BE INDIAN –BUY INDIAN.
Keeping in spirit with the above motto and, with a great deal of pride, we purchased our Tata Indigo. A wholly India-made car was to be a part of our family. We had been watching the launch of Indica and then the re-launch of Indica V-2. When Indigo diesel was launched, we felt that at last the Indian Car had arrived.
But alas, who could predict the bouncy ride we were to experience. Since the purchase of our Indigo No.7900, we have sent the car within the warranty period to the service centre 11 (ELEVEN) times.
S.No. Date Job Card No. Service Centre
---- -------------- -------------- --------------------------
1 14.10.2003 4076/03-04 Lexus, Budge Budge
22.11.2003 4898/03-04 Lexus, Budge Budge
30.12.2003 5606/03-04 Lexus, Budge Budge
12.02.2004 6441/03-04 Lexus, Budge Budge
15.03.2004 1441/03-04 Lexus, Hide Road
29.03.2004 7347/03-04 Lexus, Budge Budge
23.04.2004 510/04-05 Lexus, Budge Budge
17.08.2004 3072/04-05 Lexus, Budge Budge
25.11.2004 686 Lucas
27.11.2004 5158 Lexus, Budge Budge
07.12.2004 5365 Lexus, Budge Budge
The latest incident that I am to narrate is when the car was sent on 25.11.2004 to the Lucas Indian Service Centre on 232/B, A.J.C.Bose Road, Kolkata – 20, since the car was not starting. After servicing of the car, I took delivery of the car on 26.11.2004 and was self driving it. After two hours, Mr. Sumit Bajaj, Director, received a call on his mobile from the Lucas Service Centre and was asked to inform Mr. S.S. Bajaj that the car which was delivered was leaking its coolant!!
After about half an hour I noticed coolant on the floor matting of the front left seat. A few minutes later the A/C also stopped working. By this time I was in Kankurgachi area and stopped the car at our nearest relative’s place. I bought 1 liter of coolant and poured it in the coolant container but it all leaked down to the floor. Thereafter, I found that that the rubber pipe from the engine side to the Dashboard side was broken near the partition. I being an Engineer also found that the hose pipe had hardened like Becalite. Thereafter, somehow, I blocked the hose pipe line, poured fresh coolant again and drove the car back to my Alipore residence.
This harassment was due to use by the Tata Company of inferior quality of rubber parts which hardened merely in a period of one year.
After this, the car was sent for service on Saturday 27th November 2004 and the same was returned on 29.11.2004.
In further continuance of this problem on 04.12.2004 around 10.15 p.m., the car broke down in the Eastern Bypass, when another Director of the Company Mr. Sumit Bajaj, was driving it. Somehow he drove it near to Hyatt Regency Hotel. The car had become very hot and coolant had again seeped to the ground. He had to park the car in one of the lanes in Salt Lake and came home in a taxi.
Presently the car is in servicing (sent on 07.12.2004) again. It has been a source of physical and mental torture.
In a period of 10 days, if the car break downs three times and your servicing agencies are incapable to fixing the problem, then how will you rate the performance of your car and your service backup? It is evident that a very inferior product has been released in the market banking only on the Indian sentiments of patriotism and jingoism and nothing else.
I have been to your service centres and have seen other Tata Indigo’s too being brought in with almost the same problems.
Another problem that I am facing with this car is that during highly humid weather (Kolkata is humid throughout the year) and rainy season, the windscreen becomes foggy in the lower half and we have to operate the wipers to remove the condensation. Please note that we also own Hyundai Santro and Maruti Zen and in none of them we are facing this problem.
I ask Tata Indigo concern people to please enlighten us that:
Am I at fault for having placed so much trust in a TATA made Indian car?
Am I at fault to expect International Quality standards in a TATA car?
Am I at fault to expect quality service from Service Centers appointed by the TATA Company?
Am I at fault to expect a quality international car after paying a price which is comparable to world prices?
PLEASE TELL US WHY ARE YOU MALIGNING THE NAME OF COUNTRY WITH SUCH SUB-STANDARD PRODUCTS AS YOUR TATA INDIGO (DIESEL)?
To compound my mistake, I also asked my relatives, friends and well wishers to buy this car since they believe in my opinion. Most of them want to get rid of their TATA Indigo’s or surrender it to the Company.
It would be best if you start an internal audit and quality check and control as to why are inferior quality products being used by such a company as yours which enjoys tremendous market goodwill.
I am a 62 year old man, a senior citizen. I bought this car to be mobile and for my luxury and safety. But all this undue harassment has left me feeling as if I have been cheated.
Shyam Sunder Bajaj
Managing Director
Industrial Tapes and Fabrics Pvt. Ltd.
1/1, Vansittart Row,
3rd Floor, Kolkata 700001
India