RE: Audi loses a sale to BMW

["Rob Winchell" <rbw@avs.com>]

I think it is important to ALWAYS let a business (or manager or whatever)
know when you are not happy with the service you received. I would say let
AoA know about this, as well as the individual dealerships. Things will
never get better otherwise.

That said, I think Audi's problem is one of arrogance (as you stated) and
not specifically pricing. If the dealer knows he can get 7% or list+ for a
car, why would he sell it for less? Granted, they should be straightforward
about it, and could lose the attitude.

Rob Winchell
91 200Q
* Looking for a nice 92 or 93 Passat *



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> [mailto:owner-quattro@coimbra.ans.net]On Behalf Of Fluhr
> Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 1998 12:34 PM
> To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> Subject: Audi loses a sale to BMW
>
>
>
> I am saddened by the attitude that Audi dealers apparently have these
> days.  The success of the A4 seems to have gone to their head.
>
> A good friend of mine recently decided to buy a new car to replace his
> 1987 Volvo 240DL.  He is mechanically inept, and so wanted a car that
> provided complete service with a loaner car for a few year.  Having
> known me for 8 years, the Audi A4 was high on his list.  After having
> looked at and test driven an A4 and an Infinity G20, he decided that
> he wanted an A4.  He found a Santorin Blue 1998 1.8t quattro with
> tiptronic tranny, convenience package, and Bose stereo on the North
> Atlanta Audi lot that he liked.  It had 254 miles and a number of
> noticeable scratches on it, and the salesperson claimed that they were
> trying to get rid of the 1998 models to make room for the 1999 cars.
> So, armed with the invoice I had given him, my friend offered first
> 3% and then 5% over invoice price for the car.  The salesperson would
> not take anything less than 7% however, so my friend walked out.
> Why would he pay 7% over invoice for a previous model year car with
> 254 miles on it and scratches in its paint, when he could order a
> brand new '99 for the same price??
>
> Two days later he walked into Jim Ellis Audi and found another A4
> he liked.  He liked it so much he was willing to pay LIST PRICE
> for it, but Jim Ellis Audi wouldn't go that low.  Now, my friend
> is a sales representative for Nortel, and knows how the game is
> played.  He was completely put off by the sales rep's attitude
> and the run-around that he was being given, and he stayed at the
> dealership for a couple of hours trying to work something out.
> He left in frustration, and went to a local BMW dealer that his
> boss at work had recommended.  3 hours later he walked out with
> a 1998 BMW 318, satisfied that he had gotten a fair deal.
>
> The big downside is that now he trashes Audi whenever he talks
> about his experience with his friends, family, and coworkers.  He
> feels the Audi sales personnel have no sense of customer relations,
> they just give you a price, say "take it or leave it", and aren't
> interested in discussing the situation at all.  Since they snubbed
> him, he will now recommend to anyone that asks that they forget
> Audi and get a BMW instead.
>
> I am rather disappointed, and will email Audi with the story to
> let them know why they lost a customer.
>
> Later,
> Eric
> '85 CGT, '82 urq
> ---
> Eric J. Fluhr                                Email:
> ejfluhr@austin.ibm.com
> 630FP Logic/Circuit Design                   Phone:  (512) 838-7589
> IBM Server Group                             Austin, TX
>