We could have predicted this

[Diesel_vert]

LOL, a good time to get a new car.

I have to agree with Hugo (second comment in the article listed in the first post), that's what he said;

"I hear what you're saying but bear in mind that VW is the third largest automaker in the world. Volkswagen Group (VW) sells passenger cars under the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen marques; motorcycles under the Ducati brand; and commercial vehicles under the MAN, Scania and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles marques. Do you think that they give a toss on the island of Australia?"

Emphasis added.

Not that it provides any justification (well, maybe it does, lol) but I'm sure that goes a long way in explaining why many VW customers in Australia are treated in the manner that they are.

[parso_rex]

Theres a lot more at stake than a couple of thousand cars- way more. The perception out there at the moment is that all the (VW/Audi/Skoda) gearboxes are terrible and the engines aren't much better even though for most of the models this is simply not the case at all. This sort of talk is doing the rounds of pretty much every Oz forum even non-car ones like whirlpool and from here it spreads to colleagues and friends of friends etc.
Chatting about this briefly with my wife and close friend both in PR one heading a VAG line (cant say too much here) and it was basically lets just not even go into detail because its been so badly handled. So is it a case of bad PR department decision or is it a case of the company not wanting to follow the recommendations of their PR department for whatever reason $$ perhaps - It doesn't matter the damage is done now. Bet they won't do it like this again

[brimway]

I think their attitude now is....

The damage is done, so if we sh*t on a few of our customers that are not directly protected under the terms of the recall, so be it.

VGA MD John White invited me to contact Customer Care. I did, but the only response I get is a phone call from an administrative staff member who told me that "any modification to your car will void your warranty even if the documented problem predates any modification", actual words!

How can you win? They are a bunch of you know whats.

[mikinoz]

Bought a comfortline Polo for a massive savings this week. A very keen salesman wasn't meeting targets so sharpened price considerably.

Swings and roundabouts. We've all seen stuff like this before but water will pass under the bridge and things will soon be back to normal...

[brimway]

Swings and roundabouts. We've all seen stuff like this before but water will pass under the bridge and things will soon be back to normal...

That makes me feel so much better, thankyou

[Diesel_vert]

Swings and roundabouts. We've all seen stuff like this before but water will pass under the bridge and things will soon be back to normal...

As in, resume normal behaviour and go back to treating their customers indifferently?

I'm sure the optimists amongst the VW customer base would like to think that won't be the case in the future, but time will tell...

[mikinoz]

There are no truly customer focused major product manufacturers or dominant suppliers in any sector. Look at Apple and their warranty conditions and customer relations approach as the next example. From there you can head to Telstra/Vodafone in the services sector.

Good customer service comes from people working for companies that allow them the ability to put a customer first. Sadly that isn't very often anymore - as it costs money.

And before we all get upset. People still buy Toytas despite their issues and VW will still be a middle class aspiration in our fine country so sales will be fine.

[pologti18t]

It's even more disturbing when certain VW owners (with few issues) beat up the issues on non-automotive sites. Continually inflame the issue when their car is seemingly being dealt with effectively. When one issue is address they move onto another issue to continue their tirade. Then they bitch about reduced resale yada yada and wonder why. hmmmm. Nose cut off to spite the face.

See if you can spot one
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum...t=2075298&p=59

The stories I hear about VW owners being mistreated/misunderstood by their dealers I have heard numerous times from people with other makes. I for one had majors issues with a Mazda of all things years ago. It doesn't diminish the problems, but don't think the VW universe is somehow special.

Social Media allows these stories to run completely out of control... running on way after the response from the manufacturer required has been obtained. It's like some power trip for them... they go from "they aren't doing anything" to "they aren't doing it fast enough" to "what are they not telling us", "I don't believe they fixed it " to "they may be fixing issue A but what about issue B".

I admit that certain service centres (of all makes) have definite problems with understanding what problem a customer is having. I also understand that there are A LOT of customers out there that are all passive aggressive. They go straight to social media to vent their spleen with great glee. They always post about the problem... they rarely then post if the problem got fixed. Manufacturers better learn quick how to respond to these threats (and they are to a business)

The only comfort I get is I know a lot will go buy a Mazda, Honda, Toyota and then whinge on social media that the manufacturer has sold them a car unfit for purpose because the car's bluetooth doesn't connect to their iPhone5 </rant>

[Diesel_vert]

There are no truly customer focused major product manufacturers or dominant suppliers in any sector. Look at Apple and their warranty conditions and customer relations approach as the next example. From there you can head to Telstra/Vodafone in the services sector.

Good customer service comes from people working for companies that allow them the ability to put a customer first. Sadly that isn't very often anymore - as it costs money.

And before we all get upset. People still buy Toytas despite their issues and VW will still be a middle class aspiration in our fine country so sales will be fine.

It's a given that cars are not 100% reliable, but when things go wrong, I expect the manufacturer to back their products by providing proper support.

I'm not upset for VW. As a corporation that made an after-tax profit of EUR 22 billion last year, they have plenty of cash on hand to go around.

But I'm sympathetic for the individuals and enthusiasts that post on this forum who have bought a VW and weren't able to receive proper support when their cars had issues.

It's even more disturbing when certain VW owners (with few issues) beat up the issues on non-automotive sites. Continually inflame the issue when their car is seemingly being dealt with effectively. When one issue is address they move onto another issue to continue their tirade. Then they bitch about reduced resale yada yada and wonder why. hmmmm. Nose cut off to spite the face.

See if you can spot one
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum...t=2075298&p=59

The stories I hear about VW owners being mistreated/misunderstood by their dealers I have heard numerous times from people with other makes. I for one had majors issues with a Mazda of all things years ago. It doesn't diminish the problems, but don't think the VW universe is somehow special.

Social Media allows these stories to run completely out of control... running on way after the response from the manufacturer required has been obtained. It's like some power trip for them... they go from "they aren't doing anything" to "they aren't doing it fast enough" to "what are they not telling us", "I don't believe they fixed it " to "they may be fixing issue A but what about issue B".

I admit that certain service centres (of all makes) have definite problems with understanding what problem a customer is having. I also understand that there are A LOT of customers out there that are all passive aggressive. They go straight to social media to vent their spleen with great glee. They always post about the problem... they rarely then post if the problem got fixed. Manufacturers better learn quick how to respond to these threats (and they are to a business)

The only comfort I get is I know a lot will go buy a Mazda, Honda, Toyota and then whinge on social media that the manufacturer has sold them a car unfit for purpose because the car's bluetooth doesn't connect to their iPhone5 </rant>

I tend not to read too much into the comments section of many online articles, or the posts in a forum like Whirlpool.

It is certainly true that other manufacturers are not immune to poor customer service standards, but having said that, VW really dropped the ball on the DSG issue in Australia, amongst other issues.

[hoi polloi]

I tend not to read too much into the comments section of many online articles, or the posts in a forum like Whirlpool.

In most cases Whirlpool = Whingepool

'Nuff said...