Mahindra Mahindra where’s my fuel?
Mahindra recently ran a promotion claiming they would give “6months” free fuel when you purchase one of their tougher than tough Mahindra vehicles. This seems to be a great offer especially when you think how expensive fuel is getting these days. But is this offer for real?
When I purchased my Mahindra just over 1year ago, I was told (by Mahindra agents in George) I would get my Mahindra double cab with a “full tank” of fuel on delivery of my bakkie, the offer sounded very promising but sadly never materialised.
I asked the Mahindra agent in George to rather give me a duplicate remote for my bakkie because it was roughly the same price of the fuel and seeing that the fuel never materialised I thought a new key would be easier.
We are now 1year down the line and still nothing. No fuel, No key, no nothing!!
On another note, I was also told that all “services” would cost “R960.00″ This also never materialisted and every time I go for a service it costs more and more.. If you think thats bad, just wait till you see the crap they give you to drive around in while they are servicing your Mahindra. (a Tata bukkie from hell!) It smells like it was shat on every day by the local cow. wow it’s disgusting. My dad recently serviced his Mahindra Bolero and was given the “loaner” for the weekend due to extended servicing and who you beleive he got stuck and one of his customers had to tow him home - how emabersing!!)
What does this tell me about Mahindra’s free fuel for 6months advert? mmm
All I can say is: Let the buyer beware!!
P.S. Mahindra also has a friendly call centre who calls you up every other month to hear if your are happy with your bakkie, how do I know this? Well my dad owns a single cab Mahindra Bolero purchased at the same time I got my Double cab Mahindra and he is regularly called. However I have never received a call from these guys. mmm am I not also a Mahindra client?
August 25th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Yeah I agree, this smells like false advertising. I mean, at the price of petrol these days, it would make sense to buy a Mahindra en then travel all over the country at their expense. Also, what about taking the petrol out of the car and then refueling it? I’m sure they must have restrictive terms and conditions, let’s say one full tank of petrol a month or something silly like that.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
can I please make a comment on all these negative posting above. I work at a Mahindra dealership and we also take part in the ‘fuel reimbursment campaign’. As soon as I receive my clients petrol slips for the month (which by the way is all the client have to do) (R1500 per month for 6 months) we, as the dealership reimburse the client and then at the end of the month get half of the reimbursment back from Mahindra SA.
I read the SimonB comment and would really ask this person to next time be a man and go back to the dealership it self and sort these problems out with the Sale Rep. on the floor. We love our product and like all South Africans are trying to make a living (I don’t mean lying to a costumer)… SimonB - I hope the product you sell (or what ever business you have) do well and that you never come across a costumer like yourself.
Written in GOOD spirit
September 17th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Simone, thank you for your comment. I do appreciate your honesty!
It’s good to see you love Mahindra as much as I do.
I had nothing but good comments about my mahindra since the day I got it. There are hundreds of people who can testify to this. I love my double cab and it has given me much satisfaction.
The reason for my post is that I have grown tired of asking and begging for service. Why does a customer need to start begging before he is helped? When they wanted my business they would phone me regularly, but now that they have my money I must beg? That doesnt sound right? I have asked over and over for a year now and still no happiness and now it is time to start writing. I refuse to start a letter writing saga between myself and Mahindra and so I decided to rather blog my experience. This will eventually work it’s way through to Mahindra India and then they will take action against the slackers! I am sure even you will agree that enough is enough and if you were in the same situation as me you would also squeal.
The funny thing is that I recently had another bad experience with Mahindra and this time it happened to be with Mahindra Upington, I wonder what I did wrong this time to be left in the dark in Upington?
Should I be a man and drive back the more than 1000km to the Upington branch to ask why Mahindra Upington never came to my service when my gearbox broke on a Namibian trip?? Should I be a man and ask why I was told (by the Mahindra 0860 call center) that someone will be with you in 5min and then after more than an hour (at 11pm in the evening) I was still sitting like a fool in front of that garage?
I think not, I will rather be a man and blog it (to my own detriment mind you) so the entire world can see how a few poorly qualified service center’s are messing up the good name of Mahindra and then maybe just maybe Mahindra South Africa will sit up and help me to learn to love Mahindra again.
Simone thanx again for being the only Mahindra person to contact me regarding this blog (not even Mahindra South Africa took note of it!) and thank you for your openness. Just by responding and being so protective over the Mahindra brand it tells me alot about yourself and I really am sorry that you feel offended by my blog. This comment and my blog is not an attack on you I hope you can understand that my blog post is also written in openness, I never concealed my identity or tried to blacken anyone’s name, the idea is to get help without having to constantly beg for it! Even though I have begged for help multiple times.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Hi SimonB Interesting article. How different is this experience not to green shirts, kit kats and kulula?
kulula understands the power of word of mouth and mahindra is just not aware of it.
Seth Goldin said it all in the design. Design your product and service well and it will get viral legs.
Mahindra has designed their offer badly and now it’s also getting viral legs
You may want to send then an email with a link to this post.
Have fun…..
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Dear SimonB
My name is Michael Nel. I am one of the owners of Mahindra Upington and Service adviser for the company.
I am terribly sorry about your ordeal with our company…I have no idea when or what happened with you and your vehicle.
We pride ourselves in our service and have more than 300 satisfied customers countrywide. Getting a new product into the market is not easy and it is only with good service that one can level the playing field with more well known brands.
If you give me more details I will do my best to solve whatever discrepancies you have with our dealership or Mahindra South Africa.
Mike
November 24th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
I am in the process of buying two Mahindra LDV’s, one is a Bolero and the other a Scorpio.
I have signed the purchase order 15 minutes ago and because this is a new Brand of vehicle decided to Google Mahindra hence the discovery of this somewhat disturbing article.
I am now uncertain as to whether I should fax the singed document. I must say this much, I have currently a fleet of vehicles with a “proven” and well known name but had to replace clutches in all of them while they were still new and the 4×4’s clutch were replaced twice in one year.
Some laughable incident is that after one of the vehicle’s clutches was replaced we only drove 10 kilometres before the prop shaft fell out.
Now is that service or is that service? This is a brand of vehicle that my dad drove and I am now 50+, the service team is so well known that I am weary to mention their name, although I have all the prove I need, do not wish to engage in a court battle with them.
So what is happening with service delivery? I was also a victim of Dacia and swore that i will only use reputable well known brands like Isuzu, Nissan and Toyota, etc.
Mahindra owners, what is the feeling the majority of you have. Will this make last or move out and what is the durability of this vehicles?
Unfortunately we all know that the product is only as good as the service team and the team is only as good as management.
Is this the vehicle or is this management?
September 5th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Mahindra dealers are all sharks. Debra at Head office deals with all these complaints. She sorts them out very fast. I suggest you service it at any Bosch service station. They use genuine parts (At less than the dealer price) and its roughly R750-R800 a service.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I own 2 Mahindra Bolero’s. One 2×4 and one 4×4 double cab. The 4×4 has always been used in light conditions. I went up the Helderberg 4×4 track once. After 25.000 km, all of a sudden the clutch didn’t work at all any more. After restarting the engine, functionality came back for about 50%. I immediately drove the car to McCarthy Mahindra in Parow. Now it’s stuck there because they claim the faulty clutch to ‘normal tear and wear’. Repair will cost an estimated R 10.000. MSA referred me to the AA for an independent technical report. But they can’t do it, they say. Their research as a third party may invalidate any further warranty. Is there anyone out here with some good advice?