When is there money for VW customers affected by the diesel scandal? A deal worth hundreds of millions of euros has apparently still come about.
- VW is still struggling with the diesel scandal - a model declaratory action is pending .
- Now Volkswagen agreed with the consumer centers on a payment of 830 million euros to affected customers.
- But the deal failed due to financial issues , as VW announced on February 14. The association defends itself.
Update 1:10 p.m .: Depending on the model and age of their car, around 260,000 VW diesel customers from the model lawsuit are to receive compensation between 1350 and 6257 euros . Volkswagen and the Federal Association of Consumer Centers had agreed that an average of around 15 percent of the original purchase price would be paid out, the consumer advocates said on Friday in Berlin.
Update from February 28, 2020, 10:28 am: After their initially unsuccessful talks, Volkswagen and consumer protection groups have now reached a joint comparison for the compensation of diesel customers . During their quality negotiations at the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court, both sides agreed on a "comprehensive agreement", as the court announced on Friday. Details will be announced at 1:00 p.m. at a press conference.
VW in the diesel scandal: wobbles 830 million deal due to excessive legal fees?
Update 6.43 p.m .: The consumer association has reacted to the statements of the largest European car company in the legal dispute and rejected the allegations . So Volkswagen let the negotiations fail, said Klaus Müller, the chairman of the vzbv. VW was therefore not ready "to enable a transparent, trustworthy and safe system for processing," said the head of the Federal Association of Consumer Centers.
The fronts therefore appear clear: the issue is whether the vzbv lawyers' flat-rate amount of EUR 50 million is justified for Volkswagen customers in handling the diesel scandal. Opinions are divided. It is said that VW requested, requested evidence of the specific service provided and that this fell on deaf ears.
Diesel scandal: contradictory information at VW and consumer association
The consumer center itself denies that VW did not want to meet the fee requirement and speaks that the reason for the failure is due to the lack of understanding of the auto giant :
Fee claims were accepted by Volkswagen. The reason for the failure of the negotiations is VW's unwillingness to enable a transparent, trustworthy and secure settlement system. https://t.co/GNJrpCSfMm
- Consumer advice center (@vzbv) February 14, 2020Müller announced that the court would continue to fight for a good solution for consumers and that the settlement negotiations had ended - "but not the model declaratory action", as he explained.
The association can also imagine that the highest civil court, the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe (BGH) , will make consumer-friendly decisions, said Müller. Regarding the comparison offer from VW itself, the vzbv let it be said that "everyone is happy about every euro that VW pays to consumers in recognition of the diesel scandal". However, one is "irritated" by the Volkswagen Group's approach - and this apparently means the requested 50 million euros.
The fact that the carmaker generally wants to withdraw from the deal is not apparent from the latest statements by Lower Saxony: The car company emphasized on Friday that it wanted a " fair and practical solution for customers ". Manfred Döss, VW chief legal adviser, pleaded for a comparison and emphasized that "it would take another few years before individual final judgments were given."
VW in the diesel scandal: 830 million deal bursts - because of the lawyer's fee?
Source article: According to Volkswagen, negotiations on a compensation settlement for hundreds of thousands of VW diesel customers have failed. As the group announced on Friday, the amount of the fee claims of the lawyers of the Federal Association of Consumer Centers (vzbv) should be the reason.
The Funke media group had previously reported failure. According to the report, VW and vzbv had agreed on a sum of 830 million euros for around 460,000 VW diesel customers represented in the lawsuit register. The vzbv insisted "until the end" on a lump sum payment of 50 million euros for the settlement. A representative of the car maker spoke of "inappropriate demands of the trial lawyers".
The car company explained that there was no “sufficiently concrete evidence” as to which services of the vzbv lawyers should be billed with the requested amount. "However, a payment without a sufficiently concrete proof of performance or without a legal reason is impossible for Volkswagen ." One regrets the failure and now wants to advise the board on further steps.
VW: Model complaint by numerous diesel drivers - "pragmatic solution" now off the table?
The vzbv represents numerous diesel drivers in the proceedings for the model declaratory action, who demand compensation for their vehicles with excessive emissions. The vzbv boss Klaus Müller wants to comment on the settlement negotiations with VW at noon (2 p.m.).
At the beginning of January, VW and vzbv had declared that they wanted to talk about an out-of-court settlement to the model process. Both sides called the "common goal of a pragmatic solution in the interest of the customers". VW had long been skeptical about this. In October the group suffered a painful legal defeat.
dpa / fn / AFP