| Address: HAL, Faizabad Road, Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226016 |
Fraud lucknow dealer - gave me accidental car in the name of demo/test drive vehicle
I bought mahindra alturas g4 on january 01, 2020 from a. Automovers pvt. Ltd., lucknow. After the test drive, i asked the sales person if that test drive vehicle was available for sale. The sales person confirmed that it was, and he will give good discount if i prefer it over a new one.
I paid the booking amount on december 18, 2019 and went ahead to apply for bank loan. This process took a bit of time as there were frequent internet shut downs in my city due to caa protests. Later i discovered from the kilometer reading that during this tenure, they continued using that already booked car to offer test drives to other prospects. When i asked why they did so, they said that none of the staff members were convinced that i would be able to buy the car, and that i was merely wasting their time.
December 30, 2019 the loan was sanctioned by the bank. Upon completing all the formalities, when i called the sales person if i could come and pick the car, he replied that car needs a bit of fixing and repainting so it can have a good and new look. He promised to deliver the vehicle the next day, which he didn't.
Finally, i got the car on january 1, 2020. After i came home, i noticed that its cigarette lighter was missing. I immediately called the sales person and asked about it. He replied that some parts like rain sensor and cigarette lighter were missing, and the order has already been placed about them. He also said that some painting is yet to be done so he may collect the car after a few days for further work. I also informed him that the rear right door was not working properly as i had to push a bit harder as compared to the rear left door to close it.
He assured that he will get it checked. He took the car on jan 12, 2020 with the promise that it will be delivered back maximum by 14th if not 13th. Finally, after several calls, i got the car back on 18th.
I was still sensing some sounds from the boot while driving and the rear right door was still hard to close. When i asked the sales person about it, he replied, "sir, it's a test drive vehicle and you need to accept the fact that it will make some noise." i wasn't convinced and got a bit suspicious.
I went to cars24 for inspection and their report said that the rear right door of the car was replaced. When i talked to one of the mahindra's ex-employee who personally knew me, he informed that this vehicle met a major accident by one of the roadways buses around one year ago, and the entire rear right portion of the car got severely damaged.
I called the sales person right away and asked about it. He denied (As expected).
I then emailed the issue to customer care along with the screenshot of the cars24’s report and asked for refund. They said, they don't consider any reports from any third-part inspection services but their own. However, they assured that they will collect my car and get it checked before going any further.
On saturday, february 15, 2020 they collected the car from my home, and sent it to the same dealer's service center. When i asked the area sales manager (Mr. Tabrez) the reason behind doing so? He said that even that service center is authorized by mahindra.
On february 17th i got an email from the general manager - sales informing that the car has been inspected and their report says it is not accidental. He also said that a copy of the report has already been emailed to mr. Niraj, customer care officer of my region.
I immediately replied back requesting them to share a copy of the report with me as well, and all of a sudden, they all vanished.
I tried calling asm mr. Tabrez, and he quit answering my calls, i asked mr. Niraj (Cco) to share the copy, he said that only the dealer is authorized to do that. I asked the general manager - sales (Of dealer's showroom), he said that mr. Niraj is authorized to share the report.
After this much of trouble, on friday 21, 2020, i received a photo (Probably captured by a mobile phone camera) of the back page of a hand-marked standard checkup report stating that all the headlights were ok, brakes were ok, no leakage in fuel tank was detected, etc., and the report was signed by some guddu electrician/technician.
I again called them up and asked how come that report was valid? They said, it was valid because it was issued by mahindra's authorized service center. They said, "the bottom line is, we don't consider any report from any third-party car inspection service providers, and our report says that the car is ok."
I asked them to get the car checked by any other mahindra’s service center, to which they asked for some time to discuss this with their seniors. Nothing came from their side. This argument continued for another couple of days.
Then i sent an rti letter to the dealer via postal mail on february 25, 2020 demanding a detailed report for my car. The next day they called up and requested me to visit to their showroom for a meeting with the owner, mr. Aasheesh talwar.
During our discussion in the meeting on february 26, 2020, mr. Talwar said that mahindra authorizes their dealers to replace any damaged or missing part of an existing customer's car with that from the test drive vehicle if there is an emergency. And the rear right door might have been replaced under any similar circumstance.
Although this didn’t (And still doesn't) make any sense due to several reasons like color mismatch, frame fittings, etc., i asked him to give this in writing along with the report stating that the car is not accidental. He said that it will be sent to me via email by the end of the day, and then i can go to the service center to get the issues with the door and sounds checked and rectified. I received no email that day.
The next day i received an email from mr. Niraj suggesting me to visit the service center for further checks and inspections. I called him up immediately and asked him about the written confirmation from the dealer. I also said, i am not going any further without any detailed report clearly stating that the car is not accidental.
He replied the car is working fine and there is no issue with the performance. When i asked if he has personally checked the car and if he has seen if the rear right door is functioning properly? He said that he hasn’t checked the car personally. When i said how can he be so sure about the car’s performance if he hasn't checked the car himself? He rudely replied, "whatever your needs are, just reply those to the mail we sent to you, and i will close the case."
I again asked for refund because it can be clearly seen that the door has been replaced, it is not closing properly, and none of mahindra’s employees are willing to share the report.
Since then, mr. Tabrez quit answering my calls, and neither customer care nor any other mahindra's person is giving any proper information.
I do receive random mails from the dealer's service center asking me to collect the car or they wouldn't be responsible for any depreciation.
Every time i call customer care, they say that mr. Tabrez is not answering their calls, and it's mr. Niraj's words that they would go for. Mr. Niraj says the car has no performance issues and since it is a test drive vehicle, it may have gone through minor repairs and dents.
Till date, i have no written confirmation from mahindra that the car is not accidental, they are refusing to disclose any further information, the customer care team says, "don't worry, we are here to help. Just give us one more day, and someone will call you with a solution", etc. And nothing is happening since past 16 days.
I am paying my emis and the car is at the service center since february 15, 2020. I was cheated by the dealer and demanding refund. However, even after so many mails, conversations, and arguments, no one from mahindra is willing to help.
Mahindra And Mahindra customer support has been notified about the posted complaint.
