Dealership Service (Medium rant...)

[quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk (Phil Payne)]

In message <1541FB5CE3@agcom.tamu.edu> "Al Powell" writes:

> Anyone wanna step outside and argue with tire irons??  ;-)

No.  Perhaps a little sparring?

It's not a "dealership" problem, per se.

I.e., we have (thanks to the UK Audi Quattro Owners Club database) a
pretty fair idea of the number of ur-quattros within a reasonable
catchment area of Autohaus in Wellingborough.

One.  (1).  F600 JVJ.

Which they would see, assuming perfect performance of the alloted tasks,
around twice a year.  Hardly worth sending two technicians a year on
courses.  And if they did - would I want to pay for it?

It's _NOT_ the dealerships' problem.  Actually, within the new bounds
defined by Audi (UK), I'm getting _EXCELLENT_ parts service from
Autohaus in Wellingborough.  If Audi could clone David and Graham from
the parts counter there, they'd be on to a winner.

It is an Audi (UK, USA) problem.  In every other branch of technological
support (talk to IBM, Amdahl, Hitachi, Fujitsu, et al) it is customary
to provide an "end of life" support programme.  Amdahl's "Classic"
programme for their 470 and 580 users is exemplary.

Audi is, to a degree, two-faced.  They're deliriously happy when we turn
up at motor sport events with ur-quattros looking pristine and _still_
capable of leaving M3s in the dust (separate thread looming) but they
will _NOT_ assist us with spares programmes, etc.

They're riding for a fall.  Sooner or later they're going to get
pilloried for their cavalier treatment of "classic" Audi owners.

--
 Phil Payne
 Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
 (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)