Date: Sat, 26 Apr 1997 11:52:24 -0500
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "R. A. \"Pete\" SELLERS" <sellersp@midmonet.net>
Subject: Eurovan Update - Note For The List
EUROVAN UPDATE is a publication for and about the VW Eurovan,
particularly the 1993. I've been a subscriber for about a year. Some of
you other EV owners/operators need to take a look at it!
I've been trying to get the Editor/Publisher to log onto the List here.
Recently I read some things in the recent issue that were troubling to
me. I submited a response to the Publisher. I then thought some of you
other EV Owners/Operators may like to see my comments and even submit
your views.
below the line is my submission to the EUROVAN UPDATE:
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Just got issue #6 of the Eurovan UPDATE. The issue being late does not
bother me, as long as it's not excessive or repetitive.
You really DO need to quit "saying" you're gonna get on the internet and
do it (I've seen your comments for nearly a year now)! The VANAGON List
(as one example) could be informative to you, you could be informative
to the other Eurovan owners and the potential goodwill by you could
possibly increase sells of your publication. BUSSES-BY-THE-ARCH is
another event you seem to give "lip-service" to.
The mail-label indicates this to be my last issue. I'm considering
whether to renew or not (the determinant will be considered internally
and has little to do with you, the UPDATE or the price of it)! I have
referred several others to your publication and will continue to do so.
I have sent several items/articles to you either by snail-mail or by
E-mail. I've yet to get an acknowledgement of any nor have I seen any of
it appear in your publication. I expect you get a lot and you MUST go
through some 'selection & weeding' process but I have seen similar items
appearing. It makes me wonder.
I read the portion, "Dealer Downing the Eurovan", and realized I had
posted a similar incident in the VANAGON List. I'm forwarding that
posting to you with this message for your information.
Another item in your UPDATE, I take exception to is the negativism with
respect to VWofAmerica and the Eurovan. I don't consider myself a
negative person and generallay, try to accentuate the positive. With
respect to VWofAmerica, in general and with respect to the Eurovan, in
particular, almost 100% of the time I have any reason to be in contact
with a VW dealer or with VWofAmercian, corporate, I come away feeling
like I've been insulted with impunity! I'm convinced that, as a
coordinated network, the VW establishment have decided that correcting
the 'ills', problems, and defects on the Eurovan will be so costly and
time-consuming it's cheaper to create an envelope of confusion and
frustration, with hope that Eurovan owners will go away rather than
VWofAmeirca doing anything which will, even slightly, open a precedent
and cause them to act responsibly across the board!
I agree that the 1993 the Eurovan is a wonderful vehicle. It functions
nearly flawless, while it's, generally, new and under warranty. We had
great fun with ours, in the first months. I willlingly and obediently
paid the high price for the periodic services that the
warranty-agreement and the VWofAmerica folks recommended. After about a
year, when things started to go wrong, I learned that the VW dealers and
the VWofAmerca network became increasingly and openly less willing to
assist with keeping our vehicle running and in good appearance, even for
things that should not have been disabling in that short a period.
After paying nearly $25, each, for something as common as an oil filter
(it was originally listed as a dealer-only item) once a month, I have
found that auto-parts houses have the same or a closely similar oil
filter for $7. I'm now wondering how much I've paid for other parts,
things and services "while being VW loyal"!
It's not fun to learn that the VWofAmerica network openly shows no
willingness to invest similar "loyalty" to customers who have
'hung-in-there'. It's equally bothersome to have other folks 'pinging'
me and others for feeling negative now that we are learning what
VWofAmerica has or has not done to/for us.
Silence is golden!
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Regards,
--
Pete SELLERS - sellersp@midmonet.net
FLW, MO - Voice: (573) 774-1895 / FAX: 336-5128
'74 THING (Pete's "PLAY" THING)
'93 Eurovan, MV, Weekender (The Conestoga)