This Week's Driving - April 17th, 2000 - Log 22

Been a while, but what can one do, finding time to write editorials is very difficult with the continuous sound of dot-coms exploding outside one's window all the time. The subsequent experience of seeming them fizzle for a while and then vanish like the bubble in the equally stupid carbonated waters is even more distracting. Still, we try, and therefore, random thoughts from on board IC-165 as the scent of a much awaited breakfast wafts down the aisles . . .

What is the real truth behind high automobile sales in March 2000? One truth, and this I have it from many sources, is that many manufacturers, prime amongst them being those who have had it too good for a long time, have been forcing their dealers to accept stocks before the fiscal year closure. Sure, there are the exceptions like Ford Ikon or Hyundai Accent, where deliveries are not keeping up with production and there is a genuine waiting list, but for most of the rest, especially Maruti, it is a case of dump on the dealer.

This will result in, obviously for the poor baboon known as the customer, a bunch of old cars in April. This was very apparent in the case of a friend who took delivery of a "brand new" Maruti Esteem. Opening up the inside side door panel towards fitting some additional security equipment, we came across a thick layer of dust which would have done store-rooms not opened for a few centuries proud. It even started my asthma off again.

In other words, if you want to check whether your new car is really new, then you have no other recourse but to open up the interior panels and check within! Another way is to life the bottom fitted carpet, I guess. But no longer is the manufacturer or dealer's word enough. Ask for the excise gate pass if you have to, but don't get saddled with something made in February.

Because if you see the way new cars are parked in holding yards and stock pens all over the country you will probably convert to travelling by train, which is what I feel like doing after being served a cold breakfast of scrambled eggs made out of processed sawdust, spinach cut by a shredding machine and a tomato selected by Dante. Add a sweet muffin, some "marmalade" made by somebody in Allahabad, and butter frozen rock hard, all served by people who think passengers are parasites.

Let me tell you how it is: choose the dustiest location, preferably located down-wind from a cement factory, where nobody else will venture. Add a road that resembles a torture track because that way the rent is even lower. Now park everything you made but never sold because you never cared to ask your customer in any old fashion. Disengage speedo cables and get the local lads to practice driving skills as well as test overload factors. Once a week get the local fire brigade to run past with a high pressure hose and what have you?

Modern automobile storage for new cars in India. Don't believe me? I got photographs, I promise you, but not here.

Which, therefore, is where the dealer attitude towards service comes from. Here is a true tale, up front. I normally would not take up the cause of my own car, but this one is serious.

Leading the nomadic kind of life I have, and considering the fact that I find taxis a better bet for peace of mind as well as looking into the aspect wherein since I get test cars now and then etc etc., my own cars suffer from a distinct lack of usage. A 5 year old Zen with about 40000 genuine kilometres on the log is one example, a '67 Ambassador maintained to original spec with annual running now of about 1000 kilometres is another example. Both of them don't go too well, mainly because of lack of usage, but that is fine.

But at least they should stop well, right? Right. So when the Zen stopped stopping well, we stopped using it. Asked personal friends at MUL, who suggested their own "Maruti Service Masters", the famed one with Japanese collaboration etcetc.

Went and dropped my car there myself. Gave specific instructions on what was to be done. And what was not to be done. The fact that they fouled things up miserably there is not the point.

The point is that after all this and a fat bill, they delivered a car back home with defective brakes. So big deal, they fixed the a/c, replaced most of the carb, but they did not fix the brakes.

Is this criminal? It is. What can I, as a customer, do? I can shout from the top of the trees, that is all, apparently. Should I give the car back to Maruti to repair? Am I crazy?

Eventually, the car is back to where it started from, parked and unused, because the brakes have not been fixed. And since I have personal friends in MUL, I can't even take the matter up. But, Mr. Jagdish Khattar, if I were you and if I know how your driver pelts having followed your Baleno on a couple of occaisons, I would test the brakes myself. I'll come and do them, if you want, since your best workshop couldn't.

And that brings us to the topic of the day, or to where my laptop's batteries run out . . . dealer attitude in India.

Most of us would think that manufacturers and dealers are there to sere customers, right? Wrong. Manufacturers are there to keep dealers with them at all costs and dealers are there to earn a minimum 3% return on their investment, compounded with daily rests to keep up with inflation and other such matters. Poor baboon who is the customer, he or she is there only to be given the merry go round, it would seem. They have a merry time amongst themselves, the manufacturer and the dealer, forcing down the throat of the unwary customer, especially in India, one-sided deals where the fine print would be thrown out of any court abroad. To give an example, take a look at the difference in warranty levels of most automobiles and their equivalent models abroad. Would you believe three time?

Which is one reason, the raison de etre or othe such french stuff which means reasons for existence, of your site cybersteering. We have the audience, growing everyday. We are not looking at becoming a a "POS" or point of sale. We do not depend on advertising or other freebies from the manufacturers as do our ad rate list carrying "editorial" brethren from the print and tv media. We run a tight ship with contributions from you and minimal costs on us.

And now we are being approached by manufacturers as well as dealers to sell out to them. The sums of money being offered are amazing, and sometimes it is tempting to accept. But then, just as we start thinking, along comes a letter from a reader, one of which we reproduce below, and we, Shailesh & I, say to each other, no boss, there are many consumers and customers out there who depend more on us than they do on their own dealers. Here is one such letter which persuades us to stay afloat on our own through storm and high tide . . .

(A copy of the correspondence we had with one such person who wrote in. Subsequent to this letter, the complete technical team descended on the lady and fixed her car. Joy is being told : "please don't complain through cybersteering again!!!". Things work if you write to us, right?

Dear Prema V,
1) I had always told you to buy anything but an MUL product.
2) Please add your feedback to the columns at cybersteering.
3) I am not surprised at your dilemna; you should see the state of (non-running) affairs with our Zen; previously it never ran well, now it doesn't even stop well.
4) You are part of a large groundswell of customers with MUL product problems.
5) The only thing I can do is to mark copies of letters like yours received to other potential car buyers.
6) I am never ever going to buy an MUL product again and nor will I ever suggest one to anybody. In this I have ample support over the Internet from many members of the infotech industry. Join us!

I can only wish you all the best and co-sympathise with you. With MUL, if you keep quiet you are a good customer, if you complain genuinely, then you are somebody who has a strange tenor to his/her messages and gets their hackles up. All these years they have run a ration shop; now they don't have the faintest clue of what happens to the South End of a North Bound cow. And they continue to behave in the most arrogant, supercilious and condescending manner. You are stuck with your car; I can only sympathise with you, at least it runs. Mine does not stop, though it does, sort of, run.

regards/Veeresh
http://www.cybersteering.com

----- Original Message -----
From: viswanath (sentinel@nde.vsnl.net.in)
To: Maruti (rajibm@maruti.co.in)
Cc: Arun Kumar (trakads@vsnl.com); (veeresh@vsnl.com)
Sent: 14 April 2000 00:20
Subject: WagonR

Sir,
On the 31st of March we took delivery of a Maruti WagonR Lx from Allied Motors ,5 Scindia house. The Chassis is No.105127 and engine No.4004784. For the first week the car ran perfectly and we were very happy with our purchase. But this was short lived. On the 10th of April when we tried to start the car to our dismay we found that it did not start we called the MOS and the mechanic after a few tries got it started and assured us that all was fine. But this was not so, on various occasssions since then we had the same problem, finally the car was taken to XXX YYY Motors at AAABBBCCC where it was found that the Self Starter had come loose!! The same has now been fixed. We are pained to find that a car which we had choosen based on the reports regarding its performance should have such poor workmanship. We have also found that other small parts on the door have also come loose and rattle. A company of your stature should definitly be able to boast of better QC. We trust some remedial action will be taken on your part.
Prema Viswanath

Veeresh,
Am sending you a copy to you as advised by DDDFFF. We feel other customers | should be aware of this before they decide to buy a WagonR.
Prema

The point is not whether MUL is a bad product or others are good. The point is: why should an automobile manufacturer and dealer's customers have to reach a stage where they get in touch with us?

And that, dear and gentle reader, is our strength. We stay with you, you with us.

Cheers, battery still on and about to commence descent into Mumbai . . . where I test drive a new car on the Mumbai-Pune route ina few minutes. . . . yes, there are good times, too . . . hope the ghat section is clear?

Drivers Log
Veeresh Malik
The Edit Team
bluepencil@cybersteering.com

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