EU consumer advocates accuse VW of delaying tactics

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VW vehicle during software update (archive image): "Consumer complaints ignored"

Photo: Julian Stratenschulte / dpa

Five years after the diesel scandal broke out, European consumer advocates are accusing the VW Group of continuing to avoid paying customers damages with all their might.

The world's largest car manufacturer is using delaying tactics and exploiting loopholes in the law as well as the unequal access of European consumers to justice, said the European consumer association Beuc.

"After a massive breach of the law, VW ignored justified consumer complaints," criticized Beuc General Manager Monique Goyens.

"We will not tolerate that."

Despite a comparison with the German Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) for around 250,000 VW owners, the group refused to carry out similar negotiations with consumer protection organizations in other countries, Beuc emphasized.

"It is shameful that Volkswagen is refusing to compensate European consumers for the massive damage that the VW fraud caused in the diesel scandal, even though US consumers have been compensated," said Goyens.

In the next scandal, there should be class actions

The case also makes it clear that the European legal systems lack the possibilities to initiate mass actions.

It must be ensured that "the consumers are not denied compensation in the event of a second" Dieselgate "," said Goyens.

In the meantime, the instrument of class action has also been launched in the EU.

In September 2015, under pressure from US environmental authorities, Volkswagen admitted that it had cheated on a large scale in emissions tests.

By means of "Defeat Devices", nitrogen oxide readings on the test bench were curled down.

The company plunged into a deep crisis that has cost around 32 billion euros so far.

There were numerous civil and criminal proceedings.

In Germany, the group and vzbv had reached an out-of-court settlement for the approximately 250,000 participating diesel customers.

After the latest rulings by the Federal Court of Justice on the emissions scandal, VW is holding out the prospect of compensation for around 50,000 more diesel customers.

In the important UK market, for example, the first proceedings are not likely to start until the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022.

It could also take longer in Italy or Belgium.

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dab / dpa