Frustrated customer finally returns car to Tata showroom
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabart
AC defect persisted right from the day of purchase. Lankeswari Motors fails to fix the AC even after taking the car for repairs five times; problem resurfaces for the sixth time within two days of the 5th repair.
Rayagada, October 8: In April 2025, a customer named Ajay Ratha purchased a Tata Tiago car financed through ICICI Bank loan from the Tata Motors showroom (Lankeswari Motors) located at Kothapeta on the outskirts of Rayagada. Right after taking delivery, he noticed that the air conditioner (AC) was not functioning and immediately brought it to the attention of Sales Manager Srikanta Patnaik, who assured him that the defect would be resolved during the first free servicing.
The customer later took the car for its first servicing to Srikshetra Automotive Pvt. Ltd. in Bhubaneswar. There, he was shocked to learn that the mandatory Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI)—a standard protocol requiring thorough inspection before handing a vehicle over to a buyer—had never been conducted prior to delivery. With technicians at Bhubaneswar indicating that repairing the AC would take around four days, the customer returned to Rayagada and confronted the showroom manager. Surprisingly, records later revealed that Lankeswari Motors, Jeypore, had documented a PDI in June—months after the April delivery, and that too while the vehicle was physically with the customer in Rayagada.
Following discussions facilitated by the customer between Srikshetra Automotive in Bhubaneswar and Lankeswari Motors in Jeypore, certain AC replacement parts were installed. However, the issue remained unresolved, marking the beginning of an ongoing ordeal for the owner. Due to persistent AC breakdowns, the vehicle was dispatched to Jeypore three times within the first year, and a total of five times across 18 months, yet Lankeswari Motors failed to rectify the defect. In total, the car remained stranded at the Jeypore service center for nearly three months out of this 1.5-year span.
Throughout this period, the owner continued paying his monthly bank EMIs without interruption. This persistent failure raises serious questions regarding the technical competence and expertise of the service personnel at Lankeswari Motors, Jeypore. Each time the vehicle was returned, the dealership claimed that the AC was cooling properly and that their technical team had thoroughly observed its performance, only for the defect to recur within days. Most recently, just two days after getting the car back from its fifth repair attempt, the AC failed for the sixth time.
Exhausted by repeated mental harassment, physical inconvenience, and persistent humiliation, the owner finally surrendered the Tata Tiago back to Rayagada Showroom Sales Manager Srikanta Patnaik on September 28, 2026.
Ratha remarked that he is likely not alone in this predicament, adding that a deeper inquiry would likely expose many other dissatisfied buyers facing similar grievances. With the festive season of Dussehra approaching—a peak period when many local residents plan to purchase vehicles—he cautioned prospective buyers in the district to be wary, urging them to weigh his experience and the dealership’s unsatisfactory after-sales service before making a purchase decision.
