[no_fear]

Originally Posted by whencut86

The Road Tax is 8 percent in TN. Other charges are 250 for road safety, 300 for registration and 250 service charge. So on an ex-showroom on 6,95,000 actual charges are 55,600+250+300+250=56,400. Assume a few hundred bucks for smart card charges or somethin, the road tax at the max is 57,000. But the quoted road tax is 82,604 and the difference is either pocketed by the dealer or partial bribe to RTO for registering the bike.

As per dealer that's the set up / handling fee. Some are upfront about it and you can negotiate the cost down. Depends on the dealer.

[shan_ned]

For all prospective buyers of Trident - There is a discussion happening in a riding group about few dealers quoting inflated figures for the road tax. Kindly check the Vahan website for the road tax in your respective states and compare with what the dealer quotes. Looks like few dealers are inflating it by more than 25000 INR.

[neil.jericho]

Thanks to eagle eyed fellow Triumph owners, more riders are becoming aware of the handing charges that the Triumph dealers are either slyly baking it in or are charging outright for the new Trident. I have consolidated these details that were shared by different riders below.

Potential owners should bring this up to their sales representatives and ensure that it gets waived fully before making a booking, these are illegal charges.

Case 1 : Pune
Here is the pricing from the Pune dealership. Total illegal handling charges - Rs 26,200.

Case 2 : Bangalore
Below is the pricing from the Bangalore dealership.

Single tone trident( sapphire black and crystal white)
Ex showroom- 6,95,000
Registration,road tax and warehousing charge- 1,64,861
Nd insurance- 32,489
Rsa- 6016
Intro kit- 8500
On road- 9,06,866

Dual tone trident( silver ice diablo red and Matt jet blk silver ice)
Ex showroom- 7,08,000
Registration,road tax and warehousing charge- 1,67,458
Nd insurance- 32,781
Rsa- 6016
Intro kit- 8500
On road- 9,22,755

If we go to the Vahan site and check the actual road tax that is applicable, the amount for road tax is far lower than the actuals.

For the base Trident, this is the actual road tax amount - Rs 1,39,361. The dealer is charging Rs 1,64,861. Assuming around Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 is for registration etc, the rest is actually handling charges.

For the dual tone Trident, this is the actual road tax amount - Rs 1,41,959. The dealer is charging Rs 1,67,458.

Total handling charges (assuming Rs 1,500 for registration, smart card etc) collected by the Bangalore dealer - Rs 24,000.

Case 3 : Bombay dealer

Originally Posted by danlalan

Heres the Mumbai pricing list for all models.

The Bombay dealership is charging Rs 20,000.

Case 4 : Madras dealer

Originally Posted by whencut86

Road Tax in TN is 8 percent and assuming 1 percent cess on tax, there is a 20-25K hidden charges for handling in the road tax.

The Road Tax is 8 percent in TN. Other charges are 250 for road safety, 300 for registration and 250 service charge. So on an ex-showroom on 6,95,000 actual charges are 55,600+250+300+250=56,400. Assume a few hundred bucks for smart card charges or somethin, the road tax at the max is 57,000. But the quoted road tax is 82,604 and the difference is either pocketed by the dealer or partial bribe to RTO for registering the bike.

Thanks to the Vahan link, we can check the exact road tax amount. For the base model it should be Rs 55,850.

For the dual tone, it should be Rs 56,890.

Total handling charges (assuming Rs 1,500 for registration, smart card etc) collected by the Madras dealer - ~ Rs 25,250.

Case 5 : Cochin dealer

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

The Kerala dealership has confirmed the on road pricing for the Triumph Trident 660 - Rs 9.2L for the base model and Rs 9.4L for the dual tone colours. I have asked for the price breakup.

Below is the price breakup that was provided by the dealer.

The road tax amount seemed high, so I checked with the sales head on the same. There is a "Basic Accessories Kit" that is baked into the road tax amount. This consists of "Full tank fuel . Back back . Bike polish" (this is exactly what was shared with me) and it costs Rs 10,000. Do strongly consider avoiding this accessories kit and saving your money. The sales head has confirmed that you can opt out of it. At least they are trying to cover up the handling charges by offering something, whether it is worth Rs 10,000 or not is a different matter.

There is also a baked in CBU charge of Rs 6,000 within the road tax amount. I was informed that this is charged by the Kerala RTO for imported bikes. I am not aware of this tax and am trying to find out more. I asked a few other senior motorcyclists and they are not aware of this as well.

Triumph is not the only offender when it comes to handling charges. As knowledgeable customers, we must insist that we dont get taken for a ride by unscrupulous dealers and pay only the full and fair amount without getting ripped off on illegal charges.

[shan_ned]

Thanks Neil for bringing all the required details.
Some one should message TI head and share this fraudulent activity done by few dealers.
Customers have every right to refuse paying those illegal charge.

[shivasuma]

It's very disappointing to see the way dealers and manufacturers come up with ways to cheat their customers!!! And to top it, triumph dealers, atleast in Bangalore, are not known for their after sales. I just got a call from the salesperson I was in touch with that the trident is going to be launched tomorrow at 12PM. And the waiting period is 5 months!!!!

[Axe77]

I think if you decode all price quotations from almost any superbike brand you will find these mark ups baked into some line item or the other. Unfortunately that is the sad reality of our auto sector and also the way the RTO etc work. Realistically we should recognise that some amount of management is required there despite being compliant on all aspects of paperwork by dealers and manufacturers.

With pretty much any car company as well, see the amount they quote for insurance on a new sale and check how much insurance actually costs if you buy yourself. There is an obscene price difference. For high selling / demand models, the dealers often refuse to budge on your buying insurance from outside. Its the same issue, charging something extra - just different approach. Another way is forced bundling of accessories without which you may not be sold an in demand car.

[nutcracker]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Thanks to eagle eyed fellow Triumph owners, more riders are becoming aware of the handing charges that the Triumph dealers are either slyly baking it in or are charging outright for the new Trident. I have consolidated these details that were shared by different riders below.

That is a very comprehensive research neil. Appreciate your effort.

This is very disheartening and at some level it signifies that the dealers are not happy with the margins, and that there is some communication gap between the dealer and Triumph.

Dealers should convey this to Triumph so that both the parties can work out a deal amongst themselves, and maintain transparency for the customers, without the need of having out outright lie/cheat the customer into paying higher.

Neil.jericho, with your permission, can I share the findings of your study with Triumph India on email? We should atleast make them officially aware about what's going on. This might hurt Triumph's image in the long run so the company ought to be aware of these issues.

However, its another story if Triumph is aware and yet continues to let this happen. If that is the case, I am never buying a Triumph ever in my life, because integrity is a basic quality I look for in companies.

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

We should atleast make them officially aware about what's going on. This might hurt Triumph's image in the long run so the company ought to be aware of these issues.

I will be surprised if the company already does not know about it, just that they choose not to act on it.

It's just not Triumph though many other are doing the same, be it bikes or cars, Kawasaki is also notoriously famous for the same. Just that the additional cost in Triumph seems to be very high.

[shan_ned]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I think if you decode all price quotations from almost any superbike brand you will find these mark ups baked into some line item or the other. Unfortunately that is the sad reality of our auto sector and also the way the RTO etc work. Realistically we should recognise that some amount of management is required there despite being compliant on all aspects of paperwork by dealers and manufacturers.
.

True. At the same time, I know for sure that PVR triumph (Vijayawada) and Honda Big wings (Bangalore) doesn’t indulge in such activities. There may be some more.

End of the day, either the customers can take them to the court or the brands can control their dealers. Let’s wait and watch if TI has the courage to control their erring dealers. They failed to do so in taking action against the erring dealers when it comes to service support. Unfortunately Keerthi Bangalore Triumph has become a synonym for cheating/fraud. At least the rest seems to be doing fine.

Any way, I wish good luck for all prospective customers of Bangalore Triumph.

[GoBlue]

Honda BigWing Mumbai does not charge such additional handling charges either.

They were transparent when it came to their insurance quotation, I was given competitor price matched offer which was reasonable.

Credit should be given where it’s due. Not everyone indulges in such practices and one should ideally not accept such charges however great the product itself maybe.

Dealers who demand additional charges prey on desires of customers who are fixated on a particular bike.

Now it’s up to an individual to decide whether they want to swallow these charges or move on. Perhaps justifying these charges as acceptable/necessary may not be reasonable.

[neil.jericho]

Honda seems to be the exception to the norm of big bike dealerships piling on handling charges under all sorts of different names.

As an example, I pulled up the road tax amount in the on road pricing of their recent launches (2021 Honda CB650R and CBR650R launched at 8.67 & 8.88 lakhs) and compared it to the actual amounts from the Vahan website.

Bike 1 : Honda CB650
Honda quoted road tax - Rs 1,73,727
Actual road tax - Rs 1,73,727

Bike 2 : Honda CBR650R
Honda quoted road tax - Rs 1,77,922
Actual road tax - Rs 1,77,923

Originally Posted by nutcracker

However, its another story if Triumph is aware and yet continues to let this happen. If that is the case, I am never buying a Triumph ever in my life, because integrity is a basic quality I look for in companies.

Trust me and everyone else saying this, Triumph knows exactly what is going on.

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Neil.jericho, with your permission, can I share the findings of your study with Triumph India on email?

Please go ahead, you shouldnt have even asked me. I have just collated the information shared by other Triumph owners from around the country.

I sincerely hope that Triumph India steps in and ensures that their dealers refrain from indulging in these illegal practices.

[spoth001]

It is important to understand the scope of Triumph dealers:

1. Is it dealers responsibility to pick up the motorcycle from source country and get it till dealership ? Then they have to arrange for shipping costs, custom costs, clearance charges(CHA charges) etc.

2. Triumph India management does the delivery of the bikes till a particular point in India which means Triumph India does all the formalities and dealer has to just get it from that point to showroom.

Most of the times it is point 2. and charging a handling fee of 20K roughly is ridiculously exorbitant. Triumph India will not dictate on these terms but I feel it’s owners responsibility to negotiate and get it waived off. As such there could be a possibility that the dealer will anticipate “discount askings” from customers so using this as a negotiation trick and hike up the prices ? As they do not want you to start negotiating on the base price of 6.95 Lacs. It’s a free country !! I will negotiate on base price and then touchbase all these misc.costs later.

[shancz]

Thanks Neil, quite an effort, hats off.
This probably stems from our excitement when getting a new vehicle especially a superbike. Its an emotional purchase and that's exactly what they're trying to exploit.

Triumph and its dealers are ripping off customers behind that glorious three cylinder howl and its sad.
They(any manufacturer) should realize that its never the amount but always the intent which will cause those same emotions to flow in a different direction

Hope Triumph cleans up this mess for good. They aren't winning over customers in their service centers too and I have been concerned about their sales numbers for some time now.

[mkpiyengar]

I just registered for test ride with shaman triumph Mumbai and got the on road price as shared in earlier posts.
When I asked him about document and delivery charge of 20k, below is the response:

Documentation is charges for transportation of bike from port to stock yard and then from stock yard to showroom then to RTO and then service centre for PDI procedures

Phew

[Jaggu]

Isn’t this same across brands, for all vehicles? Either mentioning it as reg charges, handling etc. I for one believe this is due to RTO system, once you pay for the vehicle you would want delivery at the earliest. Once dealer uploads the documents, it still has to go through traditional officer scrutiny (bribe) or things won’t move. I have personally seen the delays and fuzz created by this system while trying to get the just launched 390 Adv in 2020. It’s the principal dealer in BLR who had to go and sort it out and arrive at the arrangement. FYI 2500 is current ktm adv 390 charge in BLR.

We have a dedicated thread also on this systemic issue. Not gonna blame Triumph or dealer for this, they are not doing anything about it just like the whole automobile industry.