booking amount on 9th March 2016. Got the Chassis & Engine number within few days. The sales representative called me up on March 17th confirming that the bike have arrived. Did a full Team BHP PDI on March 19th, then transferred the rest of payment to the dealer. Took delivery the very next day and to say, it was a pleasant experience.

After reading about numerous fiasco's, one thing I've learned from here is to first see the vehicle(Car or Bike) in flesh, then only the rest of the amount is released.

Hope all ends well in this case.
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Old 9th August 2016, 23:05   #12
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

I have seen many members on team bhp who could've been potential customers of the Skoda brand but they didn't because of Skoda's infamous sales and service in India, despite building solid cars. Many people who want to buy it are eventually swayed away after reading the horror stories here.

I guess Kawasaki doesn't realize the gravity of the situation, they don't realize the power of social media, the automotive forums.

I hope Kawasaki gets its act together before it's too late.
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Old 9th August 2016, 23:20   #13
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Wow! So, this is how Kawasaki treats their premium customers? Even if it is true that Kawasaki has not received the payment from their authorised dealer but they are certainly aware of the issue. Through this platform, I ask them what they have done to resolve the issue? Or am I to believe that Kawasaki doesn't care and have no control over its dealership and other network. This is quite disappointing and particularly for a Japanese company who are known for business ethics and customer centric approach. Many other companies of Japanese origin would have skinned their dealers alive for indulging in this sort of misadventure. I hope the good sense prevails at the end.
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Old 9th August 2016, 23:58   #14
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Wow. I never expected this from the big Kawa! And here i was thinking of picking up the 2015 Ninja 650 after the 40k price cut. Guess i will look at the Hyosung GT650 now. The After Sales Service might be a little torrid but atleast i will have the motorcycle with me to experience their After Sales Service
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Old 10th August 2016, 01:26   #15
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Re: Paid for Z800, but no bike! Kawasaki uncooperative, says "we haven't received money from our dea

Being a Kawasaki owner, I would hate to say this but - Shame on Kawasaki! And not only the Indian management at IKM - but also the Japanese management on board for not responding despite several follow ups. I believe this issue has been going on for quite some time now. Rumors of the dealership shutting down within months of it being set up. Numerous complaints regarding delivery of bikes and spares included. Delays in resolving issues and making refunds to the customers.

This may very well be an issue with the dealership (Kawasaki Palm Beach or SNK Bajaj) - but that's not the way a customer should be thrown around by IKM - especially if this dealer is affiliated to IKM and even listed on their website. There were rumors or facts, I'm not sure, that IKM was not supplying spares and bikes to Kawasaki Palm Beach due to some internal issues. If such was the case, isn't it IKM's duty to put across a warning on their website or a notice in the newspapers asking people not to deal with KPB. That would have deterred people from booking their bikes through KPB.

I had booked my bike through KPB last year - months before they has actually setup their showroom. It was just a small service center - which was also used for booking bikes for the Mumbai region. The bikes were booked and delivered through SNK Bajaj then. Which brings me to a very important question - KPB - is it affiliated with IKM directly or does it get its bikes from SNK Bajaj? I remember hearing that the Kawasaki dealership was revoked from SNK Bajaj and transferred to Khivraj.

So I was saying earlier, when I booked my Z in Feb last year, I was given a 1 month timeline for delivery. It's a different story that the delivery took 3 months - but I will not describe that as a bad experience - mainly because there was never even a single instance that the dealer never answered my calls. I used to get different dates - but I knew for a fact that someone on the other side was listening to me and doing something about it. That was a very comforting thing - really. It's a sad thing for all the people who are waiting for their bikes and parts. I seriously hope it gets resolved at the earliest - and they get their money refunded soon. It would be better to look for another superbike brand.

Quote:
Dear Kawasaki, this dealer is listed on your website. He is your OFFICIAL representative, he is your face to the customer! You are RESPONSIBLE for any customers who do business with him. In case you missed the memo, that is the difference between an 'authorised' dealer and a roadside shop.
(can I add some more, please)?

Last edited by v12 : 10th August 2016 at 01:29.
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