Wow, it's amazing how many people have had horrible experiences with Volkswagen of America, late model Volkswagen automobiles as well as their local VW dealership. I get all kinds of emails, online and offline comments from people telling me how much difficulty they've had trying to get their crappy VW products fixed from lousy VW service folks at all levels of the sales chain. And to think, just a few short months ago, I actually thought I wanted a Volkswagen. In retrospect, I sure am glad VW did such a good job of promoting a car that they no longer actually made.
This week though, folks pulled out all the stops. A few days a go I got an email with a very colorful, um... adult account of a random encounter with Kerri Martin, Volkswagen's Director of Brand Innovation. The author (who asked to remain anonymous) wrote that he recognized Ms. Martin from the pictures I posted courtesy of the nice folks in the Volkswagen media relations department. He wrote candidly about his, um... rendezvous ... with Ms. Martin in great detail. I began to post excepts but failed to find even a single sentence that made sense after reasonable PG-13-izing. But the best part was the attached high resolution photo of a woman in a compromising position who face bares a stunning likeness to Ms. Martin. It is unclear as whether the story or the photo are legitimate... although both are highly suspicious. Regardless, it was a fun read and one of the more odd emails I've received. I only wish I could share some details.
Also this week, I got a piece of fan mail from Michael Johnson of Rochester, NY. Micheal maintains a website that hold the auspicious honor of being the first hit when Googling the phrase "volkswagen sucks". (I'm #4!) Micheal's website, Vincent Sucks, is an excellent example of a well constructed consumer sponsored negative word-of-mouth campaign. He's done it exactly right – he's found a group of people that were already passionate and vocal and helped amplify their voice. Hey Volkswagen, this word-of-mouth thing is a 2 way street. If you help Micheal out, I bet he'd say good things about VW. Why do you care? Well, did I mention it's the first webpage people see when they Google "volkswagen sucks"?
Too bad the folks at Volkswagen are idiots and do such a horrible job of responding to online detractors. Why? Well, first off, because Micheal has gone to so much trouble that it's a shame to think it's a waste of time. And secondly, and perhaps more importantly, because Volkswagen has an enormous opportunity to flip a detractor. Flipping a detractor is huge. Since they're idiots, they'll ignore Micheal – like they ignore me – which will just make him louder and more credible. Big surprise. Just think, had someone at Volkswagen just written me a nice personal email or given me a call (hey VW, my number is still 918-808-3072) and said, "Hey Matt, you got a point there!" all those weeks ago, I wouldn't be writing this. Keep fighting the good fight Micheal, and I agree, Volkswagen Sucks indeed. (That last bit added for SEO. Kerri, ask your overpriced friends at CP+B what that means so you'll understand. Ask them to use small words. Volkswagen Sucks VW Sucks Jetta Sucks Passat Sucks).
[NOTE: I removed the reference to "der Fuehrer" from this post. My appologies to anyone who found this offensive. It was not intended, but nonetheless, I am very sorry. -Matt]Matt Galloway
Mobile Phone: 918-808-3072
Height: 5'6"
Qualifications: None
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma USA
