RE: AoA experiences

[Ed Kellock <EKELLOCK@ECS-INC.com>]

So weird.  AoA seems to have rare flashes of brilliant responsiveness and
then nothing but surly indifference for long periods of time...

It's a good thing for the Qlist.  Or maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy...

Ed

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	James Desveaux [SMTP:desveaux@ucla.edu]
> Sent:	Wednesday, July 15, 1998 4:03 PM
> To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> Subject:	RE:AoA experiences
> 
> The list message had no Audi content, so I must make amends.
> 
> I had one surprising and positive experience with AoA.  I bought my '91
> 200QW in Nevada.  It was registered in Minnesota, however.  I drove it to
> California and got it smogged.  It passed, no problems.  WHen I went to
> register it, California tacked on a $300. emissions fee, since the car
> hadn't been registered here before, and the emissions sticker was
> partially
> missing.  A couple of Audi mechanics at local dealerships told me I had a
> 50
> state car, and that the 3B US models were all the same, except for perhaps
> the missing bulb in the 'engine check' socket for non-California cars.  I
> called AoA, and spoke with a client relations person (their term, not
> mine).
> She asked where the car was first sold.  I told her it was Pennsylvania.
> She said in heavily accented French, 'Well, you know, your car was made
> for
> Pennsylvania standards, not California standards.'  I figured, this isn't
> going anywhere.  DMV in Cal had given me a form for the manufacturer to
> fill
> out.  If AoA certified that the car was originally designed to meet Cal
> specs, they'd refund my money.  I was not optimistic.
> 
> Anyway, I wrote a detailed letter to AoA in Auburn Hills, MI, and included
> the DMW form, having filled out my portion.  Amazingly, I received a
> telephone call from AoA the very day they received my letter.  They had
> never confronted this problem before, but they called Sacramento and
> hashed
> it out with my buddies up there.  So my client relations person with the
> french accent tells me that AoA signed off on the form, that I had a 50
> state car, that DMV should and will refund my $300., and that I was to
> 'ave
> a nice day.  Amazing.  The dealers had told me that, in so many words, I'd
> be p*ssing up a rope trying to get AoA's help on something like this.  I
> sent the completed form to DMV, but still haven't received my refund.  But
> I
> thought I should throw a fly into the ointment of AoA bad service stories.
> 
> 
> - Jim