Author Topic: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)  (Read 13482 times)

Offline Bill_the_Bear

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #30 on: 06 June 2013, 17:20 »
Its really shocking that so many of us are having problems.

This is the third cancelled order I think we've had, after MH's dad and Pauliem!  Going off the 51 posted specs that is a 6% failure rate, not including all the balls ups over spec and lead time.  Hmm.

I'm all in favour of approaching these things politely, and my next suggestion is not going to be polite, but here goes anyway.  I wonder if VW are aware of the reputation damage they are doing to themselves.  Has anyone pointed out to their customer service or to the CEO office that these problems are well publicised on the key GTI forum for the UK where (case in point from today with Marcus's thread) there are potential VW customers reading everything while deciding if you buy VW or BMW or whatever else?  And if VW don't care about this then perhaps the consumer watchdogs and/or motoring mags might!

This is the catch-22 of modern industry.  Without large companies there is no way to manufacture high tech goods this cheaply, yet with large companies the customer can be treated badly without any real repercussions.  I'm sure the GTI is so popular that VW could cancel the order of everyone on this forum and then announce it on the front page of every newspaper and still see no impact on their bottom line, their reputation just wouldn't be hit badly enough to hurt them.

/rant

Offline monkeyhanger

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #31 on: 06 June 2013, 17:21 »
Hawaii: If you've been binned by the supplying dealer, does that mean you have to renegotiate part-ex, or were you only hiring the current car?
Whey ya bugger! It's finally arrived after an 8 month wait....
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Offline monkeyhanger

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #32 on: 06 June 2013, 17:24 »
Its really shocking that so many of us are having problems.

This is the third cancelled order I think we've had, after MH's dad and Pauliem!  Going off the 51 posted specs that is a 6% failure rate, not including all the balls ups over spec and lead time.  Hmm.

I'm all in favour of approaching these things politely, and my next suggestion is not going to be polite, but here goes anyway.  I wonder if VW are aware of the reputation damage they are doing to themselves.  Has anyone pointed out to their customer service or to the CEO office that these problems are well publicised on the key GTI forum for the UK where (case in point from today with Marcus's thread) there are potential VW customers reading everything while deciding if you buy VW or BMW or whatever else?  And if VW don't care about this then perhaps the consumer watchdogs and/or motoring mags might!

This is the catch-22 of modern industry.  Without large companies there is no way to manufacture high tech goods this cheaply, yet with large companies the customer can be treated badly without any real repercussions.  I'm sure the GTI is so popular that VW could cancel the order of everyone on this forum and then announce it on the front page of every newspaper and still see no impact on their bottom line, their reputation just wouldn't be hit badly enough to hurt them.

/rant

Exactly that - they don't give a sh!te! If this was VW customers in Germany they would give a sh!te, but unfortunately VW UK couldn't care either way. At this early stage for every person that cancels, there are 5 others to take their place.
Whey ya bugger! It's finally arrived after an 8 month wait....
MK7 R 5 door, manual, Lapiz Blue, Prets.

Offline Gung-Ho

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #33 on: 06 June 2013, 17:32 »
But I'm sure its just early "teething" problems as with any new launch.  I wouldn't have thought VW are the only main culprits in the motoring trade.  I'm almost certain ordering will return to normal once all the 'furore' has subsided.

Chin up folks!!!! "Keep CALM & Carry On!" As they say :grin:
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Offline Jimble

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #34 on: 06 June 2013, 17:45 »
But I'm sure its just early "teething" problems as with any new launch.  I wouldn't have thought VW are the only main culprits in the motoring trade.  I'm almost certain ordering will return to normal once all the 'furore' has subsided.

Chin up folks!!!! "Keep CALM & Carry On!" As they say ;D


I'd agree it's unlikely that VW are the only brand to be so farcical but lets be honest, this isn't the first launch they've done so shouldn't they have an idea of how to do it by now??
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Offline Lagerlout

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #35 on: 06 June 2013, 20:00 »
I'd probably speak to VW again and politely explain that the supply dealer has unexpectedly decided not to honour the order and leave you in this precarious position. Ask them to investigate and ascertain where you stand legally and if now a contract has been signed, the dealer has the right to pull out.

Be polite and firm and state you are shocked and amazed that a company like VW is allowed to treat it's customers this way.

Tweet the hell out of them, cannot believe they said they don't want your business. Unbelievable.

I'm not sure if you guys realise, but there is not much commission being made by most salespeople. Most Mercedes sales people get £50 a car sold.. Have a think about that, especially considering how low their base pay usually is..

Offline Bill_the_Bear

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #36 on: 06 June 2013, 20:17 »
I'm not sure if you guys realise, but there is not much commission being made by most salespeople. Most Mercedes sales people get £50 a car sold.. Have a think about that, especially considering how low their base pay usually is..

Hi Lager.  Not sure what you mean here.  If car sales "executives" really are low paid then as an entirely separate issue I feel sorry for them.  On the different issue of how I feel about the level of service offered on a £27-32k purchase I would expect that service to be pretty damn good.  Sky high in fact!  Sadly for 5-O it has not been in his case.  I'd be livid if I were him.

Offline Lagerlout

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #37 on: 07 June 2013, 09:01 »
There was a comment about them being incentivised by commission, I was pointing out how little they actualy make from one sale which would explain some of the arrogance being shown (in light of the deal), especially if the vehicles are over subscribed anyway.

I hate to say it, but on a £30k car, or a £130k car (from a volume manufacturer) you're not going to be treated like royality by anyone, most dealers are incentivised the same way. Fact of life. It's not a how much the vehicle is worth, it's how many units they shift, in combination with moving used car units as well. The franchise owner will be rewarded based on hitting these targets. That's how the salesman and the dealer make their true money and bonuses. I know because I have family in the trade and I employ ex-salesmen at my firm. The incentives are true for the majority of the volume manufacturers just the schemes vary slightly.

No matter what, this does not excuse how the OP has been treated, I totally agree it's just disgusting.  However it may give reason to explain the actions of the individuals involved at the dealership, as distasteful as it might be.

This can only be addressed with VW UK you won't get anywhere with the local dealer now. Social Media is the best way of causing a stir if you don't get anywhere with them direct, but I would certainly pursue the proper route first.

I might also suggest that dealing with a Broadspeed or a DriveTheDeal removes any semblance of margin for the dealer on the car, so the only interest from the dealer here (from a business perspective) is on target/number of units sold and the miserly commission for a one off sale of a car for the exec. All of these items will combine to make the dealer less interested in your deal. Again, untenable from a CS point of view and this is why VW UK are your only route, that, or sit back and leave it to Broadspeed to sort out for you.

Offline DougL

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #38 on: 07 June 2013, 09:50 »
I ordered through drivethedeal and the fleet manager couldn't be more helpful. Quick response to email, order number supplied immediately, screenshots of his pc etc. I don't think it has anything at all to do with how you order, but who you are dealing with. Some dealers seem incapable of offering adequate customer service, individual salesmen seem to be the problem here, but that also seems to come from the culture at a particular dealers. Looking at Which?, Volkswagen dealers seem to have a lowly two star rating for the sales experience, which would back up the feelings here.
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Offline Hawaii-Five-O

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Re: VW Cock-up (advice needed please)
« Reply #39 on: 07 June 2013, 10:33 »
Having slept on my predicament I'm very, very close to cancelling my order.

Three things spring to mind:

1) I feel I've been made a fool of and treated appallingly (waited 2 months in good faith only to learn my order never was)
2) They, my supplying dealer & online broker, have never apologised for this f*ck up
3) I still enjoy driving my lovely Scirocco so do I really, really need and new GTD?

I'm going to think it through over the weekend and make my decision on Monday morning.

Thanks for your support folks - it helps :)
Current: BMW M140i / ZF8 / 5 DR
Past: MK7 GTI / DSG / WHITE / 5 DR