Author Topic: Just a small .... ok big rant.  (Read 2166 times)

Offline Davstylee

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Just a small .... ok big rant.
« on: 29 December 2009, 13:26 »
Just a bit of a rant.

Rant number 1.
Well as some of you may know via my other posts, I recently brought an 05 reg GTI, we are only talk about 3 weeks ago. Well before I brought the car from Abridge VW in Loughton, I was asking all the regular questions and some others that I got from you helpfully guys on this forum. One being has the oil been changed on the DSG gear box. The salesman said, yes it should have been done, so I asked to see the receipt, but he couldn’t find it. I asked him to find out if it had been done before I paid any money. So I return the next weekend (Loughton is an hour’s drive from my house in Kent) and he assures me it has been done, but he couldnt produce a receipt. I give in and pay the money (my misstake) and drive away very happy with my new purchase, if a little worried about the oil change.
So when I get home I check the log book more carefully, and I find the address and telephone number of the VW garage the car was last serviced at, and also where the DSG oil should have been changed. I give them a ring to find out if in fact the oil has been changed, and low and behold it hasn’t. So I ring the salesman at Abridge VW and give him a piece of my mind. He speaks to his service department and they agree to do the oil change free of charge, which I must say is the only thing I'm happy about. Car is booked in for the 9th Jan.

Rant number 2.
As posted on this forum a little while ago, my exhaust warning light came on a week ago. I ring VW assistance and they send out an RAC guy, who can’t do much but delete the code and say it should be ok to drive. Being a little sceptical I ring them again in the morning and ask to get a dedicated VW assistance guy. The guy comes and found out exactly what the problem is, a snapped sensor. So he rings VW Beadles in Dartford (my local VW garage) and he arranges for my car to come in and get repaired and he also asks them to order the parts that are needed. So today I drop my car off at 8am ready for the service team to fit the part that I think has been ordered. Anyway I get a phone call at 1pm saying they need to order the part and the car won’t be ready until tomorrow (30th December) now. So I say to the man on the phone that the dedicated VW assistance bloke, who is apparently trained by VW, rang ahead and asked you guys to order the part. To which the man on the phone replies, I’m sorry I didn’t take that call, but really we won’t be able to order parts until we run our diagnostics because the VW assistance guy could have got the wrong part. So I remind him that it was a trained VW road side assistant that rang, and the lady at Beadles said the parts will be ordered. To which he has no other response other than sorry, there is noting I can do.

So to sum up I pay a lot of money for a car, that within three weeks needs parts replaced and the salesman who sold me the car lied to me about a pretty major thing.

I feel a letter to VW customer service coming on.
« Last Edit: 29 December 2009, 13:30 by Davstylee »
Mrk V, GTI, 3dr, DSG, heated seats, winter pack, cruise control, rear parking sensors and now thanks to GizzyWizzy and SteveP in the MK6 section a RCD 510. Awesome!

Offline mac7

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #1 on: 29 December 2009, 15:30 »
It's not nice when you have problems like this. Your salesman is also guilty of misrepresentation but hey, that seems to be the norm for sales people these days. At least they are sorting it.

VW assist, VW dealers VW UK and VW AG are all separate entities. Given the inability for any organisation to communicate effectively these days it doesn't surprise me that this lot can't, or won't.

I've had similar from dealers. Take the car in with a problem, diagnose problem, book in for repair. Take in for repair, get a call saying they need to order the part, 2 journeys and car off road for 2 days for a 30 minute job. I think they do it this way because there are plenty of people who will cancel the repair and go to a cheaper independent, leaving the VW dealer who ordered parts in advance with those parts sitting on the shelf. Money tied up in unused spares is bad from a business perspective - more so than a slightly pissed off customer.
Golf R

Offline Hurdy

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #2 on: 29 December 2009, 16:53 »
That does suck the big one!

If there is one thing I hate it is being lied to about something I am spending money on. Even more so for you in this case where the salesman obviously couldn't even be arsed to phone the previous service station to find out if the work had been done.  :angry:

Lack of organisation is another thing that gets my gander up too, so the second issue would surely p!ss me off too.

I'm sure there is scope for you to get a little more out of the dealership to compensate for their ineptitude. :wink:

I'd also want to see the DSG service being carried out after being lied to. After all anyone can do a printout to SAY the service has been done!! :undecided:
Seat Leon Cupra Black 290 DSG

Offline R32UK

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #3 on: 29 December 2009, 18:08 »
welcome to the wonderful world of VW dealers :undecided:

think this is bad you want to pop over to the mk6 section  :laugh:

Offline Davstylee

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #4 on: 29 December 2009, 20:47 »
So its not just me then.

Hurdy thanks for the reasurance ha ha. Might sound strange and I may get funny looks when I ask to see them do the oil change, but im still going to ask now.
Mrk V, GTI, 3dr, DSG, heated seats, winter pack, cruise control, rear parking sensors and now thanks to GizzyWizzy and SteveP in the MK6 section a RCD 510. Awesome!

Offline ifti

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #5 on: 30 December 2009, 12:31 »
The VW customer service team, and most of the VW people in dealerships are complete rubbish.
I had a Ford before and I must say their team is a lot better. VW dont seem to give two sh1ts about their customers after they have their sale - from what I have seen anyways.

Offline 2007GTI

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #6 on: 30 December 2009, 18:43 »
VW dealers are lairs. As for VW customer services, I wouldn't waste the stamp.

http://www.golfgtiforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=56400.0
2014 Mk7 GTI DSG 5dr in Carbon Grey, 18s, leather

Gone but not forgotten '07 Mk5 GTI DSG (2006 to 2014)

Offline mr magoo

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Re: Just a small .... ok big rant.
« Reply #7 on: 31 December 2009, 19:00 »
VW make great cars but they really don't seem to care about anything other than selling them. Customer service is cr@p, bodyshops are cr@p (mine had to go back in TWICE to rectify things that weren't even damaged in the accident!), I find the servicing departmens so-so.