Letter to VWSA on new CITI Billabong Model

[LCBXX]

I got a promotional e-mail from VWSA regarding a "new model" in their CITI lineup. Needless to say, I'm no fan of VWSA still making this MK1 Golf piece of kuk, and briefly replied to the mail:

Dear VWSA,

Please cease production of the MK1 Golf. Sticking on new wheels and paint schemes to it doesn’t change the fact that the car is a rip-off to already overpaying customers and very unsafe by current standards. I’m a proud owner of a VW but the fact that this car is still being sold is an insult to potential VW buyers. Rather bring in the Fox and Lupo from Europe to replace this ‘way-past-its-sell-by’ model.

Regards,

Here is the 'very formal' reply I received from a Tatum Townsend:

Dear Mr LCBXX
Thank you for your e-mail correspondence received by our Customer
Interaction Centre.
Volkswagen of South Africa appreciates the time taken to write to us. We
welcome all constructive feedback and have forwarded your comments to the
relevant departments for their perusal.
For over 25 years the Citi brand has provided South Africans with fun,
reliable, value-for-money motoring. Over all these years our philosophy has
been to innovate and offer the consumer fresh, new ideas wrapped up in the
core Citi promise of value-for-money. Our commitment to continually innovate
and bring new Citi packages to the market will continue and goes beyond
“new wheels and paint schemes”.
We respectfully disagree with your statement that the Citi is “unsafe”, and
safety has been further enhanced by the recent introduction of a driver’s
airbag.
Thank you for affording us an opportunity to comment.

Yours faithfully
Tatum Townsend
Specialist: Customer Interaction Centre

 

[LCBXX]

At least she respectfully disagrees with my belief that the CITI is unsafe. One airbag makes all the difference, eh?

 

[2cute2shy]

If I were you I would take it further , either go big or go home !!! , write up to VW international as well and state why you disagree man , I once wrote up to wollies about something and I was rewarded.

1 airbag ? Might aswell keep it and drop the price lol.

As for getting the imports , Yes !!!!

 

[albert123]

the fact its been, and will be for a long time still, one of the top selling cars in the coutnry makes your point null and void mate

 

[LCBXX]

the fact its been, and will be for a long time still, one of the top selling cars in the coutnry makes your point null and void mate

So, what you are saying is that South Africans are suckers? Come to think of it, we are. Perhaps I should reply to him and say:
"One can only laugh [all the way to the bank] at the public for gobbling up all the rip-offs we're offered by companies in SA (Telkom, Multichoice, VW, etc). Perhaps I'm bitter at the fact that I am not at the receiving end of Idiot Public's thousands of Rands. Thank you far taking time to write a rhetorical reply to me - I now realise that I'm a fart in the shyte storm."

 

[Fudzy]

The only thing that makes any unsafer than any other entry level POS is that more hijackers want them.

 

[albert123]

is it wrong to sell something that people buy? if u were Coke would you stop selling coke because its been aroud forever and everyone loves it? no, because people love it, sure lots of people dont like it or whatever and say its bad for you, but u can die from any other drink also if u drank too much. if a bus hit u from front u will be dead in most cars, citigolf not gonna make u more likely to die than a Tata or Yaris or Micra (even though they cost more than the citi). Multichoice has no reason to drop their prices. they get more and more customers, why drop your prices if ur product is selling? its business, not charity mate

 

[koeks]

i don't know why people are complaining about the cars being unsafe... if you are not driving it then shut up... i drive a citi and if i should be killed in an accident then so be it... if you don't like the car then buy something else... i would also not change it if i was in VWSA's position... the car is selling, does not make business sense to change it... people love the car. everything is cheap...

 

[koeks]

is it wrong to sell something that people buy? if u were Coke would you stop selling coke because its been aroud forever and everyone loves it? no, because people love it, sure lots of people dont like it or whatever and say its bad for you, but u can die from any other drink also if u drank too much. if a bus hit u from front u will be dead in most cars, citigolf not gonna make u more likely to die than a Tata or Yaris or Micra (even though they cost more than the citi). Multichoice has no reason to drop their prices. they get more and more customers, why drop your prices if ur product is selling? its business, not charity mate

thank you

 

[<moLe>]

not a vw fan...opel all the way

 

[BCO]

i don't know why people are complaining about the cars being unsafe... if you are not driving it then shut up... i drive a citi and if i should be killed in an accident then so be it... if you don't like the car then buy something else... i would also not change it if i was in VWSA's position... the car is selling, does not make business sense to change it... people love the car. everything is cheap...

a) Some of us have lost loved ones due to *****i Golfs' lack of safety, so we're allowed to have an opinion on this.

b) The ****i Golf is not cheap. There are other, better, newer designed cars out there for the same price.



Also, this Tatum character can respectfully disagree all he/she likes, but the facts speak for themselves re. Citi Golfs' safety. If VWSA is so confident of these cars' safety, then why don't they put it through a modern EuroNCAP-style crash test and release the results to the public?

 

[LCBXX]

My reply to Tatum's response:

Ms Townsend,

Thank you for taking time to reply.

I do realise that the Citi model has been the top selling vehicle for VWSA and, if VWSA was my company, I would probably also continue to milk that cow for as long as I possibly could, especially considering the current economic situation.
And I’m not being sarcastic, I’m jealous! VWSA is simply satisfying the demand from the SA public, laughing all the way to the bank. The company is able to offer a essentially 30+ year old design for sale to the South African public, at the same retail price as new models from other manufactures, by simply ‘modernizing’ it with items like the dash from an old Skoda, new alloys, and metallic paint. Oh, and to be able to address ignorant criticism about safety with one airbag? Genius.

With regards to safety, may I suggest that VWSA also offers anti-hijacking, vehicle tracking, transponder-ignitions with laser-cut keys and better door security as standard on the Citi? As you are probably aware, the Citi is a favourite amongst car thieves and hi-jackers because of its outdated standard security features, prompting some insurance companies to charge exorbitant insurance fees and other completely refusing to insure the Citi. Market it as a new model – may I suggest calling it the AudaCITI? ABS can be an optional extra, as well as decent door pockets.

Alas, I thank VWSA for offering decent, modern alternatives (albeit at a price) to the MK1 Golf. I’m also grateful that the newer models from VW are judged internationally and safety benchmarked on standards such as Euro-NCAP, and not by the SABS.

Regards

 

[davemc]

i don't know why people are complaining about the cars being unsafe... if you are not driving it then shut up... i drive a citi and if i should be killed in an accident then so be it... if you don't like the car then buy something else... i would also not change it if i was in VWSA's position... the car is selling, does not make business sense to change it... people love the car. everything is cheap...

A car without ABS is a danger to other road users.
Simple.

Though, I understand that VW are not in a position to change legislation, I also understand that they should not be claiming to be image - concious and "for the people" while releasing death traps onto the road.

 

[BCO]

My reply to Tatum's response:

Haha. Pwnage.

 

[Chris_SA]

I have a Citi Sport - no problems , good on fuel, reliable and great trade in value as well.

Don't really care what anyone else says.

 

[LCBXX]

I have a Citi Sport - no problems , good on fuel, reliable and great trade in value as well.

Don't really care what anyone else says.

Trust me, you can only do better.

 

[albert123]

Trust me, you can only do better.

there are very few options thats 'doing better' than a citigolf boet. sure some may have 'airbags' and warra warra, but few can really and truly compare to a citigolf.

The guy that said he lost loved ones in a citigolf? if they were in a tata or a Getz they would've probably also been dead now. people even die volvo's

 

[BCO]

Trust me, you can only do better.

Here I disagree - I reckon a Tata Telcoline or a Chana Benni etc. are worse than Citi Golfs (but only just).

 

[LCBXX]

The Tata and Chana have door pockets, not nets.

 

[BCO]

there are very few options thats 'doing better' than a citigolf boet. sure some may have 'airbags' and warra warra, but few can really and truly compare to a citigolf.

The guy that said he lost loved ones in a citigolf? if they were in a tata or a Getz they would've probably also been dead now. people even die volvo's

There are Chevy Sparks, Kia Picantos, Citroen C1s, Daihatsu Charades, Ford Kas, Fiat Pandas and Renault Sanderos that are all the same price as or cheaper than Citi Golfs. I agree that none of the above can "truly compare" to a Citi - they're so much better it's incomparable.

Also, the argument that you can die in any car, so that makes the Citi Golf safe is completely retarded. Yes - fatalities can happen in any car, but some cars you can walk out of an accident just fine that you would have died in in other cars.

I've told this story before - a friend of mine broke his neck in a head on collision between his Golf 3 and a Renault Megane. The chick in the Megane was completely unscathed. And a Golf 3 is much safer than a Citi.