The waiting period. Three
words that have become synonymous with vehicle bookings. While manufacturers like
Mahindra & Royal Enfield struggle to keep up with their demand, cars like
the Ford Fiesta struggle to create any demand at all. However, one thing to
keep in mind while booking a car or bike is to know that you aren't dealing
with the manufacturers directly. The term “authorized dealer” may have you
thinking you’re safe from being taken for a ride, but unfortunately it is a
very real possibility.
Let’s take a simple incident
that took place not so long ago. A friend booked a Honda CBR 250r from the
authorized dealer in Malad. The waiting period was a painful 5 months, but the
wait seemed worth it. The bike was booked on the 8th of August 2012, come
the 10th of January 2013, they still had no update. One visit to the
showroom and the employee responds with an eye twitching reply. “Sir it may
take another 4-5 months”. So why did this happen? Well the fact is that you
never know when a showroom is going to go belly up. Dealers can back out of the
business at any point because of some or the other reason, but won't actually pull down the shutters.
Waiting periods range from 3 months
to over a year, but the simplest thing you can do is to check with every dealer
you can. By that, I mean check with 4-5 dealers in your city, even if they are
very far away. Showrooms are a mere phone call away and it may be wise to go
beyond just finding out about the features of what could be your new car or
bike. The same friend who after 5 months was told to wait for another 5 months,
is now to receive his bike 20 days after booking it from somewhere else, so you can save yourself a
lot of time & agony by being impatient and making sure that you aren't the
only one waiting in a queue that doesn't exist.
