Left the VW dealership feeling disrespected: Wanted to see the Taigun

All my interactions with other brand dealers like Maruti, Tata, Hyundai and Honda have been really pleasant.

BHPian vamsi_k_b recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I recently had a very bad experience at the Volkswagen showroom in Bangalore. I went in with the intention of checking out Taigun.

I was greeted by a salesperson who seemed friendly at first. But as soon as I mentioned my budget was around Rs 12 lakhs (with some flexibility), his attitude completely changed. He stopped talking to me and seemed uninterested in helping me.

I was shocked and disappointed by this behaviour. I had heard good things about Volkswagen and its customer service, but this experience made me reconsider. I left the showroom feeling disrespected.

In all honesty, I was not aware of the exact price of Virtus and Taigun before I entered the showroom.

All my interactions with other brand dealers like Maruti, Tata, Hyundai and Honda have been really pleasant. Their agents were really trying to Help me decide. Wanted to see if this is something that happens commonly in all the Premium brand dealerships.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

What an idiot. He doesn't know that he could (potentially) convince you to buy a 16-lakh car or that, when you are shopping for a 40-lakh car after 10 years, you'd go back to him if he gave you excellent service.

That being said, if you like the VW Taigun, by all means, go for that only. Don't let a salesperson put you off the brand. A related thread from me. You have to live with the car for 5 - 10 years, not with the salesman. And anyway, salespersons come and go.

If you do buy the Taigun, buy it from another salesman at the same dealership (will be the ultimate comeback), or from a different VW dealer.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

I really dislike this kind of ‘budget-based discrimination’ on the part of these showroom execs. After all, if they were all so smart and talented, wouldn’t they have a bigger work responsibility?

Brings to mind these lovely YouTube videos of the Porsche ads. Our service industry in India is pretty good overall. But these car dealerships need to invest more in attitudinal training. Inculcate passion for the customers and serving them.

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Here's what BHPian Rocky_Balboa had to say on the matter:

This is specific to the Bangalore dealer - the sales team are not of much help even after booking and needed frequent follow-ups on status etc.

I had quite the opposite experience with Skoda/VW - they did not ask for my budget nor were imposing when I asked for details. In fact, I was asked to take the Test Drive before even discussing formalities/processes to proceed further.

Here's what BHPian icKy had to say on the matter:

He didn't even mention the price of the Taigun? Should have escalated the issue at the showroom itself. It is not as if VW has a plethora of models above 25 lakhs for the SA to be so haughty.

Visit another VW showroom (aah, the perks of a metro city) in Bengaluru and try out the Taigun. A random idiot shouldn't stop you from purchasing what could be the car that you really want. And if at all you go to the same showroom, make sure to raise a complaint against him.

Here's what BHPian travelwriter had to say on the matter:

I had a somewhat similar experience. I went to a VW dealer right next to my house and I went there in Hawaii chappal and stubble on my face. The salesman refused to talk about the vehicle and staunchly refused to give any discounts even though the Vento was being discontinued (I am talking about July 2021). He did give me a test drive, though.

What I did was, I went to a different dealer, bought the vehicle but asked him to deliver it to the showroom near my house. That was my way of getting back at them.

And I agree with GTO. Do not let this bad experience impact your vehicle choice.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.