After analysing the pluses and minuses of different bikes against my requirements, I chose to buy Bajaj CT 100, and I must say, I am totally satisfied with the bike’s performance.
BUT . . .
. . . my experience with POPULAR BAJAJ, Bannerghatta Road, where I took
my bike for servicing a couple of times, has been HORRIBLE.
The major area of disappointment has been about promptness, or actually the
lack of it.
When it comes to leaving your bike for servicing, you cannot go in at any time;
you will have to take an appointment before hand (which tricks you into
believing that everything happens here so systematically), but when it comes to
them delivering it back to you, they will seldom be on time.
They will falsely promise that they will give it back to you on the same
evening. On both instances when I took my bike there, I specifically told them
right when I left the bike that if they would require more than one day, they
could let me know then and there, but that once they commit to delivering it
back on the same evening, I would expect them to honour their own word. The
mechanics who attended to my bike on both occasions, gave me false promises
that they don’t have any problems delivering it by 5:30 the same evening. (I
later learnt that the mechanics leave before that time, so, at the time of
taking delivery, you don’t get a chance to speak with anybody who can answer
responsibly—if at all you are lucky enough to take delivery on the same day.
This strain of giving false promises also includes their assurance that THEY
would give you a call by around so-and-so time when servicing is done and your
bike is ready for pickup. They don’t call. They just don’t call. You are a
moron to have expected them to give you a call. Even after the said hour has
passed, and after having waited for some more, and then some more, and then a
little more time expecting their call, you finally remember all the management
funda that you’ve gathered about being proactive and all that rut and decide to
call them up instead.
The phone rings . . .
And rings . . .
And rings . . .
And keeps ringing, if you happened to call after, say, 6:30 or around that
time, because that is when their receptionists’ duty ends.
You are a frustrated bunch of hot nerves and have no recourse other than to go
there in person the next morning and blast the hell out of them. But, by then,
you would’ve lost all trust in everything in the world, because you had
promised your girlfriend that you would come over to her office by 6:30ish and
that you both could together go for a concert, then have dinner, after which
you could gallantly drop her home, breezing through the roads at 10 in the
night with her hugging you passionately from the pillion! But then, all is
lost, and she refuses to pick up the phone now, for your unpardonable offence
of not turning up at her office on time, and you shudder at the prospect of
having to shell out another couple of thousands to buy her that perfume that
you checked out the other day at Landmark, merely to pacify her, whereas the
same could have, but for the irresponsibility and insensitivity on the part of
the folks at Popular Bajaj, possibly earned you a passionate peck on the cheek!
:(
All right, imagine you managed to check one of their receptionists just in time
when they’re about to leave for the day! Now what? You’d be a fool to think she
would sweetly say, "Yes, Sir! Your bike number ___________ is ready; the
bill amount is so much; and you could come and collect it any time now; our
watchman(!) will be here to deliver it to you."
She would religiously, nay, ritually, ask you for your vehicle number (the full
number, that is; the numerals won’t do), your name, your phone number, and a
whole lot of details stopping short of your vest size (well, I’m exaggerating
at the moment because I’m so totally irritated at the moment, but you get the
idea, right?), and say "Okay, Sir". You’re like, "Okay
what?!" And she goes: "Okay, Sir" (I’m not exaggerating here;
this actually happened.) And trying to help her, you say (half-worried about
what if she just disconnects; it’s better to be proactive(!) and ASK her
something, for which she HAS to respond before slamming the phone), "So,
you would check and call me back?". Again, "Okay, Sir". You
don’t know what to make of it, whether you spoke to a real, living, breathing,
human being or whether it was an automated voice that could only say
"Okay, Sir". (As a matter of fact, automated voices are sometimes
better; sometimes, they even amaze you!)
Then . . .
5 minutes . . .
10 mintues . . .
30 mintues . . .
. . . and suddenly it strikes you (especially if you’re once bitten
already) that she’s already gone!
At the end of the day, the only question that remains is, WHY CAN’T THEY
COMMUNICATE ON TIME, even if they cannot deliver the bike back as promised, so
that you can reschedule you day accordingly and not be left expecting to hear
from them?
I’m reminded of this story of a wolf that happened to be loitering around a
house, when it happened to overhear a grandma shouting at the child that would
not eat his dinner: "If you don’t eat now, I’ll fling you out of the
window for the wolf standing outside to eat you." Hearing this, the wolf
decided to wait there, hoping for the child to not eat and waiting for the grandma
to fling the baby outside!
Such will be your plight if you wait to hear from POPULAR BAJAJ or took their
promises seriously!!