DSG woes in The Age

[RoknRob]

Different laws. As I said, in NSW at least, you can do whatever you want (unless it is already on the criminal statutes), as long as you tell your customer what you are going to do them. There are limits, but what we are talking about here is OK.

On the ACCC, they are concerned with safety. Again, it is up to the person lodging the complaint to make the case on safety.

Above all, DO NOT be confused by the titles of these organisations. The titles are a way of governments (all persuasions) hoodwinking citizens into thinking they are doing something about a problem. Just look at all of what is going on right now in politics. Create an organisation or body with a name that suggests they are doing something and you quieten the masses.

Wai, you miss my point.

The point is there are real problems that have obliged VW Globally to act. And VW has acted - which means they are aware of problems, and presumably know how to fix some of them.

Some here are suggesting it is all in our heads. That we're all trolls. That we don't know how to drive.

Recalls do not occur for these spurious reasons, and yet they have happened, so that can't be it.
VW Australia should do the right thing - not just the thing that some actuary has determined is not worth the money!
(But I take heart, because as this discussion drags on, it will likely become more and more worthwhile for VW to do the right thing! And then we can all go back to loving the brand that gives us such wonderful dynamics and interiors at a reasonable - for Australia - price!)

And thanks to cappuccino for such a comprehensive explanation of why this is all possible, even if no fault can be found.
(Surely I'm not the only one to have my desktop computer hang for no apparent reason, but when re-started, it's as if nothing had ever happened? This is a day-to-day example that I would be hard pressed to believe someone has never experienced.)

[wai]

Wai, you miss my point.

The point is there are real problems that have obliged VW Globally to act. And VW has acted - which means they are aware of problems, and presumably know how to fix some of them.

Some here are suggesting it is all in our heads. That we're all trolls. That we don't know how to drive.

Don't get me wrong. I understand what you are saying, and I DID LODGE A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THE ACCC. The response was that under their authority they could do nothing unless it was a safety issue that the complainant could verify and satisfy the ACCC as to the cause.

VW should act, but you see, the Australian market is not big by any standards for VW, so why go to the expense of doing something here when we are like a mosquito biting an elephant...plain annoying, but not likely to do the elephant any harm.

Oh yes, also it is not the ACCC that initiates a recall. They do notify the public, but they do not initiate it. It is the Department of Infrastructure and Transport where the complaint has to be lodged, and there is a specific format that the complaint has to come in.

I e-mailed a complaint on another few safety issues, but being bureaucratic, it must come in a specific format, so I have to resubmit it. Mind you the first time I submitted it was around September 2011, but heard nothing. This time I have been told to "do it properly".

So, to all who consider it safety related, go through the proper channels and then something might just happen. Otherwise, do not expect anything to happen soon if at all. You can do all you want in forums like this, or through social media. It is just being a mosquito. The Australian market does not matter that much to VW. If they sold nothing here, it would barely rate mention at a strategic meeting at VW. The only reason they have acted in other markets is because they simply cannot afford a loss of share in those markets.

By the way, this is not a VW bashing exercise as such. It would be the same for any manufacturer with a small market share. Holden reacts in Australia because that is its prime market. If there was something odd to happen is a market they are not that concerned at losing, and the same issue is not an issue in their prime market, they are not going to bother.

No one is attacking anyone in this forum.

Here's another example received just minutes ago.

Google earth images are WAY out of date. Currently they are as things were in 2009. Google want to sell professional packages of Google Earth for a premium where you get higher resolution imagery. Pity it is higher resolution imagery of how things were in 2009. What does the ACCC say about selling high resolution imagery that is up to 5 years old? Nothing. I have been directed to my local Fair Trading Department, and no doubt Google mention this somewhere in their T&C's so nothing can be done about it.

Like I said, there is nothing "fair" about Fair Trading, and the ACCC is just a mouthpiece. Decisions on what has to be done are made by others and the ACCC name has a nice ring to it.

So, if we want action we have to go through proper channels, otherwise whatever we do or say is for information only.

It may not be what you or I want to hear, but that is the way it is.