Opinions on my buying experience.

[Charlie]

Hi all.

So I have the new van. Still getting used to sitting so high coming from a Ford Smax but the space inside is fantastic for my line of work.

The ordering process I had with a VWVC was about the longest and most painful thing I think I have experiences car wise.

There were a few mitigating circumstances like the original sales guy I was dealing with getting the boot half way thru and another taking up the case.

Started order process back in March for a late September delivery. Plenty of time right! Well no.

It was about 20 days late leaving me without a work car for most of october.

The real killer was the day before I was to collect I get a call about lunchtime to say. Hi sir, have a bit of a problem in that the finance figures that have been agreed. Documents signed. Deposit paid. Yada yada yada. Well we made a bit of a mistake our end and the discount we gave you means that VW finance won't sign off on the deal because it's well ' too good a deal for you'. So I have redone the figures the best I can and the outcome is £139 a month more and no deposit contribution from VW meaning over the 48 months you will end up paying almost £5000 more for the van.

Well needless to say I wasnt happy. Said it was unacceptable. Spoke to the sales manager who was like we made a mistake. Sorry but tough.

After 40 min on the phone and countless useless options I pulled the pin and said ' put me through to the dealer principal as this isn't on.

A little more conversation and sales manager says well look before I put you through let me speak to finance again to see if there is anything we can do. Strange I thought. 10 min ago it was a hard ' sorry but tough shit' stance.

Few hours later I phone back to find out that the dealer will apparently ' take a loss on the van' and honour the original deal that I had Signed.

Amazing turnaround once I pulled the dealer principal card.

Thoughts on this. Sales team taking the micky?

The actual sales guy I was dealing with was a really nice guy and I think he got a bollicking for making the mistake which I felt bad for but a deals a deal in my mind.....

 

[Scruffy]

You didn't happen to get the 20-23% off deal through a union or work organisation did you? If you did, the dealer is putting it through on the fleet deal and it doesn't cost them a penny. The dealer basically organises the sale for VW Fleet, but the dealer still gets it cut and sales targets. If this isn't the case and the dealer was offering some kind of contribution then I don't where they are coming from, and yes they are taking the preverbal.

 

[Charlie]

You didn't happen to get the 20-23% off deal through a union or work organisation did you? If you did, the dealer is putting it through on the fleet deal and it doesn't cost them a penny. The dealer basically organises the sale for VW Fleet, but the dealer still gets it cut and sales targets. If this isn't the case and the dealer was offering some kind of contribution then I don't where they are coming from, and yes they are taking the preverbal.

Spot on.
.
So got 20 % discount as im a member of Guild that has a deal with VW.
Dealer then offered me finance at 4.8% over 48 months and a deposit contribution of £1500 from VW both of which i was told were from the latest campaign.

Day before it changed to 8.9% and no contribution.

Obviously it was a great deal I was determined they honour.

 

[HootingOwl]

My heart bleeds for the lying scrotes. They are not making a loss. 4.8% is not as good as the best personal loan deals and a lot more than the base rate. Given the huge profit margins in tbe van, 20% is not cutting into the bone.
I would have told them to stuff the van up their arze. Sounds like you had agreed a contract and they decided to try and renegotiate and screw you over. What lovely, trustworthy people to do business with.

 

[Keeff]

We have just ordered a new Mini Countryman for the wife and that was fun. We had a new salesman that made a mistake with the payments but told me it only £20 a month more . I said if it only £ 20 you can pay it . After speaking to his manager he said they would honour the first price. We then went in to pay the deposit and sign all the paper work then when all this was done he asked me how I want to pay to road tax . I said the on road price includes it but he said it doesn't . I told him to go and ask his manager and if I have to pay I don't want the car . He came back with his manager who grabbed the paper work he gave him of the desk and said to him what do you think that is on the invoice . He apologised but what are they doing letting people untrained sell these cars. We have to wait a few more weeks for it but I hope he has ordered the correct spec.
We got the LED headlights as part of a chilli pack but they can be added for £1100 so make vw look expensive. I would of had them on my t6 for that price.

 

[Scruffy]

Hmmm, I might just let Bectu and the Guild know what VW are up to. VW have got an awful lot of advertising and sales through these deals. The 20% off is just the fleet/bulk deal that the offer to larger companies, and they don't sell to them at a loss. Put VW finance on top of all that, and, as ever they are raking it in.

 

[Charlie]

That was my take on it.

Sales manager even said if he gave me the agreed deal he could loose his job.

Tarnished a long process which really didn't need the hassel.

Thanks all for the info and thoughts.