My wife and I found ourselves surrounded by nearly 15-20 people and I was genuinely concerned for our safety.
BHPian arsh9191 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
This is my first detailed post on this forum. Although I initially wanted it to be about a superb road trip, I was compelled to write about the extremely poor service I received for my XUV700 at a Mahindra dealership twice within a couple of weeks.
Fair warning: This will be a long read, but I feel the need to share my experience here because I have received very little support elsewhere.
1st Event:
Day 1
I sent my car in for its 10K km service at a Mahindra service centre in Gurugram which was supposed to be a routine service with no complaints, except for updating the infotainment software. They promised to return the car by 5 pm, but I didn’t get it back until 8 pm. I had to call and follow up with the Service Advisor and the CRM head at the service center almost 20-30 times.
When I finally received my car, I was appalled by its condition. The car was not cleaned at all; there were layers of dust both on the outside and inside. At that moment, with the car already delivered late, I decided to clean it myself and not waste more time at the Service Centre. However, what shocked me was when I realized why they wanted to deliver the car to me in the dark.
As soon as I took the car to a well-lit area, I saw that both front seats were completely stained with blue ink all over and in multiple places. I couldn’t believe they had ruined the seats of my 4-month-old car, especially after charging me for seat covers that they didn’t even bother to use.
I reached out to the GM that night, sharing pictures of the stains and the condition of the car. Initially, he was responsive and said they would arrange an early pick-up of the car the next day with a promise to fix everything. He asked me not to file a complaint with WYH as he believed he could resolve the issue the following day, so I complied.
Day 2
The car was picked up in the morning for cleaning and stain removal from the seats. The Service Advisor called to say they had thoroughly cleaned the car and sent it for a wash, promising delivery within an hour. I was relieved, thinking they had removed the stains from the seats. However, when the car was delivered around 4 pm, I was shocked to see that the ink stains on the seats remained.
I called the Service Advisor, who informed me that they were unable to remove the stains and claimed they would fade with time. Frustrated, I called the GM of the service center, who began blaming me for the stains, suggesting that I had caused them. He even denied the use of blue uniforms or blue pens at the service station (which later proved to be false). After a heated argument, he said he would send the head of his cleaning department to my place to address the issue.
It was at this point that I decided to lodge a complaint with the WYH helpline, which promised to investigate and have a local area manager call me back soon. After waiting for two hours, the cleaning team arrived, but as expected, they couldn’t remove the stains. I called the GM again, who informed me that he had contacted a Detailing Mafia outlet that should be able to clean the stains, instructing me to take my car there the next day.
Day 3
I received no call back from WYH/Mahindra until noon, so I reluctantly went to the designated Detailing Mafia outlet. Upon arrival, they attempted for 15 minutes to remove the stains but were unsuccessful. I called the GM again, who asked me to bring the car to the Service Station so that he could try to find a solution. On my way to the Service Centre, I called WYH helpline again, pleading for assistance, but received the standard reply that they had escalated the issue and promised a callback with no specific timeline.
Upon reaching the service station, the GM inspected the stains and initially claimed they weren’t responsible for them, as they didn’t use that specific color anywhere in the service station. After my protest, he consulted with the Service Advisor and instructed her to explain the stains and find a solution. They asked me to wait in the waiting room while they used some chemicals to attempt stain removal. After 30 minutes, they informed me that they had managed to remove 90% of the stains, with just a couple of light ones remaining, which they feared might be damaged if further cleaned. I reluctantly agreed, thinking WYH helpline might assist with the remaining 10% (although in hindsight, this was wishful thinking).
After the inspection, they vacuumed the car and prepared to return it to me. However, to my surprise, I discovered a new blue ink stain on the handrest near the gear lever as they handed the car back to me. When the GM saw this, he was speechless, and they promptly took the car back inside to clean it again. Finally, they returned the car to me with the remaining 10% of the stains still present, and they remain there to this day. After spending three days on this issue with no support from WYH, I gave up, hoping the stains would fade over time.
Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6
I called the WYH helpline multiple times, seeking help with this complaint. However, I received the standard response that I would receive a callback as soon as possible. To date, I haven’t received any call from anyone at Mahindra regarding this issue.
Event 2: Fast forward two weeks
Day 1
Still no call from WYH, and I had given up on that front. On my way to the office, a stray pebble cracked my front windshield, and the next day, I received a wiring loom recall notification from Mahindra. So, I contacted the GM from the service center regarding both of these tasks to be done together. (Some of you might be wondering why I returned to them, and I did so because I received a call from the GM apologizing for the previous incidents and asking for another chance to service my car. So here I was, giving them that second chance)
The car was picked up on Monday morning with a promised delivery by Wednesday evening after completing both tasks. Around 1 pm, I was informed that an insurance claim had been filed, and work would commence once they received approval. I casually texted the GM to inquire if they would perform the wiring loom work while waiting for approval. I received no response, and I didn’t think much of it. Around 4 pm, the GM called, and I expected a routine update about the work. However, he delivered shocking news: while moving the car around the bay, their driver had accidentally reversed the car into a parked pickup vehicle, resulting in the complete destruction of my car’s boot lid. I was at a loss for words. The GM apologized profusely and promised to fix everything at no cost, including replacing the boot lid with a new one by Wednesday evening.
Later in the evening, I texted the GM to inquire about the progress. He informed me that all necessary parts had been sourced and that the car should be ready by Wednesday evening. To my surprise, he also suggested that they would like to handle the issue through my insurance and asked for my consent. I flatly refused.
Day 2
After the sudden change in stance by the GM, I decided to lodge an official complaint with WYH. I called them immediately and explained the entire situation, including the damage to my car. They assured me that the local area manager would call me by noon the following day. Although I didn’t expect much help from Mahindra, I did receive a call from their Area Manager around 11 am the next day, with the GM on a conference call. We discussed the issue in detail, including the insurance matter. When asked if I would agree to cover the damage under insurance, I firmly declined, stating that I would not be a party to a false claim. I was shocked to hear the suggestion from a Mahindra Company representative, but he clarified that it was a request from the dealership, and the decision was mine to make.
After my refusal, the GM was instructed to complete the replacement work by the following day and deliver the car with the new parts.
Day 3
I received a message from the GM around noon, stating that the work had been completed. I asked how they managed to paint a new bootlid, let it dry, and perform the necessary finishing work in such a short time. To my surprise, I learned that they had installed the bootlid from their test drive vehicle, of the same color, onto my car without obtaining my consent.
Without waiting any longer, I rushed to the service center with my wife to inspect the car in person. Upon arrival, I discovered that the boot lid they had installed on my car had damage and chips at multiple places, and the back bumper had also been damaged due to the impact, which they had not bothered to address. Additionally, there were multiple scratches on the left side of the car where they had been working.
Due to the commotion at the service center, my wife and I found ourselves surrounded by nearly 15-20 people, and I was genuinely concerned for our safety. At that moment, I called the Mahindra Area Manager and informed him of the situation and our safety concerns, even considering calling the police. In response, he was very responsive and instructed the GM to resolve the situation, ensuring that only personnel directly involved with the car’s repair were present.
Afterwards, I had several phone exchanges with the Area Manager regarding the unauthorized replacement of the boot lid from another car. I also spoke with the owner of the dealership, who apologized and assured me that the work on my car would be completed flawlessly. We agreed that they would replace both the bootlid and the back bumper with new ones and deliver the car to me within the next 2-3 days.
Day 4
I did not follow up, and no one contacted me.
Day 5 (today)
I texted the GM to inquire about the status of the work. I received a call from the Service Advisor, who informed me that most of the work had been completed, with only the installation of the rear windshield pending. They expected the car to be ready by evening. I decided to pick up the car on Saturday morning to inspect it in daylight before taking delivery.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that when I pick up the car tomorrow, all the issues have been resolved, and I no longer have to deal with this dealership. I am also deeply disappointed with Mahindra for not reaching out or offering assistance in resolving Event 1. They need to understand that they cannot treat a customer who spent almost 30 lakhs on a car in this manner. They must take responsibility for after-sales service rather than passing the buck to the dealership to resolve all the issues.
Keyword: 2 incidents with my XUV700 at a Mahindra service centre left me stunned