In an unexpected and alarming turn of events, the Kia Connect telematics suite has become the unwitting whistleblower in a joyriding scandal involving dealer personnel. The incident revolves around a Kia Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT Pewter Olive, entrusted to M/s Sun Globe, an authorized Kia dealership in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, for necessary repairs. The vehicle owner, Mr. Priyank Shah, discovered potential misuse of his Seltos and raised concerns, shedding light on the powerful monitoring capabilities of modern automotive technology.
Kia Care regretted this inconvenience and promised necessary action in response to owner’s email. Later that day, Kia Care changed the status of the complaint to “Case Resolved”. Mr Shah mentioned that Kia India has not reached out to them regarding preventive measures for future occurrences of similar issues, as this blunder from the service advisor could have had life-altering implications for Mr and Mrs Shah. This incident sheds light on the need to track one’s vehicle even though they have officially handed over their vehicle to an authorised dealership. This is true for any brand, and not just Kia. The Kia Connect telematics suite did a commendable job in alerting owners regarding usage of vehicle and providing thorough statistics for the same.
Key Points
1. Telematics Unveils Joyriding Saga
- Accidental Damages: On October 26, 2023, Mr. Priyank Shah handed over his Kia Seltos to M/s Sun Globe Kia dealership for repairs related to minor accidental damages.
- Scheduled Collection: Repairs were successfully completed, and Mr. Shah was informed on November 25. The collection of the Seltos from Sun Globe was scheduled for a later date.
2. Kia Connect Telematics: A Closer Look
- Live Tracking Feature: Kia Connect's telematics suite, designed to enhance vehicle connectivity and monitoring, began sending notifications regarding the Seltos's usage on November 26.
- Owner's Discovery: Mr. Shah, alerted by the notifications, utilized the live tracking feature on the Kia Connect mobile app to uncover the unexpected journey his Seltos embarked upon.
3. Unraveling the Night Out: Dealership's Joyride Exposed
- Surprising Stops: The live tracking feature revealed unexpected stops during the Seltos's unauthorized journey, with one location standing out— a "Desi Sharab Shop" near Ashima Mall in Bhopal.
- Concerns Raised: Mr. Shah, rightfully alarmed by the unauthorized detours, voiced his concerns over potential misuse of his vehicle entrusted to the dealership.
4. Telematics as an Automotive Guardian
- Owner Empowerment: Telematics not only acts as a guardian for the vehicle but also empowers owners to actively monitor and safeguard their assets.
5. Dealership Fallout: Scandal's Ramifications
- Immediate Action: Following the revelation, the dealership faced immediate repercussions, with the service advisor involved in the joyride being terminated.
- Customer Trust Eroded: Such incidents erode customer trust, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the sanctity of vehicles entrusted to dealerships for service or repairs.
- Customer Awareness: Owners are encouraged to leverage telematics features responsibly, and dealerships must prioritize customer awareness regarding monitoring capabilities.
6. Conclusion: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Trust
- Industry Dialogue: The Kia Seltos joyriding incident prompts an industry-wide dialogue on the responsible integration of telematics and the crucial role of trust in customer-dealer relationships.
- Balancing Act: As automotive technology continues to evolve, striking a balance between connectivity advantages and safeguarding customer trust becomes paramount.
Mr. Shah took screenshots of commutes made by their Seltos from here onwards, sensing a fishy situation. In the screenshots above, we can see the vehicle going over 100 km/h speeds and multiple trips covered, including an overnight stay outside of dealership premises and brought back to the compound on 27th November morning. We can also see other patterns suggesting misuse of customer’s vehicle by dealership personnel too. For example, the 28-minute idle time for a 1 km commute distance suggests turning on AC at customer’s expense. When Mr Shah visited Sun Globe authorised Kia dealership on 27th noon unannounced, service department had no idea of the whereabouts of said Seltos vehicle, the previous day.
Service advisor fired
After producing concrete evidence suggesting joyriding of their vehicle, it came to light that service advisor was the culprit here. Sun Globe dealership has fired said service advisor after it was brought to their notice. Kia Care customer support, however, didn’t provide a satisfactory response, according to owner.