ComplaintsforLeavens Volkswagen Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  23/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Hello,I own a 2016 Jetta, there is severe rust which caused multiple, large cracks in the windshield. 6 months ago I took my car to the dealership to submit a claim, as this is covered under warranty. The company took pictures, my information and submitted a claim. Now the company continues to ignore my requests for an update. I have attached the emails. They told me the person helping me was off on medical leave and two others were going to help. No one is responding to my emails and I am now very close to the ******* km limit. These cracks are very dangerous and I use this vehicle to drive my children around. VW needs to take ownership and fix their problem. This problem is very common in the same spot when I research problems for 2016 Jettas. I was told these claims take 2 months, it has been over 6 months.

  

  Business response

  24/11/2023

  Victoria,
  I apologize for the delay, however, there are many corrosion warranty claims in our pipeline awaiting a combination of estimates, approvals, and completion dates with body shops. I cannot push your claim ahead of others. However, we can give you a better ETA and see what we can do given the circumstances you have communicated to us with respect to the safety of the vehicle. Ive asked our Service Team to reach out to you today.
  Best Regards,
  *******************

  Customer response

  24/11/2023

   
  Complaint: 20910082
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I will await a response from the companys service team as stated. I understand there are parameters that are out of their control (in regards to the pending claims). However, I have stated I understand that and have asked for communication and responses from the dealership because this is a time sensitive matter and a major safety issue. There has been zero communication with me regardless if they have an answer or not and there have been no requests or alternative efforts made. 
  

  I will await a response from the service team and go from there. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

  

  Business response

  27/11/2023

  *******************,
  
  Our Service Managers are aware of your claim and your request to have more consistent communication. We will work to keep you informed but please dont hesitate to reach if you have an other questions, especially in ******* absence.
  
  *******************;

• Initial Complaint

  15/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ******* ********** ** ********* ** ***** ******* *** Regarding the extended emissions warranty on my 2015 ***** tdi that I had purchased at said dealership. I’ve complained to Volkswagen of Canada and still haven’t heard from the dealership or Volkswagen of Canada. Leavens Volkswagen claimed that because I had not serviced my timing belt and water pump at their facility they would not replace emissions equipment that failed after said parts were serviced. The failure of said emissions equipment after performing timing belt and water pump replacement, is the most common failure on the 2015 ***** tdi emissions equipment. I have proof and I know of many other people who have had the exact same failure and had their warranty fulfilled. Leavens Volkswagen has pro activity tried to deny my warranty claim and made false allegations that the emission equipment is not covered because it breaks when replacing the timing belt. On previous model years this failure does not occur at all because the placement of said failed parts is not located directly in front of the timing cover and just above the turbo, it is a poorly engineered design that has a 50/50 chance of failing after doing the timing service. Leavens knows this, so they try and screw the customer out of warranty. Any disagreement about said warranty falls in favour of the consumer as per the warranty provisions and fines Volkswagen had to agree to in court as part of the diesel gate scam that had emissions bypass systems in place. I want my warranty fulfilled, and my $151.47 diagnosis fee returned to me as this should have all been covered under warranty.

  

  Business response

  16/05/2023

  Hello ******,
  
  Our diagnosis and all accompanying technician notes have been fully transparently shared with you.
  You also have an open case with VW Canada, and we have been communicating all of the findings with them.
  Unfortunately, we cannot approve claims at the dealership level; we can only diagnose and provide feedback based on what we see.
  I encourage you to continue corresponding with VW Canada, and we will support however we can at the dealership level by providing them with their requested feedback.
  
  Thank-you,
  **** *****
  General Manager

  Customer response

  16/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have contacted Volkswagen of Canada several times about my claim, they are saying the dealership is dealing with said claim. I have not been contacted by Volkswagen of Canada nor have I been contacted by Leavens. Your technicians are the ones who denied my warranty to save Volkswagen of Canada a few dollars, on a warranty. My car had faulty emissions equipment that is still under warranty. You guys are flip flopping and are not taking responsibility, I noticed Volkswagen of Canada was at Leavens yesterday handing out rewards, guess you guys have time to pat each other on the back instead of actually resolving my issue. My failure was caused by a poorly engineered design. Volkswagen knows this, your technicians know this. Stop trying to defraud me out of my warranty. Just because I stopped servicing my vehicles at your dealership. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******

  

  Business response

  19/05/2023

  Hi ******,
  
  I understand, and I’m sorry for your frustrations. We can only approve what is within our scope – we can’t massage claims to appease the client in order to secure an approval of the warranty work.
  That said, I have called my VW Canada head office rep this morning to see if he can help us with a potential goodwill claim.
  Please stay tuned to hear from me, I will communicate back with you outside of this forum.
  
  Best Regards,
  ****

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed a contract with Leavens to purchase a 2nd-hand *****. The contract indicated I had deposited $1000 dollars. Leavens broke the contract and refused to refund my $1000. Please see photo of contract, attached.

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  Dear *****,
  The bill of sale was showing you paid $1,000 in a deposit; however, you only paid us $500 as proven by a receipt given to you and the money that we collected in our system. Our General Sales Manager let you know there was still $500 owing to your deposit. In that timeframe, our business manager was working with you on a finance contract approval. You were not approved by any of our financial lenders, and as a result, our business manager called to inform you that the vehicle could not be delivered to you due to this. You demanded a refund of your deposit, and our business manager let you know that $500 (the deposit amount that you paid, despite what was showing on the bill of sale) would returned to you. You demanded $1,000 in a very aggressive tone on the phone – All phone calls are recorded. Our business manager has requested a cheque for $500 to be returned to you, it has been processed, and it will be mailed to your home address. If you have any further questions, please reach out to me directly at the dealership.
  Best Regards,
  **** *****
  General Manager

  Customer response

  15/05/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I'm still waiting for your check through Canada Post.

  As to the rest of it:   Your incompetent and rude employee phoned me -- I did not phone her.   The $500 mistake is hers, and the attached contract proves it.   If there is an "aggression" involved it is on the part of you and deceitful Leavens Staff.

  I recommend to Leavens customers that they record all transactions with Leavens for their own protection.
  

  Please don't darken my door ever again.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********** ******

  

  Business response

  16/05/2023

  Hi *****,
  
  Please see attached for the credit card receipt clearly showing you paid us $500 for the deposit; not $1,000.
  As I mentioned in my previous reply, your contract indicates you needed to leave $1,000 deposit but you never did. You left us $500.
  Unfortunately, you were not approved for financing the vehicle, and we have returned the $500 deposit that you left us. The cheque is being sent to you in the mail. If you do not receive it within 14 business days, you can reach out to me, we will cancel the cheque, and send it again.
  At this time, the matter is resolved on our side, and there are no funds owed to you.
  
  Thank-you,
  **** *****
  General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  17/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My AC for the 2018 ****** wasnt cooling at the begining of teh summer . Took to the them to diagnose the problem , they charged me close to $200 claming that the shut down valve # 5 is defective . they said it will need extensive work and the peice will be foe a bit less than $300 and the cost of labor is about 1400 something plus tax . I asked to order the part and they called me when they receive it . brough the car they said they changed it but the AC wasnt working still . They said the sensors that communicate the errors was difective and need replaced and its on back order . they insist on me paying around 1400+ tax in addition to the diagnosis i paid alraedy and i can take the car without being fixed . and they give me the choice to come back and fix the problem after ordering the sensores which is an additional $360 or i can take it somewhere else . I refused to pay before them fixing the car , they kept the car for about 4 weeks and give me a replacement to use untill they oreder the sensors . they ordered the part and fixed the problem they charged me in total $2050 plus diagnosis for around $200 i belive because pf the defective sensor they misdiagnose the problem and charged me 200 for daignosis that was wrong and repalced wrong part and charged me for the unessessary work . I vbelive I only shoud pay for the sensors and work related to that and should be refunded the rest . I also was paying for a gas for close to a month which cost me over $500.

  

  Business response

  18/08/2022

  Dear **** *******:
  
  We received the BBB complaint, and have a response below on behalf of Leavens Volkswagen Inc.
  
  The vehicle you are driving is a 2018 Volkswagen ******, with approximately 212,000km.
  
  The vehicle’s system must be completely deactivated since this is a high voltage vehicle. Any repair on an electric vehicle is labour intensive due to being high voltage, and therefore, that is why the labour charge was higher than normal but was still explained to you upfront. Additionally, please note that GFF (general fault finding) logs can be presented to you to show that the repair guide was followed, and all the proper steps were taken to diagnose and repair this vehicle.
  
  When the Technician scanned your vehicle for faults, many faults were presented and the first fix through Volkswagen Canada’s guide was to shut off and repair Valve #5. After repairing the valve, the vehicle was still providing faults and it was determined that the valve was only part of the necessary repair. To fully repair the vehicle, the next step was to investigate the wiring and the sensors. These were all corroded and needed replaced. The sensors were backordered, and we needed to wait for them to arrive to proceed. Leavens Volkswagen Inc. provided a loaner vehicle to you at no cost so that you had mobility while your vehicle was ‘down’. Once the sensors arrived, we replaced them and returned the fully repaired vehicle to you.
  
  Our Service Manager, ****** *******, has spoken to you and explained this in detail. Additionally, our technical manager from Volkswagen Canada was consulted on this entire repair to ensure it was completed properly from start to finish.
  
  To address the desired outcome of a refund, please note that your vehicle is out of warranty, and as such, VW Canada and Leavens Volkswagen Inc. does not cover the cost of a loaner vehicle while your car is being repaired. To ensure we provide good customer service to you, we made an exception and provided a loaner to you at no charge. We do no provide gas refunds for loaners. We also discounted the installation time on the sensors (note that the technician had to remove the bumper to replace the sensor and did not charge for this extra time). Therefore, from our perspective, this is not a worthy case for a refund since the technician followed procedure and we worked with you on the cost to minimize it as much as possible.
  
  Thank you and regards,
  
  **** *****
  General Manager
  Leavens Volkswagen Inc.

  Customer response

  19/08/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1- the  car has driven for   212k but was only used for 3 seasons .

  2- I didn’t ask for  loaner as they refuse to give me my car while ordering the part that is missing . I wouldn’t pay 1800 for a repair that I believe wasn’t required . 
  

  3- I understand you have a procedure to follow but you still made mistakes . The multiple faults indicating that was the sensors that needs change right form the start .

  4-  my core question wasn’t answered .

  the car was misdiagnosed and the wrong part was changed for  why I have to pay  for that?

  
  I expressed that I’m welling  to pay for whatever it cost but not for the misdiagnosis or work that wasn’t needed in the first place . 
  Again ,
  I don’t want to under pay nor not to pay for the work that been done .
  Volkswagen need to take ownership for the misdiagnosed problem .

  Sincerely,
  
  **** *******

  

  Business response

  22/08/2022

  Good day, Mr. *******,
  
  I will start by answering your core question: The car wasn’t misdiagnosed, and there wasn’t a wrong part changed on your vehicle. The part that you are referring to was just 1 step in the chain of events to fully fix your vehicle. You had more than one issue. We hoped that this part would fully fix the issue (ie. Valve #5), but it was in conjunction with the corroded sensors and wires to fully fix your vehicle. Even if the sensors/wires were replaced first, Valve 5 would’ve still given a fault, and we would’ve recommended that you replace it. I’ve attached the general fault-finding log for your reference.
  
  Volkswagen is bound by policies that need to be adhered to when performing certain repairs. All were followed. We must follow these procedures and it’s why we have been a reputable Volkswagen dealer for more than 60 years.
  
  I cannot change the outcome here. The car was repaired in the order we were guided to do so. If you are willing to pay for the required work, I would state that you have already done so.
  
  Our position on the presented issue will not change going forward.
  
  Best Regards,
  ****
  ----
  **** *****
  General Manager | Leavens Volkswagen
  ********************* ****** ************ *** *** * **** ************ ******* ********** ***** * **** **** **** **** ******* ******** *** ***
  

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