FS
Fanie S
Active since Feb 2024
2
Reviews
0
Industries
Reviews
2 reviews2 months ago
Very poor service overall from service deparment.
Sadly very poor service. I am specifically referring to the service department. Currently busy with my second encounter with Volkswagen West Cape with my Tiguan. I will share a summary of my first experience below. The service was so poor it had to be escalated to VW MD service desk complaints before I managed to get any response. They had my vehicle for a month. R35 000 later. Less than 2 months later and I have to have my car towed again. Been with them since Tue. I had one phone call on Wednesday ensuring me the vehicle is being checked I will have communication the same day or next day latest. It is now Monday. 6 days later. No communication. No response to emails. I have left messages with promises that I will be phoned back. Nothing. Stay away if you can. They are not serious about customers care of service delivery. Find the summary of my previous experience below: I am writing to formally document and express my dissatisfaction with the service experience I recently encountered with West Cape Volkswagen and, by extension, Volkswagen South Africa. Over the past few weeks, my 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDI All-Wheel Drive experienced three mechanical breakdowns within a two-week period. On each occasion, the same water pipe failed, resulting in my vehicle becoming immobilised on the roadside. This created repeated safety concerns and placed me in vulnerable positions, which is unacceptable for a vehicle of this calibre and brand reputation. Since the expiration of my extended warranty, I have ensured that my vehicle has been serviced at the recommended 15,000 km intervals by Boss Auto Parts and Spares, a reputable service provider. Following the third breakdown, I elected to take the vehicle to Cape West Volkswagen on 27 October 2025, with the reasonable expectation that Volkswagen would identify and rectify the underlying cause rather than merely replacing the failed component again. It was confirmed by Cape West Volkswagen that the same pipe had failed for the third time. However, I was perturbed by the feedback provided thereafter. Rather than offering an investigation or explanation, I was simply informed that the pipe would be repaired once again and that I should come to collect the vehicle, as it was “taking up space”. I was advised to drive the vehicle and “see what happens”. Given the repeated failures and the significant risk associated with recurring breakdowns, this response was wholly inadequate and dismissive of my legitimate concerns. With no clear explanation provided as to why the failures were recurring, I escalated the matter via an email to Volkswagen Customer Care on 29 October 2025, outlining my concerns in detail and requesting a proper diagnostic assessment. Only after this written complaint was submitted did any meaningful investigation take place. Subsequent testing — prompted by Customer Care’s intervention — revealed that the root cause was a faulty EGR valve, which had been entirely overlooked during the initial assessment by Cape West Volkswagen. Without my escalation, it appears the vehicle would have been returned to me without the actual problem being addressed. My vehicle was eventually returned to me on 25 November 2025, more than three weeks after it was handed over. Even at conclusion, administrative inefficiencies persisted: I have yet to receive proper documentation confirming my payment, and the deposit I paid prior to the commencement of repairs did not reflect on the updated invoice I was issued. This level of administrative oversight is concerning and does not reflect the standards one expects of a premium automotive brand. Additionally, I must express my disappointment at the manner in which Cape West Volkswagen referred to the independent service provider who maintained my vehicle post-warranty. Their assumptions and insinuations regarding the competence of this business were unprofessional and disrespectful. Independent workshops — many of whom provide high-quality service at more affordable rates — play a crucial role in supporting Volkswagen drivers long after warranties expire. To treat them with disdain is counterproductive, especially in a context where Volkswagen dealerships clearly do not have the capacity to service all vehicles in a reasonable timeframe. I cannot help but wonder whether my experience would have been different had I continued servicing my vehicle through Volkswagen. Would the EGR fault have been identified earlier? These questions remain unanswered. I am sharing this experience not with malice, but with the hope that meaningful reflection and service improvements will follow. I am relieved that the mechanical issue appears to have been resolved, though I remain hesitant to travel long distances until I have regained confidence in the vehicle. I trust that time will tell. I do, however, wish to acknowledge and thank Carol from the Managing Director’s Office, who was an exemplary ambassador for your organisation. Her professionalism, empathy, and willingness to assist stood in stark contrast to my earlier experiences. She engaged without defensiveness and genuinely sought solutions. For that, I am sincerely grateful. Please receive this correspondence in the constructive spirit in which it is intended. My appeal is simple: listen, learn, and improve. The customer service I received in this instance fell far short of the standard associated with the Volkswagen brand. Thank you for your attention to this matter. This is my experience.
0 replies
26 months ago
Failed installation with no responsibility and accountability taken
This will be my first review. I usually try and resolve issues directly and not do it via social media, but I have no choice anymore since Lalegno Somerset West has ghosted me and do not respond to queries. In 2022 they fitted floors for me as part of a bigger house renovation. They worked with other contractors. I was initially satisfied with the installation even though the SPC floor they fitted were incorrectly cut in places and only reported after the whole floor was fitted. This resulted in fillers having to bridge the gaps left. Lalegno signed off on the installation at the end of the project. There was no issue with any of the work done by other contractors. To my shock, 18 months later the installation failed. The floor is lifting and as a result many of the the clock ends of the planks have broken resulting in planks sticking out. Lalegno came to inspect. Suddenly blame is assigned to the sun (which has been around for a while, even while installation was done), other contractors and so forth. When I approached Lalegno with specific questions they ghosted me. My researched showed that they did not follow their own installation instructions. They also signed off in the install after all the other contractors were done. Now they blame other contractors. They can apparently also not explain this. I do understand things go wrong, but I don't think it is asking too much to engage and take responsibility. Lalegno cannot answer my questions and is not responding to any communication anymore. The represenative who managed my installation does not work for the company. Clark Appleby was the representative who has been dealing with my query and who is not answering any emails anymore. I am sharing my experience here so others can make an informed decision about using them. I am sure they have many happy clients. I am just not one of them. I feel let down. I paid a huge amount of money for a floor meant to last many years. Now it is a disaster after 18 months. Hopefully others can make an informed decision following my experience. I am busy with processes to hold them accountable.
0 replies
Review Distribution
5 Star
0 (0%)
4 Star
0 (0%)
3 Star
0 (0%)
2 Star
0 (0%)
1 Star
2 (100%)