Tata’s ’sorry’ just won’t do, says Nano owner

m.today

Mumbai, March 25: Mulund resident Satish Purushottam Sawant is still shaken by the March 21 incident, in which he and his family narrowly escaped death in their brand new Tata Nano. If there’s anything that rankles the Sawants even more, it’s the absence of an apology from Tata Motors.

 

"But for a formal ’we regret the inconvenience’, in its letter to us, Tata Motors has not apologised to us verbally or in writing. They [Tata], have insulted us," Sawant said. Tata Motors has offered to compensate the Sawants with a replacement or a refund of the entire amount paid for the burnt car, but the Sawants are not pleased.

"My five-year-old son is so traumatised that he is afraid to get into any car. Can Tata compensate me for this?

They were quick to tow away the charred car and take it into their custody. Why are they still silent about the cause of the fire? I am told that experts from Tata are studying the exact cause," Sawant said.

"Deepankar Tiwari, regional manager (west) of Passenger Car Business Unit, Tata Motors trivialised the incident by telling me about how he had fallen off a bicycle when he was a kid and then later rode it, overcoming his fear! Then, Tata Motors’ official, Amit Joshi, told me that it was a pre-production car, which Concorde Motors was not supposed to sell to any customer," said an agitated Sawant. 

According to the vehicle’s Acknowledgement Delivery Note, the year of manufacture has been shown as 2009, but Tata’s spokesperson, Deba-shish Ray, had said that the car was actually manufactured in 2008.

"It must also be probed how and why Tata and Concorde gave delivery of a defective car. I want the entire incident to be investigated and criminal action taken against officials of Tata Motors and Concorde," Sawant said.