Hello,

I booked Honda Jazz on 8th Sep 2011.

Experience with Honda Sales manager at Highway Honda, Bhubaneswar had not been an appreciating experience prior to booking. Honda guys are just not interested to entertain customer query and often ignore calls. Although it was disappointing to not to be welcomed to Honda family, the very feeling of owning a prestigious and robust Honda product in future attracts customer to Honda Showroom. And they know that very well and that’s the reason they carry so much of complacency.

Damn with him, when you love a product, you completely ignore the other factors surrounding it. So I went there and handed over booking amount Check of 50,000.

After that, a series of follow-ups, only from my side, never from Highway Honda. As per them, I was first few of people who booked Honda, so I should get the delivery soon (within 15 days). I said its fine, if not Dussehra, I will get delivery within Diwali. And entire this period I was planning various accessory combinations and electronics to grandiose celebration of my ownership. I was owning a new car after 5 years and had gotten rid of my new car. So the wait was uncomfortable, but thought worth it.

But it was a real patience test with false all kind of false assurance like ‘since you have booked a popular color (silver), you will get delivery in next lot’, ‘Jazz select is fast moving so the delivery is sooner’, ‘next lot your car is coming’. He even called in front of me to I don’t know whom, to confirm the tyre make of the next delivery which was in consignment.

Many a times, I almost decided to cancel the booking and go for another make. This was result of my prior enquiries and repeated follow-up and aggressive marketing by other companies (Hyundai, Fiat, Nissan, even Maruti who are sitting on a mountain of bookings). But I can’t remember when Honda called me up to give a bit of a hint about delivery. I realized, after all they are Honda. Why would they bother for a moderate Jazz customer and a modest booking amount of Rs 50,000.

Patience I said. I booked a car and they sell it to me, little delayed. I go happy, they go happy. But 3 months without a car was taking a toll on my patience. I decided to call Honda 121 (toll free), but seemed, they are equally helpless. They just don’t have any control, any information on it. They said ‘we are just call center sir, what can we do. You better call the dealer’. I said ‘Do you think I came to you without contacting the dealer ?’. Repeated calls, same answer. ‘We are just call center, what can we do?’. And couple of occasions the call center number says ‘This number does not exist’ and to my utter surprise, sometimes it goes unanswered. Can you imagine ? Honda toll free can go unanswered during business hours.

I totally empathize with Thailand flood, which is major cause of Honda’s manufacture doldrums. But does Honda have a Customer Relation system ? Does Honda care customer concerns ? Or it has just empowered its dealers with wrong weapon and technic to harass customer ? Does Honda have a centralized inventory tracking system or it has just left everything upon dealers, which are often owned by politicians and mafia, who are monstrously powerful and rude to small and modest customer like us ?

I once saw few Honda Jazz being unloaded in the dealership. This was 1 month after my booking. I asked, is this lot contains my car ? They said ‘No. Its for prior bookings’. I asked for the wait list or some kind of documentation which shows how cars are being distributed. But they were unable/did not want to show any such type of process. How are they distributing the products? By first-come-first-serve ? Or by priority ? by muscle power ? by political link ? by influence ? Please let me know, although I have none. Just curious.

Last week I called Honda toll free again and tried to know the status. They said they will inform dealer who will get back to me after 24 hrs. I knew they would not call. They infact did n’t. After follow up with toll free once again, they said dealer has closed the call. I reopened 3 days back. No follow-up even after 48 hrs. So I gave up and called dealership. They said, ‘Pls take back your booking amount. We can’t provide you the car’. I said ‘OK, send me the check’, they say ‘It’s another process sir, we will prepare the check and call you’. I am sure, they won’t and have to do many follow ups to get my money back.

Honda is a world class company with unparallel products, but in a bad company of rogue dealership network. Today’s cut-throat market needs more transparency, more aggression and more innovation ( not only in producing products, but in selling them too). And most importantly, respect. I love Honda Jazz but I love my respect even more.

Honda India, if you are listening

Either allot my car immediately just because I love your product more than your company or your dealership network

Or

Please give back my money and I promise I would never even stare at your showroom.

Thank you.

Regards,
Surojeet