How a Tata dealership deceitfully sold me a damaged Harrier: What now

I did not sign on the delivery note but the SUV has already been registered to my name at the RTO.

Thanks to Mahesh Chandwani for sending this information in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

I am writing to share my unfortunate experience with Tata Motors and the purchase of my Tata Harrier XZA+.

On 27/03/2023, I booked a Tata Harrier XZA+ and paid Rs. 21,000 by cheque as the booking amount. On 30/03/2023, I paid Rs. 5,00,000 by cheque and was promised that the car would be delivered on 14/04/2023. However, this promise was not fulfilled, and I was informed that my car would be delivered on 22/04/2023. So, I paid the remaining amount (Rs. 21,39,000) on 13/04/2023.

Despite several attempts to check the car before registration, the employees refused and insisted that there was no need as the car was safely kept and in proper condition. On 22/04/2023, when I went to take the delivery of the car, I was asked to wait for 30 to 45 minutes, and when I asked them where my car was, they said it was on its way. One of their employees then asked me to sign the delivery note before I could check the car, but I refused and insisted on seeing the car first.

Upon inspection, I noticed several issues with the car such as the bonnet not being properly aligned, a dent near the edge of the tail light, uneven gaps around the tailgate, scratches on the body, poor colour finishing, etc. I refused to take the delivery and did not sign the delivery note. When I asked for a brand new car with no problems, the manager refused and said that I had no other option as it was already registered.

Further, I was promised free 3M colour polishing and floor mats, but none of these promises was fulfilled. I am extremely disappointed with the whole experience and requested a brand new car with no issues and with all the promises fulfilled, or else a full refund of my money with interest at 2% per month.

It has been more than 12 days, but still, no solution has been provided by the dealership or Tata Motors. The dealership is forcing me to take delivery of the car. I even asked the dealership to provide me with the PDI report, but they have failed to do so.

I would appreciate it if you could advise me on how to proceed further and take this matter up with Tata Motors. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I am attaching images of the car.

Here's what BHPian fusionbang had to say about the matter:

Can't do much now once the car is registered. First mistake is to make payment upfront to the dealer, without a PDI. At least, if the payment was made the OP should have made sure to let the dealer know that he would like to see the car and all these checks should have been made before the car was sent for registration, no matter what reasons they gave. I think the first red spot, was when the dealer didn't allow to check the car. Even if the car is deregistered at the RTO, there is no way RTO will return the registration amount in my opinion.

I would suggest OP to accept the car, get all the issues rectified by the dealer and enjoy the car if it is mechanically sound with no niggles.

Here's what BHPian BleueNinja had to say about the matter:

As a thumb rule, No PDI No Payment. If the dealer is being difficult about it then they can keep their beloved car with themselves for all I care.

The first red flag was when they promised OP a delivery date but didn’t deliver it on the date and then asked for the remaining amount before even being willing to let him see the car.

Therefore I have mentioned in one of my previous posts to check the car thoroughly before making the payment because neither of our Desi Automotive Giants is known for their QC.

Once bought It’s best to ignore these little issues and get it rectified by the dealer as a goodwill gesture on their part and move on. As being fixated on them will merely dampen your experience with the car after the fact that the car has been registered and brought home.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.