New VinFast Program Will Give EV Customers Cash Or Vouchers For Car Issues
VinFast, the Vietnamese electric vehicle company, has struggled to enter the U.S. market. The launch of the VF8, the brand's first EV destined for America, has been controversial. The VF8 has been described as lackluster at best, but reviews generally fall on the negative end of the spectrum. To make matters worse, the cars have been plagued with technical issues, even during drives with the press. There is an ongoing recall for the VF8 concerning a problem with its primary display randomly shutting off.
To smooth things over with the public, VinFast is trying out a time-honored method of winning back the hearts of its buyers, throwing money at them. According to a press release, VinFast is launching its "Special Aftersales Policy" to reimburse customers if they have car issues. Said reimbursement consists of either a service voucher or cold hard cash.
It's worth noting that while leaning into lousy publicity and turning it around sometimes works (e.g., Domino's Pizza), this could potentially backfire and cause even more significant branding issues. Customers could very well be turned off by a car manufacturer perceived as so bad that it launched a program to pay people off with problems.
Throwing cash at the problem
As for what problems will be covered and how much you'll be reimbursed, VinFast has specified three types of issues. Type 1 issues are "inconveniences" that don't affect the safety or operation of the car. Each reported Type 1 issue is worth $100. Type 2 issues brick the vehicle and cause it to be completely inoperable. Such issues will net customers $300 for each occurrence. Lastly, Type 3 problems cover the car if it's been in the shop longer than three days. On the fourth day onward, the customer will receive $100 for each day in the shop.
VinFast notes that it won't cover problems that stem from hardware or software upgrades or issues that show up because of an accident or misuse of the vehicle. Getting extra cash when your car decides to stop working is undoubtedly nice, but given that the VinFast VF8 starts at $46,000, a few hundred bucks here and there might not be enough.