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Thread: Volkswagen DEALERSHIP'S DIRTY GAME. VW India STILL NOT TAKING ACTION

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    Moderator YashD's Avatar
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    Volkswagen DEALERSHIP'S DIRTY GAME. VW India STILL NOT TAKING ACTION

    Just now, saw the agony of a facebook guy about his Volkswagen Jetta 1.9 TDI Automatic he owns actually HE OWNED!

    Heard a lot of terrifying stories on Skoda's After sales service and well how can Volkswagen stay behind after all they are same!

    His POST ON Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1296992&type=1

    His Post: This is what @Volswagen India has classified a minor accident while the car was in their possession for a regular oil change service. The company has been lying through its teeth, first hiding the very accident from us while discussing the charges for the regular service. On the day that the car was to be returned, we were informed that the car had met with a minor accident. Till date we have not been shown the actual car and these are the only pictures we have. The story so far (below is the actual complaint that I have now sent to their corporate office as directed by the Volkswagen international page here on Facebook. I received an automated message confirming the receipt of my complaint but I have not been contacted by anyone yet). Today Volkswagen has washed its hands off the entire issue, claiming the accident occurred through no fault of theirs and they cannot do anything about it. Unfortunately for them, they have left behind a complete paper trail and written records showing the truth in their own words - the car was taken out for a joy ride by these people and one of them has caused this accident. The official letter states that VW India is unable to do anything as we will not accept any of their 'offers' (read insurance fraud, filing of a false police complaint and a fake First Information Report - all serious criminal offences under the Indian Penal Code).


    Hello,

    I was given these email addresses via the VW International page on Facebook. I am writing to you to bring to your attention the sheer disregard for customer service and how the VW brand is being tarnished in India due to some bad elements in the VW India network.

    I have a VW Jetta (registration number _____________) (VIN / Chassis number – ___________) (Model - Jetta AT 1.9 TDI). The vehicle is registered in the name of my company OWS Freight Systems Pvt. Ltd. and I am a Director in this company. Following is the brief of the incident with a VW authorized dealer (KSM Motors Pvt. Ltd.) and the lack of action from VW India thereafter.

    • On 16th August, the car was sent to the authorized dealer for regular planned service and maintenance as per a scheduled appointment with KSM Motors, an authorized dealer and workshop for VW India

    • 18th August – after various discussions over phone and email, we were given an estimate of INR 42,700 for the servicing and same was approved by us over email. We were informed that the car would be ready to be collected on 20th August by 6 pm

    • On the evening of 20th August, representatives from KSM Motors approached us and informed that during a test run by their service engineer, the car met with a ‘minor accident’ on the evening of 18th August around 7.30 pm

    o We were provided the photos that have been attached with this email as evidence of the ‘minor’ accident

    o From the pictures it is evident that this was a major head-on accident

    o The representatives from KSM Motors went on to offer us a deal – if we would pass the accident as if it was done by us and claim money from our insurance agency, KSM Motors would pay us any deductible or other charges that the insurance company may charge us
    o We were shocked by the proposal and the casual manner in which it was presented and summarily dismissed this offer of criminal fraud and refused to entertain any such offers. We made it clear that it was not the policy of our company to indulge in any such criminal and fraudulent activity and expected better ethical standards from a company like VW

    o As there was no way our vehicle could be returned by 6pm on Aug 20th as was promised, we demanded replacement vehicle in lieu of our car which had been damaged by the authorized dealer. Though the representatives seemed to admit their mistake, they said they were not in a position to provide even a temporary Jetta while the matter was being resolved. They arranged for an old, rickety Toyota Innova taxi as interim relief August 21st onwards.

    o At this time, no police complaint or other proof was presented by the representatives to support their version of the minor accident.

    • Post the meeting on 20th August we have been made various offers as under:

    o KSM Motors would buy our old car at ‘fair market value’ and sell us a new car of our choice
    This offer was summarily rejected by us as this smells of a scam – the fair market value of the car is now very low as the dealer has wrecked it. Moreover, this seems like a convenient way of selling a new car and lacks any effort on the part of the dealer and VW India to right the wrong done to us, not to mention the stress and aggravation caused by this ordeal to us. This high handed approach, after the previous unethical encounter has left us very saddened by the general state of affairs of VW in India

    o KSM Motors would sell us a used car of a similar make and model which was being used by “one of their Directors” and since the cost of this used car was more than our car in its present wrecked form, we would pay the balance to the Director
    At this point it seemed that whenever we thought VW India and its authorized dealers had stooped to their lowest point, they went ahead and proved us wrong. This proposal is wrong on so many levels including the little matter of corporate governance at VW India and the conflict of interest of this un-named Director. This is adding further insult to injury by VW India and its authorized dealer

    • Upon constant daily follow-ups we were informed by KSM Motors representatives that they are still not able to ‘resolve’ the matter as we are unwilling to ‘accept’ any of their ‘offers’. The cause of delay was thus conveniently put on us for not ‘working with them’ to resolve the issue.

    • This was not the end of our shocks. We had been demanding the copy of the police complaint and a written undertaking from the authorized dealer that there was no death or damage or destruction of property or harm to any person as a result of this accident. Till date, no such undertaking has been received which is a cause of grave concern to us. For all we know, some person might have been seriously injured or killed in the accident and we demand to be indemnified from any responsibility or claim arising as a result of this accident.

    o After 10 days of asking for it, we were finally given a copy of the police report of the accident – the biggest shock was yet to come
    The official police report states that the accident occurred on the 16th of August around 11.30 pm – the very day the car was given to the authorized dealer for servicing. This means the accident was hidden from us for 4 days, all the while the authorized dealer was corresponding with us over phone and email about the servicing of the car and asking for our approval to begin the servicing of the car. Moreover, from the timing of the accident – night 11.30 pm it is evident that someone at the dealership has taken the car out for a personal joy ride. Perhaps the intention of hiding the accident from us for 4 days was to try and repair the car without informing us and passing on the costs as inflated charges for our original request. Once it become clear that the accident was too major to be fixed without raising suspicion, the authorized dealer informed us 4 days later.
    Needless to say, this was the shock of shocks.

    We have sent letters to both VW India and the authorized dealer demanding an explanation of this major discrepancy in the lies fabricated by them and the police report, but till date no reply has been given by either of them

    • I finally decided to take to social media and posted the picture of the damaged car along with a short description on the VW India Facebook page in hopes of eliciting a response and possible resolution from VW India. The only real response I got was three people saying that they would never buy a VW car. VW India on the other hand only asked me to send it a personal message with some additional details which I promptly did last Friday. On Monday I got a generic message stating that my request had been entered in their backend system.

    • I tried contact VW customer care over the phone after that. When I gave them the required information, the started discussing about the planned maintenance that was to be done on the car instead of the accident case. This makes me question where my actual complaint has been registered. I subsequently asked VW India through their messaging system on Facebook that I wanted to have a complaint reference number as well as a strict deadline as to when my complaint would be resolved. I was given a reply that complaint resolution takes time and was still not given any complaint number. — at Volkswagen Navi Mumbai.
    dR!vE !t L!Ke YoU $tOlE !t ;)

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    Junior BEAMer
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    Thanks Yash. In fact javeid was one of the first people to reach out to me and offered to help. I just never got around to coming here and making an official post as I got tied up with work (and the mess that is my car).

    As you may have already seen, there are few more updates to the story starting with the fresh set of pictures taken by us that were posted today. These actually show the magnitude of the damage caused and goes to show how ridiculous it is to call this a 'minor' accident. Pictures are in the photo album here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=1fc8cefa52

    Even more damning is the latest evidence that I have posted here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...8892924&type=1

    The album above shows the police complaint filed by KSM Motors in Marathi along with a rough English translation in the photos description. I have been told that a police complaint is not the same as an FIR and I have been unable to find any FIR number mentioned on this document. More importantly, the report states that a minor accident has taken place on the night of 17th August when my Jetta was parked outside their premises and a vehicle at high speed hit it and fled the scene. Who saw the accident at 11 pm to be able to report all this is beyond me. The second photo in the album shows the first 'official' communication received from KSM Motors complete with the Volkswagen logo on the letterhead and duly signed by a Prashant A D'Souza stating the car was taken out for a test drive, as is the custom, on 17th AND 18th August. It further states that the test drive on 18th was after ongoing service and the service engineer thought that another road test would be needed and he parked the car outside. Notice how the second test drive has taken place a day AFTER the accident as reported in the police complaint. KSM Motors' service engineer must be one heck of a driver since he was able to drive THIS car in its present state a day after the accident (he didn't even need a steering wheel). Of course, his powers of observation are suspect as he didn't seem to notice the missing steering wheel or the general wreck of a car!

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    Moderator YashD's Avatar
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    Woah! Now, this is really a serious issue and brother you have great evidence to SUE Volkswagen for this. Just sue them, we all are with you. These guys needs to learn a lesson. They call it a minor accident, is a death in an accident would be called MAJOR? Really the HATRED for Volkswagen is all time high. Before didn't liked this brand though the Passat and Jetta changed my views but again they lost all the respect. Really utter rubbish, pathetic work! I am damn sure there has been a major accident and Yes I think there are indeed blood stains on the seat of your car. These guys have taken your car for a spin maybe got drunk and well here is the result.
    dR!vE !t L!Ke YoU $tOlE !t ;)

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    Go to court. Bring them to justice. You have all the evidence. The work sheet they gave you for regular service, which has the date and time you left your car for service, and the FIR from the police stating the time of accident. This will prove that the car had met accident after you left for service. If you get the case on your side, they should pay you a good sum.

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    BEAMer CAPTAIN STIG's Avatar
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    Read the instructions Carefully !

    "In case of any Accidents during the Repairs & Service the Owner of the car is Responsible not the Service Station" it is the finer print which many people would " Fail To Notice " while giving their vehicle to service !

    So if you have signed the Call Sheet while giving the vehicle for service "it's your responisibility to be there till your vehicle is delivered"
    Wether you Wait in Coustomer's Waiting Lounge you have to make sure your vehicle is getting ready & proper service is done!

    See these Premium cars get service Once a year & you can't find time to be there when its needed most is the question!
    I've seen Many car owners come who make time in their busy schedules & come to workshops & stay & make sure their car is serviced well & everything is all right.

    Basic thing is if you take care of your Car it will take care of you wether it is on road/driving/workshop/

    If enough attention is not given these things happen & eventually the negiligence in the part customer or workshop gives rise to these things!
    Leading to Anger/Agony/Frustation/loss of time & Money!

    So Consumer Courts (State/National) are there which is only option left ! Which may take many years until the car won't be leaving the workshop anytime soon

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    Administrator Faisal's Avatar
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    What is the insurance company saying? Are they willing to compensate the complete amount of damages?
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    Administrator Faisal's Avatar
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    Vineet, any update on this matter. What is happening now?
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    BEAMer Sidd's Avatar
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    It's India if someone will go to court then he will be in court for at least 4-5 years as I heard a similar case for which that man has go to court for 4 years but still the matter was not solved

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    Administrator Faisal's Avatar
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    Going to court is not the solution. Instead Volkswagen needs to buckle up. The same issue was with Skoda and has tarnished the company's image to a great extent.
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    Moderator Punter's Avatar
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    But these car manufacturers never learn from such a incidents.

    Do we have current status of this incident. What happened with that car owner?

    I think VW would have used this opportunity to gain extra respect in Indian consumer. If they would have handled this situtation carefully then it will a wise decision for both company and that car owner.
    Last edited by Punter; 27-09-12 at 03:31 PM.
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