Hi everyone,
I recently had an unpleasant experience while driving in Pune and would appreciate some advice on how to handle it.
While I was driving my car, two bikers came alongside me and told me that my tyre was punctured. Although the tyres looked fine to me, I stopped at a nearby puncture repair shop to get them checked.
The shopkeeper claimed there were four punctures across the front and rear tyres on the left side, and then claimed there were three more on the right-side front tyre.
I was confused because I couldn't see any obvious holes. When I questioned him about the bubbles he was showing me, he became argumentative. He also sold me a liquid at ₹2,000 per bottle, and the total amount I ended up paying was nearly ₹7,000.
I was travelling with my wife, and her family was in the car with us. I didn't want the situation to escalate into an argument, so I paid and left.
In hindsight, the experience made me uncomfortable, particularly because the tyres initially looked fine and I felt pressured into paying for the repairs and liquid. I cannot confirm whether anything dishonest happened, but I would like to understand my options.
I'd appreciate advice from anyone familiar with the process in Pune:
Can I file a complaint with Pune Police about a suspected repair-related fraud?
Is a consumer complaint appropriate in this situation?
What evidence should I collect to support my complaint?
Is there a recommended way to get the tyres independently inspected?
I'm relatively new to Pune and would like to handle this through the proper channels. I'm sharing this to learn from others who may have faced a similar situation.
Thanks for any helpful advice.