I am a journalist with The Indian Express, Delhi and I often return home late night after my shift which usually ends after midnight. I bought a new car so that I would have a trouble-free vehicle at my disposal and could travel at night without fear. However, my experience with Hyundai has created a fear psychosis and I think a hundred times before going out with my brand new car. Is there a point then of spending my hard-earned money on a piece of junk? I have been harassed by Hyundai and seek appropriate action against some of the company's employees. I also request the top bosses to keep a regular check on the kind of service their dealers provide. Here is my complaint:
I bought a brand-new Hyundai Santro Xing from Himgiri Hyundai, Shahadra, on September 28 -- the car registration number is DL 8CS 8522. The car ran without trouble the first month. Since it had covered 1200-1300 kms, I took the car for first servicing on November 3 to Sunrise Hyundai, Patparganj. My husband and I were attended to by an advisor by the name of Imran Khan who told us that only a thorough check would be done and the vehicle would be cleaned during the first servicing. He then handed the job over to another of his staff who talked us into getting additional jobs done, for which we were obviously be charged.
We were asked to get an anti-rust coating done to prevent corrosion of vehicle parts. The guy, whose name we do not know, advised us to get oil treatment done, wherein an additive would be added to the engine oil to prevent it from solidifying in winters. He also suggested glass etching and engine waxing, saying that the first was mandatory and the second would improve performance of the engine. He finally handed us a bill of Rs 3247.
When we came to collect the car after a few hours, we realised it hadn't even been cleaned. This time, a third person came up to us and showed the jobs that had been done (only the billed ones). I pointed out that the car hadn't been cleaned. But the staff at the service centre suddenly pretended to be so busy that they hurriedly took the payment, made our gate pass. Before they even cleaned the car, they parked it at the gate hoping we'd get out.
Please note again: The car hadn't been giving us any trouble until now. A few days after getting the car serviced by Sunrise Hyundai, while driving to work (thankfully it was afternoon) I switched the ignition off at a traffic light. The car wouldn't start again. The engine groaned, but didn't start. After about five minutes, it started. The same thing happened a couple of days later. I called up Imran Khan to tell him that the problem had occurred after servicing and so he should make sure everything is okay with the car. He asked me to see him at a time convenient to him.
I don't quite remember the date since Sunrise Hyundai's Imran Khan did not even give me a job card which is supposed to record all the information about a customer. But it was about a week after the first servicing that I went to Imran and described the problem to him. I told him that it had occurred twice and since it's a problem that occurs occasionally, he should thoroughly get the vehicle checked for any fault -- electrical or otherwise. He opened the bonnet of the car, checked the engine and battery. He didn't care to ask me the details or even check all electrical points. He eventually told me there was no problem with the car and even if there was, it was probably something to do with the central locking system (which was installed by Hyundai).
I told Imran about my late work hours and repeatedly said that the consequences could be serious if the car broke down in the middle of the night. But he told me to leave and come back if the problem persisted. The starting trouble only got worse.
On December 22, that's last Tuesday, I went back to Sunrise Hyundai with the same complaint. This time, the car refused to start in front of them. Imran first told me that there was something wrong with the solenoid switch and the car would have to be sent to the main Hyundai workshop. After a while he said that their own mechanic was looking into the problem and it would take two hours. I returned for the car after two hours and took a road test. Since the vehicle seemed to run smoothly, I was somewhat satisfied and again told Imran to get everything else in the car checked this time in case there was some other problem.
On December 28, less than a week later, the car refused to start again. I was stuck in the basement of the Great India Place mall in Noida at 2 am. I called up the Hyundai toll free number 1800-11-4645 (with the motto ALWAYS ALL THE WAY) for help. The guy who answered the call, Bimal Kumar, asked me to call up Hyundai Nimbus in Noida Sector 5 since that was the nearest service centre. No one picked up the phone there.
I called Hyundai again and the same person answered the phone, apparently, he was the only person around at the call centre. He somehow got in touch with the Capital Hyundai service mechanic, who was in Vijay Nagar, Ghaziabad. The mechanid arrived after we had already waited for an hour and temporarily fixed the car and was a great help.
Meanwhile, we had called up Imran Khan for help, who not only was rude on the phone, but also asked us to call us at an appropriate time and hung up on us. Today, December 29, my husband and I have wasted our entire day trying to get in touch with the customer relations at the headquarters (Mathura Road). Both the numbers -- 011-41678899 and 011-41678800 -- have been ringing but it seems everyone there too is in a mood to party!
We then contacted the Manager at Sunrise Hyundai, Sumanta Chakraborty, and were asked to meet him later in the day. Meanwhile, the Assistant Service Manager Raj Kumar contacted us and told us to meet him. The two men, especially Raj Kumar, were helpful. They said they would try and locate where the problem was and troubleshoot it.
What surprises me is that Hyundai calls itself a competitor of Maruti Suzuki, but it comes nowhere near. When a car breaks down, there should be enough service vehicles around to reach customers in an emergency. The person available on the toll free number is the only one answering calls. How will he help us? Also, he initially refused to give us a complaint number and even had the nerve to tell us we had to pay for emergency services, that too after we told him that the car was in the warranty period.
Oh, and hats off to Imran Khan. He should really be crowned Mr Attitude with a capital A. He kept roaming around while we were at the service station. The man did not even acknowledge the fact that he knew us. There was no apology from him. Even when his senior, Mr Chakraborty, summoned him, he showed up after making us wait for half an hour. He didn't switch off his phone even though he was asked to do so during the meeting. And his reply was the most hilarious I've ever heard. He said he didn't want to take our call at night because HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF THE SERVICE NUMBERS.
There are a few good people working with Hyundai. For example Raj Kumar and the mechanic who came to our rescue in the middle of the night. But overall, we've had a terrible experience with Hyundai.
I want to know what went wrong. Did Hyundai sell me a defective vehicle? Did Sunrise Hyundai ruin a perfectly good vehicle? I have to travel late nights. And on Delhi roads I want a car that won't break down, at least not in the first few years. But now I'm totally petrified of taking the car out and going anywhere. If something ever happens to me, my family will hold Hyundai responsible. I want a replacement for the vehicle and will fight for it. I have been harassed by Hyundai and a lot of my time and energy have been wasted.
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