Now this cat business in my opinion is a bit overated. Okay it should be avoided doing anything like running out of fuel, bump starting etc, but they must be resiliant enough to withstand a bit of abuse. Running the car for miles with a misfire would be stupid but the odd hiccup here and there shouldn't really hurt it. Things like starting the car up just to move it out of the garage and switching it off is bad but we all still do it. Also consider when cars get running problems and starting problems and they sit in workshops being turned over and over pumping fuel straight through the exhaust and they don't suddenly have cat failure as soon as they leave the workshop. It may not do them any good over a period of time but thats life!
I agree with the above. Running out of fuel once or twice will not do any harm. Driving miles with a misfire *will* harm the cat - I've seen it done (bits of 'glass' spitting out of the cat!).
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I find this hard to credit. In my case, the salesman actually offered the test drive. I accepted, he gave me the keys, said "Bring it back when you've finished" went back to his paperwork and just left me to it. That enabled me to to drive home, collect Lady Badger and give her a little trotty-boo round as well. I returned the car and bought it on the spot. Confidence on his part?
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- My local VW dealer can match this behaviour. I ordered a new Polo E 18 months ago at a special price (advertised nationally).
Ten days after taking my deposit no-one had bothered to call me to give me any indication of delivery etc. Feeling a tad disappointed, I had to call them 3 times before someone even called me back. Not great customer relations. Turns out that they couldn't source a standard car, but it was my fault and so could I please pay more for a spec that I didn't want...
After being messed around for 2 more days, they were surprised when I walked into their showroom and demanded my deposit back...
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Are there actually any VW main dealers out there that are any good?
H
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Are there actually any VW main dealers out there that are any good?
When I visited my local VW dealer for a test drive of a S/H Polo they were very good and most helpful.
Oh! Just realised that they closed down last year, soon after my visit.
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No. I don't think there are, unfortunately. I bought my first VW last October for December delivery, a wait of nearly 10 weeks. In all that time I can honestly say that I did not have any spontaneous communication from the large dealership in the town where I live, in South London. I always had to make the first move to contact the garage which would then invariably ellicit a return phone call.
My order for a new MKV Golf 1.6FSI SE was messed up somewhat,as the specification was changed by VW during the 10 week wait and the garage could not be bothered to do their homework, such that they could inform me of these changes, such that I could have paid extra for those items that had originally been standard fit but which were now part of an extra 'Convenience Pack' costing £95.
I lost out therefore, on the delivered car, with such items as Rain sensitive wipers, Dusk sensing headlights and Auto dimming interior mirror although I did gain with the Multi-functional computer now being included at no extra cost.
Had I ordered the car at any other time of the year and my old car was not coming up for an expensive service and clutch overhaul etc, I would have rejected the car and ask them to start over again. (at least I think I would have)!!
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'Are there actually any VW main dealers out there that are any good?'
As the exception that proves the rule: the good service I have received from MotorServices of Bath was a positive influence for my choice of next company car. I have never seen a cross customer at Service Reception (apart from one family with a problem that was obviously not VW's fault - handled tactfully and fairly), and they have sorted out warranty issues willingly, although none of our various cars have been supplied by them. Because of my high mileage, I visit them a lot, so am recognised by their sales staff as one who isn't going to buy from them, but they exchange greetings nevertheless. A friend, when he had a troublesome new Passat, also praised their service.
In contrast, I was in another VW dealer (in a different part of the country) one evening recently; the solitary salseman ignored myself and at least 2 other sets of people who were looking intently at the cars. Part of the time he spent discussing a problem with the receptionist who had been annoyed by another salesman, a conversation which should not have been carried out in the middle of the glass palace, most unprofessional.
(This is not confined to VAG; over the years when my cars have come up for replacement, I went round various dealers first and was amazed how often no-one seemed the slightest bit interested. This year I have been ignored in 2x Citroen, a Seat, and the aforementioned VW garages. In contrast, I have had polite salesmanship in a Ford, a PSA/MG Rover and a Citroen (one that ignored me) garage.)
JohnM
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'Are there actually any VW main dealers out there that are any good?' As the exception that proves the rule: the good service I have received from MotorServices of Bath was a positive influence for my choice of next company car. >>
Interesting - when I bought my last Audi I called Milhouse Audi who are the sister site in Bath to Motorservices. I was hoping that they would have the model I was looking for and would be able to let me have a test drive. The minor problem I had was that it was the 4 seat cabrio I was looking at and I wanted to take it out with my partner and 2 kids so was looking for an unacompanied test drive. It was made very clear to me that there was no way that they were interested in helping me out with that and the phone was put down on me. Shame really as I had used the service department there before and they were fine, but they will not be getting any of my business now.
I finaly found a smaller garage in tetbury who although they didnt have the model I wanted found one in another of their dealerships, bought it in and let me take it out for the afternoon unacompanied. Needless to say that I ordered the car from them. The only thing that spoiled the experience was when I went to pick the car up they had selected the wrong options. After much groveling by the sales manager and full admission it was there fault we came to an agreement over the price and some free extras so it worked out OK in the end, but on the whole Audi dealers are poor, as are most dealer in my experience.
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In my time I must have been directly involved* with the purchase of probably about £150k worth of new automotive metal over the years
The standard of salesmanship and basic customer relations staggers me. Most dont want to seem to sell the damn things.
*For myself or family or friends.
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It steikes me that the VW dealers in the UK ought to get shipped out to the North Sea and VWs should be sold by Rover dealers.
H
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My local 'old school' VW dealer lost their franchise about 2 years ago and we now have to use a 'glass and chrome palace' place about 20 miles away. Always lots of 'suits' walking around.
Fortunately I don't have much to do with them apart from occasionally buying parts. An acquaintance of mine works there as a fleet sales manager and by all accounts they are doing very well. I guess from their point of view they are selling plenty of cars and so there is no problem. If they lose the odd 'picky' customer (likely to be troublesome in the long term) then so what? (TIC, BTW).
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I went to the local VW/Audi dealer to try a Touran Tdi with DSG autobox. A sales guy approached and before saying hello, while looking over my shoulder at my Mondeo 2.0 Tdci said "I don't think it will be your lucky day"! "Sorry" I replied. "we don't do part exchange on Ford's..." and he crossed his arms. "My Ford is on lease and I give it back in 3 months"! I just walked out leaving a very red faced VW salesman. In my opinion try manufacturers that don't rely on their reputation. It's my second or third attempt to try a VW/Audi in the past 5 or 6 years. And everytime I go away feeling that they don't try hard enough. I rarely haggle for price and lease to avoid re-sale. Ford seem to do the best deals, along with Nissan and even Volvo try very,very hard to get business. More and more people will be ordering through the internet in the future and these garages will just do the oil changes.....
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Exactly.
My VW dealer is also an expensive glass and metal palace, inhabited with/by suits all looking very busy. They took over a site occupied by Mercedes Benz when the latter decided to close some of their dealerships.
I must admit though, that they have always been very polite when I have been in there (once in 6 weeks). Their attitude may have changed, had I got awkward about the deficiencies in my new car's spec and subsequently rejected it etc.
I did not even get so much as a follow-up phone call from them after taking delivery, or shown around the various depts with introduction to dept. heads etc etc. All these things were promised me, as an indication of good customer relations, but were never to materialise.
All in all, a load of bull from VW main dealers is my experience so far.
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Don't waste your time writing or speaking to VW GB either.
From my experience you will end up speaking to a pompous, uninterested, sarcastic, jobsworth.
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Which goes back to what I mentioned in another post. We don't really care that much about reliability problems as we all know it's got something to do with the engine management system made by Bosch or Lucas! The management systems that we don't like are the people management systems..meaning our direct contact with the sales and after sales! If they spent a little more money on this rather than stupid lifestyle adverts with cars doing balancing acts full of skinny models,then maybe one day you'll see people buy from the same manufacturer and build up a decent realtionship. Statsistics show how few of us stay with the same brand. Why? Buying a car is like going to a supermaket now! Where's the passion?
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Hmmm,
Doesn't sound very good at all - but have heard similar experiences from friends at Volkswagen dealerships too (although it's not only VW I'm sure)
As a stark contrast I've just purchased a Hyundai coupe & when I requested a test-drive was given the keys to the car I told to take as long as I needed !!!
To be honest salesman weren't upto much there either, but at least I actually had an excellent test-drive before making my decision. Bemuses me how dealers think they can get you to spend money without hardly driving the car -- although I bet many of us Brits just accept it & buy the car anyway.
Lesson is in todays "car market" there are loads of places to buy the car you want, not just dealers - if you don't like their attitude etc then take your money elsewhere !!!
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Forgot one thing,
Don't even consider buying a car today without having a good look around the internet & be prepared to travel, can really save yourself thousands. I live in North wales & bought the car from Bolton, car was £2000 cheaper than dealers near me !!!
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So, lessons learned for franchise dealers out there:
Blue Haddock, it seems you practise this already having seen some complements on this site about your business.
If you're a VW dealer you've got to buck the trend or close down!
Treat all customers with the same high level of courtesy. Not every enquiry will translate directly into a sale but enquiries receiving good service will lead to more enquiries through personal and forum recommendations.
If your salespeople are behaving like bigotted self important snobs, they are hurting your business, and need to be shown the door.
Test drives should be made freely available to anyone thinking of purchasing a vehicle. Obviously business interests need to be protectected so caviats to this would include requisite licence, careful consideration of the real intentions of the punter etc. If you wish to restrict the test drive, then discuss with the customer what he or she wants out of the experience and work that into the exercise. A comment such as "We're just going to take it around the block, no dual carriage way driving" is different to "We want you to get the most out of it but, due to insurance considerations, you'll need to be accompanied but we can discuss where you would like to drive to get a feel for the car". Both stem from a concern over the dealer's property but the latter brings the customer onto the side of the dealer from the word go.
If a customer decides to come back for another look, entertain this. Some customers can be a pain in the neck but you would be surprised how even customers who spend ages looking then don't buy produce new leads for your business if they're treated politely. I have found this myself with my own property repair business.
When it comes to the customer placing that all important order, don't screw it up! If there is a change in the spec work with the customer to try to resolve it. If you've taken a deposit on a car then you have a moral duty to supply that car or an equivilent or better for the same price - so check the car is available to you before you take the deposit! That takes two minutes of your time for goodness sake!
If unforseen problems arise then keep the customer fully informed. Don't leave him guessing, he or she has trusted you with a considerable amount of money - don't abuse this trust by treating them like idiots.
Oh and finally, if you start a them and us relationship with your client base and start point scoring, your client base will win because they'll go eslewhere and the only loser will be your business!
Here endeth the lesson
H
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Are there actually any VW main dealers out there that are any good?
H
A few yrs ago I was literally taken by elbow and walked to the door by a local VW dealer when I pushed for a discount on a Polo. I eventually got what I wanted but had to travel 60 miles (probably the longest journey ever did!).
Very recently went to look at a Polo for my daughter and found nothing much had changed. Ended up buying a Seat Ibiza - basically the same car but such a world of a difference in the dealers attitude.
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I attempted to get a new VW as my first car (aged 29). The dealer was not at all helpful.
The result? Mrsb and I have since spent around £50k on three new cars from Toyota/Lexus.
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In the past three years I have purchased 3 different types of VW thru 2 VW Stealerships, I can tell you that if you think the sales expeirence is bad, wait until you see thir aftersales service! (It does beg the question y I kept going back?!!) albeit I now have a BMW, renault and just the one VW left!! The Arrogance seems to be part of the training course!
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Same experience with me, although I buy used.
I would rather use a bus than buy from my local VW dealers. I know it would be less stressful in the long run. It taught me the lesson that choosing the dealer is as important as choosing the car.
The first time I drove a car on my own was on a Toyota test drive. None of this planned route nonsense.
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Very recently went to look at a Polo for my daughter and found nothing much had changed. Ended up buying a Seat Ibiza - basically the same car but such a world of a difference in the dealers attitude.
This is similar to my experience a few years ago - had an unexpected piece of financial good fortune, had read good things about the current model (then Mk IV) Golf, and took self and vehicle at the time (a very nicely looked-after Punto Sporting, one of the first of the newer shape) down to VW dealer local to where I was then living, to see if they had such a thing as a used one for me to look at.
Sales reptile comes out and basically set about getting the jean-clad (hey, it was Saturday for goodness' sake!) FIAT- driving scruff that he perceived me to be, off the premises ASAP. "No, we haven't any of those; no, we couldn't get one; no, we can't give you a brochure; no, you'd need to place an order before we could consider a test drive [eh???]; I think you'd find a Passat more to you liking anyway..." and proceeded to wave me at some ill cared-for ex-fleet hack that was 2 registrations older than my current vehicle and had about 3 times the mileage.
Funnily enough I didn't stay around for much more of this, and went straight up to the local SEAT dealer and bought a brand new Leon there and then, which had a better spec than the Golfs I'd been interested in, was mechanically identical and as well (if not better) built and about £3k-£4k cheaper.
The VW dealer in question has since been taken over by the company that ran the SEAT dealership. Funny, that.
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If you're a VW dealer you've got to buck the trend or close down!
>>Treat all customers with the same high level of courtesy. Not every enquiry will translate directly into a sale but enquiries receiving good service will lead to more enquiries through personal and forum recommendations.
Hugo, that's sound advice for anyone in business ... but there are exceptions.
I have known some retailers who treated theiur customers appallingly, but still thrived because there was no real alternative if you wanted to buy what they sold. Buy it from them or travel miles, or do without.
That sort of business can rapidly fold when new competition finally arrives, but in the meantime they can often get away for years with treating customers appallingly, and having an easy time.
In the case of VW dealerships, I fear that because so many folks belive that a VW is a vastly superior car, enough people will put up with the poor service to keep the business running along nicely. VW sales seem to hold up well, despite all the reports of poor service from dealers ... so maybe they've decided that they can get away with it?
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VW are superb at Marketing and Advertising their cars and most of the cars they sell are pretty competent. I suspect that many people have decided that they want the VW brand before they enter the showroom and that the dealers simply fail to put them off buying one.
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Cheers for the feedback Hugo, yes i do try to go that extra little bit to make my customers happy and make the process of buying a new car as painless as i can.
For some things i have my hands tied by company policy (no unaccompanied test drives, must see license before going out etc) but i'm happy to spend as long as it takes answering customers questions to re-assure them that buying a car via the internet/broker is totally safe and everything will be OK.
If a customer gets offered a better deal from another dealer and i can't beat it i'll be straight and tell them that it's a good deal.
I even see how badly our retail sales guys treat the customers - if there is no chance of you signing up today they just aren't interested and when you do want to buy all they are interested in is how much they will make from it.
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I did waste my time writing to Paul Willis, CEO of VW (UK), about the cock up with the SE spec. on my new MKV Golf and the fact that when I ordered my car in October last year, using the then current catalogue, the car was eventually delivered without those items I have mentioned elsewhere and which were, then part of the car's standard spec.
Not unexpectedly, I got a rather dismissive letter back written by someone, on his behalf, basically saying 'hard cheese' and that all dealers had been informed of those changes in September 2004 and should have had this info. to hand when I'd ordered the car.
Life's too short to keep on arguing the point and none of those items could sensibly be retro-fitted although I am convinced that the order could have been changed before the build date had certain people been 'on the ball'.
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Perhaps someone could send this thread to VW's CEO - perhaps in Germany, not the UK? We can't all be wrong.
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I haven't owned a VW, and after reading this thread, don't think I will bother considering one when I change my current car. I have a Opel and for servicing etc, use a very small Vauxhall dealer in a nearby village (probably no more than half a dozen staff all in). I have to say, after using them for the last few years, I have nothing but praise for the service they offer. Perhaps small is good when it comes to franchised dealers? For this reason, a Vauxhall will be my first choice when I come to replace my current car.
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The question that keeps coming into my head is, why would you want to buy a VW?At best they are just very average cars,can somebody please explain.
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"The question that keeps coming into my head is, why would you want to buy a VW?At best they are just very average cars,can somebody please explain."
Because image lags a change in the reality.
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The question that keeps coming into my head is, why would you want to buy a VW? At best they are just very average cars,can somebody please explain.
What matters in marketing is not how things are, but how they are perceived.
The folks I know who buy VWs mostly seem do so because they believe that a VW will be well-built from good quality materials, reliable and long-lived.
Whether they are right is another matter: there seems to be a good case for saying that if you want those attributes, buy a Honda or a Toyota. But as long as the buyers believe that a VW is better, they will flock to buy them.
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The question that keeps coming into my head is, why would you want to buy a VW?At best they are just very average cars,can somebody please explain.
>>
I have had three and nope I cant, Passat (Mine) New Beetle (Hers)Lupo which we still have and My Mum uses is ok but service from the dealer is PANTS! (as my 14 yr old wd say)
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Family run dealers are by far the most relaxed and easy to deal with.
There are two Honda and two Hyundai dealers near me. We have dealt with all four, but only ever bought cars from the family run businesses. The corporate dealers were shut down by the respective manufacturers and given over to different corporate chains - little changed!
The Corporates never let you test drive cars properly, sneered at you when you asked 'what the best price for a cash deal - no p/x?' and have dreadful service depts.
The family sites love cash deals, you can take a car for a day if you wnat a long term drive and you can chat with the service manager, who will let you drive away after a service without paying, as long as he knows you moderately well and has your address to send the bill on to.
I have never paid for a Honda service when I collected the car in 15 years. The bill comes in the post a few days later and the cheque is despatched by return. On one occasion, we lost the bill under a pile of post and forgot to pay. They rang up, to ask if we were all well, not why have you not paid the bill!!
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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When looking for a new car I found my local dealer quite helpfull, I got a Passat for the afternoon no problem, except they had put petrol into a diesel!
Even with this slight cockup I bought a Passat.
Sorry No Do$h, but after more than 3years it still has not gone wrong, even once, so I don't know what the after sales would be like.
I was thinking of buying one of the new Passats, but as I must be the only satisfied customer, I think I will keep the one I have got.
P.S. I am NOT a badge snob, I have owned many Fords and Vauxhalls, and get very cross when accused.
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I did waste my time writing to Paul Willis, CEO of VW (UK)...I got a rather dismissive letter back written by someone, on his behalf, basically saying 'hard cheese' and that all dealers had been informed of those changes in September 2004 and should have had this info. to hand when I'd ordered the car. Life's too short to keep on arguing the point and none of those items could sensibly be retro-fitted although I am convinced that the order could have been changed before the build date had certain people been 'on the ball'.
Classic. They completely miss the opportunity to satisfy the customer, and make you even more angry by trying to win the argument! Nothing but incompetence in complaint handling, as well as what caused the complaint in the first place.
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