ERIC ON ... D'IETEREN MEISER BRUSSELS VOLKSWAGEN

Not a political rant, I know, but ........

I'm looking for a new van as you know. And one of the vans I have my eye on is the Volkswagen Transporter. So yesterday I went to D'Ieteren Meiser, the Volkswagen dealer for a good poke around a new Transporter and was quite impressed. I liked the seat that folds down, and the lockable cubby-hole under the passenger seat. The pedals were well-spaced out (in contrast to the older model), so I made a sort-of choice.
 
Under the bonnet, things were radically different from the traditional engine, so I asked for some advice from a salesman. He didn't know anything so sent me to see another who likewise didn't know, who sent me to see a third who sent me to see someone in the engineering department.
 
So after a considerable wait, I asked the guy if he wouldn't mind coming over to explain to me the fuel injection system.
""Well, lift up the bonnet and you'll see it" was his reply.
I told him that I had already done that but still couldn't see it. Would he mind stepping over
"I don't know what you mean. What injection system?"
 
So after 10 minutes of having the piss taken out of me in this vein, I was getting quite fed up. I waited until there was a shop full of people, and told the guy in a loud voice that if they can't be bothered to help out a guy who is planning to spend €17,000 in cash in their shop, then I'll go along and spend it at Peugeot
 
On the way out, I told one of the salesmen what I was planning to do and why.
"We'll sort that out straight away" he said, and went to fetch an engineer. This guy couldn't see it either (so much for the "Well, lift up the bonnet and you'll see it") but eventually worked out exactly what everything was, and put me right.
 
And the only option is common-rail diesels. It seems that fuel-injection of the traditional type is no longer an option on any modern van. This effectively means the end of do-it-yourself motoring for people such as me. If you take the point that even the engineer couldn't find all the bits, you'll understand exactly what I mean

Then I sat down with the salesman to discuss a deal. And do you know? They don't do yellow. It isn't an option. That's scandalous. We did a survey years ago that suggested that yellow cars are the most easily-visible and safest on the roads. All my taxis were yellow. And Volkswagen, despite having a nice yellow in their range, don't offer it on their vans.
 
And then we arrived at the price. €17169. "So what discount will you do for cash, no finance, and no part-exchange?"
"Nothing. It's of no interest to us either way"
We had a little discussion on this, which ended with him saying to me "Well, first you messed us around about the engine. Then you messed us around about the colour. Then you messed us around with the price. What next are you going to mess us around with? Go off to Citroen or Peugeot and buy something there!"
 
So I left.

I wasn't made to feel welcome there at all. I'm planning to spend over €17,000 (£11,000 or $20,000) in cash. I got messed around, laughed at, insulted, and finally thrown out. Not to mention no nice warm welcome and free coffee.
 
A VW Transporter will suit me down to the ground because it's the ideal van, and always has been. There's a marvellous quote by Sidney Greenstreet in "The Maltese Falcon along the lines of ""in the heat of the moment men are often apt to forget where their best interests lie and get carried away on the waves of their emotions".
 
This happens so easily to me and I can see myself with a Mercedes Vito or a Peugeot Partner or even a Citroen Jumpy simply because the sales and service staff are so much nicer. I have a feel for atmospheres - the old "good and bad vibes" - and I can be so easily influenced by it.

Just so there is no mistake or misunderstanding, it's long been the tradition on my web site to "call it as I see it". It's been the tradition for just as long for anyone who feels aggrieved to have the right to reply (although I always reserve the right to edit the insults and replace them with asterisks - it is after all a family show).

I have therefore drawn this page to the attention of D'Ieteren (the main Volkswagen importers in Belgium) and to the attention of the manufacturers. It will be interesting to see what response I get. Anyone else who wants to comment, then

Well, talking of responses, I've had a reply from VW Germany.

As an aside and in a further development, I did actually have a phone call from the importers - right at the very moment when I was signing the contract to buy a brand-new Ford Transit. Serves them right

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