After seven months of owning his Tata Safari Accomplished+ in Gold, and having just completed the second service, he found himself dealing with frustration instead of satisfaction. While the vehicle continued to perform well mechanically, the service experience was marred by the negligence and lackadaisical attitude of the service center.
The problems began with the vehicle drop and pick-up, which was poorly managed. Despite confirming multiple times that he would need the car dropped back home in the evening, he received a call at 7:30 pm, just before the workshop closed, saying that he hadn’t picked up the vehicle. Shocked, he reminded them about the pre-arranged drop-off, only to be told he’d have to come the next day. The reason? A lack of coordination between the front-end team managing the drivers and the back-end service center team.
Also read : Frustrated Safari owner asks Tata Motors for full refund after multiple breakdown
Things got worse the following day when he arrived to find the car dirty on the outside, with grease marks on the bonnet and scratches on the door and side panels. The washing was subpar, and the interior wasn’t cleaned properly either. Watching his vehicle, which he cared for meticulously, being handled so poorly was heart-breaking. Though they did buff out the scratches on the spot, the damage to his trust was done.
During this service, he had four specific issues that needed attention:
- TPMS Issue – RESOLVED: The calibration between the tires and the instrumentation cluster was incorrect, leading to inaccurate tire placements on the display. Initially, the service center blamed him, suggesting that a previous service center might have rotated the tires incorrectly. However, after he presented evidence, they agreed that the issue could have been there from the beginning, even during PDI. They resolved it by rotating the tires, though they initially failed to check the TPMS afterward, which required additional adjustments.
- Wiper Blade Issue – UNRESOLVED: The LHS wiper blade was leaving dotted marks, and he was informed that the rubbers needed replacement, which wouldn’t be covered under warranty. Surprisingly, on a six-month-old vehicle, he had to pay around 2K for a new set. However, even after replacing the blades, the new one made a ‘tic-tic’ sound, which they attempted to fix by bending the wiper head. The problem persists, requiring yet another trip to the service center.
- Connected Tail-Light Timing – UNRESOLVED: The animation of the tail-lights while locking/unlocking was inconsistent. Though they replaced the part, no one checked if the issue was resolved before delivering the vehicle. When he pointed out that the problem still existed, the driver who delivered the car was visibly embarrassed. To top it off, he was charged for pick-up and drop services again, even though the problem wasn’t resolved during the initial 1.5-day service.
- Radio Reception – UNRESOLVED: The service center acknowledged that Tata is planning an antenna/receiver replacement, as the current one appears to be faulty.
Additionally, he was told that the software wouldn’t be updated due to battery drain issues with the latest version, yet they went ahead and updated it to the March 2024 version anyway. Now, there’s a new issue with the A/C not maintaining consistent temperature control.
Finally, after all these issues, the service center had the nerve to call him the next day for feedback, seemingly oblivious to the poor service provided.