1. CUSTOMER CARE OR DO WE CARE?
This article is based on my personal experience with Maruti, Toyota, Chevrolet
and Honda. All of them profess to be customer centric. Would you agree?
What would you do if you were them?
Car sales are down, and the economy has a lot to do with this. But between
cars, why is there a variation in sales?
Have you tried to buy a car recently? Where do you get information? Yes you
do get some product information, but have you tried to find a dealership? It’s
not easy, depending on the car company. In fact, we went looking for a foreign
car showroom. It wasn’t where the website said it was. We then called Just
Dial and they told us to go to Ring Road (turns out this showroom had moved
out 4 years ago). We called again and were sent to Okhla which turned out to
be a service centre. I wrote to the President of the company telling him about
our experience. Never heard from him!
The next is getting a test drive. No one really cares. I will give the example of
one Japanese company. I was told the salesmen were in a meeting and would
call in an hour. I had also asked for a test drive from the company. The
company (a Japanese one) call center called the next day and asked if we had
had a test drive. I said no. They said someone would call. And the same girl
called me back apologising, and she would have someone call. Someone called
me in the afternoon and asked the same questions (type of car, manual or
automatic etc) He said he would send a car soon. Never heard from him again.
Two days later, I called the girl and she apologised and said something would
happen right away. Today is ten days later. No hear from them! (I’ve already
bought one)
Another car company (another Japanese company) sent us a car, dented,
unwashed….my wife described the car as a used taxi…she would not buy the
brand.
Finally we bought a foreign car from a third dealer. He told us to pick up the
car the next day at 2pm. I checked at 12 noon, and the car would be ready at
2pm. I called at 2.30pm while leaving the house and was told the car was ready
and all the add ons were done. We reached and could see no new car of the
brand. My son quipped it must be the one outside that looked like it was a
used car, full of dirt and dust, and it was.

2. On insisting on seeing the car, to our shock and dismay, that was the new car
they were giving us. It was not ready, nor were the add ons done.
No apologies, just give us time and the car will be cleaned up!
We left and three hours later there is no phone call telling us what is
happening.
This is Customer Care at its best (which translates into I don’t care). How do
they expect to sell cars? What’s your reaction? Do respond.
Gautam Mahajan
President, Customer Value Foundation
Mahajan@customervaluefoundation.com