Stefan Jacoby to Become CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc.
July 10, 2007 – 8:30 am by Dan Volkens
Filed under Industry News
The Volkswagen Group Board of Management has appointed Stefan Jacoby (49) as President & CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. effective September 1, 2007. Jacoby will assume overall responsibility for the Group’s automotive business in the USA. He succeeds Frank Witter (48), who is moving to Volkswagen Credit, Inc., where he will become Co-President, sharing the post with the present incumbent Kevin Kelly (60) Via media.vw.com
Stefan Jacoby to Become CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc.
July 10, 2007 – 8:30 am by Dan Volkens
Mr. Jacoby, I have been a VW owner since I purchased my 1977 Rabbit. Currently my sons and I are still buying VW’s. I have been thru thick and thin with VW and have some great ideas on how VW can once again be a leader in the auto industry. Feel free to contact me. You need to talk to VW owners.
VW customer relations needs work. View my web page at: http://www.reesphotos.com/VW/
Dear Mr. Jacobey,
I have tried all legimate means to get customer satisfaction from Volkwagon in Pa. It is 3 weeks and my 4000 mile jetta is still in the shop for the same reason. I have already dipped into my retirement fund to pay 1100 dollars for repairs that should have been covered by your warranty, but the service department said they don’t know what is wrong with my car, but they know it won’t be covered. Volkwagon has falsely accused me of back jumping my battery(we have never ever jumped any of the three batteries we had in the car in the last 3 months. Also I have been falsely accused of having an accident in the car which never happened. Almost daily I call your advocates in America to no avail. I even asked for the number in Germany and the number Volkswagon gave me was dissconnected. I have been treated rudely from everyone I have spoken to in your company. Please have someone review my almost daily calls to your advocates and the NOrtheast Auto Volkswagon service department. Please I need help, I now believe VWW = Volkswagon Warranty Worthless and I may start making tee-shirts with that logo.
Help me Noreen Rachuba 215-785-3999 239 Neshaminy Rd Croydon Pa 19021
To: Mr. Stefan Jacoby
CEO VW- USA
Home: 3104 Q St. NW
Washington, DC 20007-3027
Re: My wife’s car.
Greetings Mr. Jacoby,
I would like to extend a warm welcome to you and your family to the USA. Georgetown, DC is a wonderful place to live with lots to do close by. Your company chose a nice location for their new offices! Herndon, VA is not far from where I grew up and is a wonderful place to work.
In 56 years I have never written to a Major Auto Company before as no car has ever had the importance to me of the one I jest bought for my wife, K. Moreover the reason I am writing is, that what we had hoped would be a joyous event turned out not having much joy, rather it was a lot of unexpected & unpleasant trouble.
We jest bought what could be her last car and it is a- VW Beetle SE – Harvest Moon Convertible. It is a car that she has wanted for a long time. I should explain some history first I think, as there is a personal reason she and I wanted to buy that kind of car.
She had an old VW Beetle years back like you did and she remembers it also jest as fondly as you remember yours. When the new ones come out she said she wanted to have one some day when she retired as jest the fun to drive car it looked like.
My wife is only 52 and she was forced to retire when the breast cancer was discovered to have spread to her spine. She suffered through several operations and almost died from the chemo. She said once when very sick if she were to live and have one more car she wanted a ‘Beetle convertible’ as her fun car. I told her “you live and we will get you one when you are better”. At the time I had no knowledge how long she will be with her family and me, days or few years longer. She has been trough so much and some how managed to keep up her hope and will to live life fully. Now that she is doing much better and we decided it was time for her to have her fun Beetle Convertible !
So we thought of looking at used ones first…but
We had a family member at a picnic that said he sells new VW’s at Fitsejgerald Auto in Frederick, MD. He said they had several new and some used and come take a look that he would get us the best deal he could.
We arranged to drive 50 miles past other much closer VW dealers jest to look at what his dealer had. We got there and she test-drove a Beetle S convertible and she liked it very much. However it did not have the electric roof. This is a requirement for her, as she cannot pull the top up with out pain due to the cancer. On searching computer records, they said the only SE they had with electric power top had been sold at another of their lots not far away. But that there were two NEW Harvest Moon color convertible SE Beetles on the ship unloading soon and one of them would have the a turbo charged motor and that they would be reserving both of them to come here and that she could have her choice with only about 10 to 20 loading and testing miles on it. I know this as she made it a point to ask, as she wanted to be the one to break it in, and that was the answer she got.
So they said told her that IF we committed to buy a new car that day, they would run our credit and if it passes that she could have one of the cars off the ship in as soon as one week! They ran our credit ( in about 5 to 10 min. ) and we qualified for the 0% 72 month loan as we have credit that is in the top 1% we were told. So a “New Car payment” monthly cost would be jest a little more then what a used one would be as we have such good credit. Karen was so excited she told every one she was getting one with less the ten miles on it, that it was hers and that it was still on the ship! She only had to wait a week to get it! Again little did we know…
I returned home to her excited joy on a Monday as they had called on Thursday and said her new car was HERE, for her to come and get it! The dealer’s desk person ‘Jason’ knew that I was out of town tell Monday night yet he called wanting her to come get it alone, which at the time did not catch my attention. She told him that she could not come tell I was there with her on Tuesday. Tuesday came and on arriving they said, “the car was still being cleaned” and that there was some thing they needed to talk with us on….
First:
That there was only ONE NEW car with 75 miles on it from being driven from the port of entry in Wilmington DE to that dealership.
And that car was not the SE model as they promised to get her!
BUT wait 2ed:
That the SE they were cleaning was the same car that they told us they had SOLD to some one else and that it would be the car we would get.
Karen went to test drive it and seen right away that the car had over 370 miles on it! She said right away that she did not want a used car or a ‘demo’ as we committed to a new car that they said it would have only 10 miles or so on it !
{{ Note here a car used to let any prospective buyers test drive it is a “demonstrator” or ‘demo’ for short and they are normally sold at deep discount due to the higher mileage on them. They will later be sold as a New Car with new car warranty- but they are still used cars not NEW with low or no mileage as we were promised by Jason if we were to commit to buying a new car that day over a week ago.}}
They said the man that ‘bought’ it could not barrow enough money to buy it. Here in the US a person can buy a car and drive it up to 3 days and then say no-sale.. and they have to take the car back, and normally as the paper work does not happen for 4 days it is not reg as a used car and is sold again as a new car. I personally have seen this happen.
Now we were there for several hours the week before and it was determined in only 5 to 10 minutes on us if we could buy a new car, not even that they sold us one! Yet they said a week ago that the man had already bought the car! Now a week later- oh he could not buy the car and it has 372 miles on it?
They said it was driven up from southern Virginia and that was why it had so many miles on it but the car was at the other lot only a few miles away the week before!
They also said it would have cost 75$ to have the car brought to here on a truck, yet the car was already here? Additionally a rear tire rim was badly scratched and they wanted to repair it not replace it. There is also scratches on the right rear window.
The person ‘Jason’ knew K. was excited and wanted the car badly, he also knew from my conversation with him that I hoped K. would live long enough to pay for the car, that in all probability this was her last car she would ever drive and that to me price was not an issue ((as we now knew we could buy any new car at any dealer ship))… only the happiness that this car could bring to her last days, however long they may be.
And that she had made it a point and asked if the car would have only loading miles on it and he assured her it would have no more then 10 miles on it.
In the USA there is a disreputable sales practice that is called “bate and switch” were a customer is promised one thing and when it comes to paying for it, it is found to be some thing much less then was promised.
I am not stating that this was a ‘bate and switch’ sales practice in this case as I do under stand that there are times when things jest happen. I want to believe that is what happened here… but there are several things bother me.
1) At one time K. and I both were even told directly that we did not have to buy the car. That it would sell soon if we did not take it now. Again this is typical of ‘bate and switch’, yet even still I don’t want to believe that is what happened as it is still possible it was jest the way things were… even thought it felt like a bate and switch!
K. did not want the car with all the miles on it. She said she did not want a demo or used car when we could buy a new car she could show off and that she was the only one to drive it. Would they please find her one.
2) I my self repeatedly asked then to find a NEW car not a demo or a car that had been sold to some one else! They repeatedly said there were not any others with in 200 miles. Yet this car had come from over 300 miles away.
3) I asked what happened to the other two se convertibles on the ship, were did they go to? What dealer had them? I never got an answer.
Had I known what dealer they had gone to I would have gone there to buy the car.
I told Jason I was there to buy a new car not a used one!
I asked if any were farther away that did not have high mileage like a demo and they said they could only get what was sent to the mid-Atlantic due to US EPA laws.
4) I asked on having another one sent soon and they said that we could “order one” but that many times when the cars arrived they were not the color shown on paper work or might not be the SE like this one and that it would not until September or October at the soonest that one could be delivered! .
We were told by a Fred T. that this happened all the time with VW – USA and that we were lucky to get that car, even with the high mileage on it like a demo.
K. was devastated and very disappointed over this. She had started driving her dream car in her mind the day they said it was on the ship and was hers.
I was up set and had suggested we did not like ‘bate and switch’ and told Karen we could find her another car some place…
She said she felt they were telling her that it was this used new car with a lot of miles or none at all. She had her heart set on having one so much … so she said she would take it even though it was “used” with a lot of miles on it and was NOT what she was promised!
I know you are new to here and to your position and I hate to tell this story. But I wanted you to know what our only experience with buying a new car from your company was like.
I feel you make a quality car but that I do not feel that I can recommend to any one buying one from VW – USA unless it is in front of them based on our experience.
Which in short is :
That a woman with terminal cancer whom is very excited to buy a fun only car is told she will be sold one thing that made her very happy, if she committed to buying it then, and later was offered some thing that to her was much less desirable and told she had to settle for less then she was promised or that she did not have to buy the car and they would sell it to some one else quickly.
That she was told the reason that what was promised was not delivered was due to problems with USA Volkswagen company it self and not the dealers responsibility or fault and that this was a common experience with your company and certainly not a new one.
Sir, I do wish to say again that I am not accusing your company of ‘bate and switch’ sales practices even thought it feels like it. I am certain that it is a practice that would not be tolerated by you and your company. Here, there is a saying that: if it looks and sounds like a duck that it could be a duck. I hope that is not a true saying in this case.
What we experienced was not what I expected from a top of the line auto company. Additionally: I certainly did not expect to be told “..well you don’t have to buy the car” “you shop around” “but that it might not be here later” ….
I am saying that my wife was greatly disappointed and she feels that it could have been jest that things happen. I am extremely upset that she was sold on one car and delivered some thing else which she did not want. And that what she was told to expect could not be found and then that they are saying it never existed to start with due to poor computer inventory. It could well it could be that this is all was true and that it was mistakes in Volkswagen USA computers and delivery system like the people [Fred T. and Jason] there said. And if that is the facts of the mater and the total truth, then you NEED to know these things and get them fixed to prevent any further decline in market share as most all that experience these type of disappointments will tell many others.
However I wont be telling any one. K. has told all that ask, that they had to go clear to southern Virginia to find her car that she wanted. So if I tell any one what really happened that I would embarrass her.
She does like her used new car even though it was an emotionally distressing event to get it. I do wish to say the sales man that is related to us was so embarrassed that he was going to supply some extras for the car from his own pocket but Karen refused, as she knew it was not his fault.
Again I don’t know what else to say. I am only reporting what we experienced and that you may not have any control over what dealers do in your company’s name but that you do need to know it was blamed on your company’s poor inventory system and that this will cost future sales … I know I will never buy a VW again.
Thank you for your time in reading this and again, I hope you find your stay here wonderful!
Yours truly,
D.R. Meier, US Navy Retired
The latest VW commercials featuring Brooke Shields and her “baby in the belly” comments are the ABSOLUTE WORST commercials I have EVER seen on TV, and in such bad taste I can hardly stand to watch them. What was the company thinking when they put these on the air? I can’t believe Ms. Shields would even agree to doing these commercials.
I agree with the previous comments by Karen. Tim Ellis, your vice president of marketing, needs to understand why Americans buy VW products. Demographics of US consumers of VW cars are into engineering. Focus on the product! Focus on the product! Choosing Brooke Shields as a spokesperson lessens the VW brand; she peddles anything and everything, she’s like the woman version of pitchman Billy Mays.
Why not be smart about marketing? Get rid of the exorbitant production cost outside agency and talk to passionate owners. The more dollars spent definitely never results in a successful ad campaign. It still brings a smile to my face when I recall the “0 to 60″ for the new Beetle – tag line “Yes”
To Whom It May Concern,
My wife and I purchased our first VW, a 2008 Touareg, in March of this year to better accommodate our now 9 month old son. Of the 6 months we have owned the vehicle, its been in the service department at our local dealership, Hallmark VW of Franklin, TN for the past 2 months ( as of 7/3/09-current ).
We brought the car in when the Engine Malfunction light came on and we also noticed when placed in reverse, the vehicle jerks and hesitates unless you floor the gas. The dealer has replaced the ECM, ignition coils, spark plugs, and fuel pump. The majority of this work was performed by a QTM specialist by the name of Doug Senay.
Last week, after the fuel pump was installed, Doug advised the dealership that the issue was fixed. I received a call to come pick up my vehicle ( after 48 days in service ). Without leaving the dealer lot, I tested the vehicle myself. To my surprise, the issue still remained. I immediately informed the dealership owner Lawson Thomas that the vehicle was not fixed and the reverse issue still exists. He then asked to ride with me to experience the issue first hand. I let him drive and he admitted that the jerk and hesitation is not normal when the vehicle is in reverse.
Lawson told me he would contact VW Corp on my behalf and would call me within a couple of days with “options for a solution”.
I waited two days and never heard back so I called Lawson myself. He stated that VW Corp now considers this a “characteristic of the 2008 Touareg” and that there “is nothing to repair, and no further work will be done”.
We previously test drove another Touareg on the lot with the Service Manager, TJ Rogers, and it did not have the same issue in reverse. At that time, TJ also experienced the reverse jerking and he also agreed it was obviously not normal for all Touaregs.
Lawson Thomas still admits to me that the issue exists but states he can only do what VW Corp advises him to do and he can no longer work on my vehicle as he will no longer be reimbursed for parts or labor. He stated my only options would be to write a letter like this one. He also advised we contact the BBB, which I recently did, and we are 400 miles over the mileage limit for their help. Their limit is 25,000 miles, our vehicle currently has 25,400 miles on it.
I’m not sure what else to do at this point. No one will help us.
Throughout the process, my wife and I have dealt with Katie Fox at VW Corporate. She now states that no work will be done and that VW now considers my vehicle to have no issue, even after 50 days of repair attempts. When I asked why the other 2009 Touareg on the lot did not have the same issue she said it was a “characteristic of the 2008 Touareg and not of the 2009″. We have never had access to another 2008 Touareg to compare this issue to.
Surely, jerking while in reverse is not a feature or “characteristic” of all Touaregs. We’ve also been offered no resolution, not even compensation for the two months payments we’ve made on a vehicle that’s been in service during that time, which both myself and the dealer have asked for. Katie Fox now refuses to offer a solution and refuses to let us talk to anyone else.
Through the repairs that were done on a issue that involves the vehicle being in reverse, not once did they look at the transmission or the reverse gear itself. I asked the owner of the dealership to at least look into those areas and he now refuses.
We are currently stuck with this issue that our dealership and VW Corp refuse to even acknowledge. Our vehicle is under warranty for through 80,000 or the year 2016. The vehicle currently has 25,400 miles on it.
We are requesting someone other than Katie Fox take a look at our case and contact us with a timely response and resolution to this issue we are now left out in the cold over. We are still without our vehicle at 50+ days. The dealer is now letting it sit on the lot and refusing to do work on our warrantied vehicle at the request of VW Corp.
As a customer, we are only asking that someone please help us.
Thanks for your help,
Jason Voyles
Hello
I purchased a passat about 2yrs ago because I thought it was a safe car for my family. Yesturday me and my three girls were going down the highway and the car cut off completely. We were luckly tha no other vehicles was on the road at the time. The steering indicator started blinking and it stated thatthere was a defective column steering. I got the car home Thank god and know it cost me $200 to get it towed to a dealer ship. After doing sum research I found out that a lot of owners of 2006 passat are having the same problem with there car and the repair is $2000+ to fix the problem. This problem has to be fix before someone lose their life. Me or my children could be dead today if another vehicle was on the highway that day. I am so hurt because nothing have been done about this matter. Hopefully VW will do something about this problem before it be to late. You can get in touch with me at my email I will be waiting.
Please help, there was an offered made of 1 month car payment. This is unacceptable for the problems that have occurred with this car.
Let me start by saying that I am not sure if you can help, but your are my last resort in resolving a problem that I did not create.
I brought a brand new Volkswagen Tiguan 2010, with 38 miles on the odometer in May 2010 from Bill Jacobs Volkswagen in Naperville. Within the first 1337 miles of owning the car, the first problem arose.My epc light came on in the car while driving. EPCstatnds fro Electronic Power Control. The problem started on June 25th 2010 and on June 26th 2010 the car was taken in for service. The dealer ordered a accelerator pedal and g185 signal small was stored. I received my car back with 1345 miles on it three days later and I thought my problem was solved Let’s enjoy the new car. Not so fast!!!!
On Wednesday evening October 6th at 5:45 P.M I was driving the car home with 5325 miles on my car. Then without warning my car shuts off while driving. Yes, shuts off. I was almost involved in car accident and my life was put at risk. I was able to get the car to side the road and the car started again. I was not to far from home and so I get home and I phoned the people at Bill Jacobs who set an appointment for 08:42a.m the following morning October 7th 2010
The following repair were done the car, Throttle /Pedal Positon sensor voltage correlation intermittent Throttle /pedal position censor low input.Re-pin throttle valve control module erase faults and drive the vehicle. Replaced terminals at throttle valve connector and erased faults using GFF
I received the car back on Friday October 8th 2010, after what happened earlier I did not feel comfortable driving the car until I talked to Volkswagon customer service department,.I contacted them on Friday October 8th 2010. I received call back on my home number, Monday October 11th 2010 from Pete Regional Case Manager and he left a message for callback, even though I asked to be called back on my cell phone which is the best number to reach me at during the day. I called him back three time’s on October 12th 2010, and I was able to get a hold of him. I explained the whole scernio as to what has happened, mind you I know that with new car lemon laws I not able to do anything until after 3 problems have arisen within the first year.But if you buy a car and within the firdt five month’s you have issue, “What happen’s in 5 years, and i still have the sam issue”
My thought was customer service is there to help you solve the problem and not create the problem with customer’s. So my talk at first was going somewhat okay with Pete, then after talking back and forth, He asked me what he could do to make me happy, I explained buy the car back as the safety of the car and the fear of the car shutting down and then what. Do you want me to have an accident or worse.He states he could not buy the car back . I asked him for a suggestion, he states he did not have anything, I would need to make a suggestion . I asked that he replace the car and he states he could not do that. I then asked am i able to get a different Volkswagen, he says might be able to help in that matter. Might Be come on, this is not right. At this point I was so upset I hung up as to he seemed to be no help. In resolving customer issue’s you should be a help and not a deterent. I can do a better job than he ever do. He is by far the has the worst customer service person I have ever spoken too.
With the growing concerns about our economy and consumer spending. Buying car’s should not be difficult. and customer service should not be even more diffuclt. I am married with two kids and driving with my family in this car, is not safe.
Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Sincerely
Herman Coats
630-461-2256
I WANTED TO WRITE AND TELL YOU ABOUT MY STORY I LOVE VW BUGS I LOVED THEM FROM THE OLDER CAR TO THE NEW ONES I SAVED AND DID ALL I COULD TO GET MY DREAM CAR EVEN THOUGH I COULDN’T BUY A NEW ONE I BOUGHT ONE USED FROM A FRIEND AND RIGHT AFTER I BOUGHT IT IT STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS FROM THE HEADLIGHT TO THE FLASHERS TURN SIGNALS’ NOT WORKING TO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYING ON AND ITS EVEN HARDER TO GET LIC I THOUGHT OK MAYBE ITS MY CAR SINCE IT IS USED BUT THEN I STARTED SEEING VW W ONE HEAD LIGHT AND THEN I STARTED ASKING EVERY VW BUG OWNER I COULD ABOUT THERE CAR AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT AND WHAT PROBLEMS DID THEY HAVE IF ANY AND THEY WERE ALL THE SAME AS MINE AND I CANT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND AS A COMPANY WHY WOULDN’T YOU WANT YOUR CARS TO BE SAFE AND EVERLASTING THERE EXPENSIVE ENOUGH TO HAVE A WELL WORKING CAR AS A FIRST TIME VW CAR OWNER IM VERY DISSATISFYING IN THE CAR YOUR CAR HAS MADE ME SCARED TO DRIVE TO OWN A CAR SINCE I SPENT MY HARD WORKING MONEY ON MY DREAM CAR YOUR COMPANY HAS DESTROYED WHAT I THOUGHT A GOOD HARD WORKING CAR COMPANY IS AND WAS I KNOW MY CAR WASN’T BOUGHT IN THE MOST PERFECT CONDITION AND IT WASN’T A NEW CAR OFF THE LOT BUT EVEN SO AS A COMPANY YOU SHOULD SAY GOOD JOB BUYING A VW BUG OUR CAR STILL OUT THERE BRINGING IN MONEY BUT YOUR VW BUG ISN’T YES ITS STILL ON THE ROADS BUT NOT SAFE AND SOME NOT RUNNING IT LOOKS REAL BAD FOR YOU PLEASE UNDERSTAND IM NOT SAYING YOUR A BAD COMPANY IM JUST SAYING IF YOU CARE FOR YOUR BUYERS NO MATTER WHAT STATUS YOU’LL MAKE IT RIGHT IM NOT RICH IM NOT FAMOUS IM JUST A 31 YR OLD MOTHER AND WIFE WHO’S GOING TO SCHOOL (NOW WALKING) WHO IS JUST ASKING FOR YOUR COMPANY TO MAKE IT RIGHT WITH ME AND KEEP YOUR CARS WITH THE TRUTH OF YOUR COMPANY AND NOT BE ONES WHO JUST SAY ITS JUST HER BUT PLEASE SEE ITS NOT JUST ME ITS MANY ME’S WHO CANT FIX OUR CARS OVER AND OVER OR GET A NEW ONE BUT AS A COMPANY WHO WILL DO THE RIGHT THING FOR ME AND MY DREAM VW BUG THAT I WORKED HARD FOR AND OTHERS LIKE ME PLEASE THANKS MELISSA COLE SALT LAKE CITY UTAH EMAIL melissamofo@ymail.com MY PHONE NUMBER TO REACH ME IF ANY ? OR COMMENTS IS (801-502-8872 PLEASE RESPOND SO I KNOW MY VOICE AND CONCERNS AND WORDS WERE HEARD THANKS