Andrew Wirtanen is a usability specialist in Cary, NC More »

Tracy Volkswagen (Hyannis) – My experience in 2007

Note (11/16/09): This was written in 2007. Today, I received a nice comment from Tracy VW on this blog entry where they have claimed to have changed since then. Please do not rely on my post and consider them for your Volkswagen needs on Cape Cod.

Unfortunately, Cape Cod only has one VW dealer: Tracy Volkswagen in Hyannis. I’m banned from their service department.

And the story begins…

After a thorough car search this past summer, I ended up getting an ‘07 VW Rabbit (aka Golf V outside North America). It’s a great little car that a tall guy like me can fit in. I decided to purchase from Tracy after reading mixed reviews, and was overall happy with the purchase process (though I now know that I overpaid). After barely driving it over the weekend, I left for work and my MIL (emissions) light went on. I brought it into Tracy a few days later and they said that mice had chewed through a hose. It would cost me $400+ (not covered under warranty).

I later called up the service manager John Medeiros, who quickly escalated his voice after I suggested if the light was not activated due to not the car not being driven. I even did a little science experiment with bait around where my car was parked. All the bait was still there after a couple months. Sales manager Steve Tellegen kindly refunded me my money after a couple emails.

This week, I needed service for my big trip to North Carolina. I called up Tracy (crazy, I know) to schedule an appointment since I also had a headlight recall I needed checked out. Soon enough, I was on the phone with John Medeiros, who informed me they would prefer not to service my car. They apparently did not like me telling my story on some VW forums (I told them I posted there).

If you want a VW in Massachusetts, I’d recommend Wellesley Volkswagen and South Shore Volkswagen (poor choice for a domain name, though) [EDIT 11/16/09: out of business].

Sounds like fun. Wellesley VW has been very nice, but my < 2 year old car has been there more times than I care to admit, given various recalls and issues I’ve found. They still cannot seem to hear the suctioning noise near my gas tank I’ve experienced from day 1. Am taking it in in a few weeks so they can replace some other parts (apparently new info just came out in a “technical bulletin”) and hopefully get rid of the noise. So glad things are still under warranty but gosh I’m nervous about when they aren’t any more! I must say I never had any trouble with my Hondas.

Andrew, I think at this point we made good efforts to correct the situation. We have made great strides to improve service through the years, and personel changes as well. We are not perfect but continually improve as good business people do. South Shore is no longer a VW dealer, and many dealers who do not adapt to changes are going out of business. I would like to invite you in for a complimentary regular service at your convenience to see if we can not improve on your service experience. Next time you are in the area, let me know and we would be happy to assist you. Thank you for your time

Thanks Donald!

I no longer live on the Cape, but I have updated this blog entry to reflect your comment. Also, I changed the title so I am no longer urging people to avoid the company

Thanks for commenting. One important part to great customer service is listening to what your customers have to say on the Internet, and it’s great to see that’s what you’re doing!