My VW Dealer is trying to screw me

[lauralikewhoa]

...not literally.

I bought my '03 GTI in April of this year.
I am the first owner or the car and received it with 56 miles on it.
I wait the 90 days for the Club Info to come in the mail.
I call the customer service line and am told that my new GTI is not registered in their database as a new car but rather as an uncertified used car.
I was pretty irate to hear that it wasn't even VW's fault; the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the dealer from which I bought it.
So I go into my dealer, speak with my salesman, the manager and the district manager; (who was visiting at the time) all three tell me that it's a simple mess up in the paperwork.
So I chalk it up to that- a mess up.
It's now four weeks later and I still get the same story from the manager of my dealership, "I had to send the paperwork in to the Regional Office. I'll call you when I hear back from them."

What should I do?
B/c according to VW, I'm driving a used car with no warranty, meanwhile, my sunroof is making a horrible, low-pitch vibration that needs (badly!) to be fixed.

help?!

[tr0ike]

Wait, 56 miles and no warranty? (certified or original)? My VW was 5 years old with 65K+ and I still got a new car warranty on it! Talk about sketchy ...

Keep harrassing them, something definately does not sound right.

[Fecal Extrusion]

If they continue to procrastinate in the hopes that
you'll just go away, take it up directly with
customer service at VWofAmerica!

If this is an actual VW dealership, and not just a
generic car dealership, they are under the control
of VWoA, and have to answer to them directly!
(VWoA can deny them the license to use the VW logo or any VWoA reference!)

Either way, under any circumstance, as long as you
can prove you are not the second or more owner of
the car, and there's only that much mileage on it
and it's not 5 years old, then who gives
a flying @#$%^&* about 'conveniently' screwed
up paperwork, this should NOT be your liability.

And if they continue to deny your right, make it a
point to go to that dealership on their busiest days,
and loudly enlighten all the customers about their
scams, and customer service strategies.

[Fecal Extrusion]

If they don't fix this for you,
then they SHOULD be investigated for
potential fraud!

Ask them (dealership):
- Did I buy this car under the premise that it was NEW???
- Is the car 5 yrs old or older???
- Has the car reached the max warranty mileage???
...Then why is my NEW car out of warranty???

- Is it VWoA policy or YOURS, that any factory
defficiencies must be paid by the car owner?

[lauralikewhoa]

It IS a certified VW dealer, and they have gotten back to me.

What they have told me is this;
At the beginning of each calender year, Haggerty VW of Oak Lawn, IL, buys all their previous-year models from themselves. That way (and this is EXACTLY what he told me) it looks to VWoA like they sold every car on the lot What he said is that they will, no matter what, get me my membership, give me back my 50,000 mile warrantee. What they said they MIGHT be able to do is get my car listed in the VWoA database as a new, certified car. And what they told me they absolutely wouldn't be able to do is get me the free sceduled maintence for one year like I was promised (on paper!) at signing.

I think I might need to go higher with this one, huh?

[Fecal Extrusion]

Originally Posted by lauralikewhoa

At the beginning of each calender year, Haggerty VW of Oak Lawn, IL, buys all their previous-year models from themselves. That way (and this is EXACTLY what he told me) it looks to VWoA like they sold every car on the lot...

So because their salesmen couldn't meet the quotas, YOU
should have to pay the price for the secretly invalidated
warranty, that was only revealed to you AFTER signing ???
- DESPITE the vehicle meets the requirements of the warranty (less than 5 yrs, less than 100000mi)???
Unless they can show you EXCEPTIONS that are actually written in
the contract, despite the VIN, they essentially did not sell you the
car defined in the contract. And therefore you dont have the car
you asked for.

I'm pretty sure that VWoA might be interested to know about
the nice scam they have going, and the fact that the scam
basically victimizes people who buy new cars the dealer couldn't
sell in the previous fiscal year.

unless they can show you the line in the contract with your signature that says "sold AS IS" they don't have a legal leg to stand on!
This is a "conscious fraudulent effort" on their part!

You should voice your concern with the BBB, and whatever
Auto Dealer Association they have in IL. And let your Dealer
know that you are not sitting still. In fact everything you write
to the BBB or the local/state Auto Dealer Association, you should
send a copy (cc)to your dealer's manager. You might be surprised
how quickly you might get cooperation. they are hoping/banking on
you doing nothing and bending over and taking it.

Originally Posted by lauralikewhoa

...And what they told me they absolutely wouldn't be able to do is get me the free sceduled maintence for one year like I was promised (on paper!) at signing.

I think I might need to go higher with this one, huh?

I'm no lawyer, but it doesn't take one to point out that
THEY are in breach of their very own contract.
That would basically give you uncontestable right to return
the vehicle for a refund!!!! (because they have not fulfilled
their obligations in the contract.)

IF you are financing the car from them, you do have the leverage
in that they don't yet have all the money! (just dont let them ruin
your credit rating, if you take steps!)

they're not even offering you that you pay for parts they pay for labour. THEY are trying to profit further on your dilemma.
...can you say PRICKS!?!

[Dead_Ed]

This just sounds like basic fraud. If it were me, I would consider the deal null and void and approach it from that angle. Get an attorney.

[Doug Rodrigues]

I would stop by your local District Attorney's Office to get their opinion if you were a victim of Fraud. Do that first before spending any money on a private attorney. Also visit the www.badbusinessbureau.com on the internet and file a report. Your dealer will also be asked to file a rebuff report in this matter. They won't be too happy to know that your report is on the internet for all to see. Also check out the "Ripoff Revenge" pamphlet for more ideas to correct this situation with your dealer. Their $20 pamphlet is a lot cheaper than hiring an attorney.

Regarding contacting your local Better Business Bureau: That's just about worthless. The BBB is nothing more than an orginization where members pay to have problems against them smoothed-out, but not necessarily corrected to your satisfaction. Rarely does a business member of the BBB ever get any negative reports passed on to the public. However, a non-member gets the full negative treatment....sort of like what Jessie Jackson pulls on large corporations to get money. So, the BBB is nothing more than a middleman to pass-on excuses for the business member.

[jasel]

However, don't be afraid to mention you're considering going to the BBB to the dealership. You'd be surprised how fast things can get resolved. I've done it myself a few times.

The BBB may be fairly worthless in Rodriguez's opinion - but many prominent businesses react like you're about to tell the city governor they've been playing dirty.

At this point, I wouldn't hesitate to pull out all the stops. Put some serious pressure on the dealership and make sure you not only walk out with what SHOULD have been, but that you are compensated quite well for having to deal with all of this. Maybe a free detailing inside and out or a VW accessory you've been wanting installed for free. Play hardball.

Good luck. Keep us posted.