Data protection officer slaps VW: "Complete inability to communicate"

Created: 05/25/2022Updated: 05/25/2022 11:39 am

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

The Federal Data Protection Officer Ulrich Kelber has ordered an electric car from VW.

It hasn't been delivered for a year - he gets a lot of advertising for it.

Wolfsburg – Buying a car is currently not always fun: The delivery times for new cars are sometimes very long, bargains are in short supply thanks to low discounts and used cars are scarce and expensive.

The service from manufacturers and dealers is not always the best either: Some time ago, GRIP moderator Matthias Malmedie (46) got upset in a YouTube video lasting more than 20 minutes about the lousy treatment in a car dealership.

Now the Federal Data Protection Commissioner Ulrich Kelber (54) has made his experiences when buying a vehicle - and they are anything but intoxicating.

The Federal Data Protection Officer Ulrich Kelber has not yet received his electric car from VW – but there is a lot of advertising.

© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa, Kirchner-Media/Imago

Data protection officer slaps VW: "Complete inability to communicate"

The Federal Data Protection Commissioner now vented his anger on Twitter.

As he reports there, he ordered an electric car from VW more than a year ago - but the vehicle has not been delivered to date.

Above all, however, he is bothered by the lack of service or the communication of the Wolfsburg car manufacturer.

Data protection officer slaps VW: advertising emails instead of information about the car ordered

Neither the “mediating dealer” nor VW itself actively sent him information about his order: neither on the original delivery date nor at any other time.

Even when asked, he does not get any real details about the status of his purchase.

However, Ulrich Kelber still receives emails from VW – with advertising and PR content.

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Data protection officer slaps VW: inability to communicate is driving him "insane"

What also annoys him: He has to see "that you can have the vehicle immediately with the more expensive subscription model." According to Kelber, VW's "official excuse" is that the vehicles are demonstration vehicles.

"It may be true, but after the subscription has been arranged, these will be replaced by new cars," writes the Federal Data Protection Commissioner.

Kelber writes that he is well aware that other manufacturers are also struggling with chip shortages and supply chain problems, although not as severely as Volkswagen.

"But this complete inability to communicate in the age of CRM just drives me crazy." Now the 54-year-old is thinking about buying the next model from another manufacturer.

"It would be my first Volkswagen," writes the Federal Data Protection Commissioner, and "if things continue in such an unprofessional manner, it will certainly be the last."