Dodgy Dealer?

[Stevemak]

Hey guys,

I am having some major issues with my dealer here in Sydney.

I put my order in on 21st May and was told delivery by end of september.
It's now 24th August and they still can't give me a VIN number. This doesn't sound right to me. Last week they said delivery early september.

I'm really pissed, they already screwed up my order. The day after I paid my deposit I went back to change the colour to non-metalic and add comfort pack which would keep the price the same.
This was never updated and silly me never asked for a new contract. So now I miss out on colour and comfort pack and still have no real idea when I get the car!!

Anyone have any advice?

Cheers

[FJ Steve]

Speak to the Dealer Principal at the dealership, if the salesman is not helping.

[Hail22]

I will take a poke in the dark but is it Barlow World? if so say no more...all i can say is some of the sales staff are very bad and have very poor rapport with customers.

[Serge]

If there dealership can't provide you with VIN number that means that your car hasn't been build yet. If your car hasnt been build yet, that means that your car will not arrive till october november. What might have happened is that they forgot to change order to the spec you wanted and thats why your car is delayed.
Can you please advice me on what spec car you ordered and i can try to find if there is something else is coming soonish.

[Stevemak]

I won't mention the dealer...not yet anyway. I would like to give them an opportunity to fix this before I slag them on here or warn other potential buyer's about them on other sites where there are Polo reviews.
The order that went through to the factory was for the following: Grey/TSI Manual/Alcantara/Audio/Sport Package PLUS dealer fitted Door Sill Alaminium protectors/Full bodykit. The Ipod cable was also going to be thrown in. I wanted the red with comfort as it would be same price.

To be honest after all this drama now I don't care about the red with comfort anymore - I am happy to take the grey without comfort now as I just want the car.I have been waiting for over 3 months patiently and I didn't shop around wasting anyone's time - starting to think I should have. I walked in with good intentions and placed my deposit on the same day and thsi is what I get. On top of this I recommended them to a friend who then walked in a few weeks later to buy a second hand Golf.

Serge, if I placed my order with this dealer in May I should have had the VIN by now, I am so pissed right now!

[Serge]

Look, i understand you are pissed off and i think most of the people in this situation will be as well. What i would suggest is go to the dealer and ask to provide you with deatails on your ordered car. Most importantly try to be polite to the salesperson as it might not be his faults. there are a lot of people who's fault it could be.
Unfortunatelly due to the high demand in polos most of them have been sold out for the next couple of months and there is nothing we can do about it, a lot of people wait for 3-6months for their cars, but i can gurantee you its worth to wait.

[Stevemak]

I will take a poke in the dark but is it Barlow World? if so say no more...all i can say is some of the sales staff are very bad and have very poor rapport with customers.

Hey mate, no it wasn't through Barloworld.

[Hail22]

Glad to hear it wasn't had problems with them at Five Dock when my brother was buying his Golf Mk6 GTI, toyed with him saying oh its coming providing false hopes to which he pulled out and later got his VW from Denlo the week after he took his deposit back.

[Roxy3107]

Your situation sounds pretty similar to mine. ..
I ordered my Polo (77TSI manual in 'silver' with audio upgraded to RCD510, and dealer-fit Bluetooth, tinted windows, carpet floor mats etc), on May 25th. I was quoted minimum 3 month wait, with a maximum 4 months.
The dealer rang me the other day to tell me that the latest ETA is now 28th of October (for arrival at the docks), so I won't get it until mid-November at the earliest. He was extremely apologetic and said unfortunately there is nothing that can be done. Apparently demand has been pretty intense, and it appears that the 6-month wait is common for a lot of people, and the dealers can't really do anything about it...

[Casper]

and the dealers can't really do anything about it...

Yes they can - give buyers realistic timelines for delivery... Seems like it's common place for the salesman to make promises they can't keep, most likely to make sure they get the sale... I'm in the same boat - originally told it would be a maximum 2.5 month wait, and by the time I get my car it will have been 4.5 months (assuming no more delays!)... If I'd been told that information right from the start, I still would have ordered the car and waited as patiently as possible for it... Instead, I've found the whole process really frustrating and disappointing... I realise sometimes delays are unforseeable, but in sales you should always under-promise and over-deliver IMO... If I'd been told there was a 6 month wait and received it after 4.5 months, I would've been blown away!

[Roxy3107]

Yeah that's a good point! I would have much preferred to be over quoted than under. That being said, our dealer quoted our estimated delivery time from what I assume was the VW networked "system". I won't pretend to know exactly what it was, but it showed all the cars currently on order in Australia, and you could narrow down the search based on which state it was headed for, car model, options added and which dealership had ordered it. It also showed estimated delivery times for each car, and showed you a general "status" of the build process. Again, I only saw what he showed me so I suppose it's not impossible that it's really inaccurate, but that's where he was getting his info. At the time of ordering, the ETA for my Polo according to that system was late August. Disappointingly, it's now late October! I'm bracing myself for news of more delays...

[Hail22]

This sucks hearing all of this, My car currently is at the Patrick holdings in Ingleburn going through customs etc, VAG needs to sort this out. It's understandable that these cars are not readily available in stock like Found On Rubbish Dumps or Holdens. But the way this is being handled from the corporate bodies down to the dealerships is nothing short of kinder garden quality.

Better to over quote the time like many of you have said and get surprised from an email/phone call informing you that your car has arrived earlier than expected (this boosts consumer confidence in the product, brand, and belief even though the dealers know it may arrive 2 weeks before the ETA of delivery)

[dave_r]

This sucks hearing all of this, My car currently is at the Patrick holdings in Ingleburn going through customs etc

I haven't heard from the dealer but they said to expect about 10 days from when it landed at the docks to it being ready for pickup. Hoping they are right and we can go pick it up late next week.

[Cossor]

I placed my order late May. Was told there would be around 12 weeks minimum. Have not heard anything yet.
HOWEVER, was given good trade in valuation, and still driving car specified for trade.
(Was requested "don't go for tour around Australia" but my average is less than 15K per annum)
Also, hoping that stock market recovers before car arrives.
SO, For some, a delivery delay CAN be a good thing

[BR @ ON]

I have not received mine. As the car is supposedly coming September 4th with the shipment to Sydney. And the saleswoman told me it would normally take 3 weeks for me to get it. I think thats more realistic than the 10 days which was promised to someone posted earlier in this thread, especially if you have any dealer fittings. Good luck to myself, as I had to find a way to drive around in the mean time. I had already sold my car privately for an okay price.