Are You a VW Sales Rep Affected by the Emissions Scandal?

If you are a VW sales rep and you have been affected by the Volkswagen scandal over diesel emissions, you may be able to join a class action lawsuit investigation.

Back in 2015, Volkswagen became embroiled in a major scandal after it was found to have cheated on the diesel emissions tests for thousands of its vehicles in recent years. While tests showed emissions at a low level, the actual emission levels of the vehicles in regular driving mode were far higher than allowable under the Clean Air Act.

Besides the obvious environmental ramifications, the Volkswagen scandal also had an impact on the company’s VW sales rep employees. After the Volkswagen scandal initially broke, many vehicles were recalled, and the value of its cars dropped drastically. This put anyone working as a VW sales rep in a difficult position as they were paid by commission. Commission sales were seriously impacted by the drop in vehicle value as well as the hit to the company’s image, which has affected demand for these cars.

If you worked as a VW sales rep when the Volkswagen scandal broke and your sales commissions were affected in the aftermath, you may be able to join a sales rep class action lawsuit investigation.

Background of the Volkswagen Scandal

After the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that Volkswagen had cheated on its diesel emissions tests, the federal agency contacted the automaker back in September 2015. Essentially, nearly half a million Volkswagen diesel vehicles sold in the U.S. were releasing levels of toxic fumes far higher than what is legally allowed by the Clean Air Act. The difference was dramatic—some vehicles released emissions up to 40 times higher than the Clean Air Act allowed.

While around half a million vehicles were included in the EPA’s original notice, Volkswagen admitted in the following months that the actual number of vehicles affected by the scandal was far higher. By the company’s own admission, more than 11 million VW diesel cars were affected in the Volkswagen scandal.

Why did it take so long for the EPA to discover the discrepancy in diesel emissions? Volkswagen used what is considered a “defeat device” included in the engine software, which works to trick cars into emitting low diesel emissions, complying with the Clean Air Act when it senses it is being used under test conditions. Then, when the car is being used in regular driving conditions, emission levels shoot up. Regulators checking cars during tests for compliance were led to believe that the vehicles complied with accepted emissions standards, but after these several million cars were released onto the road, they would emit a huge amount of harmful pollutants.

Impact on VW Sales Commissions

After the Volkswagen scandal initially came to light, the automaker’s sales shot down—according to Bloomberg, as much as 22 percent in the U.S. by July 2016. This effect on sales had a perhaps unintended consequence on a more personal level—for those who worked as a VW sales rep were affected via their commissions. VW sales rep employees are paid on commissions, and since sales have been heavily impacted by the Volkswagen scandal, so have these commissions.

Joining a VW Sales Rep Lawsuit

Volkswagen was hit with a class action lawsuit just this last March alleging that VW sales rep employees were harmed by the Volkswagen emissions scandal. If you worked as a VW sales rep when the Volkswagen scandal broke and saw a significant drop in your income as a result, you may be able to join or file a lawsuit.

Join a Free Volkswagen Sales Commissions Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you worked as a Volkswagen sales representative when the VW dieselgate scandal broke and you saw a drop in your commissioned sales, you may qualify to join this VW sales representative class action lawsuit investigation.

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