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Old 24th April 2009, 21:37   #1
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Funny incident with NEW Honda City

Hi all,

You must have read my earlier thread about my New Honda City. I will now be completing 6 months with this car. I have a funny incident which I would like to share with all Team BHP members.

Disclaimer: I am not doing this for any personal gain/to defame anyone/for any compensation. Just so that people are aware of Honda and its dealer’s realities in India.

I booked my car on the 28th of October I think, just a few days after its launch by paying 1 lac as advance. I was allotted the car in the first week of deliveries and I think got it on 30th November.

The full payment of the car was done 1 week before dispatch on information that the car was allotted to me. At time of payment I had also asked for accessories to be fitted in the car. I went for the elegance kit comprising of bumper protectors, side protectors, tail pipe finisher, those sexy blue door lights etc. I also booked the rear fog lamps set. Total bill for accessories was about 28000.

At time of delivery the rear fog lamps had not come so I agreed to wait for them. This too after booking 2 weeks in advance. Honda Logistics at work. Even the paint job on the protectors was shoddy, the raaste ka painting type. I brought this to the notice of the executive who agreed to rectify it when I got the car for the fog lamps.

One week later Linkway calls and says the parts have come. I drop the car off in the morning and in the evening I get information that the wiring diagram has not come with the kit, so we cannot fit it. Again Honda Logistics at work

One week later I get another call saying that the diagram has come, kindly get your car. Again same story repeats, however it is a combination switch which is missing. Again I take my car back in the evening. Again Honda Logistics at work

Now comes the fun part. Honda and the dealer bounce me around with excuses. I contact Honda one-2-one, Honda corporate office, etc just to be told there is no firm date of getting the part. Finally I decide to enjoy the new year and wait for Honda.

In January, I get a call from Honda saying that sir the part has come and we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused. Please coordinate with dealer to get it fitted. As a gesture from our side the rear lamps are free of cost.

I go to Linkway. It fits the part. Happily I ask for my refund amount thinking I will spend the money on some other accessory.

NOW COMES THE FUNNY PART.

HONDA GAVE ME JUST THE SWITCH FREE OF COST. AND SINCE IT WAS NOT LINKWAY'S FAULT CHARGED ME THE FULL LABOUR FOR THAT PART. SO I WAS LOOKING AT A REFUND OF Rs. 4008, I GOT ONLY Rs. 662. EXPLANATION BY HONDA WAS THAT SINCE ONLY THAT PART WAS DELAYED, WE WILL ONLY GIVE THAT FREE. LINKWAY SAYS, SINCE IT WAS NOT OUR FAULT WE WILL NOT WAIVE OFF LABOUR.

I DID NOT TAKE THAT CHEQUE AT THAT TIME AS I WAS NOT INTERESTED IN SUCH MISERLINESS. HOWEVER NOW I AM PLANNING TO SEND THIS CHEQUE ACROSS TO THE MD OF HONDA SIEL INDIA WITH A LETTER EXPLAINING THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS AND REQUESTING HIM TO DONATE THAT AMOUNT TO HIS FAVOURITE CHARITY.

Honda makes one of the better cars in India in its segment. However such things make one laugh. A company that places an unreasonable premium on its technology, resorts to such tactics when confronted with its own mistake.

Hope this helps all of you people who are contemplating purchasing a Honda, and for others - Happy reading.

P.s. I have purposefully left out exhaustive details, names of executives from Linkway and Honda who were involved as I have no personal vendetta. The whole incident has been a joke for me. I had escalated this issue to quite a few levels in Linkway/Honda only to find the same non committal, vague, funny and lost responses. Still anyone who is curious and wants to know who to avoid in Linkway can message me for details.

Regards.
f50xj13


Link to my thread : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ome-today.html
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Old 24th April 2009, 21:47   #2
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All these cheapskate dealers MUST be taken to task. Even I had a harrowing experience with the dealer of my car. You have to bring it to Honda Motors' notice with the entire saga as well as the cheque. And take an acknowledgement of the same from them for the future.
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Old 24th April 2009, 23:03   #3
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We have had horror stories from Skoda .. Now its Honda .. This is a serious case buddy needs to be escalated to greater heights .. Well done in not receiving the cheque, thats no less than a tight slap on the right side of Honda's face.
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Old 24th April 2009, 23:07   #4
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This is a funny indicent? I think your scales are inverted. By that yardstick harishv's story should be a laugh riot.

Escalate this.
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Old 24th April 2009, 23:37   #5
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Well, this isn't something new. I guess it just common practice around here to people give a short time frame when they know that it automatically implies that short time frame * 10.

I get frustrated when i hear, 5 mins and i'm kept to wait an hour before even a response.

Rs 4000 is just peanuts to the a car manufacturer but that gesture can buy a lot from a customer. When are these people going to learn such a fact? I just love this car just like I love the looks of a Laura but its inevitable that we go thru such irresponsible dealers and worse in Skoda to get these piece of beauties.

Your doing the right job by returning that cheque. I think you should ask him to fit himself with a after market rear fog lamps...
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Old 24th April 2009, 23:59   #6
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Guys, it is not a case that I want to escalate. just wanted to draw your attention so that future honda buyers are not taken thus for a ride .

It is funny cause Honda Customer Representatives think a customer is a vegetable vendor.
How funny is it to offer compensation on the delayed part only and not on the complete kit which I may add was not in my possession till the part in question came.
It is like haggling with your local bhaji wallah.

Honda little realizes that offering a Rs. 662 compensation to a customer paying Rs. 10,74,000/- hard cash for the car without a demo/TD, just so its a Honda, is an insult.

I was never interested in a freebie, I paid ridiculously high rates on its accessories cause I prefer original parts.

Even the executive who sold me the car at Linkway did not bother to follow up for resolution of my case. Come to think of it he did not even follow up after the day I purchased the car.

Executives approached at Linkway :
Sales : - 4 people, no help whatsoever/absolutely during the sale and during my issue.
Parts :- 4 people, good response, but helplessness due to unavailability of parts.
CR : - 2 people, they called, : clueless, false promises and fake apologies.

Executives approached at Honda :-
1-2-1 : Lost count, no help whatsover, only express regret and promise escalation
Honda HQ :- 2 people, tried helping, was happy with help i got from them, they blew it away with their bhaji wallah attitude :


Please spread the word to future Honda buyers.

Last edited by f50xj13 : 25th April 2009 at 00:03. Reason: spelling mistakes
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Old 25th April 2009, 00:01   #7
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Did Skoda inspire Honda in any way? Looking at the way things are going, Skoda seems to have some competition when it comes to delivering crap to its customers!
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Old 25th April 2009, 00:06   #8
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Am sure they will brush this off as an 'one-off' incident and smile about it.
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Old 25th April 2009, 00:09   #9
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I think Honda are truly trying to follow Skoda. Every day you get hear horrid stories as to how Honda is treating its customer. Here is a Thread explaining the incidents that happened with me recently while getting my car serviced

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...e-service.html
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Old 25th April 2009, 01:33   #10
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Another funny part : The executive who sold me the fog lamps had no idea of its functioning.
Only after we had it installed we came to know how it is activated and best part yet : only the right side bulb lights up : Honda Explanation : We follow global standards which say a left hand drive car will have its left side bulb lit and vice versa. This was not known to the sales guy/his team leader/ his manager?

I am happy with the car otherwise (alloys,fogs,climate control,leather interiors dont excite me much ) but if this would have been a Ford or a GM, they would have lost even more sales due to this.
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Old 25th April 2009, 02:04   #11
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This should not be let off, you've paid a lot of money for the thing. I think you should courier they cheque to HONDA HQ
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Old 25th April 2009, 07:42   #12
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No alloy wheels for the ANHC top end model.

Please turn to the section about wheels for the top end ANHC in the owners manual and you will find that they are supposed to come with 16 inch wheels and 185/55 width tires but you will be surprised that not one car has come out of the Honda plant with alloys fitted at the factory. My friend who bought an automatic fullly loaded ANHC last month has already escalated this matter with the company after I showed him the daylight robbery being practised by HONDA.
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Old 25th April 2009, 08:33   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sam_boy View Post
We have had horror stories from Skoda .. Now its Honda ..
There seem to more and more cases of poor service (both pre-sales and after-sales) being reported by Honda customers.

While none have been as serious as Harish's case one does get the impression that Honda and it's dealers are abusing the emminent position in the permium car segment enjoyed by the brand. At one time Skolda too had this reputation (When the Skoda Tdi was relased it was an unqualifed sucess) but they took their eye of the ball and the market reacted.

I dont know if any Honda representatives follow the posts here on TBHP but if they are they need to take serious notice to the number of reports here and put systems in place to nip these problems in before they become a bigger problem.

A bad reputation once gained is hard to reverse. FIAT for example still struggles to fight the reputation it gained (for poor service) when it was partnered by PAL. Skoda (as can be seen on Harish's and GTO's threads) has only just taken notice of this and will have a long hard road to regain it's reputation as a manufacturer that offers good and fair service via it's dealers.

It's begining to look like a cruel joke that less permium car manufacturers aka Maruti and Hyundai seem to have fewer customer complaints that Honda and Skoda. At the other end of the scale Mercedes Benz and BMW also have (so far) garnered a record for good (if not excellent) service.

Honda/Skoda, It is not the number of cars you have (to service) or the number of customers you have (at any one time) but the systems and processes you have put in place to ensure that your dealers serve these customers fairly and quickly. What I find both companies lack is a "close teh loop process". In my experience neither Skoda or Honda never contacts the customer directly after a car has been serviced - even customers who complain of poor service are rarely addressed.

Disclaimer: After the meeting 3 TBHP Mods (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1268805-post1441.html) had with Skoda representatives, there have been reports that Skoda has started contacting some of it's customers. However the jury is still out whether this will translate to corresponding action on the ground.

Quote:
Originally Posted by neoranjit View Post
Am sure they will brush this off as an 'one-off' incident and smile about it.
Honda, this is not a one-off incident. From my friends and family I have got many minor reports of poor or apathetic service (both pre-sales and post-sales) by Honda dealers (atleast the two bigger dealers in Mumbai - Linkway and Arya). In most of these cases I am contacted (by my family and friends) to intervene and resolve the matter. I do not think it is a correct process to have where every complaint has to be followed up aggresively before it is resolved.

Last edited by navin : 25th April 2009 at 08:39.
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Old 25th April 2009, 10:47   #14
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the way you are spamming the link for this thread all over the forum is quite unwelcome. I would rather you not do that
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Old 25th April 2009, 11:40   #15
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Honda's service levels leave a lot to be desired without a doubt. Quality is inconsistent at best. However, the allegations are not as serious as in the case of Skoda (fraud etc.).

Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhorn View Post
the way you are spamming the link for this thread all over the forum is quite unwelcome. I would rather you not do that
I agree. f50xj13, do NOT SPAM the forum with useless offtopic oneliner posts.
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