[DieselFan]

The whole episode stinks of Arrogance on part of Audi India. Its sibling Skoda is no better off. Same is the case with the other sibling VW. They may make good cars, THE CARS (Dus Auto) and what not but if the customer service is so bad then I would not touch them with a barge pole. Maruti/M&M/Hyundai may make mediocre cars but they are reliable and the customer service is very good. I will stick with them for now.

[lurker]

Reading up on this, it seems it is international Audi policy, not to encourage replacement of faulty fuel pumps in warranty. Audi India is perhaps only following this policy. The reason could be various. Audi fuel pumps may be very prone to failure and thus would seriously affect the bottomlines of the company if they went ahead and replaced all faulty fuel pumps without question even in warranty.

To summarize this, it just means they got a faulty engine and faulty engineering in 2.0 TDI .

[ishlinea7260]

I guess this issue is present in all the cars powered by the VAG 2.0 TDI
Once while I had gone to get my car serviced came across a Skoda Laura DSG on a flatbed, which broke down after filling adulterated fuel in Leh or Ladakh.
Turned out even insurance does not cover engine damage due to adulterated fuel, poor chap had to cough up pretty hefty amount from his wallet.

[laferrari]

Hi sahil

Is there any update as regards to the car or audi?
Have they carried out the repairs?
Please post updates if any.

[sahilverma]

Hi Guys,

I had posted an update but that doesnt seem to have appeared here.

In summary, I am still waiting for Audi to repair my car despite the courts order. They’ve been back and forth first with discrepancies on their service quote and then with trying to deny repairing the car pending an email confirmation from me of the deposit of the money in court – this despite me depositing the money within a week of receiving their quote and also notifying them that I was doing so. Next hearing is on 19 Dec and I am hoping that the judge sees through this cat and mouse game they are playing with me and orders a strict and swift redressal.

I am attaching below excerpts of my emails exchanged with them for your reference and to show how deep the incompetence lies within this so called high standard global organisation -


EMAIL TRAIL 1

From: Sahil Verma
Sent: 08 November 2014 10:22
To: 'Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India)'
Cc: Sachin Kambli (sachin.kambli@audimumbaisouth.net); Ashok.shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: RE: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma
Importance: High

Tarkeshwar,

My car has been in your custody for the past 4.5 months and due to your sheer negligence in taking appropriate care of my car, you are now asking me to dish out approx. INR 70K to replace the battery, wipers and a number of other parts which were all in perfect working condition when you took the car from me. This has to take the cake!

Also, can you specify the exact reason for the price revision you refer to below as I fail to understand how you’ve dropped prices in a span of 4 months or was the dealership quoting me higher rates in the first place?

I am in the process of depositing the amount stated in your quote with the Hon’able Commission and will seek redressal through the courts of this grossly mismanaged situation by Audi India and your Mumbai South dealership. Once you have confirmation of the amount deposited, you may go ahead and repair my car.

Finally, thank you for your concern re my daughter however given how you’ve harassed me and my family and what you have put us through in the past 4.5 months, you can do away with this mere formality. We really do not need your false concern.

Sahil


From: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India) [mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in]
Sent: 07 November 2014 14:08
To: Sahil Verma
Subject: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma
Importance: High

Hello Mr. Verma,

Greetings from Audi India.

This has reference to our communication dated 5th November 2014 and subsequent queries raised in your e-mail dated 6th November 2014, we hereby without prejudice inform you as follows,

1. As far as the date of quotation is concerned, we would like to state that it is a typographical error and we sincerely regret for the the same. Please read the same as 5th November 2014. Please note that the total expenses for carrying out the repair work will be INR 366,092.88 inclusive of labour, part and applicable taxes.

2. For your point 2 & 3, we would like to state that since the Hon’ble commission directed us to provide fresh estimate, we carried out the inspection once again and considering the vehicle has been standing idle for a prolonged period, there are additional jobs added in the repairs estimate sent on 5th November 2014.

3. In regards to your 4th query, we would like to mention that there was a price revision, hence the difference in the pricing.

4. As far as your point number 5 is concerned, “payment terms as ‘By Cash, Cheque/DD – Subject to realization” is a standard line in all the repairs estimate, however, we in our covering letter had specified that the same need to be deposited before the national commission. Hence, request you to consider our statement in the covering letter as final in this regard.

5. As mentioned in our covering letter, we reiterate that Audi India does not have its own workshop facility, in line with standard industry practice, your vehicle will be repaired at the workshop facility of our dealer, Audi Mumbai South. Please be assured members of Audi Technical Team will remain present while the repair work is carried out.

Request you to comply with the Hon’ble national commission order and deposit the sum of INR 366,092.88 before the Hon’ble commission. Subsequent to which, repair works will be carried out.

Hope this clarifies the situation.

We wish faster recovery and good health to your daughter.

Best regards.

Tarkeshwar Rao
Head of Customer Satisfaction & Delight

Audi India
Division of
Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt.Ltd.
Silver Utopia. 4th Floor
Cardinal Gracious Road
Chakala, Andheri (East)
Mumbai 400 099
CIN:U50401MH2007FTC168439

Phone: +91 22 3313 7275
Fax : +91 22 3313 7201
mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in
http://www.audi.in


From: Sahil Verma [mailto:Sahil.Verma@regus.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2014 4:55 PM
To: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India)
Cc: sachin.kambli@audimumbaisouth.net; Ashok.Shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: RE: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma
Importance: High

Hi Tarkeshwar,

I have now received the service quote of the dealer “through Audi” and would like to point out the following discrepancies –

1. Quote is dated 12 Aug 2014

2. Under labour, items number 9-16 have been newly added as compared to your original quote of 16 June 2014

3. Under parts, items number 2 and 7 and 11-31 have been newly added as compared to your original quote of 16 June 2014

4. There is a discrepancy in cost in the below parts

No 1 – Injection Unit: Current quote – 112,000.00, June quote – 119,669.36
No 3 – Fuel Distr: Current quote – 31,478.23, June quote – 53,392.01
No 4 – Fuel Unit: Current quote – 16,801.78, June quote – 31,355.56
No 8 – Washer: Current quote – 520.89, June quote – 882.67
No 9 – Pump: Current quote – 76,270.23, June quote – 130,612.46
No 10 – Fuel Filter: Current quote – 1,473.78, June quote – 1,969.78

5. You quote states payment terms as ‘By Cash, Cheque/DD – Subject to realization’ which is in conflict with the order passed by the National Commission to deposit the cost of repair with the commission.

6. The order of the Hon’ble National Commission dated 30.10.2014 has directed Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. and Audi India Private Limited to repair the car. However, I note that you are now refusing to do so on the pretext that you do not have a repair facility in India. As this is contrary to the order of the Hon’ble Commission, I reserve my right to take appropriate steps before the Hon’ble Commission in this regard. You may note that a submission was made by your counsel before the Hon’ble Commission on 30.10.2014 that the Hon’ble Commission may direct Respondent No.5 to repair the car instead of directing Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 to do so. However, this submission stood rejected by the Hon’ble Commission. It now appears that you are seeking to overreach the said order of the Hon’ble Commission.

By forwarding the service quote, I proceed on the basis that Audi India is confirming the contents and necessity of the same for alleged repair on account of alleged fuel adulteration by water as I have been given to understand and which I have disputed. Given the order by the Hon’ble National Commission, I approve this repair by the Respondent Nos. 1 and 2 in terms of the order of the Hon’ble Commission and shall deposit the cost indicated with the Hon’ble National Commission, however, this shall be without prejudice to my rights and contentions and I shall make a prayer to the Hon’ble Commission to recover these.

A copy of the order dated 30.10.2014 is also attached for your reference and compliance.

Also note that I have had to urgently relocate out of India to the UK due to my daughter being critically ill and therefore all correspondence should be sent to me via email or I may be contacted on +447787862759 keeping in mind the time difference between India and the United Kingdom.

Kind regards,
Sahil


From: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India) [mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in]
Sent: 05 November 2014 12:52
To: Sahil Verma
Cc: sachin.kambli@audimumbaisouth.net; Ashok.Shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma

Dear Mr. Verma,

Greetings from Audi India.

Please find attached our letter and repair estimate for your ready reference.

Best regards,

Tarkeshwar Rao
Head of Customer Satisfaction & Delight

EMAIL TRAIL 2

-----Original Message-----
From: Sahil Verma
Sent: 04 December 2014 10:47
To: 'Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India)'
Cc: Sachin.Kambli@audimumbaisouth.net; Ashok.shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: RE: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma
Importance: High

Tarkeshwar,

You have evidently not understood the purport of the order. There was no obligation on me to inform you of the deposit towards the cost of repair. Nonetheless, I vide my emails dated 6/11/2014 and 8/11/2014 informed you that I am depositing the money and that you may independently confirm the same. Thereafter my advocate, while serving the legible copies has also handed over proof of deposit to your advocate under written acknowledgement on 12/11/2014.

I have once again informed you on 2/12/2014 pursuant to your query on 1/12/2014 that the amount is deposited and this confirmation in any event is not supposed to come from me. Further, as you are represented through your advocate in the Hon’able Commission, nothing should prevent you from instructing your advocate to inspect the court record and independently verify the deposit made by me, as is the norm.

The court record is always available for inspection by the concerned advocate in the registry of the Hon’able Commission within working hours. Thus, I fail to understand why today on 4/12/2014, a few days before the scheduled hearing you are creating unnecessary confusion by once again asking me to confirm deposit of the money.

You would appreciate that I had purchased this car on the basis of representations made of world class services provided by you. Unfortunately apart from having to litigate to obtain these services and vindicate my rights, I am now being further harassed by these attempts on your part to circumvent the order of the Hon’able Commission dated 30/10/2014.

Regards,
Sahil

-----Original Message-----
From: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India) [mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in]
Sent: 04 December 2014 10:05
To: Sahil Verma
Cc: Sachin.Kambli@audimumbaisouth.net; Ashok.shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma

Dear Mr. Verma,

Greetings from Audi India.

As you aware, the order dated 30.10.2014 states that the car be repaired subject to the cost of the repair being deposited within one week of the estimate of repairs being communicated. Since, the repair work is predicated on the deposit being made by you , communication /confirmation of the deposit is absolutely indispensable. Nonetheless, being a customer oriented company and in order to expedite the repair of your car, we have sought the confirmation from you.

Also, please note that the documents forwarded to our advocates by your advocate is only a legible copy of the complete petition and does not contain any confirmation of the deposit.

In view of the above we again request you to confirm whether the deposit has been made in compliance of the Hon'ble National Commission's order, so as to enable us to start the repair work of your car. We shall commence the repair work as soon as the confirmation of the deposit is given to us. "

Best regards,

Tarkeshwar Rao
Head of Customer Satisfaction & Delight

Audi India
Division of
Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt.Ltd.
Silver Utopia. 4th Floor
Cardinal Gracious Road
Chakala, Andheri (East)
Mumbai 400 099
CIN:U50401MH2007FTC168439

Phone: +91 22 3313 7275
Fax : +91 22 3313 7201
mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in
http://www.audi.in


-----Original Message-----
From: Sahil Verma [mailto:Sahil.Verma@regus.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2014 8:08 PM
To: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India)
Cc: Sachin.Kambli@audimumbaisouth.net; Ashok.shetty@audimumbaisouth.net
Subject: RE: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma
Importance: High

Tarkeshwar,

This confirmation is not supposed to come from me.

I had already informed you that I was in the process of depositing the money in accordance with the court's order. My counsel has already complied with the court's order and forwarded all the necessary documents to your lawyer a long time back.

You should’ve repaired my car accordingly but have failed to do so. Now this email appears to be an attempt to justify the delay on your part to comply with the court's order and repair my car.

Regards,
Sahil

-----Original Message-----
From: Rao, Tarkeshwar (NSC India) [mailto:tarkeshwar.rao@audi.in]
Sent: 01 December 2014 15:02
To: Sahil Verma
Cc: 'Sachin.Kambli@audimumbaisouth.net'; 'Ashok.shetty@audimumbaisouth.net'
Subject: Re: Kind Attention: Mr. Verma

Hello Mr. Verma,

Greetings from Audi India.

Further to your appended e-mail, we would like to have the confirmation of the payment submission in Hon'ble national commission. Your confirmation shall enable us to initiate further action.

[V.Narayan]

Dear Sahil Verma, thank you for sharing the latest developments on your struggle with Audi. This kind of attitude at a mid-level manager does not come about unless that is the tone and limitations (of flexibility) set by the very top in Audi India. With a limited background my two pence would be to aim to get your car repaired and into your hands. Then you are in a slightly stronger position to fight Audi. My prayers are with your little daughter. Best regards - V.Narayan

[ashwin.terminat]

No bigger irony than having a division called:
"Customer Satisfaction & Delight" and causing only dissatisfaction and distress!

It's unfortunate that people who work hard and spend big money on these cars are being made to run around by the VW group just like on would do in a Government office.

Toothlessness of the legal system and the unwillingness of most to go through the legal hassles associated with our deprecated legal system are mostly the reason why VW is taking us on a ride than letting us drive their cars.

[isiv]

VW seem to have earned themselves quite a reputation all over the world. Check out http://www.drive.com.au/volkswagen-problems. And there's also another one http://www.vwproblems.com/ Perhaps they should consider renaming themselves VolksvaGOON.

What beats my comprehension completely hollow is why VW is acting like this. Are they really so dumb as to not realize what loss of customer goodwill means in the long run? Or do they simply do not care? Why are good designs being killed by poor quality and refusal to acknowledge? Their message to customer loud and clear sounds like - 'serves you right for choosing a VW, now face the consequences'

As far as the dealership goes, they seem to be one of those typical setups where having scruples of any kind is a taboo. If I understand correctly, you have hired a lawyer to handle your case? If yes, I suggest you route all communication with VW or the dealer through the lawyer. And also instruct them to approach your lawyer for anything concerning this issue. I think the matter has gone far enough to warrant this stance (I'm no legal expert, just hoping this might get some people to fall in line).

My heart goes out to your little one and I sincerely pray for the child. I've been though this pain and I'm awestruck you have the mental make up to take your fight ahead in these circumstances. Good luck and God bless.

[johannskaria]

This is alarming from a company like Audi.

@Sahil, Hope the company has started repairs on your car.

[honeybee]

If the company has not started repairs despite your depositing money with the court, isn't that a contempt?

Please do bring on record the discrepancies in the estimates which will help make your case even more solid.

Good luck and expecting a swifter response from our legal system.

[fighterace]

Loved going through this thread. Buy a 40 lakh car, spend 10% of the price each year repairing it. An acquaintance's BMW ran a bill of 6 lakhs in two years: electrical and electronic problems. If one has to spend that much, rather buy a "janta" class car and use it like a disposable. Don't even have to bother about the first service, or any repair or maintenance, just drive it till it dies, and then buy another one. Complete peace of mind.

Of what use are these luxury barges? Most of them are too big for the city roads, and their power simply can't be used in stop and go traffic. The Maruti/Hyundai/Tata outmuscle them simply because of their manoeuvrability and lower repair cost if scratched.

Even on the highways they have issues. BMWs without spare wheels are useless. My friend's father had his bimmer's "run flat" tyre impaled by a rod, and lacking a spare wheel, he and the car was stranded in the middle of nowhere. He had asked for a spare wheel when he bought the car, and again after this incident. BMW stuck to the "run flat" theory. Disgusted, he sold the car. Now it turns out that not just an occasional rod, even a regular fuel fill can leave you and your white elephant stranded in the highway. But the much maligned Ambassador and Indica will happily drink the same fuel and do about 2 lakh kms before needing a overhaul. And if you take one of the regular highways with not so perfect surfaces, the Sumos, Boleros and Scorpios are a better bet than a imported car.

As for customer service, even Chevrolet has a better warranty policy than VAG. In fact, I think they are the best in terms of service right now. Our Aveo U-VA's dash was replaced under warranty after it faded in two years, there was no argument. An Enjoy had its engine replaced without any escalation: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ew-engine.html. And here is Audi refusing to even do a repair, without conclusively proving that the damage is due to bad fuel.

[lurker]

adding to what fighterace said above there is another significant risk.

suppose India ends up wrong side of US, which as a habit intervenes in every global issue. And we invade Pakistan or have a war on Cashmere and upset US-Western geo-political plans. The next thing to note would be that we would be having sanctions imposed on us left, right & centre. And at that point even spares for imported Euro cars would be hard to come by. It is not likely, but it is not improbable either.

[fighterace]

Originally Posted by lurker

adding to what fighterace said above there is another significant risk.

suppose India ends up wrong side of US, which as a habit intervenes in every global issue. And we invade Pakistan or have a war on Cashmere and upset US-Western geo-political plans. The next thing to note would be that we would be having sanctions imposed on us left, right & centre. And at that point even spares for imported Euro cars would be hard to come by. It is not likely, but it is not improbable either.

Lurker, that's the least of our worries. The biggest challenge is the threat these cars pose to others when driven by idiots who believe they are invincible in their expensive tanks. We simply don't have the road infrastructure to drive these machines. It is what I'd call inappropriate technology. Just have a look at this:
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/...cle6696505.ece
http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/cri...eld/18605.html
http://indianexpress.com/article/cit...iller-porsche/

Besides, think of the subsidised fuel all the diesel luxury cars have drunk till now. Sometimes I feel that kerosene and naptha in their tanks is divine retribution. Perhaps we should have degraded our regular diesel so that it was unusable in super-refined engines.

[sahilverma]

Hi all,

Apologies for the radio silence for the past 8 months or so as not much has progressed except submitting evidence in the court and obtaining new dates at each hearing. Not surprised that Audi India and the dealership couldn't get their act together even for submitting a timely response to our affidavits. In summary, this is where we stand -

1. Audi filed all their evidence last week after being penalised by the court for not submitting their papers on time and treating the matter rather casually.

2. The car was repaired and handed back to us. Monies paid towards the repairs are still held in court.

3. Audi have come forward informally to settle the case out of court. Their lawyers have admitted that the case has many holes from their perspective. The offer put forward is a sham - we'll buy your car and give you a discount on a new car. I have (obviously) rejected it.

4. The consumer court has given a final date in Feb 2016 for the matter to be presented and heard and hopefully a decision made.

5. In the meantime, Audi and VW continue to be in the news for all the wrong reasons -

This guy's A6 faced the same issue as my car but got an immediate response due to him being very media visible !

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/47609066.cms

Latest bust up from VW in the US market which could result in heavy penalties and possible lawsuits from other competitors

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c4f4745c-5...06ccb37f2.html

[V.Narayan]

Sahil Verma, thank you for sharing your experiences and for your perseverance in fighting this out. It helps likes of me know which brand to avoid when my Skoda Superb comes up for a change next year. These attitudes of the dealers are, in my view, a direct result of attitudes that start right from the top at Audi. As the saying goes in Hindi - "Jaisa Raja vaise praja" - as is the king so will be the subjects. As India is a small market where the wheels of the courts grind in yugas and not in years or months Audi probably believe they can get away with this without scratching their reputation. All best wishes to you -Narayan

Article in VAG's Board room style to support the point about raja and praja
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/b...w/49100495.cms