How a Nexa dealer makes a royal mess of my Jimny purchase experience

A dealer driver had rammed the door of the Toyota Innova into the rear wheel arch cladding of my Maruti Jimny while trying to reverse the car.

BHPian DKG recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I wanted to get a small hatchback as my V-Cross is a bit of an elephant in some parts of the city where I live. My wife seems to have this aversion to hatchbacks so to my dismay she ruled out getting one. I was toying with the idea of a Grand Vitara and we test drove one. She liked it. I did too, but just as luck would have it, Maruti announced the launch of the Jimny in India. After having let my beloved CJ-3B go the idea of a small off-roader tugged at my heart.

I called a Nexa dealership in Banjara Hills Hyderabad to enquire when the bookings would open. They said the bookings were open and that I could book with just Rs 11000/-. They had no clue when the car would be available for delivery. I was okay with it. At the showroom, as I was about to pay the executive said, "Sir the booking amount is Rs 25000/- now". Irritated I said between a phone call in the morning and a few hours later, how come the booking rate changed? Anyways I guess sometimes a little aggression gets you results. They accepted my booking for an automatic Alpha variant in Arctic White.

Months passed and I called the executive a couple of times to see if there was any news of the impending launch. No news.

So here's a list of things Nexa gets horribly wrong and the dealer seems to specialise in adding to the list.

Just as some background to my credentials, I am an industry veteran with 20 years of hardcore retail experience and a greater part of it in managing an entire dealership at all levels.

I sincerely hope Maruti and their dealer wake up to realise the nitty gritty of creating customer delight.

Here's my feedback

• The only thing I received from Maruti was a sms confirming my booking. Nothing else. Even when the pdf brochure was produced Maruti didn't bother to send me one. When a customer books a vehicle unseen, as a manufacturer, you build on the excitement by feeding the customer tidbits to whet his appetite and boost his anticipation of the purchase.

Maruti gets tongue-tied when it comes to welcoming customers and engaging them. In a world of digital media, from exciting videos to customer testimonies around the world so much can be done. Just in Hyderabad alone, 200 individuals had booked the Jimny. Around the country, the figure was in excess of 20000.

Maruti and the dealer went completely silent. It was left to me to keep following up for brochures and when the car was to arrive in Hyderabad for display.

• News and media reports started to arrive that a Jimny was on display at a Delhi showroom. I guess for reasons best known Maruti decided to do a reveal in piece meal. The internet was flooded with vlogs on the Jimny. I obviously lapped it all up.

Once again I had to call the showroom in Hyderabad where I had booked my Jimny to ask when it would arrive in Hyderabad. They had no clue.

So Maruti didn't bother to even set a timetable for a round-the-country display schedule.

One fine day I open the local paper to see a picture of a Jimny at a different showroom in Hyderabad. I called them and get told they have no idea when it will reach the dealership where I had made the booking for their turn to display. As the showroom was on the other side of town I figured I'd wait a little longer.

One day as I was driving past my dealership in Banjara I notice a Jimny parked in their delivery bay. Obviously, the dealer didn't think it was necessary to inform me to come see the car.

I stopped by the showroom to discover the car was just about to be delivered to a customer.

The customer noticed I was keen on seeing the car and as I happen to know him, he kindly offered for me to see his car. Hesitant to even sit in a car just about to be delivered I spent some time admiring the beauty from outside and took a peak inside. I was pleased with what I saw. The finish of the car is impressive.

• Rule number one in retail trade is to get customers to test drive cars you want to sell.

With the Jimny, Maruti missed a major opportunity to create a buzz. I would have hired a venue in each city, sent a dozen Jimnys, invited all the booking customers to a special preview and work at building a sense of community.

Instead, Maruti and their dealer behave like being clueless about how to treat customers who have booked a car.

My next logical question to the dealer was 'When can I test drive it? And when do the deliveries start" I get the usual answer, "We don't know sir".

So I see a Jimny delivered from the dealer but the dealer doesn't know when a display car reaches them or when a demo would be available.

Once again it took a call after some days to find out that a demo was ready. I asked why they didn't inform me. Again they sidetrack the issue. Anyways I asked them to send a demo to my house which they did and finally, I got to drive a Jimny. I liked it. I wanted it.

When I ask the dealer when I can expect my car the dealer asks me for the reference of my booking. I said "Don't you have a full list of bookings with names and references to booking receipts", the answer was "No sir". So I had to pull out the receipt to then be told I was 9th on the list. I asked given the schedule of arrivals when could I expect my car. No clue!

So here we have a dealer who orders cars but tells customers they have no clue when they can expect their car. It didn't take much to realise the dealer was trying to favour people out of line. Which is okay, this is India.

Finally, I call again in a few days to be told my white Jimny had arrived. Being particular I wanted to see the car before I paid for it. "We bring the car to the showroom just a day before delivery sir" was the answer. Which meant I was to complete all the formalities and balance payments before the car gets requisitioned from the dealer's yard.

The dealer tried to sell me other colours, I wonder why? I insisted I wanted a white alpha auto.

I complete all the formalities and get to see the car. I cleared them to do the TR and was told I could come the next day to take delivery.

• When I arrived at the showroom I find my Jimny parked in the parking lot, open and semi-clean. The delivery bay was empty and I couldn't understand why they hadn't parked my car in.

Random customers were walking up to my car wanting to sit in. I had to tell them the car was to be delivered. Surely the dealer could respect a customer's car by keeping it locked.

I had ordered floor mats, front bumper cladding and a rear spare cover, that had been installed.

As I was talking to staff about accessories a customer drives up and parks his Innova a foot and a half away from the car. He gets out and tries to get into my car. I had to stop him again. The dealer staff and security are clueless about what's happening. Interestingly the customer was fascinated by my choice and had a barrage of questions for me which I patiently answered. He thanked me and moved into the showroom.

I was standing beside the car trying to figure out whether the door cladding would look good when to my horror my car shifted a few inches toward me at the rear.

A dealer driver had rammed the door of the Innova into the rear wheel arch cladding while trying to reverse the customer's car while the driver's door was open.

Horrified we walk over to the side where the Innova door is jammed into the Jimny's wheel arch cladding. Luckily the damage was limited to the wheel cladding and as I was in no mood to wait any longer I asked them to just cannibalise parts from another new Jimny at the back and let me leave with the car. The showroom staff after some hesitation did go ahead and change the cladding. As it was almost dark I was quite fed up with the whole episode and just wanted to get out asap.

The car was brought back to the delivery room and after a rushed show of cleaning it up, they delivered the car to me.

The next day to my horror I realise the Innova door had scraped the wheel rim as well taking some paint off. Again I had to rush back to the showroom and made a hue and cry about the showroom being careless in not spotting the damage to the wheel. Again after some hesitation, they changed the wheel.

On the third day while washing the car I notice a tiny scratch and dent on the chrome wheel cover which is an accessory. Back to the dealer again to show the problem, which is still unresolved. By now, I was completely fed up with the Nexa dealership and their pathetic standards of service.

Far from creating delight, Maruti and the Nexa dealership excelled at making a royal mess of my Jimny purchase.

A week passes and I am yet to receive the invoice and other registration documents.

The only redeeming factor in all this is that as I drive the car every day, it manages to put a smile on my face. I just love it, and so does my family.

Maruti Suzuki has a long way to go before understanding the abc of creating customer delight.

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