Lone consumer gets VW to listen – the hard way

CAPE TOWN insurance assessor Graham Vincent was driven to drastic measures recently when trying to get Volkswagen SA to attend to his car problems.

Vincent’s 2003 Polo Classic had less than 60 000 km on the clock when the headlight switch jammed (so he couldn’t turn his lights off) and his driver’s seat collapsed on the one side.

When both McCarthy Volkswagen Parow, the dealer he’d bought it from, and Volkswagen SA told him it was his problem, he saw red.

“I spent over R100 000,00 on the car, but Volkswagen are happy that these problems are quite acceptable in a car that has travelled less than 60 000 km. Neither were prepared to pay for these repairs, saying that these aspects of the car were now out of guarantee,” said Vincent.

He didn’t get any response from the three faxes that he sent to the CEO of VWSA, so he compiled an ‘email brochure’ which described his problem and warned other motorists of the treatment that he had received regarding his car problems.

He then got a response to say the matter was being looked into, but he was not confident that anything would happen. So he parked his car in the dealer’s display area with posters pasted on it highlighting the problems he’d had. Then he got some attention!

A VW representative came out and met him after about an hour, agreed to repair the collapsed seat, the defective headlights and a small problem with the hand brake lever.

“The parts were ordered and soon after the jobs were done,” said Vincent.

“The whole saga had a good ending,” he said, “but why does one need to go to these lengths and costs to get fair treatment? Why did VWSA have to be stung into action by someone protesting in front of a dealer’s premises with bad publicity written all over his car?

“I also had to waste so much time on this issue,” he said. “Bear in mind the car protest story was in late Feb, and my fi rst complaint to VW was in early January.”

“I believe that consumer activism works – and this is proof thereof – as is Andy Gray’s story with his Land Rover – this is just the poor man’s way of doing it as I could not afford a half page ad!”