Service techs took my stage 2 GTI on a joyride.

[RichardCranium]

If eavesdropping was the issue, couldn't you just mute the video before showing it to anyone? What they're doing says it all, no need for audio.

I would be PISSED but $1500 with no actual damage seems pretty fair, except I'd push a bit to get it as cash or a general VW credit (why would anyone want use their credit to get serviced there again??). As mentioned, use it for purchases like tires or, if it can be done at another dealer, an install on an upgraded part you were planning on paying for anyway (clutch, turbo, etc).

I'm no lawyer, but I would imagine that since they were in his property and they were aware of the camera, then it's sort of hard to claim some sort of eavesdropping privacy violation.

 

[Neilsdeal]

If eavesdropping was the issue, couldn't you just mute the video before showing it to anyone? What they're doing says it all, no need for audio.

I would be PISSED but $1500 with no actual damage seems pretty fair, except I'd push a bit to get it as cash or a general VW credit (why would anyone want use their credit to get serviced there again??). As mentioned, use it for purchases like tires or, if it can be done at another dealer, an install on an upgraded part you were planning on paying for anyway (clutch, turbo, etc).

Well, I've already shown the videos to the service manager, shop foreman, and the general manager. I have a meeting with the three of them next week. I agree that the $1500 seems fair, especially because I didn't even ask for anything. I don't think there's any issues with eavesdropping since they acknowledge they're being recorded; I guess from now on I'll be writing on any service forms that the camera stays on and any technicians are made aware beforehand just as a precaution. I sincerely thought the camera announcing itself would scare anyone off from this type of stuff in the first place

Tires or maybe an is38 would be nice. I actually think having my car serviced there wouldn't be that bad at this point. They already know me and now I guess I'm extra known; I'd have to imagine I'd be getting the gold treatment and any techs being monitored just to avoid any more unpleasantness. The service manager already came to my home to talk with me(since I really wasn't wanting to go back). Seems like they're trying to rectify this whole thing alright so far.

 

[enthusiast1]

What dealership is this? Live in dfw and would like to avoid it


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[Genegenie]

If eavesdropping was the issue, couldn't you just mute the video before showing it to anyone? What they're doing says it all, no need for audio.

I would be PISSED but $1500 with no actual damage seems pretty fair, except I'd push a bit to get it as cash or a general VW credit (why would anyone want use their credit to get serviced there again??). As mentioned, use it for purchases like tires or, if it can be done at another dealer, an install on an upgraded part you were planning on paying for anyway (clutch, turbo, etc).

This ^^. They musta bin concerned for the guy to actually call at OP's house. Hope the OP got legal advice, can be a hassle but usually cheap, if not FOC, but can save lot of time & money later. The OP might well receive 'gold plated service' in the future but could also receive the exact opposite, if you catch my drift, as businesses tend not to like folk who speak out. Personally, I wouldn't trust them again and in future, if possible, take the car to another dealer....

 

[carchrism5]

Well, I've already shown the videos to the service manager, shop foreman, and the general manager. I have a meeting with the three of them next week. I agree that the $1500 seems fair, especially because I didn't even ask for anything. I don't think there's any issues with eavesdropping since they acknowledge they're being recorded; I guess from now on I'll be writing on any service forms that the camera stays on and any technicians are made aware beforehand just as a precaution. I sincerely thought the camera announcing itself would scare anyone off from this type of stuff in the first place

Tires or maybe an is38 would be nice. I actually think having my car serviced there wouldn't be that bad at this point. They already know me and now I guess I'm extra known; I'd have to imagine I'd be getting the gold treatment and any techs being monitored just to avoid any more unpleasantness. The service manager already came to my home to talk with me(since I really wasn't wanting to go back). Seems like they're trying to rectify this whole thing alright so far.

Neil, I have to say I respect the way you are handling this. You clarified before you were not seeking compensation, you are not seeking legal action, etc.. You just want some action because redlining a customer's car when cold, is not part of any service and something that any car enthusiast wouldn't do in their own car. The dealership also seems to be handling it, and I'm guessing it is in large part due to how you have handled it. If you had gone in screaming and demanding thousands of dollars, free warranty, etc. they probably would have told you to take a hike.

Hopefully this all resolves well for you. If you get some tires or an IS38 out of it, even better.

I really hope the service manager takes a lesson from this, because this time it was no real "incident", but what if they were driving recklessly and hurt someone?

This makes me remember when the BMW 1Ms came out. I had one so was reading all the forums and there was something similar but another level of stupid. The techs video taped a brand new 1M being redlined and driven recklessly through public streets, then uploaded to youtube. The 1M had a specific break in period of 1200 miles, no redlining and ran a different type of oil, so their joyride certainly wasn't within spec. The dealer ended up selling the car for $10k over before the video was made public. After the video came out the techs were arrested, the buyer of the car was also on the boards and ended up taking legal action against the dealer and settled. Some people out there really aren't that bright or respectful.

 

[Ezyrider]

I would love to see the footage. For science of course=) UGH!! Sorry you are having to go through this

AGREED! please post it


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[southpawboston]

Well, I've already shown the videos to the service manager, shop foreman, and the general manager. I have a meeting with the three of them next week. I agree that the $1500 seems fair, especially because I didn't even ask for anything. I don't think there's any issues with eavesdropping since they acknowledge they're being recorded; I guess from now on I'll be writing on any service forms that the camera stays on and any technicians are made aware beforehand just as a precaution. I sincerely thought the camera announcing itself would scare anyone off from this type of stuff in the first place

Tires or maybe an is38 would be nice. I actually think having my car serviced there wouldn't be that bad at this point. They already know me and now I guess I'm extra known; I'd have to imagine I'd be getting the gold treatment and any techs being monitored just to avoid any more unpleasantness. The service manager already came to my home to talk with me(since I really wasn't wanting to go back). Seems like they're trying to rectify this whole thing alright so far.

Neil, you are being too nice. I understand that you want neither compensation nor to take legal action, and that you just want the dealer to make things "right". My hat off to you. But you have to ask yourself, what does "right" mean? Does it mean they won't do this type of shenanigans again on yours or anyone else's car? (Unlikely, but nice to think they won't). Does it mean giving you the royal treatment moving forward if you decide to continue using this dealership? Does right mean you want to be protected from future problems that might result from, or be hastened by, the abuse the techs inflicted on your car? "Right" can mean a lot of things. However, nothing teaches a better lesson than punishment. The dealer is a business, and businesses exist to make money. Nothing will teach a business to abide by a certain code of conduct unless their were financial consequences. Laws wouldn't exist if there weren't consequences for breaking them. If I were you, I would extract as much as you can from the dealership without involving lawyers to reach an out-of-court settlement. If this transgression were to go unpunished, there would be very little incentive for it not to happen again. The fact that you received a visit to your home by the service manager means the dealership is scared that there could be potentially large consequences. Use this to your advantage. Negotiate a larger settlement than what they're offering you. A $1500 credit is less than pocket change for a dealership. That's not even a blip on their radar.

Here's what I would do:

Demand $2500 in credit + a no-cost, zero-deductible 10/100k Platinum Drive Easy service plan. This is the highest tier extended warranty plan VW offers. It is good at any dealership and is linked to your VIN. This plan costs the dealer about $1200 and they sell it for anywhere from $2000-2500.

Demand that the techs get fired, and not get re-hired by the same dealership for at least five years. You will want both their firing and the signed agreement about their non-re-hiring in writing. It must be verifiable.

Take the $2500 and use as you wish. Since you state that you don't care about monetary compensation, donate $1500 to a charity(s) of your choice, and keep $1000 stashed away in a reserve fund, to be used for future repairs. You can even send a copy of your donation to the dealership to show them this wasn't about you looking for opportunistic financial gain. It will send the message that you simply wanted the dealer to realize there is a consequence to their conduct. The firing of the techs also sends a stern warning to the other techs at the dealership. This may even have more positive impact on preventing this type of scenario from happening again. A financial-only punishments means little-- they cut the check, wash their hands and move on. Nothing to see here folks, it's business as usual.

So, look at the potential wins here. 1) You get an extended warranty to protect you from legitimate concerns about future problems arising from the abuse (this is complicated because of your tune, but let's forget that for a moment, since other aspects of your warranty are still completely valid). You also have money in a reserve fund specifically for tune-related repairs that might not get covered by warranty. 2) The dealership gets a financial punishment-- not large, but something. 3) You get to feel good that a charity near and dear to you is getting a nice gift (don't forget to deduct it on your taxes ). 4) The techs' firing sends a loud message to the entire dealership-- don't f*** around with customers' cars.

 

[Neilsdeal]

Neil, you are being too nice. I understand that you want neither compensation nor to take legal action, and that you just want the dealer to make things "right". My hat off to you. But you have to ask yourself, what does "right" mean? Does it mean they won't do this type of shenanigans again on yours or anyone else's car? (Unlikely, but nice to think they won't). Does it mean giving you the royal treatment moving forward if you decide to continue using this dealership? Does right mean you want to be protected from future problems that might result from, or be hastened by, the abuse the techs inflicted on your car? "Right" can mean a lot of things. However, nothing teaches a better lesson than punishment. The dealer is a business, and businesses exist to make money. Nothing will teach a business to abide by a certain code of conduct unless their were financial consequences. Laws wouldn't exist if there weren't consequences for breaking them. If I were you, I would extract as much as you can from the dealership without involving lawyers to reach an out-of-court settlement. If this transgression were to go unpunished, there would be very little incentive for it not to happen again. The fact that you received a visit to your home by the service manager means the dealership is scared that there could be potentially large consequences. Use this to your advantage. Negotiate a larger settlement than what they're offering you. A $1500 credit is less than pocket change for a dealership. That's not even a blip on their radar.

Here's what I would do:

Demand $2500 in credit + a no-cost, zero-deductible 10/100k Platinum Drive Easy service plan. This is the highest tier extended warranty plan VW offers. It is good at any dealership and is linked to your VIN. This plan costs the dealer about $1200 and they sell it for anywhere from $2000-2500.

Demand that the techs get fired, and not get re-hired by the same dealership for at least five years. You will want both their firing and the signed agreement about their non-re-hiring in writing. It must be verifiable.

Take the $2500 and use as you wish. Since you state that you don't care about monetary compensation, donate $1500 to a charity(s) of your choice, and keep $1000 stashed away in a reserve fund, to be used for future repairs. You can even send a copy of your donation to the dealership to show them this wasn't about you looking for opportunistic financial gain. It will send the message that you simply wanted the dealer to realize there is a consequence to their conduct. The firing of the techs also sends a stern warning to the other techs at the dealership. This may even have more positive impact on preventing this type of scenario from happening again. A financial-only punishments means little-- they cut the check, wash their hands and move on. Nothing to see here folks, it's business as usual.

So, look at the potential wins here. 1) You get an extended warranty to protect you from legitimate concerns about future problems arising from the abuse (this is complicated because of your tune, but let's forget that for a moment, since other aspects of your warranty are still completely valid). You also have money in a reserve fund specifically for tune-related repairs that might not get covered by warranty. 2) The dealership gets a financial punishment-- not large, but something. 3) You get to feel good that a charity near and dear to you is getting a nice gift (don't forget to deduct it on your taxes ). 4) The techs' firing sends a loud message to the entire dealership-- don't f*** around with customers' cars.

Wow; you actually nailed the conclusion that I’ve been coming to. This is exactly why I haven’t gone back in to talk or sign anything; I needed my thoughts to be fully formed before sitting down the the GM because the other day I was too mad to even really form words.

You’re absolutely right that they could piss away the $1500 and continue on business as usual and that’s not what I want. I don’t want empty promises that it won’t happen again, I need them to understand why I can’t happen again(to me or anyone else). In my line of work, there’s a chance you’ll be audited for practices/procedures and the places that fail are often fined a large sum. Subsequently, people lose their jobs because no business wants to throw away twenty grand because of people that can’t do their job correctly. And that’s definitely a driving factor in making sure what’s supposed to happen, happens.

I don’t want to be the bad guy, but I will be when I have to..it just has to be for the right reasons. Anyway, that’s all really stellar advice and much appreciated. Definitely the most constructive comment I’ve received in discussing this ordeal. I really like the bit about the charity as well; I wouldn’t have thought of that.

Thanks for helping narrow my focus to help get exactly what should happen from this; because my biggest point is that something like this absolutely cannot happen.

 

[Strange Mud]

Southie is a good egg. I agree with the why would you let a tech do that and get away with it. As a business you need to take responsibility for your crew. This wasn't as simple as making a mistake in doing the job. This was something the tech was taught in kindergarten. If he doesn't respect stuff by now what will make him change? Hopefully having to look for a new job will.


kinda on topic. I had a service rep in for a piece of equipment I bought that was poorly assembled. He was just as bad and when I complained the mfr told me he was canned. 6 months later he answered the phone when I called them for something unrelated.

 

[RichardCranium]

N
This makes me remember when the BMW 1Ms came out. I had one so was reading all the forums and there was something similar but another level of stupid. The techs video taped a brand new 1M being redlined and driven recklessly through public streets, then uploaded to youtube. The 1M had a specific break in period of 1200 miles, no redlining and ran a different type of oil, so their joyride certainly wasn't within spec. The dealer ended up selling the car for $10k over before the video was made public. After the video came out the techs were arrested, the buyer of the car was also on the boards and ended up taking legal action against the dealer and settled. Some people out there really aren't that bright or respectful.

I remember one about 15 years ago. A tech got on one of the Mustang forums and started bragging about how he beat the shit out of a customer's new 2003 Cobra. The guy left enough clues as to where he was located and it turned out that someone on the board actually knew the car's owner and the story was real. The owner got on the board and all hell broke loose. It was hilarious.

 

[RichardCranium]

Demand that the techs get fired, and not get re-hired by the same dealership for at least five years. You will want both their firing and the signed agreement about their non-re-hiring in writing. It must be verifiable.

Yeah, I wouldn't do this. This is something that seems rather vindictive and spiteful and their internal HR actions are really none of your concern. I would imagine privacy concerns would also prevent them doing this.

If their HR department is worth a salt, they'll tell you to go pound sand on this one. That doesn't mean they won't punish him, but it won't be public information either.

 

[cb1111]

Neil, you are being too nice. I understand that you want neither compensation nor to take legal action, and that you just want the dealer to make things "right". My hat off to you. But you have to ask yourself, what does "right" mean? Does it mean they won't do this type of shenanigans again on yours or anyone else's car? (Unlikely, but nice to think they won't). Does it mean giving you the royal treatment moving forward if you decide to continue using this dealership? Does right mean you want to be protected from future problems that might result from, or be hastened by, the abuse the techs inflicted on your car? "Right" can mean a lot of things. However, nothing teaches a better lesson than punishment. The dealer is a business, and businesses exist to make money. Nothing will teach a business to abide by a certain code of conduct unless their were financial consequences. Laws wouldn't exist if there weren't consequences for breaking them. If I were you, I would extract as much as you can from the dealership without involving lawyers to reach an out-of-court settlement. If this transgression were to go unpunished, there would be very little incentive for it not to happen again. The fact that you received a visit to your home by the service manager means the dealership is scared that there could be potentially large consequences. Use this to your advantage. Negotiate a larger settlement than what they're offering you. A $1500 credit is less than pocket change for a dealership. That's not even a blip on their radar.

Here's what I would do:

Demand $2500 in credit + a no-cost, zero-deductible 10/100k Platinum Drive Easy service plan. This is the highest tier extended warranty plan VW offers. It is good at any dealership and is linked to your VIN. This plan costs the dealer about $1200 and they sell it for anywhere from $2000-2500.

Demand that the techs get fired, and not get re-hired by the same dealership for at least five years. You will want both their firing and the signed agreement about their non-re-hiring in writing. It must be verifiable.

Take the $2500 and use as you wish. Since you state that you don't care about monetary compensation, donate $1500 to a charity(s) of your choice, and keep $1000 stashed away in a reserve fund, to be used for future repairs. You can even send a copy of your donation to the dealership to show them this wasn't about you looking for opportunistic financial gain. It will send the message that you simply wanted the dealer to realize there is a consequence to their conduct. The firing of the techs also sends a stern warning to the other techs at the dealership. This may even have more positive impact on preventing this type of scenario from happening again. A financial-only punishments means little-- they cut the check, wash their hands and move on. Nothing to see here folks, it's business as usual.

So, look at the potential wins here. 1) You get an extended warranty to protect you from legitimate concerns about future problems arising from the abuse (this is complicated because of your tune, but let's forget that for a moment, since other aspects of your warranty are still completely valid). You also have money in a reserve fund specifically for tune-related repairs that might not get covered by warranty. 2) The dealership gets a financial punishment-- not large, but something. 3) You get to feel good that a charity near and dear to you is getting a nice gift (don't forget to deduct it on your taxes ). 4) The techs' firing sends a loud message to the entire dealership-- don't f*** around with customers' cars.

As usual, I agree with you but to get an agreement that somebody is terminated is a bit of a stretch.

In many of these cases, the service writer/managers know that this is going on - they are the guys saying "take the tuned GTI to get the pizza - just don't get a ticket"

 

[Juggar]

Yeah, I wouldn't do this. This is something that seems rather vindictive and spiteful and their internal HR actions are really none of your concern. I would imagine privacy concerns would also prevent them doing this.

If their HR department is worth a salt, they'll tell you to go pound sand on this one. That doesn't mean they won't punish him, but it won't be public information either.

I agree. that southpaw guy is bordering on insanity with that one.

Someone revved your car up and drove it around, we all do this. Its what these were made for. I think the $1500 is more than enough, in fact, its downright generous.

Bet if one my local dealers did this in rural WNC theyd scoff at the idea of giving me $1500 and would offer a free oil change. Generous in my mind is $500. $1500 is unbelievable for just driving your fucking car the way it was made to be driven.

Its not helping that some are advocating for demanding more. At some point the dealership will just say NO you get nothing come fight us in court then. I know at some point I would say that if I were the GM....

People like southpaw are ones that get banned from the dealership, bad for business and just not worth the trouble.

 

[dequardo]

You’ve taken the high road so far. Don’t get dragged into the HR firing bait others suggest. Mgmt. already knows the techs screwed up up big time. Coming to your house proves it. Demand cash if you’d like (I would) but but steer clear of any firing talk.

 

[Neilsdeal]

You’ve taken the high road so far. Don’t get dragged into the HR firing bait others suggest. Mgmt. already knows the techs screwed up up big time. Coming to your house proves it. Demand cash if you’d like (I would) but but steer clear of any firing talk.

Yeah, I didn’t mean to imply(if I did at all) that I was going to be asking for their jobs. That isn’t exactly a demand a customer can give, that’s a choice an employer has to make. From my own knowledge of HRs inner workings, that’s probably not even information I’d be privy to.

I was really just strongly agreeing with the sentiment of deciding what’s right. I already feel like what was offered is fair, but I’m still stuck on needing to know that kind of shit can’t continue and that’s on management to decide how to ensure it doesn’t happen. If they actually value my business and their image then they will find a solution. I manage a small team of dummies too and know exactly how much of a challenge that can be, but problems always work themselves out one way or another.

And for anyone asking, I’m sorry but I won’t be posting the videos. They’ve been good enough to work with me on this so I’ll give them the chance to make up for it. And if things fall though, well..I might have another post to make I guess