Autolusso

Notwithstanding the lengthy debate that has taken place on here before - regarding Autolusso as supplier of new Alfas - can anyone tell me why people who have had recent problems should not be allowed to air them fully here on this forum? The truth will out, whether it's Ned's or his customers' (or indeed Alfa dealer 'plants').

Can we take it that when matters have been discussed 'in private' between said parties, that the outcome can be aired here?

Finally, in my opinion it is probably unwise and inappropriate for Forum Mods who have conducted business with any company to do with Alfa Romeo cars, whether it be a dealer, an independent, a garage, a parts supplier, whatever - to post up opinions on the products or services supplied. When problems arise, it can cause a conflict of interest.

Sorry to go all serious but a lot is at stake here.

First of all, no one is trying to protect AutoLusso, if that's what you are implying.

Originally Posted by Max

can anyone tell me why people who have had recent problems should not be allowed to air them fully here on this forum?

They have! Read the threads!

The reason for closing them is purely the fact we want to avoid slugging matches on the forum when these are to do with private contracts and dealings. AO cannot be exposed legally in case a conversation were to degenerate (I believe you saw the thread about the Volvo forum that had to be closed down).

Originally Posted by Max

or indeed Alfa dealer 'plants').

Duplicate accounts as well as fake postings are not allowed by the AO rules and have been stomped on.

Originally Posted by Max

Can we take it that when matters have been discussed 'in private' between said parties, that the outcome can be aired here?

Absolutely, as long as the rules of the forum are adhered to.



I can see your point about the conflict of interest, will raise it with the other guys.

Fair do's about the litigation thing, that could be nasty.

My comment about 'dealer plants' was to make the point that Autolusso may indeed be the victim of malicious posts by other vested interests.

Thanks BF

Originally Posted by BigFoot

First of all, no one is trying to protect AutoLusso, if that's what you are implying.

It is unfortunate that threads praising AutoLusso are left to run on the forum while threads with a negative view are shut down very quickly.

Are adverts for Autolusso still being distributed with the membership packs? I was accused of trolling when I said that I didn't think much of the welcome pack with Autolusso advertising in it.

Originally Posted by alfaowner

Throw it away then, its yours to do so, we all know you troll, therefore I and nor will anyone else give you the argument you want about certain untouchables, you are out of luck there, just move along.

It's always interesting to hear the 'other' point of view(ie dealer ect). however its also quite easy for the oh we can't air these things for legal reasons to look like heavy handed protection of vested intrests. But then if it was easy to run a web forum or be a mod we'd all want to do it.

Originally Posted by VO2Max

My comment about 'dealer plants' was to make the point that Autolusso may indeed be the victim of malicious posts

I think that's a very valid point. We have no way of knowing if the complainants are who they say they are. It is a very difficult balancing act because we should know about bad service when it occurs.

(I reported a friend's problem with AL and my thread was deleted! I never even got to see any of the responses, so I'm not defending AL, just pointing out the difficulties the AO mods can have).

The only thing that concerns me is that most of the complaints come from people who have only just joined the forum (1 or 2 posts ). Its easy to make a company look bad if you really want to !! .

Originally Posted by bigredsheza

It is unfortunate that threads praising AutoLusso are left to run on the forum while threads with a negative view are shut down very quickly.

The praising threads often last a few posts and don't have any implication for AO.

The negative ones are welcome as well, but when people start discussing their contracts' T&Cs, confidentiality issues start creeping in and you often have the "hothead" jumping in and say things like "they are all thieves, burn them in hell" etc.

We've had those cases, we'd rather not have them anymore really.


If you can suggest a better way of dealing with these threads, please do so as I am trying to do this in my spare time (even though, I do have quite a bit of it lately ).

Originally Posted by BigFoot

We've had those cases, we'd rather not have them anymore really.


If you can suggest a better way of dealing with these threads, please do so as I am trying to do this in my spare time (even though, I do have quite a bit of it lately ).

It is true that the praise threads remain and the complaint threads get closed. It is a difficult one, and if there is implications for AO then they should be dealt with.

However, the forum is mainly for owners/buyers of Alfas and as such should be informed of problems with garages. I feel it should be an open forum with the garages allowed to respond on the matters.

My surprise on the complaints about a certain dealer is the dealers heavy handed response on the matter. If the complaints are wholly unfounded then let the dealer say so, if not, then let them argue the case.

We are all grown ups, and can make our own minds up on these matters.

Being a businessman I can see both sides of the arguement client/dealer. I do feel that the open forum does act as a form of mediation with additional users often raising points missed by both parties.

With the aspect of legal grounds, how do consumer programmes avoid legal implications (i.e. Watchdog, X-Ray, The Ferret, etc) ? They regularly feature consumer complaints without apparent fear of legal ramifications.

I think generally speaking these issues are handled quite well by the mods. However, the lastest one was not (IMHO) The OP had made it clear he had tried to contact Ned and had got nowhere so for the thread to be closed with a

"This should be discussed in private between you and Autolusso."

is a bit daft and very one sided. If Autolusso have done nothing wrong then they need to come on here and explain what has happened and why these 2 recent issues regarding deposits have arisen. if they have been out of order then we have a right to know and therefore be forwarned before offering our business. Autolusso have built up a good reputation on this forum but not being transparent about problems (real or not) does them no favours.

Originally Posted by Mitch166

I think generally speaking these issues are handled quite well by the mods. However, the lastest one was not (IMHO) The OP had made it clear he had tried to contact Ned and had got nowhere so for the thread to be closed with a

"This should be discussed in private between you and Autolusso."

is a bit daft and very one sided. If Autolusso have done nothing wrong then they need to come on here and explain what has happened and why these 2 recent issues regarding deposits have arisen. if they have been out of order then we have a right to know and therefore be forwarned before offering our business. Autolusso have built up a good reputation on this forum but not being transparent about problems (real or not) does them no favours.

agreed

would have liked to see the thread left open and referred to Ned to allow a retort

i dont know the history of this thread but i know my first email on this forum looked bad and the lack of response made it suspicious but often a first post may just be to discuss a problem rather than to start a smear campaign.

Several years ago I paid a £500 deposit to a North West main dealer for a GT that was in the dealers showroom.

After sleeping on it over night I decided to cancel the order first thing the following morning. The dealer did not return the deposit.

Originally Posted by howell811

With the aspect of legal grounds, how do consumer programmes avoid legal implications (i.e. Watchdog, X-Ray, The Ferret, etc) ? They regularly feature consumer complaints without apparent fear of legal ramifications.

They have a duty solicitor on-hand at all times!

And of course, they have editorial control of broadcasted content, that's not the case in a forum such as this.

My view on it is that commercial companies are putting the forum in a difficult position by using it to subtley tout their wares. If they didn't do it this issue would probably never arise. If they do (and are allowed to) they should take the rough with the smooth.

Even though the thread has been shut down, Ned must know all eyes will be on him, and people will be waiting for his response, presumably by a fresh thread started by him. Absence of such a thread will probably be viewed with suspicion by a fair few people.

Regarding the comment about people's 1st post on AO being a rant about a dealer, garage or whatever, I think that's liable to be often the case, in the same way that people's 1st posts are often to sell their Alfa. If you have a problem with a garage or you want to sell your car, you probably do a Google search and come up with AO. It doesn't necessarily mean someone is posting maliciously. And of course, the guy who posted up about AL most recently gave his name and location.

BTW - BF, my intention was never to imply that Autolusso were being protected by AO. I know AO too well and hold it in too high a regard to think this!

I'd just like to think that any concerns people might have about Autolusso, or indeed anyone else, can be fully aired and fully resolved for everyone to see.

Originally Posted by tony44

Several years ago I paid a £500 deposit to a North West main dealer for a GT that was in the dealers showroom.

After sleeping on it over night I decided to cancel the order first thing the following morning. The dealer did not return the deposit.

Not quite the same as waiting 40 weeks for a car that has yet to materialise though is it?

Hi again.

I am disappointed that the subject has been closed.

I will send Mr Kirkham a private message as soon as possible to air my grievances.

However, should he choose not to reply then I will be back to square one and no nearer to getting the problem resolved.

Bryan.

is a bit daft and very one sided. If Autolusso have done nothing wrong then they need to come on here and explain what has happened and why these 2 recent issues regarding deposits have arisen. if they have been out of order then we have a right to know and therefore be forwarned before offering our business. Autolusso have built up a good reputation on this forum but not being transparent about problems (real or not) does them no favours.

I agree with this. It is regrettable, IMHO that this particular thread was closed down. I have met Ned, he is an extremely pleasant and very positive person, who was more than willing to be very helpful when I visited Autolusso recently. However, no one is perfect, we all live in an imperfect world, and if there is a genuine issue with Autolusso that has been sustained over a significant period of time, then we should all know about it. If there are issues afoot that are not known to Forum members, then surely we should all know about them? Surely this is one of the principle reasons why this Forum exists?