Customer who slams Proton for late X70 delivery told plenty of other marques in the marketplace

 

LATE delivery, given the runaround and tidak apa attitude equates to the trifecta of unprofessionalism in the automotive industry insofar as the Malaysian first national car manufacturer is concerned.

Given the highly competitive automotive market, one would have though that most, if not all, marques would be doing everything possible to attract customers and keeping them happy.

Expressing disappointment on the X70 Owners Club Malaysia Facebook forum, Elton Fong found to his astonishment that consumer satisfaction was not high on Proton’s list of to-do things.

Recounting his experience thus far after placing an order for a X70 in December last year, the poster was promised that the vehicle would be delivered within two months.

Despite assurances in January that the vehicle would arrive within the stipulated deadline, the frustrated motorist has not yet received his ride.

Worse still, upon checking on Feb 19, he was informed that the delivery would take more than three months.

There were no updates to this change in policy. The hapless buyer was then given short shrift by both dealer and manufacturer who simply passed the buck and a shrug of the shoulder to say, “not my problem”.

Venting his anger, the disgruntled customer explained this was not a luxury purchase but one essential to him earning a livelihood, having just returned from abroad.

Questioning Proton’s accountability and transparency, this unhappy driver pointed to the lack of coordination between the Proton headquarters (HQ) and dealers which makes a mockery of Proton’s stated vision of being a leading global mobility solutions provider.

How to be patriotic and support Proton when its customer service leaves much to be desired?

Elton Fong’s post has generated 110 Likes, 78 comments and 4 shares at the time of writing with a number of commenters pointing out that there are other marques to choose from.

“Relax bro. If u really need the car urgently, you can cancel your order and try purchase a Toyota car such as Corolla Cross. If you’re lucky, u can get 2025 ready stock car,” commented a car enthusiast with another hinting that “there’re many Honda cars lying idle at their the PDI (pre-delivery inspection) yard for grabs”.

One observer chided the poster for grumbling when not doing the necessary legwork. It was claimed that there many dealers with ready stock.

If transport was required urgently as claimed, just pay a runner to find a ready unit was the advice proffered. The disgruntled customer was also advised to check out Perodua to see what discounts or offers are available with regards to late deliveries.

This advice was repeated by another car enthusiast who agreed that dealers based in outskirt areas may have ready stock.

If the poster really needed the car so urgently, he could have offered to buy the showroom unit! It was also mentioned that such delays in deliveries were nothing new and also affected other car makes.

Confirming this trend, another dedicated driver claimed that popular models such as the Perodua Alza AV could take up to six months to deliver.

To be fair, delays in deliveries are nothing new especially with hot, new models. That is not to excuse Proton’s tardiness in handling this customers’ grouses.

But if Proton really does want to achieve its vision mission of being an “industry leader”, it will have to ensure such negative publicity are at a minimum. 

- focus malaysia