Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:39:43 -0700
Reply-To: BILL <billv2@PRODIGY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: BILL <billv2@PRODIGY.NET>
Subject: Fw: Indirect response from A-German Auto,
was: Re: FI Wiring Harness FS
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
FWIW last year I had a simular situation with "new" parts instead of used.
They took the parts back. No restocking fee, nothing, nada, and they had to
order it. What FLAPS did this for me? My local VW dealer. They seem to want
me to keep coming back as a repeat customer, and I do. As a matter of fact I
highly recommend the parts guy "Ron" at my local VW dealership. He sometimes
gives me better prices on parts then list vendors. Just recently he found
for me the Westy sliding door clips for the panel and gave them to me at
cost. I shop where I'm treated right and I'm always looking for a bargain,
aren't you?
My harddrive did a choke-n-puke (got hungry for data) last year so I don't
have my earlier responses from A-German whatever. A lot of it is in the
archives though. And I did file with the BBB in San Jose.
Bill
Doing business with recommended list venders and FLAPS and, Yes, my local VW
dealer.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Jason Black <vwbus@earthlink.net>
>To: BILL <billv2@prodigy.net>; moderator@type2.com <moderator@type2.com>
>Date: Saturday, January 30, 1999 9:36 PM
>Subject: Indirect response from A-German Auto, was: Re: FI Wiring Harness
FS
>
>
>>Bill (and the List),
>> I forwarded a copy of Bill's e-mail (minus any pertinent details of
>>*who* he is, his e-mail address, etc., except the fact that he resides
>>in Montana) with a short message of my own, to A-German Auto. I figured
>>what the heck... maybe now that they know that their market has dwindled
>>a bit, they will do something about it... fix the problem to Bill's
>>satisfaction.
>> So... I include below my reply and the response I got from A-German
>>Auto. I'm impartial... and on *noone's* side here, okay? I'd prefer that
>>everyone get satisfactory service, etcetera... all of the time, and I do
>>understand that a 30-day warranty doesn't give us much leeway, since by
>>the time that we order the part, receive the part, and install it...
>>several months have lapsed. I do a lot of my stuff in my spare time, so
>>that time-period would seem about right for me. (guess...).
>> But... we all have to read the fine print, all of the time. Otherwise,
>>we end up with these irreconcilable differences.
>>
>>again... respectfully,
>>
>>Jason Black
>>vwbus@earthlink.net
>>
>>Here was my message:
>>Jason Black wrote:
>>>
>>> I *don't* know either party concerned with this wiring harness... but
>>> you ought to know that this message was mailed by a listserver to 1000+
>>> members of a VW bus mailing list.
>>> This member had a particularly bad experience with A-German, and
>>> related it to the other members. Now there are a whole bunch of people
>>> X-ed out of your potential market...
>>> It is a little late for it, but I'd recommend "making it right"
>with
>>> the customer. Dig a little through the records, and find out who it is
>>> that you sent the harness to, and reimburse the man in full for the
>>> harness (after he has sent it back). I'm sure that he would be more than
>>> happy to post again saying that he was taken care of.
>>> Granted, there are 2 sides to every story... but VW owners all
>over the
>>> world are getting together via the 'net, and are swapping tales of good
>>> and bad experience with parts vendors. If someone steers me away from a
>>> bad vendor, I'll thank them. It's better to be safe than sorry.
>>>
>>> Respectfully,
>>>
>>> Jason Black
>>
>>A-German Auto response:
>>
>>Sales wrote:
>>>
>>> Dear Mr. Black
>>>
>>> We are a large company who has been in business for 15 years and a
>>> customer wanting to refund $125 does not affect us financially what so
>>> ever, but we have guide lines and policies which we have to fallow.
>>> Following these pollicies allows us to be fair to all of our
>>> customers. Our policy is very simple. All used products are sold with
>>> a 30 days exchange period for the same part (on part only not labor)
>>> unless specified differently. Because of a trend of people or
>>> mechanics buying parts just to test their cars we ALWAYS explain to
>>> our customers to make sure that is the correct part they are looking
>>> for cause once they buy it they cannot refund it they can only change
>>> it for the same item. In other words if their is anything wrong with
>>> the part that we sell we are responsible to change for you as long as
>>> it’s in the same condition and it is within the warranty period.
>>>
>>> The first time the customer contacted us about this problem was in
>>> October 31, 1998. Over 2 months after he had purchased this item.
>>> These are the reasons why this company denied his claim:
>>>
>>> 1) 30 days exchange period is over.
>>>
>>> 2) The customer admitted to cutting the connectors to try to fix it.
>>>
>>> The truth of the matter is if he would have contacted us within the
>>> 30-day period , we would have promptly exchanged (or if we did not
>>> have any more) refunded his purchase.
>>>
>>> It would have not been fair to us or our customers if we would have
>>> refunded his money.
>>>
>>> All of our customers are treated equally regardless of e-mail,
>>> walk-in's, or phone.
>>>
>>> In closing I would like to give you another example... If you go to a
>>> computer store and purchase a harddrive and after taking it home you
>>> find out that is defective. You can simply either call the store
>>> return it within couple of days (not months) and I’m sure they
>>> take care of it for you. But if you decide to open the hard drive and
>>> try and fix it yourself and after you fail you decide to return it.
>>> Would you expect the store to refund your purchase?
>>>
>>> I appreciate your e-mail to us and if you or anyone else have any
>>> questions I'll be more than happy to answer them for you. I also
>>> appreciate if you at send our side of the story to group.
>>>
>>> Dave Derakshandeh
>>>
>>> Manager
>
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