Considering cancelling my order......

[Sootchucker]

Been talking to the wife, and after having another conversation with VW UK last night, I'm seriously considering cancelling my orders for both the GTD and the Polo Blue GT.

As if it's not bad enough that they cannot confirm 100% that my order's progressing (despite being on order for well over a month), and they can't yet confirm if the lane assist which my car was ordered with is actually available, the last straw came last night when I read that winter pack for non Cloth cars had been dropped. Spoke to my customer service representative at VW HQ last night, and fully expected her to say, "oh, sorry, that's a mistake on the website - we'll correct that". Instead she said "oh, yes, it does look like it's not available any more" WTF !!!! Even my wife's Polo has winter pack available, and the GTD / GTI versions are supposed to be the top of the tree.

VW will call me back either later today or tomorrow to 100% confirm what's happening to my order and its specification.If winter pack has indeed been dropped and they force me to take leather at £1600, then the order for both cars will definitely be cancelled, and for the first time in 10 years, I'll be moving away form the VW brand - which will be a real shame.

I mean I ask you what's next, that it only comes with 3 wheels ! I think VW UK's handling of the GTi/GTD launch (actually the whole MK7 launch), is disgraceful. Hopefully she will come back and allay my fears but otherwise it will be bye bye from me.

I know most on here won't agree with my decision, and that's fine, whatever works for you, but as this is my hard earned money, it won't be given to a company that keeps pi55ing me around, there are plenty more companies eager to part me with my money.

Sorry... just had to vent my frustration somewhere, and you guys are good at listening 

[monkeyhanger]

Norbreck21a: So have you got an alternative set of cars lined up or just keeping hold of what you have longer if you do cancel? I have looked at the alternatives out there and there is noting else i'd rather have when taking in looks, equipment and solid residuals into account:-

1 Series: Ugly as sin, mechanically good, poor value on the equipment side, cheap interior for it's price point, decent residuals.

2. Giulietta: One of the best looking cars in it''s segment, well equipped, 5 year warranty but atrocious residuals and very cheap interior.

3. Seat Leon: Like a Golf but cheaper with a cheaper interior. Poorer residuals means it costs as much to run as a dearer Golf. I always find that fresh exterior design initially looks old hat within 2 years on a Leon.

4. Focus: Bland car (except the ST), average at everything with poor residuals and relatively poor economy next to it's rivals.

5. Astra GTC: Better looking than a Focus, with poor interior and poor residuals.

6. Audi A3 - looks ok in 3 door but so bad in 5 door (like an estate car), Quality shows throughout but standard equipment is poor and you'll pay through the nose for all your options. Great residuals.

I would take an Audi A1 over the Polo any day of the week, but for GTI/GTD I can't see any better options out there. The wait, lack of info for your placed order and ever changing spec/options is poor though.

VW UK are sh!te, no 2 ways about it, whether it be for information on a placed order or mediation for a calamity of events following an accident repair at a VW approved repairer. It's a shame because VW Germany will bend over backwards for a German customer (my cousin in the Army, based in Germany will attest to that).

[Gryzor]

Where did you read that winter pack had been dropped for "non-cloth cars"?  Besides, even if true, why would you be forced to take leather in such a case?  "non-cloth" means leather, so you are saying that it has been dropped for leather, which you didn't spec anyway...  Maybe I've read it wrong, but doesn't make sense to me.

I have the entire car specification including standard and factory options all via screenshots, PDFs and order forms.  If my car comes and it is not to spec, depending on how far off it is they can either refund my deposit and I walk away, or I take the car with a further discount.  I'm truly past stressing on this one, and as already said, for me, nothing else comes close.

[CraigW]

I can understand your frustration as it does seem a bit of a shambles. It's almost as if they are making things up as they go along. They should have been clear at the outset what was/wasn't available. I have asked the question as well re the winter pack as I was thinking about adding it. It just doesn't make sense. Does this mean that for those that did spec leather that they are now going to have to pay extra for heated seats?

[Sootchucker]

To be honest, I'll probably just pay off the balance on both existing cars (they are after all only 2½ years old), and wait until next year and have a look around then and see what's happening. Apparently according to my local BMW dealer, there's a major facelift coming on the 1 series next year, so if that address's the looks could be one of them, or they are currently doing cracking deals on M-Sport edition 3 series, with all the toys for a similar price to the VW. Decisions, decisions.......

Like I say, I don't want to cancel the orders, I really like the look of the cars, but in speaking to Lisa at VW this morning (who rang me back just after I posted), even she admitted that it's all been pretty shocking, and they are struggling to keep up with complaints.

[CraigW]

Where did you read that winter pack had been dropped for "non-cloth cars"?  Besides, even if true, why would you be forced to take leather in such a case?  "non-cloth" means leather, so you are saying that it has been dropped for leather, which you didn't spec anyway...  Maybe I've read it wrong, but doesn't make sense to me.

I have the entire car specification including standard and factory options all via screenshots, PDFs and order forms.  If my car comes and it is not to spec, depending on how far off it is they can either refund my deposit and I walk away, or I take the car with a further discount.  I'm truly past stressing on this one, and as already said, for me, nothing else comes close.

The option has been removed from the website and replaced with winter pack in conjunction with leather only

[Gryzor]

I agree, it is a shambles, especially after just being given a "September 16th" build date...bit of a joke really.

[Sootchucker]

Where did you read that winter pack had been dropped for "non-cloth cars"?  Besides, even if true, why would you be forced to take leather in such a case?  "non-cloth" means leather, so you are saying that it has been dropped for leather, which you didn't spec anyway...  Maybe I've read it wrong, but doesn't make sense to me.

I have the entire car specification including standard and factory options all via screenshots, PDFs and order forms.  If my car comes and it is not to spec, depending on how far off it is they can either refund my deposit and I walk away, or I take the car with a further discount.  I'm truly past stressing on this one, and as already said, for me, nothing else comes close.

Gryzor, it was on one of the forums yesterday (can't remember which one now), but if you now look at the VW website in both the configuration and the "features and options", Winter pack is now inly available (apparently) in conjunction with leather - which I don't want. My current order with VW has Cloth interior combined with the Winter pack. This is essential for me, as I broke my back when I was younger, and it still causes me some pain in the colder months, and the heated seats in all my last 4 years really helps with that, which is why I specced it again.

Understand totally what you are saying re the having evidence as to what you have ordered, but should you really have to build up an arsenal of evidence because you may or are expecting trouble at delivery time ?. I think not.

Like I say, hopefully my dissatisfaction email and conversations to VW will serve as a warning shot to them that I will not be pi55ed about, however if they come back and give me a 100% assurance that it's all still fine and progressing in Wolfsburg, that that's just fine with me and the orders can stand.

[matchboy]

If its any consolation Norbreck21a, the mk 6 launch was a shambles as well.  But it is worth it in the end!  The other options have pros and cons as discussed above - but I think you'll be hard pressed to get the same calibre of motor for the money.

I suppose the issues you've had are the pitfalls of ordering a car before its been released.  The question you have to ask yourself is if you were ordering in a years time when the exact spec of the car is known, would you order one?  If the answer is yes then the issues with changing spec, build weeks etc are irrelevant as you would know what you are buying.  It seems the issue isn't the car or the spec therefore, but the p!ss poor way VW are handling the launch.  That aside, if there wasn't this issue, you'd still buy both of those cars.

Personally, I think you'd regret changing - but it is of course your money! 

[Sootchucker]

Totally agree matchboy, it IS still the car I want, but trouble is nearly 5 weeks in from order, VW UK can't tell me if it's in the order queue, has an issue, if some of the options ordered are now not available etc, which I think is totally unacceptable for one of the largest car companies in the world.

Spoke earlier to my colleagues in Germany, and they all sing the praises of VW dealerships and apparently have had no messing about with spec changes etc, so one can only assume it's the utter ineptitude of the executives at VW UK who want taking outside and shooting, as in my opinion they are seriously tarnishing a premium brand here in the UK !