Audi sales staff

[MB2]

The bit I don't get (not being a car salesman) is I think there are actually few time wasters just people who are looking to buy but probably not today. I tried to buy an RS4 from an Audi dealer but it was so painful getting a test drive (salseman was ex-BMW salesman who moved to Audi as "everyone was buying Audis") wanted me to commit to buy etc. far too early in sales cycle and gave impression his time far more valuable than mine so walked out. Bought mine from a Ferrari dealer in the end couldn't have been easier people to deal with...

[aidanjaye]

Its not just Audi sales - the servicing is pish too. How many times to you here "I'll phone you back"?? Too many.

[mark758]

The salesmen are snobs in Audi..they think if you walk into a dealer and look as if you cant afford an Audi they wont bother with you!!! tossers.


I bought my RS4 in my rags (work stuff) and the original salesman blanked me..prick.

I only bought it from another salesman who knows me very well and ive gave him loads of deals in the past..he does look after me very well...

The original salesmans face was a picture!!! TOSSER..

Very similar experience. I am jeans and trainers and t-shirt bloke on a Saturday morning. The salesman was arrogance personified.
When I asked to see the car he actually asked me to wait while he made himself (only) a coffee. 10 minutes later he returned and he seemed to think revving the engine from cold a few times for me was all that was required for me to hand over over 30k on the spot lol

I walked out and selected another salesman the next day to do the deal - who was excellent actually!
It was some reward to do the transaction in front of salesman A though...

[spoonz]

On a plus point,

Enquired about one today at Main Dealer.

Voice mail and email within 30 mins. Called them up, arranged an appointment and they even offered to bring car to me to view.

Lets see how we go Saturday. I'm hoping the end of month/year coming up is making them a bit more keen.

If its as described, and they can do me a deal, I might be driving it home.

[Porky]

I have a mate who is a VW nut, he sells VWs for a living. He will answer any question off the top of his head, know the history, background, mechanics etc. Loves the marque, loves the cars and loves the job.

Top salesman there...go figure!

[bye bye]

When buying the Wife a Golf GTi I asked the salesman what his target ws per month...being in sales myself, he said "I am a senior salesman so I don't have a target...." k n o b!!

Took in back for it's first service and mentioned the front brakes squeaked. When I collected the service guy said take it easy as we've replaced disks and pads all-round under warranty! Had the fronts replaced on my R32 for the same reason without asking.

I had one of the first S3s in 1999, afer a while it started vibrating at 70-80mph Audi had it back and couldn't fix it...so the service managr at the dealer said "ask or a new car..." so I did and I got one.

It's down to the people not the brand. I had a shocking experience at BMW when looking at M3 vs 335d....the guy just couldn't get why I was looking at the 2 "very, very different models..." I was dressed in shorts and shirt but even so I explained my situation....he just didn't believe me...

[aidanjaye]

I think we must conceed, in general, car sales staff are all decendants of McDonalds workers??? and no feck all about the brands they are selling. Maybe thats why so many independant dealers get so much work after our warranty expires.

[Nib]

This is what Tim Abbott, new MD of BMW UK had to say in the latest Club mag:-

"I first joined BMW GB back in 1986, holding several positions in Parts and Sales.
I left Bracknell in 1996 to fulfil the dream of running my own business. I duly became the first Audi sponsored dealer, in Slough, and then built up Audi operations in Chiswick, Reading and Guildford, before selling my group to the United Auto Group in 2004.

UAG is an interesting business owned by a name that resonates with motor sport enthusiasts - Roger Penske, the most successful Indy car entrant of all time. Roger asked me to stay on after the sale to oversee the Audi dealerships he had acquired and, later on, the Mercedes dealerships too.
Before you choke on your coffee and Danish that the new MD at Bracknell has worked with ‘the enemy’, allow me to explain why this is valuable for BMW and for you. I bring back to BMW a deep understanding of the premium marketplace and of our competitors. Even more importantly I understand the importance of a dealer network and how it can deliver, or not, outstanding customer relations.

My philosophy is quite simple. Our customers are paramount in everything we do - if we don’t serve you well, you won’t come back. Ergo, our dealer network in critically important because it is they who touch our customers on a daily basis."

So, I can't believe that Audi UK would be happy with the shocking service so many of us seem to have received. Perhaps we should all write, in the spirit of constructive criticism, (as Audi (RS4) enthusiasts) to Jeremy Hicks telling him that his dealers need to do better. He did take the DRC issue on board after all. It's the least we could do!

Just a thought........

[drcarrera]

For the sake of balance ...

the pre, during, and after sales service I had from my local Audi dealer (Newbury) was excellent.

Pre-sales at the Merc garage next door was appalling (on three separate occasions!). However, nearby Swindon, which is the same dealership, was excellent (so we bought the wife's motor there).

I've had good and bad pre-sales service across a range of other marques as well (Jag,BMW,Porsche for eg). As mentioned above, I think it's as much, if not more to do with the individual sales person as the dealership. It only takes one poor member of staff to ruin the whole customer experience with a dealer ...

[SR71]

I have had a universally good experience at Camberley Audi.

Here in Mordor, things have been dire for a while, although, again, yesterday proved the exception to the rule and I came across a very helpful Audi salesman.

That said, a little experiment....

Next time you're in the showroom, ask someone about the Sport Differential on the A5 and see how many people know what the f**k you're talking about...

I reckon, like someone said, it ain't the marque, its the people...

My wife loves to recount the story of how she arrived at the Main Reception of a big Audi dealer one day to collect the RS4, whereupon the girl behind the desk said:

"Whats an RS4?"

[HYFR]

So, I can't believe that Audi UK would be happy with the shocking service so many of us seem to have received. Perhaps we should all write, in the spirit of constructive criticism, (as Audi (RS4) enthusiasts) to Jeremy Hicks telling him that his dealers need to do better. He did take the DRC issue on board after all. It's the least we could do!

Just a thought........

i'll pass on the msg in a few months

[xyber]

The dealership are definatly snobs. I popped in once in my work uniform and van and it was like I was invisible, another I was in my normal clothes and my car and it was cheesy grins the second I walked through the door. Both times though the saleman was completly stumped by my question

Receptionist girl is really hot though

[aidanjaye]

Scarrily my old Audi S4 (v8) was booked in for a timing belt change??? After two days, a very sheepish phone call from dealer explaining it didn't have one...

[ArthurPE]

it's like anything else, 50/50: any profession, any person, race/color/creed, nationality, ie, asshole/not asshole, lol
yin-yang...good = bad in proportion
I look for, and emulate, the good, and try to ignore (and not be, but not very sucessfully at times) the bad

I could never survive in a service or sales employment capacity...I lack patience

a lot of people when they are buying stuff, it empowers them, gives them a right to be righteous, feed their ego, and they think the sales folk owe them something (other than help and common courtesy), and that they deserve some kind of special treatment...all their pent up frustration with their lot in life seems to ooze out just because they have some $$$ to spend...

you aren't buying the sale folk...you are buying a car, and respect should be mutual...they aren't servants, but somehow we treat them as a sub-class...and they act the same way in return...yin-yang

I could never do it: I'd be reading the 'customer' the 'riot act' on a regular basis

[Terry1948]

Arthur, I think you are right however it is good to be met with a smile and feel that the person is going to be helpful, if this happens the response is normaly positive and most people will then treat like for like.