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Volvo may not want to replace the car for the guy...but from a marketing standpoint, they truly picked the wrong hill. The site is very nice and pretty thoroug

by asciii 1y ago

Volvo may not want to replace the car for the guy...but from a marketing standpoint, they truly picked the wrong hill. The site is very nice and pretty thorough. Makes me not want to get this car or any Volvo!

dexzod 1y ago
Agree 100% the website is very well layed out. The information is presented in very readable format. After a single scroll I was able to fully understand the issues and conclude that the guy has a valid case. Too bad for Volvo for having a horrible customer support
- cosmicgadget 1y ago
  Not a huge fan of the fact that everything looks like a popup or LinkedIn widget.
- ls-a 1y ago
  I was thinking about the site too. It looked like a perfect example for AI, then I found the lovable badge.
  - chaosprint 1y ago
    Lovable is really good at this kind of use case and experience. Ironically it's also Swedish philosophy based, no much hardcore tech(the heavy lifting is claude ) but focus on the experience. Similar to Volvo not promoting speed and handling but emphasize safety. But we know now that speed and handling in many ways show the tech of that vehicle and it reflects on safety to a large scale Imho
mark_mart 1y ago
I was genuinely thinking about buying a Volvo car today. This blog changed my mind now. It seem they are the exact opposite of what I thought.
- matthewdgreen 1y ago
  I loved our XC90 (non electric) but one day rainwater began pouring in through the windsheild behind the rear-view mirror. It quickly got into the electrical system and nothing worked reliably after that. Volvo absolutely refused to fix it, or acknowledge that there was a problem, despite hundreds of posts pointing out similar window leaks. Was very disappointing.
- more_corn 1y ago
  This is why it is of crucial importance for companies to take things like this seriously. A customer complaint can quickly become a crisis and lead do serious damage to the brand. Anyone with any training in crisis management would immediately refund the purchase price, apologize and offer a discount on a replacement. The negative publicity of this post alone has cost the company millions in customer goodwill.
jonplackett 1y ago
I love that you made a website to spread the word. Well done. Screw those guys. Hey Volvo, I’ll now never buy a Volvo. I always thought they were meant to be safe?
- NegativeLatency 1y ago
  Old Volvo is different than new Volvo. They went downhill when and after ford bought them. Also the new cars lack the charm of the older 240s, they're sorta just regular luxury cars now. Only recently sold my 850 because we're expecting a kid and wanted to mount the car seat correctly.
  - qmr 1y ago
    "correctly"? Just use the seatbelt?
    - NegativeLatency 1y ago
      Yes, but it didn't have the lower or top rear anchors
    - subscribed 1y ago
      ISOFIX is much safer if present. And much more convenient in use.
- phil21 1y ago
  As far as I know the XC90/EX90 is the only SUV in its class to not have a fatality for anyone inside it at the time of an accident yet. It’s a mass market luxury vehicle and the brand is still considered about the safest you can buy today. It’s certainly not known for quality or reliability though. You buy them if your sole focus is on crash safety it seems.
  - nicholasbraker 1y ago
    Off course it's safe, something which doesn't drive with a "Critical System Communication Fault" and unable to enter in the first place due to a "Digital Key Failure" is sure as hell not going to cause a fatality ;-)
xyx0826 1y ago
I applaud his efforts to document this what must’ve been a nightmare of a case for him. But it felt like a lot of the wording is speculative or hyperbolic in nature and aggressively tries to paint Volvo in a bad light. For example: “Analysis of Volvo's Final Response: This response … confirms Volvo's complete abandonment of customer responsibility…This is Volvo's definition of ‘customer care’ in 2025.” “Center Display Failure - Critical Interface Blackout: Main Controls Inaccessible” “Climate Control Malfunction - Climate System Override: Controls Unresponsive Despite Interface Status” “Complete Center Screen Malfunction - Total System Breakdown: Hard Reset Failed to Restore Screen” I know little about Volvo or this case; I’m choosing to offer them some benefits of doubt. Comms and decision making are prone to break down on the corporate ladder. Volvo had no doubt fumbled his case badly but I’m not convinced it is indicative of the company’s overall customer support policy. Sure, the main touchscreen had failed. But how is this an “override” of HVAC or a “total system breakdown”? And what’s the “system” anyways? On top of all that, these subtitle summaries smell like AI. I don’t deny that Volvo has a lot to answer for. Though the choice of these instigating descriptions might not be the best one giving the author is actively pursuing litigation.
- belval 1y ago
  Eh the author is coming from a place of emotion (considering the effort put into the website) so I would definitely cut them some slack on the fairness of their reporting. The owner is telling their story, not a journalist. > But how is this an “override” of HVAC or a “total system breakdown”? Complete failure of the throttle would fall within total system breakdown to me. > Comms and decision making are prone to break down on the corporate ladder. Businesses do not deserve the benefit of the doubt, they aren't human. If their support ladder broke down to this point that it is fair game to name and shame and up to them to do a PR push and fix their support.
  - Freedom2 1y ago
    Referring to GP, is there any other type of HN comment than one that completely ignores the human emotion, instead wanting to focus purely on technical and specific pedantry?
- 1y ago

by asciii 1y ago

dexzod 1y ago

Agree 100% the website is very well layed out. The information is presented in very readable format. After a single scroll I was able to fully understand the issues and conclude that the guy has a valid case. Too bad for Volvo for having a horrible customer support

cosmicgadget 1y ago
Not a huge fan of the fact that everything looks like a popup or LinkedIn widget.
ls-a 1y ago
I was thinking about the site too. It looked like a perfect example for AI, then I found the lovable badge.
- chaosprint 1y ago
  Lovable is really good at this kind of use case and experience. Ironically it's also Swedish philosophy based, no much hardcore tech(the heavy lifting is claude ) but focus on the experience. Similar to Volvo not promoting speed and handling but emphasize safety. But we know now that speed and handling in many ways show the tech of that vehicle and it reflects on safety to a large scale Imho

mark_mart 1y ago

I was genuinely thinking about buying a Volvo car today. This blog changed my mind now. It seem they are the exact opposite of what I thought.

matthewdgreen 1y ago
I loved our XC90 (non electric) but one day rainwater began pouring in through the windsheild behind the rear-view mirror. It quickly got into the electrical system and nothing worked reliably after that. Volvo absolutely refused to fix it, or acknowledge that there was a problem, despite hundreds of posts pointing out similar window leaks. Was very disappointing.
more_corn 1y ago
This is why it is of crucial importance for companies to take things like this seriously. A customer complaint can quickly become a crisis and lead do serious damage to the brand. Anyone with any training in crisis management would immediately refund the purchase price, apologize and offer a discount on a replacement. The negative publicity of this post alone has cost the company millions in customer goodwill.

jonplackett 1y ago

I love that you made a website to spread the word. Well done. Screw those guys. Hey Volvo, I’ll now never buy a Volvo. I always thought they were meant to be safe?

NegativeLatency 1y ago
Old Volvo is different than new Volvo. They went downhill when and after ford bought them. Also the new cars lack the charm of the older 240s, they're sorta just regular luxury cars now. Only recently sold my 850 because we're expecting a kid and wanted to mount the car seat correctly.
- qmr 1y ago
  "correctly"? Just use the seatbelt?
  - NegativeLatency 1y ago
    Yes, but it didn't have the lower or top rear anchors
  - subscribed 1y ago
    ISOFIX is much safer if present. And much more convenient in use.
phil21 1y ago
As far as I know the XC90/EX90 is the only SUV in its class to not have a fatality for anyone inside it at the time of an accident yet. It’s a mass market luxury vehicle and the brand is still considered about the safest you can buy today. It’s certainly not known for quality or reliability though. You buy them if your sole focus is on crash safety it seems.
- nicholasbraker 1y ago
  Off course it's safe, something which doesn't drive with a "Critical System Communication Fault" and unable to enter in the first place due to a "Digital Key Failure" is sure as hell not going to cause a fatality ;-)

xyx0826 1y ago

I applaud his efforts to document this what must’ve been a nightmare of a case for him. But it felt like a lot of the wording is speculative or hyperbolic in nature and aggressively tries to paint Volvo in a bad light. For example: “Analysis of Volvo's Final Response: This response … confirms Volvo's complete abandonment of customer responsibility…This is Volvo's definition of ‘customer care’ in 2025.” “Center Display Failure - Critical Interface Blackout: Main Controls Inaccessible” “Climate Control Malfunction - Climate System Override: Controls Unresponsive Despite Interface Status” “Complete Center Screen Malfunction - Total System Breakdown: Hard Reset Failed to Restore Screen” I know little about Volvo or this case; I’m choosing to offer them some benefits of doubt. Comms and decision making are prone to break down on the corporate ladder. Volvo had no doubt fumbled his case badly but I’m not convinced it is indicative of the company’s overall customer support policy. Sure, the main touchscreen had failed. But how is this an “override” of HVAC or a “total system breakdown”? And what’s the “system” anyways? On top of all that, these subtitle summaries smell like AI. I don’t deny that Volvo has a lot to answer for. Though the choice of these instigating descriptions might not be the best one giving the author is actively pursuing litigation.

belval 1y ago
Eh the author is coming from a place of emotion (considering the effort put into the website) so I would definitely cut them some slack on the fairness of their reporting. The owner is telling their story, not a journalist. > But how is this an “override” of HVAC or a “total system breakdown”? Complete failure of the throttle would fall within total system breakdown to me. > Comms and decision making are prone to break down on the corporate ladder. Businesses do not deserve the benefit of the doubt, they aren't human. If their support ladder broke down to this point that it is fair game to name and shame and up to them to do a PR push and fix their support.
- Freedom2 1y ago
  Referring to GP, is there any other type of HN comment than one that completely ignores the human emotion, instead wanting to focus purely on technical and specific pedantry?
1y ago