Damage control

Yesterday, there was a flurry of calls on my mobile phone. Unfortunately, as I was busy, I couldn't attend to them. Later, received an e-mail from the source of those calls — the owner of the showroom from whom I bought my Vespa. Spoke to him, and he called me to his office with my scooter, so that he could, in his words, 'personally sort out the matter to your satisfaction'.

Today, I went to meet him, and he introduced me to his mechanic, one Lucky, who he described as 'one of our best'. I had told him that my scooter's engine was making strange noises, something I attributed to the mechanic's test ride (see last post). Farid, the owner, told me to take a test ride on his test-ride scooter, the lovely yellow Vespa I have written about previously, and see if there was a difference. Not surprisingly, there was a world of difference. I told him various problems, mainly with the engine though. The mechanic says that these are normal teething problems and will get better over time. More specifically, he said that the noise will completely disappear by second servicing. 

So in the end, I had to take my scooter home in the same condition. The mechanic couldn't diagnose the problem, and even refused to admit it at first. The handlebar, which veered (and still veers) slightly to the left, was also scoffed at, he saying that it's perfectly balanced. So it looks like I'll have to wait till the second servicing.

Nigel Britto,

Panjim, Goa. 

Update

Earlier this evening, I sent a modified version of my previous post to Vespa India's official e-mail id, and to the dealer from whom I bought my scooter. Let's see if they respond to it, and how long they take to do so.

Nigel Britto,

Panjim, Goa.

Finally got my Vespa

I thought the worst was over. Apparently, I was wrong.

You can forgive me for being excited at finally taking delivery of the scooter I always dreamed of owning. A rude shock was in store for me. 

Here's what happened earlier today.

Firstly, the scooter was slightly faulty. I took it for its first ride home when I discovered the handlebar was veering slightly towards the left. Immediately, I called the dealership, and the manager asked me to return so that it could be fixed. The lock, too was tight and it refused to release the key. I then went along with a showroom staffer to the workshop, which was located at a Mahindra dealership, around a kilometer or so away. After being tended to (which included the mechanic violently banging the handlebar in the opposite direction to negate the left veer), the mechanic took a short test ride, and the scooter was ready, but on my way back to the showroom (with the staffer), the scooter stopped in the middle of the road. The petrol was over. 

I wasn't asked to bring petrol (to take possession of the bike). In fact, when I told the showroom manager where I lived, he said the scooter would reach the nearest petrol pump. Evidently, he didn't take into account that he was selling me what I believe to be a faulty scooter. After an agonizing wait in the middle of the Taleigao highway, during which I was too irritated to keep time (it was well over half an hour), a mechanic came with a 'little' petrol, put it into the scooter, and by little, I mean really little. The scooter didn't start anyway. After another annoying wait, during which hundreds of passers-by stared at me wondering what I was doing stranded with a brand new scooter and a showroom peon in that posh area, I tried calling the Vespa toll-free number. The person, who figured out I was already a Vespa owner and not a potential customer, told me to call another number for help. Certainly not the rather polite face of Vespa I encountered when I was still a potential buyer. 

After sometime, another mechanic came with more petrol, and after a little while, the scooter started. The mechanic then took it for a short test ride, at full speed, revving the engine, and sped back toward us before slamming the brakes and screeching to a halt. In my mind, I was 'What the fuck are you doing?!' Did that irreparably damage the engine? I don't know as of now. However, I was under the impression that scooters were supposed to be ridden gently, below 40-50kmph, for the few few hundred kilometres, a rule I always stick to on new vehicles. I will keep track of the engine performance and efficiency as I ride it. But I suspect my engine is already destroyed thanks to that incompetent mechanic.

Later, at the showroom, the manager told me that this was not his fault, and that 'these are machines, these things happen', after I angrily told him about my harrowing experience. I may have lost my cool a bit, like anyone else would, in my situation. His explanation, of course, is far from convincing, and I am beginning to regret buying the Vespa. Let's see how it goes. I clicked several pictures of the madness the dealership subjected to, and they're preserved for posterity, and will be used as evidence if I ever take Vespa to court. As of now, it looks very likely. But I will wait.

Nigel Britto,

Panjim, Goa.

Where's my Vespa?

Still no news from the dealership. Phoned the dealer twice, his cell was busy, didn't bother returning my calls. This had happened a couple of times when I tried contacting them for a test ride, too. Then, when I got through to him and asked him about the status of my cheque (which my bank informed me had been honoured the next day itself), he said he'll find out and get back to me.

This morning at 10 am, I sent a strongly-worded e-mail to the dealer, with a copy to Vespa India, complaining about the dealer's bad service. What peeved me was this. The dealer had promised to give me the scooter within two days, and since his charges for registration (Rs. 1,500) were quite exorbitant, I told him I'd do it myself. He agreed. So for two days, I kept myself, free, postponing all my work. Since I couldn't indefinitely keep myself free, I wrote in my letter that either you get cracking on this, and do the registration yourself, or I will cancel my booking.

I don't know if it was this mail, or a comment on Vespa's Facebook page, that knocked the Vespa team into action. To cut a long story short, the dealer called me, told me to give my documents, and said the bike would be ready by evening. I gave him the documents by 11am. The scooter was ready by 5:30pm, but since I was busy earlier today, I told him I'll collect it tomorrow. Can't wait!

Let's see what happens now.

Nigel Britto,

Panjim, Goa.

Long road to ownership

I always loved the classic, retro lines of the Piaggio Vespa. My first tryst with one, like almost every other Indian, was in the movie Roman Holiday, the Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn. But the moment I decided to have one was last year, when I visited Europe for the first time. There's nothing quite like seeing a red Vespa zoom down the Champs Elysees — the grace and elegance with which they moved. I saw them elsewhere, too. In a little village of the Netherlands, a couple in Brussels, Belgium, etc. It was then that I decided, one day, I will own a Vespa.

The feeling wasn't mutual, I think. The Vespa, or rather Piaggio India, didn't want me to own one. Since its launch on April 26 this year, I have made several inquiries about it. When the showrooms came to Goa (Veljee Motors in Taleigao, Panjim, and Quadros Motors in Agalli, Margao), I immediately got on to the website and registered for a test ride. No response.

Over the next few weeks and months, I did that continually, re-registering on the website, even sending an SMS to the number on the website, in an effort to get a test ride. There was no feedback from the dealer, Veljee Motors, or the Piaggio India. I should have known, then, that such a non-responsive company would be a complete bitch to deal with after I actually bought a scooter. I guess it was my bad.

The first time I went to the showroom, the test ride vehicle was not there. Strangely, it was kept in a Mahindra showroom nearby, also owned by the family that owns the Piaggio Vespa dealership. The showroom manager told me to come the next morning. I did. The test ride vehicle, a lovely yellow Vespa, rode like silk. Instantly, I confirmed my decision to buy one. He told me a white Vespa would be immediately available, that is, in a day or two, and based on that, on October 15, I visited the showroom with a cheque of the full amount. 

Soon, I'll be proud owner of a Vespa. 

Nigel Britto,

Panjim, Goa.