[7.83hz]

Here's a report of a harrowing experience I've had in dealing with Ducati India.

On the 8th of November, more than a month before the official India launch I'd already done all my research about the bike and happily put money down to pre-order the Dx with Mohan Motors Kolkata. I live in Guwahati, Assam and that's the closest Ducati POS for me, far from ideal, but that's the deal the devil made and I ran with it.

On the 8th of December, days before the launch they asked me to confirm my booking by making another partial payment so they can really lock the order in. Fair enough, assuming this bike had a lot of interest around the country, and they promised a delivery in the first lot of bikes, I agreed.

On the 28th of December I get a hurried call from the dealership asking me to clear the entire ex-showroom amount of 17.91L, this would allow them to invoice the bike as a high-seas order allowing them to save some taxes, it would land in India in the coming days I should have the delivery by mid January (exactly when the deliveries began in India). They also mentioned the price of all Ducati bikes are to increase in January so if we billed it in Jan I'd need to pay the hike etc. I was super hesitant at this point but given that mid Jan was only 2 weeks away I didn't bother creating too much of an issue out of it and with a lot of joy and anticipation paid up the remainder of the ex-showroom amount to the dealership.

This is when things began to go south. Around the mid of Jan I started enquiring about the date of delivery and the sales person sounded a little dodgy about the specifics. He said there's been a delay in the import process and maybe by the end of Jan the bike should be here - this is when the first lot of bikes had already begun getting delivered across the country. A few days later, upon no further contact from the dealership I enquired again and the dealer had a series of excuses ready for the delay none of which seemed genuine. I looped Ducati India into the conversation at the point to get clarity on where exactly was the delay happening.

For the next two weeks, after daily calls and emails all I got back from either side was, "there is a delay in delivery your bike will arrive by Feb end or March." This became their standard response to every single question I asked

My concerns to them were -

1. If there a reasonable explanation for the delay I don't have a problem but it needs to be effectively communicated with me on a regular basis. Especially if I'm dealing with you entirely over calls and emails and don't have an option to just walk in to the dealership to have a chat.

2. If you've taken 100% payment from me, you further have a responsibility and accountability towards the amount that you've received from me and the lack of communication was not helping matters at all. At this point there was no trust in the business ethics of Ducati India.

3. If the order was taken as a high-seas shipment and all the bikes from the first 25 bikes that came into India had already been delivered, where did my bike go?

After many calls and emails that lead to no proper response or resolution, I chose to cancel the order with Ducati and after another 10 days I finally got the full payment refunded. The salesperson I'd been dealing with all this while called me back and explained that the bike that was allocated for me was instead delivered to some high-profile person in NCR by Ducati India at the last minute which caused all the problems.

I asked a few long time Ducati owners and someone did mention that Ducati India is basically a bunch of 5-6 guys in Delhi that function as independent importers and run it like a cartel. Make of it what you will.

I adore the motorcycle, and I'm sure it'd be all that it promises, but I'm not touching Ducati in India with a 10ft pole if this is how they conduct themselves.

The quest for the perfect middleweight begins all over again.

[killjoy]

Feel bad for you dude, but on the other hand, this is my 2nd Ducati here in Bangalore and I am extremely happy with the way that the dealer and Ducati India are engaged with customers here..

Not sure what went wrong...

[no_fear]

Originally Posted by 7.83hz

Here's a report of a harrowing experience I've had in dealing with Ducati India.
I asked a few long time Ducati owners and someone did mention that Ducati India is basically a bunch of 5-6 guys in Delhi that function as independent importers and run it like a cartel.

I am saddened to hear the poor experience you had and as a Ducati owner, I will try my best to answer your queries and hopefully retain your passion with the brand. I am not affiliated with Ducati India but I have a good relationship with the brand and its partners.

Ducati India is not a cartel and is not run by 5-6 guys in Delhi. If that were the case, I would be running Ducati India (not joking) as I have deeper relationship with the Ducati brand than anyone in India. Ducati India is a full fledged subsidiary of Ducati Italy and are not importers. It is important to distinguish the fact from fiction.

With the disclaimers out of the way, this is the prognosis.

1. The culprit here is Mohan motors. Once you paid a deposit, they have to honor the booking. Also they are incorrect about any price hike, as Ducati already announced the India price of 17.91 lacs. There were no price hikes for Jan 2023. Ducati Mohan misled you. Moreover there is nothing called a high seas order saving you taxes. Mohan motors used your entire sum to pre-book the bike instead of the dealer paying Ducati India before hand.

2. DesertX is a very popular model and Ducati India releases bikes to its dealers on a first come first served basis. If Mohan had paid the full amount or deposit to Ducati India, the bike would have arrived at Kolkata on launch date. Mohan probably didn't pay anything but sat with your money and Ducati India was not aware.

3. Once you chased them, Mohan then asked Ducati for a DesertX but your order is now on the backlog hence it got pushed to March.

Thankfully they refunded your entire amount, but it has left a bitter taste. If they had actually paid the deposit / full amount to Ducati India, they would not have been able to refund the amount quickly.

The dealer has to be blamed for this and I know Mohan motors does not provide a stellar service as a premium bike seller.

Also, DesertX was not allocated to any high profile customer in Delhi. I attended the launch party and to date 3 DesertX were sold, all to customers like you, who walked in and paid deposits.

If you are still interested to get the DesertX, pm me. I will connect you with Delhi Ducati sales head / Ducati India corporate and do the best.

[Aditya]

Harrowing experience with Mohan Motors Kolkata (Ducati dealer) - Posts moved to a new thread.

[Axe77]

Very sorry to hear your experience buddy.

This is very clearly a dealer issue and from what we can read he’s surely not dealt with this appropriately. As for price hikes, that was a clear pressure tactic - while all Ducatis were meant to get a price hike in early 2023, the Desert X was an exception since it was launched itself at 2023 price. Dealers very well know this so if he suggested the Desert X might get a price hike that’s clearly false.

No_fear has summed up well whatever else I might have to say for this (except I don’t know about who’s picked up bikes). Bikes have been allocated to pre booked sellers fairly transparently even here to the best of my knowledge. The good thing is you don’t have a dealer IN your city so you’re free to buy from whichever dealer you have comfort with.

You could even speak to Chandigarh, Pune or Mumbai if you wish depending on who might be able to get you the bike at the soonest (could be someone has a cancellation from his existing order pipeline or similar - never hurts to ask).

The only other aspect I’d throw in is if the Kolkata dealership is so terrible, are you ok to service your bike with them and is there a viable alternate dealership who can service your bike while its still in warranty. If there isn’t, I’d be circumspect about buying a brand without reliable service support if my faith in the only proximate dealership is completely shattered.

[7.83hz]

Originally Posted by no_fear

I am saddened to hear the poor experience you had and as a Ducati owner, I will try my best to answer your queries and hopefully retain your passion with the brand.

Thankfully they refunded your entire amount, but it has left a bitter taste. If they had actually paid the deposit / full amount to Ducati India, they would not have been able to refund the amount quickly. The dealer has to be blamed for this and I know Mohan motors does not provide a stellar service as a premium bike seller. If you are still interested to get the DesertX, pm me. I will connect you with Delhi Ducati sales head / Ducati India corporate and do the best.

Appreciate you writing in mate, and I do hope for the sake of all other new Ducati customers that it wasn't the brand at fault here.

Honestly at this point the confidence is very low in the way both Kolkata and Ducati India dealt with the situation and just the absolute lack of clarity or transparency about the order status throughout. Even a simple 100 rupee purchase on most online stores comes with order and shipment updates, these brands need to get with the internet, create customer accounts and have a platform based booking process. In my initial calls with Ducati India support around the 3rd week of January I'd made it clear that I wanted a proper update from Ducati India about the current status of delivery timelines because I wasn't completely convinced with the dealership's version of the story. Never heard back from corporate even after multiple reminders, I was even forced to write a note to the India CEO on twitter requesting support. Nothing. In one of my emails I even mentioned that if they're unable to get me an update by a certain date I'd have no option but to opt for a cancellation because trust in the brand was already dwindling. Still nothing.

The refund process did take much longer than expected, I got an email from the dealership saying the process would take upto 48 hours, it took them the better part of 10 working days.

Given Kolkata is the closest sales and service point for me, I'm extremely vary of spending this kind of money on a Ducati at this point in time. Unfortunately there are 0 big bike dealerships in the North East, and service reports of anything Kolkata isn't great. Sigh.

Originally Posted by Axe77

As for price hikes, that was a clear pressure tactic - while all Ducatis were meant to get a price hike in early 2023

The only other aspect I’d throw in is if the Kolkata dealership is so terrible, are you ok to service your bike with them and is there a viable alternate dealership who can service your bike while its still in warranty. If there isn’t, I’d be circumspect about buying a brand without reliable service support if my faith in the only proximate dealership is completely shattered.

Agreed, I had the exact same response when they mentioned the January price hike, no brand in their right mind would hike prices for a new bike 20 days after launch. I even asked them to get me a confirmation from HQ, all they came back with was all Ducatis are expected to go through a price revision, can't say for sure if Dx would be excluded. I honestly didn't want to fuss about it too much, let them have their year end up-tick as they promised me a bike in 2 weeks.

The service support angle is the reason why I've dropped all intention of getting the bike. I'd happily have waited until end of Feb/March if I felt I was dealing with genuine folks on the other side, both Kol and India. I'm handy with my tools but no big bike dealers/service here.

[ABHI_1512]

First thing first, welcome to the forum, more so since you come from Guwahati. Not a good start, but then glad that you got out of the situation and got the refund as well. The dealership is question- Mohan is a notorious name here in Calcutta. I am somewhat sure that it is the same Mohan group that also had a Maruti dealership which closed down and also an Audi showroom which also has probably closed down !!

Given the past goings on that I heard, it’s completely in line with what you have experienced. Absolutely atrocious that a dealership will try to hold an entire payment for a bike which is priced so high and find excuses with the customer in not delivering in time which was promised. Given the situation, I would think that dealing even for standard servicing would be a pain with the dealership in question.

As much as your interest in the brand, it would be prudent to look elsewhere but if you really want, you can go ahead and buy it from some other city as members have suggested above. Happy hunting, again, if at all. Would have been great if we met for the meet that’s happening next weekend,

Regards.

[DrZhivago]

The core issue here in your case is the dealer taking money upfront even before the vehicle reached our shore. This is not a one off case and dealers of cars and bikes all over India have started doing this. If you look back say even 5 years ago this whole taking the full amount beforehand was uncommon but now most dealers indulge in it. I for one was recently asked by a dealer for upfront payment for an EV I had booked nearly a year ago at that point and he was telling me that the vehicle is on the way from the factory. I felt this is fishy and I just checked twitter and all for any news about this particular dealer and voila I see a woman crying hoarse all over twitter after she paid 30 lakhs for a vehicle in March and has no vehicle even in December and she is filing a police complaint as the dealer is not giving back her money or even the vehicle. I felt like I was saved all this hassle by a stroke of luck. Now, if we the consumer decide that we wont pay up front no matter there is nothing these dealers can do. They are basically taking our money and buying cars from the factory and then giving the cars to others who might have been waiting far longer than us or maybe not. Nowadays, some banks who know how such dealers operate will demand a video of the vehicle with the VIN etc to make sure the dealer has the said vehicle in their premises before they transfer the loan amount, which is a good thing. I hope you get the ride of your choice soon and put this behind you. God Speed

[toiingg]

Mohan Motors was at one time one of the reliable dealers of this city. They had multiple big brands under their name and their service centers and service quality was also very good.

I have also bought 2 cars from that dealership and was (WAS) happy with the quality of service provided.

All that changed as the company started facing some financial difficulties and they closed (lost ?) their dealerships one after the other. All of their good staff moved on and joined other places. They have not really managed to get back on their feet since then. They re-opened their service center like an FNG.


I would stay away from them, i think they are yet to come out of their financial issues.

[abhi802]

Originally Posted by toiingg

I would stay away from them, i think they are yet to come out of their financial issues.

The way they're working, I highly doubt they ever will.

[7.83hz]

Heya no fear, works out I'm a newbie and I don't yet have the privilege's to send you a direct message. Any other way we could connect?

[100Kmphormore]

This happened with me too but on my Himalayan. The rascals at the dealership allotted my booking to someone else (after I did the PDI!) based on a pressure tactic by an earlier customer who had similarly waited out 4 months like me and wouldn't any further, and to my bad luck prices increased at the time I was about to take delivery, and the last straw was them asking me to pay the price hike, despite me being aware of REs plans and asking them to invoice earlier on full cash payment from my side but they wouldn't do it, citing some crap allocation rule. I threatened to escalate the issue on twitter and Team-BHP and cancel my booking, but there wasn't any other dealership in my contacts who could get me my bike quickly.
The company may be good but the dealers are the worst, to say the least. I complained to the regional manager Annie Wilson about the showroom manager and seems he had these complaints already and was promptly sacked. The new manager is better, to say the least.

[car love]

Ducati India is definitely a sloppy operation. I had once enquired about the Desert Sled with a lady rep at Bangalore Ducati showroom, who asked me to come over for a test ride.
When I got there on the date fixed, the Manager in charge refused her from giving a test ride. Reason being the said test bike had gone for an event the previous day and was dirty. I told them I don't mind if it's dirty i just need a feel of the thing but the guy was adamant. I Wanted to know if it was company policy, for which he had no answer. Also they could have intimated me in advance, which they didn't.
I walked out of there and swear never to set foot again. Many European brands have a snobbish culture about them.
No wonder the Japs and Koreans are killing them in the market day by day.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by car love

I walked out of there and swear never to set foot again. Many European brands have a snobbish culture about them.

I would suggest not allowing the behaviour of a Manager or Sales person stop you from trying or buying a Ducati. This applies to any brand, any vehicle, car or motorcycle. It’s important to remember that after your purchase, should you choose to do one, you never have to see the sales team again. All your dealing will be with the service centre.

You must escalate this issue to the higher ups and ensure they give you a test ride on a day of your choosing and make them send it over to your residence. They will if you are serious and push them.

By simply walking away and swearing to never set foot there again you are in a way encouraging their ridiculous behaviour. Complain, create a ruckus and make these individuals regret their behaviour.

All the best.

Cheers

[Rajiv0909]

Ok, wow! This comes right after I place my bet on the desert X. I am not perplexed by the behaviours demonstrated at the dealership, shit happens! I am more concerned with the Ducati India’s response (or lack of) on this matter, especially from the CEO.

Desert X is possibly the best thing to happen to Ducati India in years. How can the person in charge, afford an issue like this, at this inflection point of the organisation? It’s not like Ducati does great volumes in India, showrooms go down every now and then due to lack of business, hence every customer experience should matter specially when DDX sounds like coffers ringing


Have some questions here. This thread was started on the 17th Feb. Did Ducati make any attempts to improve your experience since?
Have you tried highlighting this to the Ducati global?