Tata Motors launches campaign against spurious spares

In a bid to protect its customers from buying spurious spare parts, Tata Motors launched a systematic campaign under the brand name of Tata Genuine Parts (TGP). The Indian car major has conducted 33 successful nationwide raids to grab hold of spurious parts sellers. 

The raids were conducted in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nagpur, Solapur, Kolhapur, Latur,Sangli, Satara area, and approximately 125 raids across India. The company has also listed the names of 20 violators in Maharashtra. According to the company the most commonly found spurious spares were the clutch parts, air/ oil /fuel filters, belts, hoses, ball joints, seals, suspension items like liners and brake pads, gear parts, syncrocone, gaskets etc. These fast moving parts were then manufactured and distributed to the market in Maharashtra by the listed defaulters.

According to Mr. Rajesh Bagga, Vice President – Legal, Tata Motors, “The use of spurious parts poses a safety risk to consumers. Data shows that over 50% of spares for all popular brands sold in the market are fake and unreliable. Studies also show that 70% of consumers opt for fake spares instead of visiting authorised service centres, once the warranty period on the vehicle has expired. Customer Awareness is the key to curb sale of counterfeit products, prompting Tata Motors to generate countrywide awareness campaigns about safety risks posed by spurious / counterfeit spare parts.”

The company launched a series of pilfer-proof plastic packaging for Differential and Gear parts and lazer marking with the Tata Logo. Additionally enriched packaging stickers and labels and the Tata Dhaal hologram on the packaging, were introduced to help customers choose original parts with complete peace of mind.  The company has also started regular meetings with retailers and mechanics through various outreach programs to inform the end customers to be wary of buying spurious spares.

This is a great initiative by Tata Motors and hopefully more manufacturers follow suit by holding retailer and mechanic meetings to educate the customers on the perils of using dubious spares.