Dealer Arrogance...and not VW !

[drisser]

You go out to spend around £30k + on a new car, so why do some dealers make it so hard to do this ?

Having spent last Saturday driving 2 x VW, 2 x Audi and 2 x BMW it was also a chance to check out service levels.  I have to say VW have always been very good when I have dealt with them but seems to vary within brand.  My usual Audi dealer are also very good as they are a local dealer group not one of the big boys.

I thought I would try another Audi dealer early last week in case I needed a backup or to play one off against the other if I decided on an S3, plus the fact they are a bit handier..  Anyway after first going to the showroom last week, alarm bells started to ring as the guy didn’t seem that interested in arranging me a test drive and looked bemused that I might be interested in an S3 or an RS3 as if to say “ you can’t possibly afford an RS3 if you are looking at an S3 !?” 

So having managed to squeeze a grudging test drive the guy refused to give me a part ex on my A3, despite checking it over etc.  Refused to basically give me any finance quote because as he put it “ I prefer to get emotion involved and then sharpen the pencil”  I should have know how this would go.

Anyway, the weekend came and went having driven the S3 and RS3, Golf’s and BMW’s at my usual local dealers who I have to say were all excellent as always, prepared quotes there and then etc..

So having more or less shortlisted the S3 and BMW 330d, I emailed back the other Audi dealer with a specced up pdf of my ideal car with a simple request – I said “I have to decide between the S3 and 330d and it might well come down to price – can you price me up the attached car with an idea of the best price you can do the S3 for and give me an idea of part ex for my A3 that you looked at last week ?”  - not an unreasonable request ?

The response – and I quote .. “ I would prefer not to get into a dutch auction with regards to best price.  We would be keen to have your business at ******* Audi  & therefore if the S3 was your preferred choice please let me know what monthly payments you are looking to achieve to place the order”

WTF ?!  So I replied back (even though I know what a Dutch auction is) “ Not sure what you mean by a Dutch auction, but if you were hoping to hide the actual price I might pay for the car with massaged GFV’s, APR’s and Part ex’s that I can’t see clearly and think I was going to make a decision based purely on a monthly payment, you are every much mistaken.  For a start, you haven’t even told me when you could supply a car,  secondly I am an accountant and the reason I asked for the price of the car, the part ex separately is exactly to avoid massaging of figures, therefore its clear ******* Audi won’t be getting my business.”

Unbelievable.  How can 1 Audi dealer (or salesman) be so awful and another be really good (my usual Audi dealer shipped down at S3 for me from another garage 50 miles away) ?!  Still, it no doubt goes for all brands, in my experience the common denominator is the smaller family owned dealers or groups are much better to deal with and value your custom.

[fredgroves]

I still maintain that the automotive sales and service sector is worse than pretty much every other sector in every possible way.

The galling thing here is that cars are so expensive, you'd think they'd have better service... mind you estate agents are c***s too :-/

The "the price is the price, if you can't afford it f*** off" is a great attitude for a Ferrari dealer, not so good for someone selling what appears from observing the roads to be about the 2nd most popular marque on the road.

They seem to always have a rather inflated idea of what the three ring badge actually means.

[drisser]

Its even more annoying when you work in finance and so many (not just Audi) try and hide behind PCP Monthly figures to mask the true cost of the car or the APR of finance etc..and just make it "affordable"

Only 4 things I want when I start a dealer discussion.

List price with options £
Discount £
Apr % if I want finance
Part Ex price £

After that, then I can decide on monthly payments etc, first a bit of transparency is useful..

To be honest there is probably a PPI mis-selling scandal waiting to happen in the car industry.  One BMW dealer (again part of a big group) made me a PCP finance quote over 48 months, with minimum deposit and actually giving me cashback for my part ex despite the fact I asked for a 24 month straight HP, with max deposit !!

[am1w]

Audi Dealers are generally the worst, though I have heard very good reports about Coventry Audi. They give really good deals.

[Sootchucker]

Dead true story. When I was looking to purchase a new car back in 2005, for the first time ever I thought I would give my local Audi dealer a try, as I was in the market for a Golf / Focus size car, but really liked the then new, Audi A3.

Went into the showroom and they had one on a turntable (the car had only been officially launched in the UK some months before). I looked everywhere for an indication of price (a placard, price list etc). With nothing to hand, I approached a sales lady  who saw the wife and I looking over the car intently, however made no effort to get up off her arse and come over to me. When I said, "excuse me, do you have a price list for the new A3 please" (pointing to the car), her response floored me.....

She said (and I quote)........."They are quite expensive and you probably won't be able to afford one" !!! WTF, needless to say we left immediately and despite writing a letter to the dealer principle AND Audi UK complaining about my treatment, I didn't even get an acknowledgement for either of them (w*nkers).

I really like the new A3, and would seriously consider one again next time, but it's just the total apathy of the dealers that will prevent me ever stepping foot inside one again (unless of course one is recommended to me and treats me properly).

[Booth11]

Drisser - terrible experience but sadly not surprising.

I see your point about smaller dealers giving better service but not always the case.

My local VW dealer is an independant, and as such have never been able to offer good discounts, fair enough.  But my main gripe is they have such an abysmal, couldn't-care-less attitude to getting, or more accurately not getting, your business.  I could accept a lesser amount of discount if the service element was there but without it?  No thanks!

When I was buying one of my Mk5's I practically had to beg them.  It being my second Mk5 i wanted a certain spec and there was nothing in the VW network that matched, so I wanted a factory built car to my chosen spec.  They were so resistant and reluctant to do that, I walked out and ordered the car through orangewheels - pain free, great discount, but most importantly got the car I wanted!

I didn't bother with them at all for the R, just went straight to DTD. 

If you have a tried and trusted dealer then stick with them.

[itavaltalainen]

I made similar experiences in the past.... VW Worcester belong to a large chain, I was not impressed with their service. Which is why I go to a dealer in Hereford now, they are a much smaller company, service I got from them is a million times better. Only downside is that it's a 45min drive rather than 15min but I can live with that.

[kenny.c]

YUP

Our local Audi dealer is exactly the same drisser....
It must be some special training they get in being d%$kheads when they start working at a Audi dealership

Ken

[JB GTI]

Agreed  they are the most arrogant, lazy, condescending bunch of individuals you are likely to come across. They must be shipped in specially from Audi island !!

VW dealers don't escape the criticism either. The woeful bunch of Forrest Gumps at my local VW dealer are the most incompetent bunch of idiots ever from sales to service an extremely rich vein of ineptitude flows through every corner of that site. Last week out of need I had the misfortune to visit to try and pick up some G13 coolant only to be told the parts dept have moved 6 miles away and there is nothing on site anymore !!!  That's going to work then !!!

This is the reason I drive 40 mins to my preferred dealership.

[monkeyhanger]

Audi dealers are a bit lower on the evolutionary scale than traffic wardens and estate agents in general.

I do dislike it when they start chucking in extras you don't want like Lifeshine and GAP and start talking affordability in monthly terms rather than cost to change.

I went in for the missus's A1 order with a no bullsh!t attitude. I told the salesman straight that I had no p/x, gave him the Audi code for the exact car wanted and said "I could go through DTD and have a Scottish dealer supply me with the car and deliver it on a trailer. I'm ready to place a deposit for the order today, what can you do?

I humoured the sales patter on the financials for all of 2 mins (buying on finance purely to get deposit contribution and then clear immediately). He tried the "how much are you looking to pay per month?" on. I told him that I was working on discounted price as if the discount was right, the monthlies would pay for themselves. He didn't try it on too much.

This was the same salesman that sneered down at my mate when he was shopping for a new Audi after getting 5+bonus ball on the lottery, picking up £146k. He couldn't decide between a new A3 184TDI or a nearly new black edition A4 (he wouldn't dream of blowing it all on a car). When he mentioned the possibility of second hand, the saleman changed his tune as if my mate was a pauper.

My mate mentioned he could buy any car in the place, including an R8 V10 which was on display, then whipped out a balance slip from a cashpoint. The salesman took a look and my mate then said "but thanks to your attitude, i'll be buying from a different dealership!".