I had booked an Alto Lxi (C.Blue) on 12.06.2007 by paying a booking amount of Rs. 20000=00 and arranged finance from Axis Bank for Rs. 200000=00. The rest amount was to be paid on the date of delivery 20.06.2007. The sales staff of the Bhubaneswar dealer Narayani Motors showed me a particular car as ex-stock and promised me to get it readied by the delivery date by fitting some choice accessories that I had ordered and also getting the bumpers body coloured and windows filmed. They even mentioned the chassis no on the booking form and put a SOLD sticker on the said car. They had assured me the best of service with regards to delivery.
Throughout the waiting period, that is from the date of booking till the date of delivery, no one from the dealer end did ever call me up. Rather when I phoned the sales executive, I was informed that the car was being readied and the work was in progress.
At 10 AM on 19.06. one day prior to the date of delivery, I visited the showroom to check the exact status of delivery and to settle the billing process in advance. To my surprise, the said car that I had booked was not there. On enquiry, I was promptly assured that the car was being readied in the workshop that is a few miles away from the showroom. When I expressed my doubt, I was assured by the sales staff that included the sales executive, the team leader as well as personnels holding responsible positions such as the SALES MANAGER and even the GENERAL MANAGER. I was assured by all of them to come the next day and take delivery of the car. However I insisted to stay back and have a look at the said car but I was not entertained. I kept on waiting the whole day till late in the afternoon for my car to arrive from the workshop. I was sure that they have cheated me by having sold the car to somebody else and wanted me to wait for a few days more for another vehicle. When I objected to such breach of trust and wanted a refund of my booking amount the Sales Manager threatened me and said "Do whatever you can." I was literally driven out of the showroom in the evening.
I wrote to MUL regarding the unfair practices of their dealer but all my complaints seemed to fall on deaf ears. MUL in its reply bluntly avoided the main issue and said that as per their information the booking amount has been returned to me. Finding no other way I approached the Consumer Redressal Forum and the case is sub-judice in the State Forum. I was cheated and humiliated throughout the process and as a result have lost the car as well as my money. What surprises me is the audacity of MUL and the dealer Narayani Motors to fight the case as if whatever they have done to me was legal, ethical and humane. Till date, they have retained my money and have not returned to me. As a result, I have a few queries in mind -
Why I was not delivered the car that I had booked?
Why I was not informed by the sales staff correctly about the status of my booked car?
Why I was humiliated and harrassed?
What for had I given them the money if it was not meant for booking the car?
Why I was not refunded my booking amount immediately?
Why is MUL silent on the issue and conducted itself in a careless and monopolistic way?
Should this conduct (not delivering the booked car) not be considered as UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICE?
Is this why MUL blows its own trumpet of being the no.1 in customer satisfaction?
Why has the dealer retained my money and fighting as if it has no intention of returning it?
I guess I am not the first one and not the only one who has undergone such humiliation. There might be many more who have preferred to remain silent on the issue. But is it not our right to raise voice against such malpractice and inhuman attitude by such big organisations?
Maruti Udyog Ltd. and Narayani Motors have blatantly violated consumer rights and need to be bound by statute.
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