VW/Audi dealer - Better up your game!

k3lvc

[quote=[Deleted User];69262673]Are you having a laugh?

If they want to sell me a car then the minimum requirement is they keep to any appointments they have made with me.

The fact that the timing is not right because they want to make they're figures look good, or they're a bit busy doing something else, or they're a little bit sad about recent news is something that I don't a monkeys bum about it!

If they treat everyone like this then they definitely won't have a job....[/QUOTE]

If only - life is a game and you have to play.

You can choose where you buy your car in the same way that they can choose who they deal with/how they run their business - the balance is understanding each others needs/objectives and at that particular time you were not top of their agenda potentially for reasons I've outlined

Your choice now is whether that taints your experience of the Audi brand or whether the 99%+ of the time you spend driving it rather than interacting with the dealer is a trade off you're prepared to take

Given your attitude towards the whole thing it's be better in praise/vents/warnings

[Deleted User]

k3lvc wrote: »

If only - life is a game and you have to play.

You can choose where you buy your car in the same way that they can choose who they deal with/how they run their business - the balance is understanding each others needs/objectives and at that particular time you were not top of their agenda potentially for reasons I've outlined

Your choice now is whether that taints your experience of the Audi brand or whether the 99%+ of the time you spend driving it rather than interacting with the dealer is a trade off you're prepared to take

Given your attitude towards the whole thing it's be better in praise/vents/warnings

Fair point but surely customer service should be at its absolute best when they're trying to sell something?

Surely its not just the 1% of the time affected. It just doesn't look good for when you do need something out of them - like getting car repaired under warranty.

Sorry but it might not have put us off the audi brand but certainly this dealer.

Johnmcl7

I generally find dealers are surprisingly uninterested in selling cars, unless there's a car I'm particularly keen on I just go elsewhere. Last time I was looking for a car, sales people would just wander off even when I told them I'd been looking for a car for months and would buy the right one straight away. When I was looking at driving a distance to see a car I'd get in touch first to make sure it was available, many never replied or were available to speak to and my favourite was one that they'd put the car into the showroom and didn't want to take it out unless I was definitely buying it, no test drives. This was a two/three year old Skoda Octavia so hardly some premium car that was worth showing off and needless to say, I wasn't buying it without a test drive.

The flip side of this is that at one point I was struggling to find the car I wanted and ended up test driving a few different cars at a certain garage where the sales person was friendly and encouraging when I wanted to try another car. I ended up buying one from them even though it wasn't what I'd originally wanted as I'd enjoyed the test drive so much, I thought I'd get rid of it soon after as a daft impulse buy but a few years later I was sorry to see it go when I needed an estate for the dog.

John

Crag30

Strangely, I wasn't too happy with them either this week. Kept me nearly 3/4 of an hour to pick the car up, then charged me for an MOT that was quoted for free.
Originally I was taking it to another dealership further away,as I've never had a service at my local dealer that I never had to take the car back to afterwards.
It's only because of my Dad with his Alzheimers that I had to stay locally

globalds

I think the salesmen must be pretty nervous over their own futures.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/volkswagen-suspends-sale-of-4-000-cars-in-uk-1-3905050

motorguy

[quote=[Deleted User];discussion/5334574]After the recent news I was a little surprised at the behaviour of Cardiff AUDI last weekend.

Wife had booked a test drive for 2pm with the view to buying an A1.
I had a feeling when we booked this a few weeks ago that they weren't particularly interested. Maybe because the A1 is their least expensive car.

But anyway, test drive was booked. They told us please let us know if you can't make this slot because we book test drives in slots like this.

So she turns up at 2pm. Reception ask her to wait. So she waits 30 mins. Then someone comes over and says be over in 10 mins. At 3-15pm she walks out.

No-one from Cardiff Audi has contacted her since. VERY VERY Poor.

Even without the current scandal we won't be buying an Audi now..... You would have thought they'd be pulling all stops out at the moment but obviously not.[/QUOTE]

Very poor. Very poor indeed.

Personally i'd have sat ten mins, then been over to them.

Also, now, personally, i'd be writing to the Dealer Principal and also contacting Audi UK asking is this the level of service you should be expecting from one of their dealers.

Genuinely - customer service these days is totally appalling

gilbert_and_sullivan

This is what happens when many of their customers, not including the the OP here, are buying into the badge in an almost craven worshipful way.

This used to be the preserve of BMW until about 10 years ago, they could stick the little propellor on a turd and people would still be queuing up to buy, its now the same with VW group, Audi especially.

When they have so many customers eager to buy into the brand image (and i can't for the life of me understand why), and it matters not how disrespectful the treatment of customers even before they've paid any money, that customer still adamantly has to have one, why should they be remotely interested in providing any form of customer service...one can imagine the attitude/service one can expect when the thing goes wrong once they've got your dosh if this is how they woo you before buying.

The trouble is too many people are prepared to accept this sort of treatment, so long as they do, and pay for it too, they'll carry on.

If you want things to change, the only thing these people understand is money, hit them in the pocket and tell them why.

oscarward

In my experience (and others) Jaguar are much better.

WellKnownSid

Skoda drivers happily tell people that above all, it's a VW.
SEAT drivers will tell you that they're driving a previous generation Audi.
VW drivers will tell you that really they're driving an Audi with a different badge.
Audi drivers refuse to believe that their cars have anything in common with the above three badges.

The Audi dealer isn't going to be worried. People will still want to drive around with their precious four rings on the nose, their attitude will be that it'll cut down on the time-wasters, people who might be considering looking at any other brand.

OP - as far as your dealer is concerned, your wife failed the test. She was obviously not serious. This test is used in dealerships all over the country. No you can't have a test drive today. No you can't have a test drive now. No we don't have the car you're looking for nor can we be bothered to find you something similar to at least show you. Be with you in ten minutes - goes out for lunch. We at Audi book you into a slot then can't be bothered to turn up for it. I tell you what, why don't you come back at a time we stipulate - and if you say a time we'll say a different time - that way we get you to do some of the work. If you're going to be bought into the brand, you will play our game.

This is page one dysfunctional selling - like "prices are going up on Monday".

rustyboy21

I have had a different situation with my local VW dealership. I wasnt even buying from them, it was a lease car, but they showed me the saloon and estate version, went through all the gizmo's , let me test drive it and gave me brochures etc to take away. No issues or tuts etc.

Toyota and Lexus on the other hand ....