The electric car brand VinFast has set up a financial compensation program for failures and breakdowns. But does it send the right message?
All strategies are good for attracting and retaining customers in the electric car sector. As for VinFast, this has been well integrated with the implementation of a new program for owners of electric vehicles from the Vietnamese brand.
As announced by the Asian manufacturer, as of Thursday June 15, a global compensation program is being implemented in the form of financial compensation in the event of technical problems on the vehicles. The amount can reach nearly $300, depending on the type of breakdown and the impact on the owner’s movements.
Specific cases of failure
Three types of situations are defined by VinFast:
- Type 1 concerns failures with no impact on the use of a Vinfast vehicle. In this case, the owner will receive compensation of 100 dollars (91 euros).
- Type 2 concerns a major breakdown, which renders the vehicle non-operational. Such a situation will allow the owner to benefit from a one-off compensation of 300 dollars (274 euros).
- Type 3 is a little more advanced: in the event of a repair necessary and exceeding three days, customers will benefit from a compensation of 100 dollars per day. Only one condition must be respected: the vehicle must be repaired in a garage of the Vinfast network.
Several points must be taken into account before certain drivers attempt potential fraud: failures related to software and updates are not taken into account in this compensation program, as are accidents and damage to the vehicle caused by the owner.
In addition, the sum paid to the owner of a VinFast can take the form of a transfer, a check or even a credit note to be spent with the Vietnamese manufacturer’s after-sales services. On the other hand, no information on the decision-maker (on the choice of this or that mode of compensation) on this subject.
A double-edged strategy
The choice of such a strategy can be perceived under two prisms: either it is a way of reassuring its customers and future buyers by promising them aid in the event of a technical glitch, or it is a way of to make it understood that incidents are frequent — this is then a method of building customer loyalty and not letting them go to other competitors, whether Chinese, American or European.
In North America, it is probably this second point that will be highlighted, after the many problems identified in the car’s system. Problems so important that the NHTSA, the American road safety authority, has already issued an alert in May. Fortunately, VinFast was able to put an end to the incident with an update thanks to the Over The Air system.
From now on, it is up to the Vietnamese manufacturer to try to impose itself on an electrical scene which is starting to be more and more imposing, and where all the marketing and budgetary operations can make the difference, like the drop in prices. with some manufacturers like Tesla.
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