How to teach Rolls Royce a lesson, and force the car company to give in to your demands

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh felt slighted at the British Rolls Royce company’s refusal to accept an order from him for a new Rolls Royce car.

Reacting to the refusal, the Maharaja ordered new Rolls Royce cars and put them to hauling garbage, dung and filth in Patiala city, to the chagrin of the all-powerful Rolls Royce-loving Viceroy and the British ruling establishment, who quickly prevailed upon the Rolls Royce Company to comply with the Maharaja’s wishes.

True story, http://guruprasad.net/posts/rolls-royce-the-indian-maharajas-motor-car/

When the Maharaja of Patiala (Bhupinder Singh) visited a Rolls-Royce showroom and inquired the price of a high end model, the salesman mocked at him and said he would not be able to afford it. The infuriated Maharaja bought all the cars from the showroom, cut open their roofs and began to use them as garbage trucks!!

As soon as the the car company received news of their brand being humiliated this way, the salesman was sacked and the company apologized to Singh, requesting him to return those garbage cars so that they could in turn gift him with much better and expensive cars at no extra cost.

Page 160 from the book “Luxury Marketing”

http://dailysikhupdates.com/story-behind-maharaja-patiala-using-rolls-royce-waste-carrier-cars/  has a slightly different version, and gives the story origin to a King Jai Singh not King Bhpinder Singh of Patiala

While walking in casual dress on Bond Street in London, he saw a Rolls Royce showroom and went inside to inquire about the price and features etc of their cars.

Considering him a just another poor Indian citizen, showroom salesmen insulted him. After this insult, the King came back to his Hotel room and asked his servants to call the showroom that King of Patiala is interested in purchasing their cars.

Then the King reached the Rolls Royce showroom again but in his full astonishing royal royal costume. When he reached the showroom there was already red carpet on the floor and all the salesmen were bent with respect. The King purchased all the six cars that they had at showroom at that time and paid full amount with delivery costs.

After reaching India, King ordered the municipal department to use all those six Rolls Royce cars for cleaning and transporting city’s waste.

The world’s best Rolls Royce cars were being used for transportation of the city’s waste, and the news spread all over the world rapidly and the reputation of Rolls Royce Company was torn apart.

the King ordered new Rolls Royce put to hauling garbage, dung and filth in Patiala city, to the chagrin of the all-powerful Rolls Royce-loving Viceroy and the British ruling establishment, who quickly prevailed upon the Rolls Royce Company to comply with the Maharaja’s wishes.

Whenever someone used to boast in Europe or America that he owned a Rolls Royce, people used to laugh saying, “Which one? The same that is used in India for carrying the waste of the City?”

Due to the scandal, and the furious requests of other Indian customers who were losing prestige, sales of Rolls Royce dropped rapidly and the company owners sent a telegram to the king in India with apologies and requested the ceasing of transporting garbage in Rolls Royce cars. Not only this but they also offered 6 new cars to king free of cost.

When the King observed that Rolls Royce had learned the lesson and they were sorry for their mistakes, he had them returned to London to be exchanged with the new Rolls Royce.
http://sahib.tv/?p=2067

The Rolls Royce he owned are said to be in Quila Mubarak in Patiala or Udaypur Palace Rajasthan