White Dove
Member
You’ve gone through the process of submitting all the paperwork VW requires and setting up an appointment for your buyback. Here is what really happens when you get to that appointment.
If you choose an Electronics Funds Transfer (EFT), VW expects you to hand over your title and car and wait an unspecified time period to get your money. Period. So I chose to have a check issued for my buyback. I would NEVER sell my car to someone and not have the money in hand!
I signed up for my appointment on December 15, 2016. The appointment wasn’t until January 6, 2017. My work is in a different city than where I live. I drive about 500 miles a week. I knew there was a high possibility that my original official offer would be incorrect due to the excess mileage on my vehicle. But, I did not have the option of parking the car and not driving it. I was not in a position to buy another car before receiving my buyback – and why should I? Why should I trust VW to follow through with any “promise” they have made to make things right?
So 15 days before the appointment, on December 21, 2016, I made yet another call to VW and was assured by Jim (won’t give last name) that the offer was based on an odometer reading of between 110,000-115,000 miles. I tried to tell him that I did not believe this was correct. That my calculations based on court documents indicated a lower amount based on my current mileage. He reassured me that all was correct.
There was no way to update the mileage on the portal to ensure the check amount would be correct. I called VW several times to try and change the mileage and my check amount and was repeatedly told all was OK. But it wasn’t. When I got to the buyback appointment the check was incorrect based on my current mileage. I was told I would have to make another appointment and come back. My husband and I both had already missed work and pay due to the appointment. We were on the phone for more than 2 hours trying to get authorization from VW to pay the difference – around $389.73 according to my calculations – with a certified check or cash. We tried to get authorization to have the new check sent overnight to the VW buyback representative at the dealership so we could come back and finalize the deal. We tried to buy a new VW and have the reissued check sent to dealership as part of the deal, which they were willing to do. We presented viable solutions a reasonable person would expect to be acceptable – and were told NO by VW. Then, Beri, a supervisor with VW claims we spoke with over the phone, said she was cancelling our appointment and we would have to go to the online portal and schedule a new appointment.
This was the most horrible, unprofessional experience. The FTC Consent Order, which dictates how VW is to honor its obligations under the settlement, states that “if the vehicle is subject to a negative Mileage Adjustment a check will not be provided immediately and instead VW will issue and send a new check within 3 banking days for the adjusted amount.” VW refused to do this. The next appointment times for a dealership in my area are at least 7-8 weeks away. I must input my mileage again, and cannot accurately predict how many miles will be on my car at the precise moment I turn my car in. So, the cycle will continue. Also, by waiting another 7-8 weeks, I will receive about $800-$1200 less for my car, from the original offer.
So, this is the reality. I know some people have gotten their buybacks without a hitch, but for those of us who are outside of the “norm,” the experience is rotten. The process is broken. I will never get a buyback under these conditions.
I should be compensated much more for the additional stress and time lost from work because VW has no way to work with those of us who get to the table and the numbers don’t add up correctly.
Thought y'all would like to know the reality of the buyback.
If you choose an Electronics Funds Transfer (EFT), VW expects you to hand over your title and car and wait an unspecified time period to get your money. Period. So I chose to have a check issued for my buyback. I would NEVER sell my car to someone and not have the money in hand!
I signed up for my appointment on December 15, 2016. The appointment wasn’t until January 6, 2017. My work is in a different city than where I live. I drive about 500 miles a week. I knew there was a high possibility that my original official offer would be incorrect due to the excess mileage on my vehicle. But, I did not have the option of parking the car and not driving it. I was not in a position to buy another car before receiving my buyback – and why should I? Why should I trust VW to follow through with any “promise” they have made to make things right?
So 15 days before the appointment, on December 21, 2016, I made yet another call to VW and was assured by Jim (won’t give last name) that the offer was based on an odometer reading of between 110,000-115,000 miles. I tried to tell him that I did not believe this was correct. That my calculations based on court documents indicated a lower amount based on my current mileage. He reassured me that all was correct.
There was no way to update the mileage on the portal to ensure the check amount would be correct. I called VW several times to try and change the mileage and my check amount and was repeatedly told all was OK. But it wasn’t. When I got to the buyback appointment the check was incorrect based on my current mileage. I was told I would have to make another appointment and come back. My husband and I both had already missed work and pay due to the appointment. We were on the phone for more than 2 hours trying to get authorization from VW to pay the difference – around $389.73 according to my calculations – with a certified check or cash. We tried to get authorization to have the new check sent overnight to the VW buyback representative at the dealership so we could come back and finalize the deal. We tried to buy a new VW and have the reissued check sent to dealership as part of the deal, which they were willing to do. We presented viable solutions a reasonable person would expect to be acceptable – and were told NO by VW. Then, Beri, a supervisor with VW claims we spoke with over the phone, said she was cancelling our appointment and we would have to go to the online portal and schedule a new appointment.
This was the most horrible, unprofessional experience. The FTC Consent Order, which dictates how VW is to honor its obligations under the settlement, states that “if the vehicle is subject to a negative Mileage Adjustment a check will not be provided immediately and instead VW will issue and send a new check within 3 banking days for the adjusted amount.” VW refused to do this. The next appointment times for a dealership in my area are at least 7-8 weeks away. I must input my mileage again, and cannot accurately predict how many miles will be on my car at the precise moment I turn my car in. So, the cycle will continue. Also, by waiting another 7-8 weeks, I will receive about $800-$1200 less for my car, from the original offer.
So, this is the reality. I know some people have gotten their buybacks without a hitch, but for those of us who are outside of the “norm,” the experience is rotten. The process is broken. I will never get a buyback under these conditions.
I should be compensated much more for the additional stress and time lost from work because VW has no way to work with those of us who get to the table and the numbers don’t add up correctly.
Thought y'all would like to know the reality of the buyback.
