Pathetic TVS iQube S buying experience: Booking, PDI & delivery

Preferred the TVS e-scooter over the Ather 450X & the Ola S1 Pro.

BHPian Max5414 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Bhpian,

I just wanted to share my pathetic buying experience with the TVS I-Qube S.

My TVS Ntorq, which is now 5 years old and has clocked 29,000 kilometres after 2 major accidents, was showing its age, and I was feeling the need for a new scooter for my basic city commute. My requirements were for a small, lightweight scooter with a minimum range of 100 kilometres that my wife and I could use to get around town.

I shortlisted three scooters:

Ola S1 Pro

Here in my city, the S1 Pro was costing Rs. 1.45 lakh, and it is loaded with features, but I did not book it immediately because of all the horror stories circulating over the internet about its poor build and QC issues. I kept it in reserve and thought of waiting for some time so that the company could sort out the issues and then take a decision, but later dropped it and booked the I-Qube ST variant.

Ather 450X

It was costing us around 1.6 lakhs and was a solid contender. good range and good features, but my wife rejected it due to its tall stanchion and narrow pillion seat. But I must tell you that it is the most perfect electric scooter in India right now.

TVS I-Qube S/ST

I went to a nearby TVS showroom to check out I-Qube. The scooter is a well-designed product. The base variant was on display with a 75-kilometre range. I checked out its features and asked about its waiting period, and I left as the base variant was not suitable for my usage as I was looking for a minimum of 100 km range. Later that month, TVS announced the updated I-Qube, which has a range of 100 kilometres in the S variant and 140 kilometres in the ST variant. I went to the showroom to check it out, but only the base variant was on display, with no sign of the S variant. I considered waiting until some online reviews were released or the Team-BHP review. After some days, YouTube videos started pouring in with good reviews about its satisfactory performance in the city and no major issues with it. but no one was talking about the ST variant, so I thought of taking the plunge and booked the ST variant on the TVS website with a Rs 999 booking amount. Once the booking was made, I received an email and SMS confirmation confirming the same, and the status showed a delivery timeline of around September.

I started waiting patiently for September as I was in no hurry to buy one, but after waiting for three months, I saw no sign of TVS launching the ST variant, which was supposed to be launched in September. The status on the website changed from September to December. Meanwhile, my Ntorq met with an accident and was taken to the service centre for repairs; a month was quoted for the completion of repairs, and spare parts were unavailable. Can you believe it? Spare parts for their flagship scooter were not available and had to be ordered, and it is the biggest dealership in my town. Hence, as I was in need of a 2-wheeler, I decided to let go of the ST variant and changed my booking to the S variant in grey colour on the website, which was showing 120 days for delivery.

In the meantime, I got a call from OLA stating guaranteed delivery in 10 days of the S1 Pro, but at the same time, one of my friends also got his Ola delivered, and he recommended I to wait for a few days as he was facing some issues with his brand new S1 Pro, like battery drain and some software glitches, and OLA was taking time to address those issues. So I dropped my plans for OLA and decided to wait for TVS.

I got a call from the TVS dealer (Abirami Motors or RA TVS, Tiruppur) just before Diwali to say that your scooter has been allotted and has reached the showroom, and if you make the payment, we can deliver it post-Diwali holidays. I went to the showroom to check out the scooter, do the PDI, and confirm it. I also got a WhatsApp message from TVS Credit about some Diwali offers with coupons and discounts worth Rs. 15k if we take finance from them, so I thought of checking that offer with them also.

I was excited about the new vehicle, but I had no idea that my entire experience would be ruined and bitter as a result of it.

I reached the showroom and approached the salesgirl for the vehicle details and PDI. I asked for a price estimate with a detailed breakdown. They have a separate team for I-Qube sales, but the Abirami Motors crew lacks training and expertise, and they are just familiar with the vehicle's printed prices. I asked for a detailed breakdown of insurance and registration charges because they were charging me 8,000 for both, and I knew that registration charges for an EV in TN are very nominal (INR 300 inclusive of everything), but the sales girl had no idea and asked me to wait so that she could check with her manager and get back to me. Meanwhile, I considered inquiring about loan offers, but they immediately denied that they had any affiliation with TVS Credit. Yes, you read that right—TVS dealerships do not offer loans via TVS’s own finance. I decided to pay in full in cash because they were charging very high-interest rates for a 2-year loan, which I thought was not worth it. After waiting for half an hour, the manager appeared and asked me for a query regarding insurance and registration breakup. I asked him about the insurance coverage and about zero-dep coverage, and to my surprise, he had no clue about it. He told me right away that I could get insurance from somewhere else if I wanted to, and the only information he could give me was that the insurance is from SBI General and that the coverage is for one to three years. I had already wasted enough time in the showroom and wanted to leave, so I inquired about the vehicle's PDI.

I did a quick PDI on the scooter and paid in advance. I enquired about the accessories available and decided to get a side step and centre stand for it, but they were not in stock, and the salesgirl promised to get them after Diwali. I was also told that the vehicle would be sent for registration after the Diwali holidays. I agreed and left. I made the full payment and requested an invoice for insurance. I got my insurance done from Royal Sundaram as I had a good experience with them, and I already have car insurance from them for my Tata Altroz I-turbo dark edition.

I was informed that they would complete the registration and deliver the vehicle while collecting the payment, but to my surprise, a day before the delivery date, the salesgirl calls and informs me that I must be here for the registration of the scooter because it is a requirement from the RTO that the owner is present.

She did her best to deceive me, but when I pushed her, she eventually admitted that they are requesting all owners to come and complete the registration because they don't have enough staff. I got mad at them and asked why they hadn’t informed me earlier about this and why they were charging close to $3k for registration if they didn’t have staff for it. I spoke with the manager about it, but he was unconcerned and insisted that I come down to the showroom, which is 12 kilometres from my house and get it done.

They told me to come at 9 a.m. for the registration and that they would have all the necessary paperwork ready. I sent my brother to the RTO to complete the registration, which was supposed to be done by the dealership. However, when my brother arrived at the showroom to pick up the vehicle, he was given only the invoice and told that all other documents were already with their agent, who would be present at the RTO to guide us. He left and reached the RTO, where he learned that some of the paperwork was missing and that the registration could not be completed that day.

When I called the showroom, they began making ridiculous excuses. and asked me to drop the scooter back off at the showroom, where they would get it done. I got furious at them, yelled at them, and asked them to pick up the vehicle from my office if they wanted to, or else they could process the refund and take back the scooter. I declined and told them that if they still wanted it, they could come to pick it up from my office. The manager was unconcerned, saying okay and cutting the call without apologizing. Unexpectedly, they had staff for this. Their staff came and picked up the scooter and took it to the showroom.

On Monday, the saleswoman called my brother and requested that he come to the dealership to register the vehicle. I was furious but tired at this point and wanted to just cancel the booking and get a refund, but decided to let go and move on as I needed the vehicle, so I told him to go and get it done and get over this pathetic experience.

The vehicle was registered and we brought it home and called it a day. I was informed that the number plates will arrive in 2 days and we can bring the scooter to the showroom to get it fixed.

I will share my initial experience with the vehicle once I complete 500 km with it.

Thank you

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

Such experiences are so frustrating to even read about!

TVS really doesn't seem interested in selling the iQube. Here in Mumbai, they have just 1 dealer, and that too in Kalyan. How are they expecting to serve the Western suburb's customers? The only answer seems to be that, they don't want to. And even that 1 dealer has horrible reviews on Google.

I wonder how there's no accountability in such cases. Or is it that these established manufacturers simply don't care thinking there would be someone else who would replace the customer they just lost?

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

Absolute pathetic experience and that dealership and manager don't deserve the position they occupy. I haven't heard of such an experience where customers were asked to run to the RTO to get it registered while they take the money. Unacceptable.

Raise the same to TVS and honestly, anyone who has issues with a manufacturer should first escalate it with the manufacturer as that's the correct process and then share their experiences here.

I know it's difficult when you need a scooter but if I were you I wouldn't have entertained their RTO story and cancelled my booking or escalated to TVS.

Honestly, after their sorry state of workshop and service experience with the NTorq, I would've skipped TVS altogether for my next purchase.

Although the iQube hasn't gathered a lot of headlines so I expect your service centre visits will be lower and I wish another TVS dealership open around you soon

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

It is unfortunate to have a pathetic sales experience but remember that the product itself has very good reviews even on this forum. Don't let the bad sales experience spoil your mood and just enjoy your scooter to the fullest. Looking forward to your review.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.