Sobha review: dissatifaction from false assurances 32

Its not just about sobha, my view is that all realty companies are making hay while the sun shines and somewhere they maybe trampling the customers rights in this frenzy of real estate hikes..

This sounds scary to say the least... families pool in their entire savings towards purchase of a 'home' and money is not the only thing they need to bother about ... one also has to deal with unscrupulous sales personnel, customer service agents.

Funny ... their Code Of Conduct (CoC)(http://www.sobhadevelopers.com/about/coc.html) is clearly stated to be applicable for its Board Members and Senior Management Personnel, and they seem to be following it to a 'T'.
The sales and customer relation personnel are NOT governed by any CoC.

I believe it would help if people with similar grievance get together and collectively discuss such cases with senior personnel of Sobha Developers. A scream may be ignored... not a blast.

who was this salesman whom u interacted with? Even i have booked in Sunscape recently.

I completely second your opinion.
Hear this story now:

I was supposed to book Sobha basil , about a year back. I went ahead , got all documentation done, put in the hard earned booking amount of 4 lakhs.

To my dismay , Sobha couldnt furnish a couple of docs which needed disbursal of the loan. I had to wait for 6 months , and then decided to withdraw.

That was a good decision , but Sobha has its conditions too. They cut off Rs 50,000 on my cheque. I was so unimpressed , i just wanted to get off their tantrums and false promises. Yes it did hurt me , but then i was moving to the US, and took that loss.

In the future , everyone , pls read all docs before signing up.

Last I have realized , a house is a liability. If its an Asset for me , it should be a Liability for the builder. Thats actually not so.

Today , I believe that one should buy, when the markets are down. These builders who have risen the wave of good funding , will only goof up things, cause they dont care an iota about customer satisfaction.

Sobha Developers had promised to deliver Sobha Iris in March 2007 which got delay to September 2007 and then Feb 2008. In fact now it has been delayed to July 2008. I don't think they should be called reputed builders because a good builder would have done good planning. I'm not sue whether their quality is good these days. It used to be good in 2002 days when the demand was less. Conclusion is : Make sure you read the sale agreement properly for any delays etc. and look at their past one year track record. I would disagree if Sobha Developers are called reputed. I don't know about other properties but couple of friends got their possession on time but it was in 2005. May be there is a common problem in delivering projects on time these days. Hmmm...After all it's an ugly business.

I have had a similar issue. I put down a deposit on the condition that they arrange finance for me (I am an Indian living abroad), the booking form said that they would take 0% in event of cancellation. However I found out that they rejected the booking form agreement, however they still went ahead and cashed my cheque. I cancelled before they cashed the cheque (it takes over a month for the transfer to happen from the UK bank) however they are still skimming off rs.75,000 from my deposit.

This amounts to theft, so I am talking to the authorities to start up a fraud case against them. However, I would not recommending doing business with them. The Sales Manager Mr Anil (Bangalore) stated in front of independent witnesses that "as Head of Sales I have decided to return the full amount", despite which they are still scamming me for rs. 75,000.

Hi Swetasri, I'm not getting any money because I asked them to modify the apartment a bit (Kitchen). If there is any modification in the apartment, Sobha will not pay any compensation. In fact it seems this is the case with almost every builder. I'm okay if a builder delays 6 months to 1 year but it will be one and half year in case of Sobha Iris. They will have to compromise on quality to deliver the project and I'm already hearing about quality issues in Sobha Iris from our local yahoo group alias.

Bottom line Sobha Developer is no longer a good quality builder. It is past now. You would want to check other builds and their history before making any decision.

I totally agree with the complaints posted here. Here's my story:

I booked a flat with Sobha in Bangalore early 2007. My experience mirrors many of the comments made here.

1. For one, it is supposed to be a “super luxury” series with good carpet area and ample scope for customization. But in reality, I was very disappointed with the fittings. For example, all the sanitaryware are in white no matter the floor/tile color. If you want to change them, Sobha charges an arm and a leg (see later on customization)
2. Insist on seeing the Sale and Construction agreement BEFORE you give the deposit amount! But, I bet the sales guy will dodge your request. There are lot of hidden clauses which make it totally a one sided agreement.
3. Sobha hates to accommodate any changes! In fact, the construction agreement has this one sided clause which says that if you many any mods/changes from the original specification, they are not obligated to pay ANY compensation in case of delay in handing over, regardless of the how long the delay is.
4. In spite of this, if you are bold and make any changes, they charge a hefty amount. It is actually a money making scam. For example, they charged 3 times the amount for upgrading the EWC (toilet) from Hindware white to Parryware color! And they are least bothered when you bring this to their notice. There attitude is: your neck is now in our hands, scream all you want!
5. The project is already delayed. The latest dates they have communiated to me is July 2009! This is at least nearly 1.5 years late!

They have been blaming everybody but themselves for it. I feel they don’t give a damn about residential projects anymore… It is a necessary nuisance for them. Their focus is on commercial properties now.

As far as I am concerned, Sobha is no longer the desired choice when it comes to residential real estate.

My strong suggestion is for the customers to rally together and sue them in a court of law. I am sure we have a strong case.

Hi,

I am ready to contribute to sue Sobha Builders in court of law. My case is similar and now they are asking me to pay Rs. 1 lakh as interest charges - which is increasing day by day (as I am not paying the same for the last 4 months - after I came to knew that there are interest charges on me).

Those who all are interested please mail me and I will try to see how to go about it (currently I am in US and that is the major constraint for me).

Here are some more comments http://www.newscrux.com/2007/01/07/experience-with-sobha-and-mantri-developers/

Sobha is like any other builder, although they call themselves world class builder. They have sales personnel who have no commitment and promise moon to the buyer and disappear from the company. The employee attrition is main reason for customer grievance. Sobha Sunscale is supposed to be a Dream series project and they do not allow any modification like change of tiles etc. inspite of the buyer willing to pay the difference. As regards project completion, know one knows when it would be handed over. However, we promptly get the demand notices and even one day delay in realisation of cheque, interest would be charged. I don't what access road the sunscape project would have as today there is no proper road to the building from Kanakapura road or NICE road.

Guys,

5 mins from Dasarahalli 8th mile is Sobha developers on tumkur road at the same distanc on hesaragatta road 5 mins from 8th mile i have one beautiful house in MEI Layout ( a pure residential area with big parks and play ground).

well architected independent 3 story Building ready for Occupation by end of April
2 bed room houe in each floor with 3 car park
you can live in first floor and rent 2 floors which can earn you 13K per month.
All top class materials with fully fitted wardrobe with top class carpentry

Total cost of house 72 Lacs

if you are interested mail me- agrathark@gmail.com

thanks
Agratha RK

I am another victim of Sobha. I have booked a flat at Sunscape 3 years back and yet to get possession. What is worse, Sobha has unilaterally modified the agreement and is now requiring me to pay an annual maintenance fee of Rs.36k and sinking fund of 45k per year. This is complete contrary to what is provided in the agreement. Sobha is now selling the flats below the price at which i booked the flat 3 years back and i have paid the full amount. All the puchasers of Sunscape should protest against the unilateral attitude of Sobha and take them to the court.

I can relate to this. I too have experienced many a things that have been mentioned here. There was a discripency in account- sobha kept telling me that 2 lacs issued by ICICI had bounced and kept charging me interest on this amount and it finally took over 14 months (after numerous calls and mails) to resolve. As you would expect the money was with Sobha.

Another big issue is increae in charges on account of KEB and BWSSB, they have increaed it by 200% and refuse to give any details, single line answer - govt has increased and as a policy we don't disclose details.

When i booked the apartment i objected to the clause on penalty incase of delay i.e. modification clause and the answer i got was unless you shift kitchen to bedroom or some thing of this order its fine. And now what i have not received 1.5lacs that i should be eligible for.

I am also facing similar problem with Sobha developers. I have 2 major complaints. My fist complaint of leakage problem in the Sobha apartment(where I live) is pending for last 4 years. Everybody in Sobha keeps telling me that the leakage problem in the flat would be solved. For 4 years they could not solve it. The flat keeps leaking for last four years. Another is a latest problem. They keep charging huge interest without even having the agreement signed.

HUH thanks guys .. I was actually considering to book Sunscape .. I will have to think 100 more times now

Thanks again

Thanks a lot.
I was planning to invest in Shoba properties, but reading all this I feel I need to check out some other builder.

I do agree .sobha developers are blood suckers.Sobha developers Mannon will be stoned to death in the near future by the unhappy cusomers.
They are onsided in their agreeemnt.They delay project.They will make you weep and spend your time worriying after booking their apartment.They are not hones in their accounting and procedures.
They bribe local government.They also threaten customers.
Pls pls do not consider sobha.If you are willing to loose your peace.Loose your hard earned money .Pls do not book apartmnet from Sobha developers .They will haunt you.Beware of sobha

If any of the readers have booked flat in Sobha Sunscape and have grievance against the developer, please post your complaints and we can form a group and take Sobha to the court for their lapses.

I booked an apartment in Sobha Sunscape when the project was launched. Sobha was considered to be a reputed builder. Now the project is delayed by more than one and a half years. As per the agreement Sobha should have paid compensation. Once Sobha announced the delay of one year, I insisted in not paying the last installment amount demanded by it. Sobha is charging interest at 18% for the unpaid amount even when it is not compensating for the delay. When I made the enquiry, the response from the customer service personnel was that the customer should make the payments promptly and the issue of compensation would be dealt with by Sobha managment at the end. This reflects Sobha's dual standards and callousness towards the customers !

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=100000051312193&ref=profile

Hi, I had booked a 3BHK apartment in Sobha Sunscape 3 years ago and my experiences with them has been very dissapointing to say the least. The project is delayed by more than a year. Sobha will not allow any modifications. They have dropped the prices by 30% and as a result any customer who has purchased Sunscape before the price drop is suffering huge losses. The approach roads are still not done. I had made a one time payment to Sobha and Sobha has still not accounted for the extra interest which I am suppose to receive as well as the penalty compensation as the project is delayed by over an year. Also they would be very prompt is raising any payment requests and imposing extra delayed payment charges on customers. They had charged me a service tax component which no longer exists and they are not even showing me any proof that they have paid this to Government and have completely refused to return back that amount. Also they are collecting the KEB BWSSB and other charges from the begining and at the end they would increase it exorbitantly and ask the customer to pay the difference. Sobha is very unethical in all its practices and is always inclined towards raising funds by all possible unethical ways. They should change their punchline from "Passion at work' to "Cheating at work". They CRM folks would give all illogical explanations and answers which would make any customer very unhappy.
I would never suggest any customer to buy an apartment from Sobha directly. If there are people who had similar experiences we can get together and certainly drag them to court.

Hi
I am planning to book Shoba forestview in Hosanhalli. I am in the USA. Can I get some tips on things I should look for before I commit.
What kind of negotiation is possible? What kind of concessions I should ask for etc Thanks

Rajaram

Strongly advice against buying from Sobha. They are not transparent and their agreements are one sided in their own favour. They do not meet timelines and undergo delays of upto 1 year, they pad up the price unreasonably and most importantly, they escalate costs in the final payment without any explanation. They are thriving on a craftily built image which is a mirage. Their complexes are lower middle class ghettos which mirror one another with nil architectural variation...similar to government quarters. They operate from behind an iron curtain and you will have to deal with a blank wall once you have made the initial payment...thereafter you are hooked unless you are ready to cut losses and exit.

The real estate scenario in India and Bangalore is much similar to what it is elsewhere - there are spurious elements no doubt but in its entirety the system has got a lot better in recent times. Sobha is a premium property developer and there are several instances of residents who have had a positive experience and have moved into several of Sobha's completed properties. The company develops communities with excellent amenities and locations. There could a few cases gone wrong but by and large things are positive.

Folks! We bought a plot in Mysore. Our story is even more horrific. Firstly they delayed our registration by two months since we were the only one for that particular day. Nexus continues between builders, government. Difference of dimension between sale agreement and absolute sale deed. We were shown the same only in the registrar office. The guy who represented was do rude and for everything he said talk to HQ office in blr. They said they will do corrections in the absolute deed and gave it. Math was wrong. We hear if we are not interested then don't bother. Many more can buy it. Changes done and still not handed over sale deed. Policy is we will give after a week. CRM team does not exist. They don't have answers for basic questions. No communications come out. On the day of registration we are made to bleed following the change in numbers. The CRM head and the senior management in Bangalore need to retrospect the customers. After all if we don't buy the projects go dead.

I booked a flat at sobha dreams they promised some discounted price & signed the agreement with deposit from debit card, very next day morning they called and ask price cannot be discounted, system is not accepting, we will pay thru channel partner & shoba points etc
we said its ridiculous and cancelled flat booking, still waiting for booking amount

Gopinath

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Hello Friends,
I am planning to buy an apartment at Sobha Indraprastha (36th floor out proposed 37th floor in under construction and pocession planned in March 2019 but they said they can give the pocession in May 2018 !). I have paid the booking amount and the S&C agreement are all crafted as agreed (Price, dimension etc., ) but they have mentioned in the Construction agreement that the "Other Charges" are subject to change and at the prevailing rates during registration which was not the case as per the agreement so i have asked them to revise the contract.

Want to know how is the experience with others on this and general feedback on Sobha.

Pradeep

i booked a flat after visisting 3-4 times.the amount that was quoted to me was 6531971.But on the day of booking.i was said false things and the amount was iraised in lakhs.i have complain against sales people-Majid and debendra.

I have all screenshots of the issue.Kindly help me out with refund and strict actions against them.

Sobha ltd is always find ways to harass customer, I would advise to not favour sobha products

In my case i have the in full all dues . Then hand over and registration of the flat was done. Till then or within a reasonable time no demand for any kind of dues was made.

After 4 years when NOC was requested for transfer of electricity meter, a demand for 22000 was made as electricity dues.

Also Till date flat owners are not able to get their name in revenue/muncipal records , reason "DEVELOPMENT CHARGES NOT PAID BY SOBHA LTD ,

SO BEWARE OF SOBHA

I own flat no 13016 in wing -13 of Shobha Dreams acres ,panatur road , belegere , BANGALORE.

THERE is demand for payment for issuing NOC , When all payment and dues have been made at the time of handover ®istration

Saying that there are electricity charges.

Nothing but harassing customer .