It's official, Audi lost my wife to BMW. Maybe me next?
We obviously like to discuss the subject.
11-14-2008, 01:52 PM
#33
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hey now, lets not trash ALL sales guys here as as result of a few "bad apples"...
lets face it, there are good sales people and there are not so good sales people! It doesn't matter what brand they are working for.
We see it at our training workshops all the time. I think to myself "how did THAT guy get a job for a luxury brand...he shouldnt even be selling dog food!"
Some dealers will hire anyone with a pulse and you can see it in there turnover rate.
the same thing goes for service advisors, some good some not so...I cant imagine doing that job! come in every day and deal with people that for the most part are having issues with there car and have been put out in some way shape or form...how do they keep positive? I have a lot of respect for those front line guys i will say that. if you have found one that you have a good relationship with hang on to him/her.
We see it at our training workshops all the time. I think to myself "how did THAT guy get a job for a luxury brand...he shouldnt even be selling dog food!"
Some dealers will hire anyone with a pulse and you can see it in there turnover rate.
the same thing goes for service advisors, some good some not so...I cant imagine doing that job! come in every day and deal with people that for the most part are having issues with there car and have been put out in some way shape or form...how do they keep positive? I have a lot of respect for those front line guys i will say that. if you have found one that you have a good relationship with hang on to him/her.
11-14-2008, 02:49 PM
#34
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One key difference here is that you are in the GTA . . .
for most of the rest of the country, we have one Audi dealer to pick from, and if you're lucky, two. If you have a problem with an Audi dealer in GTA, you can go to another . . . in most other cities in the country, you end up going to another brand instead.
11-14-2008, 02:56 PM
#35
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Agreed. I will buy one car based on the car - the next one will depend on the dealer.
No question the overheated market out west has made it very frustrating. If I'm correct, Egil, Hugh, and I all live outside of the major centres, and have to have our cars serviced there. In that case, little things really do add up, including loaners as someone else mentioned. I basically have to blow off a day to take my car to get serviced, and would like the ability to at least do a few errands, etc. I know this is a dealer phenomenon though, not Audi. When I was in NB, I lived 1.5 hr away from the dealer, and they would hand me the keys to an A4 Avant when I arrived, and I would do errands for the day.
Don't take any of this personally, Alex. I love Audi cars, and will probably still buy more, but there is no question that the sales attitude is a huge factor, and right now the competition is trying hard. If only we had you out West, none of us would have these gripes!
Oh, and Egil, we agree . . . I will never darken the door of Southgate again, and have many friends who have had similar experiences.
Don't take any of this personally, Alex. I love Audi cars, and will probably still buy more, but there is no question that the sales attitude is a huge factor, and right now the competition is trying hard. If only we had you out West, none of us would have these gripes!
Oh, and Egil, we agree . . . I will never darken the door of Southgate again, and have many friends who have had similar experiences.
11-14-2008, 03:24 PM
#36
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In Audi's defense - I'm not sure if it's the Audi brand or just a bad dealer
Got shafted at Benz, even got shafted at a Subaru dealership.
Folks at BMW were great but I didn't like the product.
Walked into Uptown Audi, got shafted even harder, even though we were in a group comprised of an S4, an A3, an STi and an A4. Never felt more insulted. Have to admit, did feel like leaving the brand at that point, so service most certainly has a lot to do with it, I absolutely agree.
Walked into Audi Mississauga and finally somebody gave a sh.t about me (Alex).
Got my car serviced there (40 km drive) and still very pleased. I didn't request a loaner, though.
Secured my business, as well as any referral I might have.
I'm hesitant to make generalizations of a brand based on a dealer. There are good ones out there.
Folks at BMW were great but I didn't like the product.
Walked into Uptown Audi, got shafted even harder, even though we were in a group comprised of an S4, an A3, an STi and an A4. Never felt more insulted. Have to admit, did feel like leaving the brand at that point, so service most certainly has a lot to do with it, I absolutely agree.
Walked into Audi Mississauga and finally somebody gave a sh.t about me (Alex).
Got my car serviced there (40 km drive) and still very pleased. I didn't request a loaner, though.
Secured my business, as well as any referral I might have.
I'm hesitant to make generalizations of a brand based on a dealer. There are good ones out there.
11-14-2008, 06:57 PM
#40
AudiWorld Senior Member
When you're leasing...
... residual/interest rates are a big part of the value proposition.
Your car may offer the best bang for the buck MSRP-wise (which is probably true for the A4, debatable for the A3), but if your lousy leasing offers make it $100-150/month more than the competition, then all of a sudden the value proposition is just not there.
Not just that, but the Audi lease conditions are insulting. A 2008 A4 had a residual of 47% back in July. A 2009 (brand new redesigned model) has 48% in September. That's a 1% increase. With most other automakers, residuals are up 5-6% at the beginning of a model year... even in this lousy-for-leasing year.
How do you explain this? A 2009 FWD A3 with a few options (premium, aruba blue, xenon, bose) today costs MORE to lease than an 08 progressiv quattro A4 did in July.
I know somebody who got an A3 in July - today, a comparable 09 A3 would cost something like $120-150/month more than what he paid.
(By comparison, the payments on OTHER cars I was looking at during the summer are perhaps... $30-50/month more now? Nothing crazy like Audi's increases)
Your car may offer the best bang for the buck MSRP-wise (which is probably true for the A4, debatable for the A3), but if your lousy leasing offers make it $100-150/month more than the competition, then all of a sudden the value proposition is just not there.
Not just that, but the Audi lease conditions are insulting. A 2008 A4 had a residual of 47% back in July. A 2009 (brand new redesigned model) has 48% in September. That's a 1% increase. With most other automakers, residuals are up 5-6% at the beginning of a model year... even in this lousy-for-leasing year.
How do you explain this? A 2009 FWD A3 with a few options (premium, aruba blue, xenon, bose) today costs MORE to lease than an 08 progressiv quattro A4 did in July.
I know somebody who got an A3 in July - today, a comparable 09 A3 would cost something like $120-150/month more than what he paid.
(By comparison, the payments on OTHER cars I was looking at during the summer are perhaps... $30-50/month more now? Nothing crazy like Audi's increases)