KOCHI: Edappally-resident Rakesh Nair fell victim to a cruel joke when he sought to get his flood-hit Innova Crysta repaired. For he was asked to pay a hefty sum just for the dealership to start working on his car.Rakesh alleged it was because he refused to tow the company line by not taking the insurance offered by the Nippon Toyota dealership at Kalamassery.
“I did not take the insurance offered by the dealership as there was a substantial difference in the prices offered. Their quote was for Rs 1.5 lakh, against the Rs 50,000 price quoted outside. Both policies were offering the same coverage,” he said.
The vehicle was towed to the dealership on August 20 and surveyed by insurance officers the subsequent day. Rakesh claimed the work was yet to start on his car which cost an estimated Rs 3.75 lakh. “I was asked to deposit an advance of Rs 50,000 on August 31. People who have insurance policies offered by the dealership are not being asked to do this, though,” he alleged.
Rakesh said the selection of insurance policy was subjective and could not be a reason for treating a customer differently, he said. “All their sweet sales talks ended immediately when the vehicle rolled
out of their dealership. Many of my friends are facing similar difficulties,” he alleged.
Advance payment standard procedure: Nippon Toyota
Nippon Toyota officers refuted Rakesh’s claims and said paying upfront was a standard procedure for cash-settlement insurance claims. “As for the delay, it is caused by the influx of vehicles after the deluge and the time taken to procure certain spare parts,” said Rahul, service advisor, Nippon Toyota.