Motor ombudsman: what does success look like?

[Up10]

I have seen many posts suggesting that a complaint should be raised through the Motor Ombudsman if VW Group fails to resolve vehicle issue.
I was wondering if anybody had tested that approach?
What does success look like?
How was the experience of raising and resolving a complaint?
Did it feel like the Motor Ombudsman was biased towards VW Group in your opinion?
With hindsight, would you take this route again?

 

[Stargazing]

Are you happy to share more detail as it might help to evaluate or could it compromise a potential challenge?

 

[Up10]

Are you happy to share more detail as it might help to evaluate or could it compromise a potential challenge?

I'm generally interested in what people have challenged the Motor Ombudsman about. The issues seem to vary from leaking bellows, sagging roofs, rodent eaten cables, discharging batteries, etc. I have leaking bellows which VW Group are not interested in resolving.
I understand we have time/mileage limited warranties which are not clear in detail (lots of secret parameters) so our only agents seem to be the Motor Ombudsman or the courts.
Lots of posts suggest approaching the MO but not many of them give an historic perspective. I would like to hear experiences from real claimants if they are happy to share.

 

[ArunAlec]

Worth having a look at a series of YouTube posts by Ana Boulter . She had major issues with Land Rover which she referred to the ombudsman…. Don’t think she was impressed!

 

[Up10]

Worth having a look at a series of YouTube posts by Ana Boulter . She had major issues with Land Rover which she referred to the ombudsman…. Don’t think she was impressed!

Thanks will have a look later. Kind of what I was expecting.... Unimpressed!

 

[Jon A]

I have it on good authority that a garage will incur a major admin task responding to a MO complaint . It will also apparently cost them money beyond a few /year raised against them.

Therefore before you actually go down that route it may be worth telling them that that's your next step and put an end date on when their acceptable response needs to be.

I recently did this, albeit for a BMW related issue. The garage seemed to sit up and pay much more attention once told them (via email)

 

[Up10]

I have it on good authority that a garage will incur a major admin task responding to a MO complaint . It will also apparently cost them money beyond a few /year raised against them.

Therefore before you actually go down that route it may be worth telling them that that's your next step and put an end date on when their acceptable response needs to be.

I recently did this, albeit for a BMW related issue. The garage seemed to sit up and pay much more attention once told them (via email)

Thanks Jon. I have no issue with the VW Workshop/dealer but I do have an issue with VW Group as do many other posts on the forum. However, this is useful to know.

 

[pjm-84]

Correct they have to pay the Ombudsman.

I did it with my FITs provider. They tried every rule in the book not to pay. Easy approach, but mine was a slam dunk case....they hadn't paid. They paid after the ruling, which was really quick (because they hadn't paid for nearly a 3/4 of a year) , but didn't pay the Ombudsman's fine after 30days, so I took them back to the Ombudsman, and they were fined again on the day (which they did pay on time) . Dreadful company and I'm long shot of them.

As for the bellows. Not slam dunk I'm afraid. I'm not aware of the bellows being waterproof and leakage would be expected. I have a 2015 and whilst the bellows is good, if its really heavy rain, then it will be wet both side. I have a Mutze for these situations. I think the argument will be on fit for purpose which is defined by the individual.

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

I'm generally interested in what people have challenged the Motor Ombudsman about. The issues seem to vary from leaking bellows, sagging roofs, rodent eaten cables, discharging batteries, etc. I have leaking bellows which VW Group are not interested in resolving.
I understand we have time/mileage limited warranties which are not clear in detail (lots of secret parameters) so our only agents seem to be the Motor Ombudsman or the courts.
Lots of posts suggest approaching the MO but not many of them give an historic perspective. I would like to hear experiences from real claimants if they are happy to share.

I can't remember the details of your bellows issue / version etc but if not 06S then I would pay for new ones - about a grand at Kernow - and assuming it's fixed I'd then issue a bill to VW.

If they refuse to pay take them to court. They won't turn up and if they do, print off the bellowsgate thread.

Now if it's a few drips you might have a problem. If it's going to run into the headlining and mess with the electronics then it's not fit for purpose imo.

 

[Up10]

I can't remember the details of your bellows issue / version etc but if not 06S then I would pay for new ones - about a grand at Kernow - and assuming it's fixed I'd then issue a bill to VW.

Thanks I have seen this suggested on previous threads but I am interested really in how others have managed their claims through the MO, what their experience of dealing with them was like and how successful the outcome was for them.
I was hoping not to dwell on any particular vehicle issue but understand this claims process and any lessons learned.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Google MO forum or similar - feedback is varied, can take 6-12 months for them to allocate a handler, then up to 2 years to reach resolution which might not go in your favour.

If it was me, i would cut my losses, sell the problem van, buy another and move on.

(Edit - If it’s just the bellows, then just get them replaced)

 

[Betsycalifornia]

I can offer real world experience with the MO, but against Mercedes. Simple process, all done online. They then decide to allocate a case handler or not. For me they did, took 9 months to allocate at which point the case handler decided my car had exceeded the age requirement whilst waiting for the case handler to be allocated despite the case having been bounced around for 4 years with Mercedes and 9 months with the MO. Sadly a waste of time but I’d suggest doing it anyway. Can’t hurt if enough people do it something might change for the better.

 

[Stargazing]

Agree with Ch1pbutty-plenty on here had more bellows than Brian Blessed could handle.

 

[Up10]

I can offer real world experience with the MO, but against Mercedes. Simple process, all done online. They then decide to allocate a case handler or not. For me they did, took 9 months to allocate at which point the case handler decided my car had exceeded the age requirement whilst waiting for the case handler to be allocated despite the case having been bounced around for 4 years with Mercedes and 9 months with the MO. Sadly a waste of time but I’d suggest doing it anyway. Can’t hurt if enough people do it something might change for the better.

Thank you. This was the kind of information I was looking for. So it appears delays within the MO favour the manufacturer and outcomes are variable, as expected. It is a pity that a complaint can be timed out due to poor response by manufacturers and MO. That should not be permitted.
My issue is relatively annoying so not worth pursuing through the MO. Poor design by VW unfortunately.

 

[Betsycalifornia]

You’ve got the same model as me, what’s the issue you have? Assuming it’s not bellows, hopefully as most people appear to have that issue.
Forget that, I see from the other post it’s the bellows. Ah well. Join the club.
All I can say is every call or email made costs VW UK something in time and effort even if it doesn’t get us anywhere. The only thing they understand. Money.

 

[Up10]

You’ve got the same model as me, what’s the issue you have? Assuming it’s not bellows, hopefully as most people appear to have that issue.
Forget that, I see from the other post it’s the bellows. Ah well. Join the club.
All I can say is every call or email made costs VW UK something in time and effort even if it doesn’t get us anywhere. The only thing they understand. Money.

Ha, yes. I'm working on that basis too. When I get motivated, it will be recorded mail to the top man!

 

[CaliforniaCylus]

I think you'll find the MO is like the rest of them, primarily funded by the particular sector. I guess that means they might not be as independent as one would like.

Filing a court claim is probably no more work and you will get a fair outcome. In the end it's unlikely VW will turn up. They'll settle 24 hours before facing the judge.

Of course you may decide just to pay the £1k for the new bellows and move on quickly.

 

[Betsycalifornia]

O'SULLIVAN, Damien Andrew​

Correspondence addressVolkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited, Yeomand Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, MK14 5AN
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthSeptember 1979Appointed on1 December 2024
NationalityIrishCountry of residenceIrelandOccupationManaging Director

SPECHT, Wolf Stefan, Dr​

Correspondence addressYeomans Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5AN
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthJune 1969Appointed on1 November 2020
NationalityGermanCountry of residenceGermanyOccupationDirector Of Volkswagen Brand

 

[Up10]

O'SULLIVAN, Damien Andrew​

Correspondence addressVolkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited, Yeomand Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, MK14 5AN
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthSeptember 1979Appointed on1 December 2024
NationalityIrishCountry of residenceIrelandOccupationManaging Director

SPECHT, Wolf Stefan, Dr​

Correspondence addressYeomans Drive, Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5AN
Role ACTIVEDirectorDate of birthJune 1969Appointed on1 November 2020
NationalityGermanCountry of residenceGermanyOccupationDirector Of Volkswagen Brand

Companies House?

 

[LemonDrop]

If this is a warranty claim issue you might be better off going through the financial ombudsman. Anecdotally I’ve heard they have more teeth than the motor ombudsman. I took up a VW warranty issue with the financial ombudsman and they fought very hard - but in the end settled with me direct.

 

[Garrycotic]

I have seen many posts suggesting that a complaint should be raised through the Motor Ombudsman if VW Group fails to resolve vehicle issue.
I was wondering if anybody had tested that approach?
What does success look like?
How was the experience of raising and resolving a complaint?
Did it feel like the Motor Ombudsman was biased towards VW Group in your opinion?
With hindsight, would you take this route again?

Recent experience of MO was a waste of time, after filling in lots of detail and submitting online form response was that they could not deal with issues once vehicle is out of warranty, even if issue arose during warranty period! What was even more annoying was the fact that VW customer complaints team referred me to MO and they must have known what response I would get!

 

[Tufty_B]

Recent experience of MO was a waste of time, after filling in lots of detail and submitting online form response was that they could not deal with issues once vehicle is out of warranty, even if issue arose during warranty period! What was even more annoying was the fact that VW customer complaints team referred me to MO and they must have known what response I would get!

The MO's code of practice states that all its members must inform the customer of the complaint procedure which includes the option to contact the MO if a solution cannot be resolved with the dealer.

 

[Tufty_B]

I experienced an issue with a new car (not VW) just a couple of months after purchase. Over the next few years, the dealer claimed to have replaced a part three times but refused to provide any paperwork, citing manufacturer policy for warranty work.
Right before my three-year warranty ended, I escalated the issue to the Motor Ombudsman. While threatening to file a complaint did result in a small compensation offer from the dealer (who must pay a fee for each complaint), I continued with the official process.
After a two-and-a-half-year wait, the Ombudsman ruled in the dealer's favor. This decision was made even though I submitted a spreadsheet detailing 77 separate dealer emails, calls, & visits. The Ombudsman's response appeared to rely on the dealer's inaccurate statements. When I pointed out these falsehoods, the Motor Ombudsman replied that investigating factual inaccuracies from a dealer was not within their scope and would not influence their final decision.

 

[Up10]

I experienced an issue with a new car (not VW) just a couple of months after purchase. Over the next few years, the dealer claimed to have replaced a part three times but refused to provide any paperwork, citing manufacturer policy for warranty work.
Right before my three-year warranty ended, I escalated the issue to the Motor Ombudsman. While threatening to file a complaint did result in a small compensation offer from the dealer (who must pay a fee for each complaint), I continued with the official process.
After a two-and-a-half-year wait, the Ombudsman ruled in the dealer's favor. This decision was made even though I submitted a spreadsheet detailing 77 separate dealer emails, calls, & visits. The Ombudsman's response appeared to rely on the dealer's inaccurate statements. When I pointed out these falsehoods, the Motor Ombudsman replied that investigating factual inaccuracies from a dealer was not within their scope and would not influence their final decision.

Thank you for detailing this case. I think this post and others have confirmed to me that once VW Group have directed the customer to the ombudsman, their work is done. It is a little more work for the dealer with paperwork but ultimately, the customer is unlikely to walk away with a warm and cosy feeling of success.
Again, we have to ask what is the point of the warranty if VW Group just wriggle out of it?
I'm sad to have drawn this conclusion but thanks for everybody's interest. It is a great forum and a useful resource for VW owners.

 

[LemonDrop]

A warranty is a financial product. I wouldn’t recommend using the MO if you can use the FO. I got a hefty payout from VW when it started to look as though the FO was going to find in my favour.