V.S.T. Auto Sales (2002) Co Ltd, located on the bypass road, ceased operating as an authorised service centre on May 31, leaving new Chev owners in Phuket no choice but to drive hundreds of kilometres to Krabi in order to have their vehicles serviced by an authorised agent – a condition required in order for Chev Thailand to uphold their vehicle warranties.
Angry comments from Chev owners in Phuket ran wild, noting that no owners were notified by the company that the Phuket service centre was to cease.
“Total chaos, nobody knows anything and they don’t get anything done… my car has been there now for over a month and they haven’t fix anything and nobody is willing to inform me about the situation!!!
“The new staff there are a disaster… too bad, the old staff was really great and got things done very fast, now I am sad I own a Chevrolet...,” wrote one owner. Many other comments expressed fury and are unpublishable.
Asked why the service centre closed, Chevrolet Customer Service staff in Bangkok told The Phuket News this week, “We don’t have information about this.”
Asked where clients were to go to have their vehicles services, staff responded, “We suggest the nearby Chevrolet centre located at 60 Moo 2, Phetkasem Rd, Krabi Noi subdistrict, Mueang District, Krabi Province.”
Asked how to get there, staff explained, “You drive outbound (sic) on Phetkasem Rd. You have to drive past Tesco Lotus. The Chevrolet centre is opposite the Amway centre. The contact number is 075-650699. We apologise for this inconvenience.”
Meanwhile, Phuket is no longer listed on the “Dealer Locator” page on Chevrolet Thailand’s website. (See here.)
After many more phone calls and emails by The Phuket News, a staffer at Chevrolet Sales (Thailand) Limited on Tuesday revealed, “We have now got a dealer to take care of our new branch in Phuket. The new branch will open at the end of this year (2017).”
Asked who the new dealer was, the staffer said, “We will reveal it soon. The company has a new dealer which is in the process of setting up its operations. The new branch is coming soon. We will release other information and details in soon.”