V50 General : selling Volvo after poor customer services

[shandy]

With a car that has been ridden with faults, its time for it to go.

Claire Parsons at Volvo is totally useless in her role as esculations manager. She has failed several times to reply to e-mails and phone messages.
With a car that cuts out on the motorway, leaving limited power, Volvo obviously dont think safety is a priority.
Last week I received a leaflet from volvo with a picture of a fireman and a caption stating that the handles are designed to fit his gloves....
This reasures me some what. When will i require the fire service when this car causes a crash!

With the experience that ive had, Volvo are not safe, they are a full of faults and a waste of money.

Cant wait for the day Ford sells them off and Volvo employees get the shock of their lives in the real world.

Its time for the big 'V' at Volvo.

[pigapumbu]

I've read most of your problems you have faced. Truly feel bad for you. Your car has caused you endless problems but what can't be forgiven is the fact Volvo customer service have failed you miserably.

I hope nothing happens to my car because I would not want to deal with customer service and get a service as you have mentioned. Your points are valid.

Also agree that Volvo engineers ought to go out, get some other cars in the market and dissect it down. They will indeed get a shock to realise how far ahead these other manufacturers are and how backward these new volvos are to them.

I do like the car though even with its illogical layout but hope they pull up their socks someday. I wouldn't want to see Volvo slip into oblivion. Just look at some of the older volvos and how happy their owners are. I wish I could be as happy as them 15 years down the line with my V50 but in all honesty, I don't see that happening.

good luck getting rid of your car.

cheers

[JIM C]

I am sorry that your experience with Volvo has been that bad and that it leaves you with little choice. I had a bad experience with VW and sold the car as a result to get a fresh start. Lost money but was a lot happier. Just put the bad experience behind me. Best of luck with your new car.

[shandy]

Originally Posted by pigapumbu

I've read most of your problems you have faced. Truly feel bad for you. Your car has caused you endless problems but what can't be forgiven is the fact Volvo customer service have failed you miserably.

I hope nothing happens to my car because I would not want to deal with customer service and get a service as you have mentioned. Your points are valid.

Also agree that Volvo engineers ought to go out, get some other cars in the market and dissect it down. They will indeed get a shock to realise how far ahead these other manufacturers are and how backward these new volvos are to them.

I do like the car though even with its illogical layout but hope they pull up their socks someday. I wouldn't want to see Volvo slip into oblivion. Just look at some of the older volvos and how happy their owners are. I wish I could be as happy as them 15 years down the line with my V50 but in all honesty, I don't see that happening.

good luck getting rid of your car.

cheers

The older Volvo's are not Fords.

The whole car is a mis-match of parts that have been put together from the focus. They have tried to cut costs but sell it to the public at a premium price.

Volvo need to take the heads out of their backsides, get out of their offices and see the real world. what is the point of speaking to someone in customer services that has no mechanical knowledge, but a degree in answering the phone and speaking crap.
I some times wonder if you would get a better, more polite resoponse from an Indian call centre. and thats read off the screen.

The best thing Ford ever done was put to T5 engine into the focus ST. Its a 100 times better than the Volvo V50 with no faults in 2 years. Im glad the misses lets me drive it.

All I can hope now is that future customers turn away from Volvo after reading all the forums avaliable to them.

The brand has left a bitter taste and to see it demise, would be like winning the lottery. Seeing the management in the dole que would be priceless.

[Kostas]

IMHO Ford are very reliable cars, so I am ok with the idea that new small Volvos are premium Ford group cars. Just like Audis are premium VW group cars. And Saabs are premium GM-Opel group cars. There is nothing bad at it.

However, the poor customer service is something to blame.
I am sorry that you had a bad experience with Volvo, hopefully your next car will be much more reliable.
And I hope my future experience with the V50 will be problem-free.

[laurence]

I think the whole thing went wrong when ford bought volvo,they have systematicly stripped the company of the best bits for themselvs,and then lowered the standard of volvo,this is a ploy so that they can eventually sell volvo with little or no credability and push existing volvo owners in to there cars,the new focus is a good car but would it have been without volvo:s influence,I think not, if you look at ford in america there home country they are not classed to highly,and are not in the best of financial shape ither,so I would assume like any buisness you would try to look after your own namely FORD,I fortunately have what I call the last of the true volvo;s an 850 after that they have lost some of their appeal I think.
laurence

[rogerthechorister]

Print all your threads.

Look up the home address of teh chairman of VOlvo UK at companies house.

Send them to him by name with a polite covering letter, in an envelope marked "personal, private and confidential, to be opened by the addressee only"

[jazzyr1]

Originally Posted by laurence

I think the whole thing went wrong when ford bought volvo,they have systematicly stripped the company of the best bits for themselvs,and then lowered the standard of volvo,this is a ploy so that they can eventually sell volvo with little or no credability and push existing volvo owners in to there cars,the new focus is a good car but would it have been without volvo:s influence,I think not, if you look at ford in america there home country they are not classed to highly,and are not in the best of financial shape ither,so I would assume like any buisness you would try to look after your own namely FORD,I fortunately have what I call the last of the true volvo;s an 850 after that they have lost some of their appeal I think.
laurence

i have to agree with you ,i have worked for ford for over 20 years,and owned real volvos for years too,the new 30/40/50 are mazda/ford hybrids with P.S.A Diesel engines,the problems people have with 40/50 in particular are also common to focus

[Griffsters]

Originally Posted by Kostas

IMHO Ford are very reliable cars, so I am ok with the idea that new small Volvos are premium Ford group cars. Just like Audis are premium VW group cars. And Saabs are premium GM-Opel group cars. There is nothing bad at it.

However, the poor customer service is something to blame.
I am sorry that you had a bad experience with Volvo, hopefully your next car will be much more reliable.
And I hope my future experience with the V50 will be problem-free.

Couldnt agree more with this post. Ford get a lot of flack and blamed for a lot of things round here but IMHO the above post sums the situation up best.

[Nunchukhamster]

Originally Posted by Kostas

IMHO Ford are very reliable cars, so I am ok with the idea that new small Volvos are premium Ford group cars. Just like Audis are premium VW group cars. And Saabs are premium GM-Opel group cars. There is nothing bad at it.

However, the poor customer service is something to blame.
I am sorry that you had a bad experience with Volvo, hopefully your next car will be much more reliable.
And I hope my future experience with the V50 will be problem-free.

You're spot on with that. I've owned many Fords, and have had little or no trouble from any of them (and that includes the Ford Probe which my wife currently uses as her daily driver).

I find it remarkable that some people blame Ford for all of the problems they experience with their Volvo. From memory Ford bought Volvo in 1999. So, any problem with any car manufactured after this date is exclusively the fault of Ford? None of the current models were already well into design and testing at this stage? Of course not, much of the work had already been done. Quality of manufacture? How many of the technicians on the assembly were still the same the day after the takeover? The week after? The year after? I would guess at the vast majority. Same with parts. In fact, it was AFTER Ford took over that the ETM's were replaced with the Bosch units. So, was that change a bad thing? Would people rather that Ford reverted to using the flawed Magnetti Marelli units?

The customer service issue is I think a secondary issue. I've noted a general decline in the quality of many firms customer services over the last ten years, in a wide range of industries. Ok, Ford shouldn't of allowed themselves to follow the same path, but it is not unique to them. Even within this thread other car manufacturers are cited as having poor customer relations.