Sep 24, 2007 03:23 PM
4108 Views
It was birthday time and my wife insisted that I needed a bike to rekindle the "youth" in me. What better gift than flaunting a bike. I was relying upon my Ford which made a statement but then macho image eluded me and my better half was convinced that bike was more "romantic" mode.
As most of the men do, I gave in to her whims and we exchanged our old trusted horse , LML Vespa, for a Unicorn. As a sales person who has been associated with bikes as parts supplier ( to all the two wheeler companies in India) , I was expected to make an informed and thoughtful decision. So I did. Or so I thought. HMSI was one of my customers and I decided to go with the HONDA tag.
My first experience was horrendous. The dealer probably thought that all my life I have been waiting to buy Unicorn and that I would not mind the most extreme refusal of my status as a customer. After all since Mahatama Gandhi fought for independence, selling Honda bikes was the biggest benevolent act of public good at large. Technology starved Indians would just beg the dealer to give a bike even if they had to mortgage / sell all their belongings. The sales person , too, was not keen to explain anything to me. After all Honda dismisses the requirement of any description or service.
Two months later the tube gave in and I was wondering if Honda had recycled a condom and put that under the tube. So much for the Honda’s green endeavors. Needless to say that all my efforts to register this complaint at dealer were dealt with contempt and I was made to believe that fault must have been mine. The bike should have been driven with utmost care and roads should have been avoided. You just do not know how much damage Indian roads can cause to your vehicle !!!
It has been almost two years since I was bestowed the most precious gift that mankind would have ever received and no one either from Honda has ever bothered to ask me how was the machine performing.
More than my personal angst, I pity those geniuses at Honda who have , or at least claim to , been automotive leaders. Product theories are gone. You no longer sell products. You sell services. Products are just an attachment. Anyone listening at Japan / Manesar ?
Saurabh
