[shineshine]

One of my friend was eagerly waiting for the new SWIFT but later after the test drive, he rejected it. He said that SWIFT has lost the Fun to drive factor and a significantly large waiting period also contributed to his decision. He has settled down for Punto 90HP. Another friend went for Ford Figo due to high waiting period of SWIFT.

I am pretty sure that, MSIL is soon gonna loss a significant number of prospective customer due to the production issues that they are facing.

[ra'ul M]

I for one think that even though harassed is a strong word, its quite apt since I have high expection from Maruti. Waiting for a car is not a problem as such, but couple it with dodgy dealer attitude and complete disregard towards potential customers and it borders on harassment.
It seems that Maruti, having made a nice car, is resting a little too heavily on that fact.
Sadly even I have to bear it. Coming from Honda's I can tell you that it's a complete change for the worst, atleast in these parts.
If only there was a car which ticked as many boxes and taking advantage of this situation.

[man_xzone]

Originally Posted by souravc

With all due respect to i20 which has its features , I would still think that the 5-6 months of incremental wait for Swift VDi is definitely worth it . The Swift's handling is a few notches above i20 and the driving pleasure is something that the i20 would not be able to match

Completely agree to you. Went for a long drive and just loved it. The new swift does feel a lot more planted. Cruising is so much fun now. I seriously felt that it is well worth for the wait.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by devil_klm

It is happening for sure.
Maruti has a production capacity of 17500 Swift/month now(provided no isues in plant).
They might have started the production 3-4 months before the launch of the car.
In this case also at least half of the bookings they had to be able to clear now(total booking now is 108000).
What is happening to the cars produced at the plant?

I raised the exact same questions with the dealer and he had no answers to give except state that there's a strike going on. from the teambhp sales figures of August and September we know that about 19k New Swift have been dispatched to the dealers. So that leaves about 90k bookings to be taken care off and IF the plant operates at full capacity i think the waiting time should be around 5-6 months, but all the dealers quote 1year in bangalore ! Plus they engage in unfair allotment of cars as is evident in the OP's case, Maruti should take notice of these practices and act quick!

[Durango Dude]

The huge backlog and new Swift launch and strike immediately after and add to that already clocked more than 100k bookings is a recipe for disaster; those who have booked are in for the long haul, may be 6 months to one year.

[one-77]

Put bluntly, people who booked the new Swift knew exactly what they were getting into, didn't they? Why crib now?
I mean, there was a 6 month wait period on the old car, and it was only bound to get worse. Also as with everything else in India, everyone knows allocation is not transparent.
The strike has only made things a bit more chaotic than they would otherwise have been.
If I were upgrading to the Swift, I wouldn't sell of my existing car till the day I got my hands on the new one. Dealer assurances often cannot be relied upon, and that again is not news!

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by P.S.Grewal

Well I dont know what's your definition of harassment. But have you waited for a vehicle for more than 6 months. Have you visited a dealer for your vehicle for more than 30 times. From the last 2 months I have been given an assurance that I will get my car by next weak. And that next weak never comes. What will you feel after paying 6.5 lacs for you car and still don't get one even after one month. What updates are you talking about , the only letter which I get 6 months of booking and one month after paying the full amount , stating that " I have really co-operated and should do the same for another 2 more months.

Dear I have really paid for the car and not day dreaming . Step into my shoes and hope you might not loose your temper in front of the maruti dealer who is taking me for a ride.

So what exactly was the harassment out here?

You booked a car that is known to have a long waiting period.
You booked the highend version of the car that has just been introduced & awaited for quite some time.
You paid up the money upfront without the dealer asking you to do so.
You have been offered an alternate car, a VDi which also has a decent waiting period if I'm not wrong.
Your waiting period was delayed due to strikes at the factory.


Not to be berating your condition, but you ain't harassed - maybe troubled but definitely not harassed. As someone has reverted in the earlier posts, keep the booking amount (if you are still interested) and get the rest of the money back.

I guess you are expecting the dealer to get you a Zdi asap by hook or crook. Whether he has been playing with your booking is anybody's guess - but to get you a car now, he is definitely going to mess up some other chap's delivery.

P.s. I have been in your shoes. Hence the frank opinion.
P.s.s. This post ain't to support the Maruti side, but the title's too mis-leading. There are so many threads out here which are actual harassment cases.

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Plus they engage in unfair allotment of cars as is evident in the OP's case, Maruti should take notice of these practices and act quick!

+1. My friend had booked a ZXi Glistening grey on Sept 2nd and was given a priority number of 2 for his color ZXi. We went to Sagar auto to enquire if there was any change in the delivery after yesterday's strike, or if there was any chance of getting his car in the dispatched cars this week. We sat with the dispatch manager at Sagar and to our shock, his excel sheet showed my friend as priority number 5 now! Which means 3 others have bribed their way into the priority list in the past month. When we confronted him, he initially refused to admit any golmaal. My friend, a short tempered guy, was in no mood to take this nonsense. He created a scene there, spoke sternly to the senior manager in charge and threatened to expose this in the newspapers. That manager then obliged and said there was a mistake on their side when allotting priority numbers and this guy would get back priority number 2. This kind of corruption is getting worse than a government office. To top this, a few days ago my friend received a few calls from unknown customers asking him to take 20k and transfer the booking to their name (so that they wouldn't have to wait long). The dealer must have given them his number definitely

On a different note, I wanted to replace my current ZXi with a ZDi and will book it on monday. I am in no hurry to get the ZDi, will enjoy the high-revs of my ZXi till next year, but I can definitely understand the pain some of you people are going through, during this 8-9 month wait with endless strikes. The sales rep said it was 12 months waiting for ZDi BEFORE the strike restarted. Now the waiting period is, lo and behold, 14 months! I think even Ferrari and Lamborghini customers won't have to wait this long, so Swift must be truly special to command such a long wait

[SwiftSD]

Originally Posted by Safari_Beast

I didn't find a better alternative for swift zdi which i booked in may . This car is hoot to drive , no hassles at all . I just love to drive my old swift vdi and when i test drove the new , i found the new way improved then the older one . Ride quality has gone up by miles and also the interiors , features . If you still think that there is better alternative then get another one but i didn't find any car which has great performance plus handling .

Though the options in Diesel hatch has gone up in the last couple of years , Swift D still remains one of the most popular hatch back in the country and the sales figure proves that.

It is a fun to drive car, ride quality had gone up a few notches , looks good, has a great resale value and not to forget it a has the Maruti Suzuki tag attached. Every car has a few negatives so does the swift but it still remains a great car.

[mkpiyengar]

Isn't there too much hype going around this new Swift since the launch?
Everyone going ga-ga over it and booking it. How many guys have actually test driven it and found it actually better than other cars in the market ? Or it is the herd mentality, my neighbour has booked new swift so i want one.

Let me just clarify that I'm not berating the vehicle by any means, I've driven the old swift VDI and ZXI and both are driver's delight. But what i fail to understand is that in these days and times, where we are spoilt for choices why do we need to wait for 6-8 months for delivery? Maruti taking Indian customers for granted ?

Give me a break. Can't stop wondering are other cars so bad ? Or is there only enthusiasts driving? Can't be true because in that case there are other cars which handle equally good if not better. Or is it the whole concept of Maruti service etc.

In my opinion I20 is an excellent package just for the sake of waiting period. No enthusiast's car but then how many of those are out there ??

Can't stop thinking !!

Cheers
MKPI

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

First of all - I'm one among those waiting for the ZDi as well. Booked Sep first week, and I understand that i may get the car somewhere around Feb - March only.

Originally Posted by wbd8779

I don"t understand where the "harrased lot "

Originally Posted by DevilsCry

I feel that the title of this thread is a bit misleading.

+ 1.

The waiting period is irritating, but the high number of bookings and strike at Maruti facilities are the reason for the same. However, inspite of the waiting period, people are willing to wait because the car is worth it.

Not only is it the best driver's car in the diesel hatchback segment, it has good FE, good after-sales, good resale value. A combination none of the other cars in the segment can match IMO. (As a driver's car- I would rate only Punto in the same level, but it misses out in the rest of the factors mentioned).

Originally Posted by man_xzone

I got my beauty (white VDi) 10 days ago. IMHO, those who are waiting, please hold on.

Congrats!

Originally Posted by P.S.Grewal

Anticipating that my scheduled delivery is couple of days away I paid the entire payment to the dealer on 13 Sept ( although the dealer didn't ask for money , but he didn't even refuse to accept the DD ) .

Always do a thorough PDI, once the vehicle reaches the showroom and then pay the full amount for the vehicle. Dealerships try to give full preferance to people who pay in cash (easier for them compared to loan processing), but by paying upfront - you have lost that upperhand. (Its now your need more than theirs!)

Originally Posted by P.S.Grewal

The reason for me writing up here is that what are the option for me . I have 6.5lac money in my kitty . My first choice still remains a Swift due to it high resale value and seriously a good product. And The only second option that I feel relevant is I20. But in I20 I do not get many safety features .

i20 is a much more expensive (For the one with ABS - Asta), but offers lot more features and much better quality of interiors. However - despite having a sweet engine - its not as fun to drive because of poor handling.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by P.S.Grewal

I think I will write an e-mail tomorrow to Maruti itself.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Which means 3 others have bribed their way into the priority list in the past month. ..... This kind of corruption is getting worse than a government office. To top this, a few days ago my friend received a few calls from unknown customers asking him to take 20k and transfer the booking to their name (so that they wouldn't have to wait long). The dealer must have given them his number definitely

This is precisely the kind of hanky panky the dealer must have done, and the regional office is involved too. That is why I think an official complaint is the only way for your case's resolution Mr.Grewal.
Ohh btw, do keep your options of really going ahead with the cancellation open. Sometimes people like these dont deserve our hard earned money at all.

[CRtorquefan]

I've also booked New Swift ZDi this 25th July2011, with expected waiting period of 6 months & Dealer quoted January-end as expected Delivery time.
As I also didn't wanted to wait & booked the car with the thought in mind that with Ramped-up production I may get my New Swift ZDi much sooner than dealer quoted.
But with the MSIL Strikes going on in full swing, the opposite is happening.
The Dealer is still getting very lesser number of Supplies & is still delivering Orders of Feb2011 & that's too happening at the time when MSIL is producing 700 New Swifts a day or 17,500 Swifts/month.
With same production status & persistent MSIL Strikes again & again, I don't think that my New Swift will arrive atleast before March2012 & I can't wait for that much long as I need the car much earlier i.e. most probably within this year.
So, now I'm also planning to go for other options like FIAT Punto or TATA Vista.

[rock75]

I don't think waiting for 6 months to 1 year for any car is worth it, there are plenty of options in the market including from Maruti, Ritz where you would get a discount too apart from new Vista which is greatly improved, Figo, Fabia, Polo etc

Still if someone has made the booking knowing fully well the demand-supply mismatch, he has no other option than to keep on waiting!

[blue_pulsar]

Originally Posted by mkpiyengar

Everyone going ga-ga over it and booking it. How many guys have actually test driven it and found it actually better than other cars in the market ? Or it is the herd mentality, my neighbour has booked new swift so i want one.

Let me just clarify that I'm not berating the vehicle by any means, I've driven the old swift VDI and ZXI and both are driver's delight. But what i fail to understand is that in these days and times, where we are spoilt for choices why do we need to wait for 6-8 months for delivery? Maruti taking Indian customers for granted ?

Give me a break. Can't stop wondering are other cars so bad ? Or is there only enthusiasts driving? Can't be true because in that case there are other cars which handle equally good if not better. Or is it the whole concept of Maruti service etc.

In my opinion I20 is an excellent package just for the sake of waiting period. No enthusiast's car but then how many of those are out there ??

Can't stop thinking !!

Cheers
MKPI

You need not think all Swift owners have 'herd mentality'. By saying so, you are not berating the vehicle but the owners. Pretty rude I must say. Everybody has their own reasons for buying a Swift.
1. Its FTD in its class
2. Its a maruti (means more resale, a.s.s. etc)
3. It has a wonderful diesel
4. Its fuel efficient
5. Looks great.
6. Doesn't have many niggling issues apart from rattling which should be fixed by now.

The list goes on and on.

Let me know if I need to elaborate on what other cars lack.

Doesn't mean Swift is perfect in any way but its still the best bet for many people.