Mr. Anilkumar Appukkuttan Nair, a hotelier in Kollam, Kerala, bought an 80 lakh rupee Mercedes Benz GLE SUV as a wedding gift to his daughter. To his utter dismay, the brand new luxury SUV broke down just 745 kms later, when it was being driven to Thiruvanathapuram.
The miffed hotelier contacted Rajasree Motors in Ernakulam, the Mercedes Benz dealer from whom he’d purchased the car, and asked for a replacement. The dealer didn’t agree, instead saying that they’d fix the car’s gearbox. An unsatisfied Mr. Nair then took his case to the consumer forum, but not before organizing a very unique protest.
He put the Mercedes Benz GLE 250 SUV on a flatbed truck, got a few wreaths with the words ‘RIP’ pasted on the vehicle. He also put up large boards that read ‘Benz GLE 250 Dead in 745 km’ on the flatbed. He got the flatbed parked right in front of Rajasree Motors in Ernakulam. Soon, the protest went viral on social media, and was also covered by the local media in Kerala.
Mr. Nair said,
I was left traumatized when my newly bought car broke down in just 745 KMs’ drive and to my astonishment when I contacted the dealer-Rajasree Motors regarding the issue, they callously informed me that it’s just a concern with the gear box and only it can be replaced and not the car.
And what did Mercedes Benz India do?
Alarmed by the bad press that this unique protest was generating for the Mercedes Benz luxury brand, the company swung into action. Just days after his protest began, Mercedes Benz assured Mr. Nair of a brand new replacement car. A jubilant Mr. Nair had this to say,
I was informed today morning that I would be getting a replacement for my defective car with a new one with all expenses met including the road tax.
Now, why is this ‘unthinkable’?
Well for one, it’s super rare for an automobile company in India to agree to replace a defective car so quickly. In fact, there have been multiple such protests before, by exasperated owners with cars that don’t stop breaking down. Yet, car companies only offer free repairs to the car in case it’s in the warranty period. And those whose cars are outside the warranty period have to get their vehicles repaired at their own expense.
Only when car companies are pushed by consumer courts to replace the vehicle and reimburse the owner for the hardship do they actually offer replacements/refunds. Until then, car owners in India – in the absence of strong lemon laws – have to run from pillar to post to get their rides fixed/replaced. This makes Mercedes Benz’s gesture to replace the GLE SUV quite ‘unthinkable’, though owners would feel that it’s the most logical thing to do.
But why do car companies shy away from replacements in India, even in cases where cars are found to be constantly troublesome?
- They simply play by ‘terms and conditions’ of the warranty. Generally, most warranties suggest that a faulty vehicle (under warranty) will be repaired at no cost to the customer, by the company’s authorised service centers. Replacement is a word that usually no warranty mentions even remotely.
- Companies are wary of setting a precedent. For instance, if a company starts replacing faulty vehicles instead of exhausting all repair avenues, customers will tend to push for total replacement for even minor issues, or issues that can be easily fixed by replacing a certain defective part. And that’s not something any company would want. Warranties exist for a reason.
- No ‘lemon law’ in India. A lemon is a vehicle/product that is constantly troublesome, despite repairs being carried out. In developed countries, there’s a law that mandates a product manufacturer to replace a product if it’s found to be a ‘lemon’. Such ‘lemon laws’ protect the rights of a customer. In India, no such laws exist. The affected customer needs to take the company to consumer court, and often verdicts come years later.
Via eVartha