Gluing badges can cause damage by criminals- VW dealer
The Volkswagen (VW) franchise in Windhoek has spoken out on the theft of VW badges.
NDAMA NAKASHOLE
Prospective criminals might end up damaging the whole front-end of the vehicle, trying to remove VW cars, the Windhoek Franshcise of the German car maker said.
In response to emailed questions to Market Watch on Thursday, Autohaus Windhoek parts manager Graeme Ingram said as it is now, there is unfortunately nothing which can be done, to prevent the badges from being removed from the vehicles, short of gluing them into place.
This however will have other consequences to the vehicle and its owner, he said.
Autohaus Windhoek, which is a franchised dealer for all Volkswagen and Audi vehicles confirmed of being patently aware of the theft situation, after social media went abuzz with news of people reporting that the badges were stolen from their Volkswagen (VW) cars, which seems to have become a trend.
“Whilst we are aware of the situation, and are very flattered that a Volkswagen emblem is of such aspirational value, the crime situation in the country is not something which can be addressed by ourselves, or the manufacturer, namely Volkswagen. Crime in Namibia needs to be addressed by the appropriate governing bodies, as appointed by our government,” he said.
About two weeks ago, Khomas police commander Silvanus Nghishidimbwa warned the public against buying stolen Volkswagen car badges on the street.
At the time, Ngishidimbwa said the police have been closely watching this trend mentioning that a suspected thief of VW badges appeared in court after being found in possession of “a lot of them”.
Kill the Market
Supporting the sentiments of the police, Ingram said killing the street market can help calm the situation.
According to him, any lucrative business relies on the principle of supply and demand.
“Should a consumer have his or her vehicle’s badge stolen, they should refrain from re-purchasing these parts from street vendors, before exploring all other avenues,” he said.
He added that in most cases, the street vendors are charging more for the items than the franchised dealership.
“By removing the market for items gained through criminal activities, the motivation for such activities will also be reduced, eventually balancing itself back to the situation prior to this pandemic,” said Ingram.
Nghishidimbwa recently warned the general public to refrain from buying these VW badges from the street saying it encourages theft.
Prospective criminals might end up damaging the whole front-end of the vehicle, trying to remove VW cars, the Windhoek Franshcise of the German car maker said.
In response to emailed questions to Market Watch on Thursday, Autohaus Windhoek parts manager Graeme Ingram said as it is now, there is unfortunately nothing which can be done, to prevent the badges from being removed from the vehicles, short of gluing them into place.
This however will have other consequences to the vehicle and its owner, he said.
Autohaus Windhoek, which is a franchised dealer for all Volkswagen and Audi vehicles confirmed of being patently aware of the theft situation, after social media went abuzz with news of people reporting that the badges were stolen from their Volkswagen (VW) cars, which seems to have become a trend.
“Whilst we are aware of the situation, and are very flattered that a Volkswagen emblem is of such aspirational value, the crime situation in the country is not something which can be addressed by ourselves, or the manufacturer, namely Volkswagen. Crime in Namibia needs to be addressed by the appropriate governing bodies, as appointed by our government,” he said.
About two weeks ago, Khomas police commander Silvanus Nghishidimbwa warned the public against buying stolen Volkswagen car badges on the street.
At the time, Ngishidimbwa said the police have been closely watching this trend mentioning that a suspected thief of VW badges appeared in court after being found in possession of “a lot of them”.
Kill the Market
Supporting the sentiments of the police, Ingram said killing the street market can help calm the situation.
According to him, any lucrative business relies on the principle of supply and demand.
“Should a consumer have his or her vehicle’s badge stolen, they should refrain from re-purchasing these parts from street vendors, before exploring all other avenues,” he said.
He added that in most cases, the street vendors are charging more for the items than the franchised dealership.
“By removing the market for items gained through criminal activities, the motivation for such activities will also be reduced, eventually balancing itself back to the situation prior to this pandemic,” said Ingram.
Nghishidimbwa recently warned the general public to refrain from buying these VW badges from the street saying it encourages theft.
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