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Wu Hong / EPA
Workers hold hammers as they prepare to destroy a Lamborghini Gallardo L140 luxury sports car to mark World Consumer Rights Day in Qingdao city, eastern Shandong province, China on March 15. The car's owner hired people to publicly destroy the vehicle when it failed to function after a service by an official Lamborghini service station. The protest was made to provoke public support and goad the manufacturer to respect his consumer rights.
One Lamborghini owner in China today decided to take a stand against the poor service he had received from the company. He hired people to publicly destroy the sports car when it failed to function after a service by an official Lamborghini service station.
Wu Hong / EPA
Workers destroy a Lamborghini Gallardo L140 luxury sports car to mark World Consumer Rights Day in Qingdao city, eastern Shandong province, China on March 15.
The protest was made to provoke public support and goad the manufacturer to respect his consumer rights.
Wu Hong / EPA
Workers destroy a Lamborghini Gallardo L140 luxury sports car to mark World Consumer Rights Day in Qingdao city, eastern Shandong province, China on March 15.
On this World Consumer Rights Day, please use the comments below to tell us about your own experiences, good and bad.
A Lamborghini owner in China hires a crew to smash his $289,000 car in protest after allegedly disputing with the company on maintenance and engine issues. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.
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Looks like they are putting good use to the money that they make from us.
w/ that in mind THEY MAKE TO MUCH FROM US to be able to do that as if it was a YUGO
Yeah.. how tragic would it have been if we had let the Bush tax cuts expire? This guy would have had to take the issue up with the company instead of employing these fine workers... thanks Repubs!
The Chinese get our tax cuts? Man that Bush was evil.
Actually the Chinese do get our our tax cuts. It's actually really simple logic.
1. Chinese businessman/corporation invests or acquires a U.S. corporation
2. Bush tax cuts for corporations, increase corporation profits
3. Those extra profits from the taxcuts are then dispersed to the chinese shareholders (tax free).
Simple. huh.
japan is without power alot of people are without food heat running water and freezing and at the same time facing a nuclear disaster and you have the nerve to show this!!!!
bout time somebody smashed one of these pieces of crap. 70 Hemi Cuda's rule the planet, end of story!
Leave it to some liberal dems to turn this into Bush bashing. Give it up he has been out of office for two years. This is Obama's economy now. Let's see did he extend those tax cuts? On a note that actualy relates to the story I find it funny that this happened in Chian the country that sends us the lead tainted products.
70 Hemi Cuda? Please you tasteless hillbilly
Looks like Joe Dirt came to the conversation...
Spalin & JWilson: Both of you geniuses lack appreciation for ALL kinds of cars. Gallardo and Hemi Cuda aren't even in the same category. You'd have to be a complete moron to compare one to the other. Bottom line is: both of them burn gasoline, and both of them are under fire from the enviro-nazis. Learn to band together as car enthusiasts instead of childish bashing.
If this is how they handle Consumer Rights, let's see what the Chinese do to hammer Human Rights; no one would be jailed and/or tortured.
Poor, sick, son of a rich,
The ironic part of the scene is that just one weel of this car would equal at least the annual salary any if not several) of the employees actually destroying it...
these guies are usually paid like a 100 $ a month, hope they at least got a raise for accomplishing such nonsense.
The fact is, I don't think it could have a negative impact on Lamborghini, rich people do things like that, and rich people identify among each other, so this could even be profitable publicity.... yhea, some of us humans find it is cool to trash 500 000 dollars to make a point (he did).
What a strange world.
500K ??? Hyperbowl luckfactor - If you'd read, he paid 289K and the value of a Used Lambo that an official lambo service center can't fix would be less than 99k not 500k.
Talk about money to burn. I would gladly have taken ownership if he had sent it to me free.
SBPhrog
Me too, even if id didnt run, I sure would have looked cool just sitting in it!
you bastards how could you do this to a work of art. my god you monsters how could you... how could you...
A fool and his money . . . This guy is TWICE the fool (parted HIMSELF with his own money). Any idoit that doesn't know enough about the car to to keep it running shouldn't have it in the first place (Lamborghini should send him a thank you letter)!
Customer service is horrible in almost every industry. I ca't imagine lamborghini, who charged so much for their high-end cars, also having poor customer service. Sounds snobish to me. Good for the owner, he obviously has the money to spend thanks to us U.S consumers!
It probably was something stupid like the air conditioning was too cold.
I'm thinking it was something stupid like driver error. The car is a beast but a bad driver can render it inoperable in a short period of time. Some people just can't drive a stick or maybe he was driving it too slow. The car is designed to be driven fast and aggressive and if you don't do that once in a while it will start running like my 1995 Thunderbird.
Believe it or not we have fixed cars in the past just by driving them fast on the freeway. People would buy sports cars because they looked cool but never drove them on the freeway. You have to blow it out every once in a while. I'm talking about Mustangs and Camaro's which couldn't keep up with a Lamborghini on their best day.
If only the wealthy could think a little more humane this publicity stunt would have been a lot better if a charity received something out of it. At least a handful of people got paid but if you are going to complain about customer service then show us how it's done. Show us how people should be treated instead of just showing off.
Putting my soapbox in the trunk of my POS car.
The Lambo is a piece fo crap. I did a track day where they had Lamborghinis and Ferraris for people to drive. For the Ferraris, they had a F430, F430 Spyder, and 599. They brought 2 Gallardos to represent the Lamborghinis. The Gallardos kept having mechanical issues and ultimately had to be "retired" for repair while the Ferraris ran like champs.
If it makes the owner feel any better, I promise that as a result of his protest, I'll never buy a Lamborghini.
Now if they want to give me one - well then perhaps I could be convinced of the firm's committment to its customers.
Wow. I'm sure the "poor service" was something insignificant judging by the callousness of the car owner. People who would spend thousands to destroy a quarter million dollar car are usually so narcissistic that their demands are beyond what is realistically possible. I'd put money down that this guy had a check engine light on (do Lamborghinis have check engine lights?) that needed several visits to get to the bottom of. Given the nature of engine diagnostics and the kinds of problems a supercar engine could encounter, several visits is par for the course. Just as likely the jackass probably blew the transmission because he doesn't know how to drive. Jumping up and down and making a childish scene by destroying the car is exactly what we can expect from a sociopathic narcissist who makes unrealistic demands on society and those whose services he purchases.
For the record it is just this kind of disconnect that many of the rich have when compared to the middle classes of the world. They feel that they deserve more than everyone else and frequently belittle the problems of lower classes.
He could have done a lot of good with the money from that car. Instead he just trashed it while the poor looked on.
agree
You are certainly speculating here. Most people are assuming it was something minor. The point of the article was that the guy (rich or poor) got bad service from the dealer and wasnt satisfied. To show his discontent, he had his car destroyed. Now I wouldnt have wasted a nice car like a Lamborghini but maybe it was a lemon. It happens. Good for him for giving Lamborghini a black eye in public. BTW, if you are sooooo concerned America with this guys money coming from us, then stop buying cheap $h1t from China. Get it from Taiwan instead. : )
Radagast: Amen Brother
if you didnt like the car and were disatisfied with the service you recieved, then sell it and never buy another one. I guarentee you that lamborgini does not care about this little stunt. he is out 250k, lambo already got paid, end of line
minbari -
I don't think you understand the importance of a companies brand and reputation. This stunt is just the sort of thing that can start others talking about their bad experiences with "Lame-borghinis" If it gets a "negative conversation" started about "Lame-borghinis" then it will be FAR more costly to the company than the cost they might have incurred to make it right. This is exactly what the car owner was hoping for, and "Lame-borghini" is foolish for not giving it the attention it deserved.
way to much time on the hands of all concerned people all over the world hungry living in the street the cash for the ride could of been better used it is not like this event is gonna cure malaria a guy with to much and a bit shy in thought
Probably the ashtray was full.
The owner is sending quite a strong statement to the manufacturer. And he speaks for all of us who gets ripped off day in and day out by 21st century immoral corporations whose sole purpose is to maximize profit by hook or crook.
I agree with the message but feel conflicted about the method. Would I destroy my car after spending hard earned money on it? No, but I must grudgingly admit that this stunt did get his struggle highlighted on a news/media website. The only remaining question is what now? Will sales of Lamborghinis plummet? Will a multitude of customers tredge to the dealerships, high-end luxury cars in tow, clamoring for a refund? Only time will tell.
even if the aircon blew to cold, maybe he only got one cube of sugar in his coffee when he asked for two, if you have spent that kind of money on a car you would want to get what you ask for no matter how stupid it sounds, he obviously has the money to make that point i wood do the same . GOOD ON HIM!!
everyone has hit the nail on the head. do they think becuase they destroyed the car it is going to change anything? of course not. the manufacture is laughing all the way to the bank!!!
I wonder how he would protest getting a bad nose job?
Baseball bat to the face maybe?
Question for the owner:
How's that strategy working for you?
Well if he can afford to purchase and destroy a supercar, I'm guessing he's not doing too bad financially. I could be wrong though.
WTF??? Is this person flipping stupid? I would have gladly taken that car for free! Just goes to show that there are people in this world with more dollars than sense.....
I don't think giving you the car would have made his point. And if a man can buy a $250,000 car and then have it destroyed just to make a point is stupid, well, I pray one day I'm that stupid.
I wonder how the customer service is at the company that the owner of the Lambo works for?
Not sure what to think of it. On one hand, he is protesting against Lamborghini for charging so much and not living up to it (because he can afford to do it). He must get a lot of satisfaction sending them the message since this is being viewed worldwide (Lamborghini's ego and reputation must have suffered) . However, on the other hand, it isn't a very wise thing to do with such an expensive thing when a phone call to their head office would have gotten their attention (especially since you can afford such luxuries).
But customer service has certainly gone down the tubes with either automated menuing systems or outsourced personnel who you can barely understand. It gets increasing worse every day.
what this guy doing, is a message well done if he has money too burn is his money you people dont worry about that here inamerica companies are a scam they do whetever they want with people well done by the owner i like this
OMG! You idiots smashed the wrong car, its the one behind you!
LOL! "Sudden look of disbelief and shock. Everyone sheepishly turns around to see the junk YUGO car behind them emblazoned with neon paint claiming "Lambo sux" and "Consumer Rights". By the time the crowd looks back at the Lambo, the guys in blue with hammers are nowhere to be found."
LOL @ Yugo! priceless! they didnt fix his "Rotator Splint"
Yugo's have rotator splints?
Now the media must get the reaction of the dealer and/or maintenance folks that failed the owner.
Although this car is designed, manufactured, and built in Italy; most of the components ( electronics at least) are made in China. So who is this guy really sending a message too?
Make you say hmmmmmm:
Couldnt agree more....Very well said! simple as that....it is hard to find a product that has no chinese parts...wonder what he would have done if was not his Lambo but his personal Jet? Would it be one big ugly revolt that big companies would pay attention too?
I have had a S-10 Pickup my whole life. I finally was able to get a BMW 550i. The service was incredible. As soon as I drove off the lot I never heard from the salesmen again and bringing it in to get serviced is a nightmare. Good costumer service is as hard to find as good employee's. There's no integrity anymore.
I bet the guy needed a beaten like his car received.
Did your Chevy salesman call you all the time after you bought your S-10? He didn't after I bought mine. So I guess I should be really upset at Chevrolet then. Salesmen only care about the sale. After the taillights are over the curb they could care less no matter what car you buy.
The BMW dealer here is known for excellent service but it is pricey. There is something like bimmerlist or something like that where users recommend reputable service houses in your area. If your BMW is out of warranty, try that.
Wish i could have done the same thing to a BMW i bought brand new in 2006 (525xi).
I had it for 18 months and it spent most of its time in the dealership for multiple problems.
had to get rid of it lost a lot of money but got my insanity back,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Must be a spoiled brat modaf! What's next, his mansion, wife and kids? Waaa! Your're not perfect, I will have you destroyed! Please don't have yourself get destroyed at the end...
It is his money and he can spend it any way he chooses. You do not know the situation and you don't know what happened to him. He could have spent that much on the car only to get the same old tired "that's not our problem" runaround. However he earned his money, he earned it and he can spend it how he chooses.
I agree, it's his money, his car and his to do with as he pleases....the next act for him is to box up the smashed car, ship it to Lambo head office in Milan or wherever it is and drop it off in front of the corporate offices whenever they're unveling their new Lambo
I like to see smash faces smash that Lambo!
Customer Service? I had 6 of your Chinese Will Pop Tires on my Pick-Up $1,127.56 later I was told T.S. I don't need anything so bad that I will purchase anything made in China or Mexico. Who do you think pays for the weekly recalls on Cheep Communist Chinese Crap, you do.
Don't be upset, the Italian Lambo is a piece of junk. I've seen more pictures of broken, wrecked and burning Lambos more so than any other luxury car. I've even seen one wrecked with my very own two eyes. Seems to me these cars aren't all they are touted to be, not really a sports car as one might think of it as being. Its more a luxurious tin can on wheels, ready to break down and burn itself to bare metal at any given time.
Irony-- Ferruccio Lamborghini started the company in 1963 out of dissatisfaction with his Ferrari ?