Geely PH: What went wrong?

If you’re quite active on social media, chances are high that you came across several posts talking about an issue regarding the aftersales service of Geely here in the country.

The Chinese automaker returned to the country in late 2019, under the distributorship of Sojitz G Auto Philippines Corporation (SGAP), a Japanese entity. Since then, it easily became one of the fastest growing brands in the industry. Not only that, Geely’s rise in popularity helped in reducing the Filipino buyer’s apprehensions toward Chinese-made and branded cars.

Nearly two weeks after the issue blew up on the internet, Geely Philippines and SGAP have finally released a statement. Is the timing okay or is it too late?

So, what went wrong?

First things first, here’s what the company had to say:

Well that took long enough, right?

In all fairness to the company, the issues hounding two of their customers really are isolated incidents. One or two incidents does not automatically mean that the same will happen to all others. What went wrong is how the brand handled it, especially as the dealership which is the main culprit in the issue is company-managed.

Again, for the almost two weeks leading to today’s released statement, the company remained quiet. The only statement we heard was unofficial, coming from a fanpage which focuses on trashing rival car companies and banning anyone who says anything negative about Geely.

Earlier this year, several owners of brand new Nissan Kicks e-POWER units encountered issues with their vehicles, particularly with its airconditioning system which would end up failing, blowing nothing but warm air. We were even one of, if not the first motoring publication to report about this issue. Not long after, Nissan Philippines proactively reacted and issued a statement. Following that, just last June, the Japanese automaker began recalling units. Now, the issue is water under the bridge.

Same goes for other brands such as Toyota Motor Philippines which encountered an issue where some employees at one of its dealerships used a customer’s Toyota Fortuner for driving lessons. This was caught through the vehicle’s dashboard camera and reported which eventually led the company to issue a statement as well owing up to its dealers and/or employees’ shortcomings. 

Creating such statements about issues hounding the brand does a lot to help its customers (and maybe even bashers) understand how the company sorts out problems. The fact that SGAP seemed to be quiet ar first regarding the issues hounding some of its customers says a lot. But at least, finally, they’ve spoken.

Domino Effect

With how Geely Philippines initially handled this issue, and with how much of a beating they’ve gotten on social media for that, it wouldn’t be a surprise if customers have lost their trust for the brand. That’s about four years of hard work by present (and past employees who’ve moved to other brands already) wasted.

Not only that, it wouldn’t be surprising if other Chinese car brands may be affected by the issue as well.  With many Filipinos apprehensive about anything related to China, this issue could have also undone the hard work the Chinese themselves have done to create credibility for their vehicles which were not even options many years ago.

There is no doubt that Chinese cars have gone a long way, offering plenty of equipment, fun to drive experiences, and lots and lots of value for money. Obviously, some with their nationalistic ideals, and others who are more traditional opting to go with long time tried-and-tested products, will be hard to persuade to purchase a Geely (or any Chinese car at that). But we do hope that with the company finally speaking up, things get better from here on.

A promise hopefully not broken

If you’ve read the statement above, you’ll see that Geely Philippines and SGAP promise to work on any complaints within two working days. Well we obviously don’t know if that will hold true, but let’s give them this chance. 

We hope you win back your customers’ and fans’ hearts, and maybe gain more, Geely Philippines.