Service centre, Willingdon at loggerheads as golf balls damage swanky cars
4S Auto makes several complaints of stray balls from Willingdon Sports Club damaging high-end cars in adjoining service centre; with club doing nothing, service centre threatens FIR.
Golf balls going astray have caused damage of over Rs 2 lakh to several high-end cars in recent months, leading to a well-known automobile service centre in Tardeo and a prestigious sports club finding themselves at loggerheads.
For several months, Lalit Jogani, owner of service centre 4S Auto, has written - albeit in vain - to Willingdon Sports Club which has a sprawling 18-hole golf course, asking them to do something about stray balls falling on customers’ cars and damaging them.
Jogani, in fact, has been writing to Willingdon for a while now. “Initially there were sporadic incidents of a ball flying into our service centre and damaging a vehicle. Two years ago we wrote to the club but got no response,” said Jogani. “Recently, there have been a dozen cases, and just a couple of days ago a ball cracked a car’s windscreen.”
Every time a vehicle was damaged, Jogani wrote to the club but got no response. The only time he did get a reply was in January this year when K N Bhagat, the club secretary, reverted saying that the service centre should get the cars repaired by claiming insurance, and in case the entire damages were not covered, the club would shell out the difference.
Bhagat further said, “We are in the process of getting the damaged wall repaired, including fixing a fence on the top. This procedure takes time as the amount is large and we have to go through the tendering process. Work on the wall will start shortly.”
Jogani, however, points out that it’s been 10 months since Bhagat’s promise, but nothing has changed. “None of the customers want their insurance policy to be used for damages by golf balls, as they will lose their no claim bonus. We, as a service centre, end up bearing the cost. Since most vehicles are high-end ones, we have to shell out a lot from our own pockets,” said Jogani.
Now, with the frequency of incidents having increased, Jogani has issued a final warning to Willingdon, saying he will have no alternative but to get FIRs filed against the players and club management.
“I am aghast at the cold response from your end and find it appalling that you have still not managed to find a solution to the problem. We have no option but to approach the authorities,” wrote Jogani in a recent email to the club.
Despite repeated attempts, Bhagat did not respond to calls and messages.
Golf balls going astray have caused damage of over Rs 2 lakh to several high-end cars in recent months, leading to a well-known automobile service centre in Tardeo and a prestigious sports club finding themselves at loggerheads.
For several months, Lalit Jogani, owner of service centre 4S Auto, has written - albeit in vain - to Willingdon Sports Club which has a sprawling 18-hole golf course, asking them to do something about stray balls falling on customers’ cars and damaging them.
With half a dozen vehicles getting damaged in the past few weeks, Jogani has now threatened to file an FIR against the club management for not taking precautions to prevent golf balls landing in their adjoining premises and damaging cars.
Jogani, in fact, has been writing to Willingdon for a while now. “Initially there were sporadic incidents of a ball flying into our service centre and damaging a vehicle. Two years ago we wrote to the club but got no response,” said Jogani. “Recently, there have been a dozen cases, and just a couple of days ago a ball cracked a car’s windscreen.”
Every time a vehicle was damaged, Jogani wrote to the club but got no response. The only time he did get a reply was in January this year when K N Bhagat, the club secretary, reverted saying that the service centre should get the cars repaired by claiming insurance, and in case the entire damages were not covered, the club would shell out the difference.
Bhagat further said, “We are in the process of getting the damaged wall repaired, including fixing a fence on the top. This procedure takes time as the amount is large and we have to go through the tendering process. Work on the wall will start shortly.”
Jogani, however, points out that it’s been 10 months since Bhagat’s promise, but nothing has changed. “None of the customers want their insurance policy to be used for damages by golf balls, as they will lose their no claim bonus. We, as a service centre, end up bearing the cost. Since most vehicles are high-end ones, we have to shell out a lot from our own pockets,” said Jogani.
Now, with the frequency of incidents having increased, Jogani has issued a final warning to Willingdon, saying he will have no alternative but to get FIRs filed against the players and club management.
“I am aghast at the cold response from your end and find it appalling that you have still not managed to find a solution to the problem. We have no option but to approach the authorities,” wrote Jogani in a recent email to the club.
Despite repeated attempts, Bhagat did not respond to calls and messages.
