Mahindra BE6 Batman Edition Customer Reveals Terms And Conditions Of Buyback Offer [Video]
Mahindra Automotive recently announced that it has sold out the second batch of 999 units of its BE6 Batman Edition. So, in order to make up for the loss of original owners of the first batch of this car, it announced that it is offering a 100 percent buyback, with some terms and conditions applied. So, recently an owner of a Mahindra BE 6 Batman Edition visited the dealership to find out the exact terms and conditions, and in her video she has highlighted those conditions.
This video of the BE 6 Batman Edition owner explaining the terms and conditions of Mahindra for the 100 percent buyback has been shared on Instagram by OG BE 6 Batman999 on their page. It starts off with the woman mentioning that she is visiting the Mahindra dealership to understand the terms and conditions of the 100 percent buyback program offered by the company.
Following which, she states the five main questions which she had prepared to ask the dealership. The first question was about the Rs 1.5 lakh which she had spent on the Paint Protection Film (PPF) for her vehicle. Then the second question was for the charges of the accessories. The third and remaining questions were about the RTO charges, insurance cost, and the home charger which she had to get installed.
Finally, the last question which she had prepared was to know about the payment of loan foreclosure penalty by the bank which financed the vehicle. And in just the next moment, she gives the clear answer that she received from the Mahindra dealership. The woman owner of the BE 6 Batman Edition mentions that Mahindra has stated that it will not be refunding the Rs 1.5 lakh for the PPF, and the loss has to be borne by the owner.
The company also added that it will not be paying for the RTO charges, insurance cost, and also the accessories. Additionally, the cost for the home charger and its installation, and also the loan foreclosure penalty, will not be paid by the company. Basically, the company will only be paying back the ex-showroom price of the vehicle.
The woman in her video states that they (all Mahindra BE 6 Batman Edition owners) bought a “limited edition promise,” and the promise was broken. She then added that they (Mahindra Automotive) offered them a buyback as a “gesture.” However, that gesture is causing her a loss. The woman concludes by stating that, “it's not a buyback, Mahindra, it is a punishment for trusting you, and we see it.”
Before going into the mess up from Mahindra Automotive, it has to be mentioned that the company refusing to pay for the Paint Protection Film makes sense, as it was not part of the vehicle from the factory. However, apart from that, the company refusing to provide any refund for the RTO charges, insurance, home charger and its installation, and the accessories is ethically wrong from their side.
As for the reason why it is wrong, if the owners were told that the vehicle would be a limited edition, and then the company goes on to produce more units of the same vehicle, it immediately reduces the value/exclusivity of the original batch vehicles. Also, it breaks the trust of the customers. It may be possible that Mahindra Automotive somewhere in the fine print may have mentioned that producing more cars in the future could be a possibility.
However, most of the buyers bought the vehicle according to the marketing done by the brand of the BE 6 Batman Edition being limited to 999 units. Morally, this is a breach of trust. Additionally, if the company is offering a buyback, it should also refund the cost of registration and RTO, insurance, and accessories, and charger as well. This is because none of these would have been paid, as buyers would not have bought the vehicle if the company had already mentioned that it may launch more batches of this vehicle.
Coming to the buyback, it's possible that Mahindra is also offering the 100 percent buyback to avoid litigation. This is because Mahindra is aware that the owners of the first batch of BE 6 Batman Edition could come together and file a case against the brand for false advertising, and this may cause an even bigger loss. However, the buyback in its current form seems a little flawed, and the owners clearly seem unhappy with it.