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Date:         Sat, 3 Feb 2001 23:45:03 -0500
Reply-To:     "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Horace K. Sawyer" <firestream@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: Birth Certificate Requests Received to Date
Comments: To: "Thomas D. Hanlon" <hanran@EARTHINK.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <3A7CABD6.B6A0CDC9@earthink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Well perhaps that explains it! It appears there is sufficient reasonable doubt to render Herr Golen a fugitive. The only proof of fraud on his part seems to lie in the numbers of victims. If we can believe the Hanlon post, and I think we can, then Mr. Golen may well be a victim himself. I recommend all victims close their respective cases, and that all make a concerted effort to contact VW and nab beauty queen and her cronies who apparently are pocketing the petty cash. I can't understand why VW would condone such a procedure. Surely there must be letters and complaints abounding complaining of not receiving their certificates. 20 DM is not necessarily chump change. So, the investigation may have originally targeted the wrong individual, but provided useful information in the end. That's why they're called investigations . . . HK

At 05:09 PM 2/3/01 -0800, Thomas D. Hanlon wrote: >Listees, > >This note is in mitigation of and/or possible explanation of how Richard >Golen >may have gotten himself, in some eyes, into the role of fugitive from >justice in >the matter of vain attempts to obtain Vanagon birth certificates (BCs) >from VW Wolfsburg. BTDT..... > >During the same summer as that in which RG agreed, generously, I >thought, to act >as agent (I think) for the BCs acquisitions, I traded a Listee for >mutual use of >Westies. I used his Diesel Joker in France, Benelux, and Germany. The >Listee used >my 1.9 WBXer Westfalia van in California, Nevada and Arizona, earlier in >the same year. > >As part of an extended tour of Europe, including the 55th D-Day >Celebration in >St. Mere Eglise, Normandy, where my regiment jumped the night before the >landings, (No, I wasn't there. I was home in bed, a small boy. I served >in the >unit, eventually, in the post-WW2 era.), I went to the VW complex in >Wolfsburg, >Germany, to tour the factory and to buy two BCs, about which I had >learned >through Richard Golen's postings on the List. At the end of a >Disneyland-like >experience on the tour, I went to the gift shop in the Museum, and at >the appropriate >desk there, I ordered two BCs, one for my van and one for my Listee >Trader's van. I >paid the fee, gave two addresses for mailing of the BCs, one for my van, >and >another for the Listee's. > >The receptionist was a rather disinterested young lady, as I have noted >earlier >in another note to the List on this subject, but she is probably one of >the more >strikingly beautiful women I have seen in years. She gave me a receipt, >which I >still have, and, unsmilingly, she sent me on my way. The 20 Marks, cash, >as I >remember, went into what appeared to be a petty cash box. > >In one of the few cases of Teutonic inefficiency that I have >experienced, >neither I, nor my fellow Trader Listee, has yet to receive a >certificate, even >after I sent one letter in English and in my best pidgin German. The >auditor must not have had to reconcile the books for the cash >transactions. So, I've >written off the expense, as an unfortunate lesson learned, an action >which I >suggest to those who have some empathy for Richard's plight. If he were >a profit >maker, I'd hold him to a different standard. In his behalf, since he is >awould-be >contributor to the mutually-beneficial purposes of the List, I'd suggest >that each >of you write a letter in his behalf to the the Customer Services >Department of VW in >Wolfsburg, Germany, explaning his disfavor in your eyes and suggesting >that the >VW folks do "the right thing" by all of you. > >And, for Richard, learn, too, a lesson I remember as an Irish probverb: >No good turn goes unpunished. > >(Usual disclaimers apply. I do not know Richard, other than through his >attempted good works for the List.) > >If anybody knows an e-mail address for VW Wolfsburg, and can write in >German, >please provide a template which we can use to petition VW to send the >BCs to the >victims. > >BTW, I'm interested in trading, again, with Southern or Eastern >Europeans, South >Americans, Kiwis and Ozzies, Irish, Japanese, or anybody other than >Yanks and >Canadians. I tour in North America, frequently. > >I prefer your summers or warm autumns; you can reserve any time of the >year in California. I traded with a Scot this Fall; he in my summer. >References provided. > >Tom Hanlon >Palm Springs, CA >84 Westfalia > >Richard Golen wrote: > > > Hi All, > > > > I just want to clarify a few things regarding the "birth certificates" > > which I offered to obtain in June 1999. I took a stack of requests to the > > Museum in Wolfsburg in June. I was told that, unlike previous years, the > > museum could not accept large numbers of requests all at once. They took > > about 20 or 30 of the requests, and told me to send the rest later in the > > summer. > > > > This was at the time the museum was preparing to open a second exhibit area > > at what would become Autostadt, and the folks at the museum said they were > > very busy getting that project going. That was their reason for not taking > > all of the requests. > > > > When I went back to Germany later that summer I sent the rest of the > > requests and the rest of the money to the museum via Deutsche Post. I > > assumed that would be the last of it. In the early fall, judging from the > > email I received, some folks received their certificates and others did > not. > > > > I asked those who didn't receive their certificates to wait a bit longer. > > Later, after receiving a number of nasty emails and one or two threats I > > decided to not to respond to any further emails on the subject. Perhaps, in > > retrospect, it wasn't a smart move on my part. > > > > As to what happened to the rest of the certificates, I really do not know. > > I did my best to do something for a group of VW owners. I had been able to > > obtain in previous years certificates for over 100 owners. If you think, > > as Bill does, I ran off with the money, nothing is further from the truth. > > All of the money went with the certificate requests to Wolfsburg. > > > > What happened to the last batch of requests that was mailed is anybody's > > guess. I'm sorry if you didn't receive your certificates, I don't know what > > else to tell you, other than I apologize for any trouble or inconvenience > > that I may have caused. > > > > Ric > > > > Ric


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