Need Some Advice on BAD AUDI Dealer Experience

It is slightly off-topic but some of you guys have given really good advice before on related matters. I am attaching a rough draft of the letter that will be sent to Audi North America, the Lexington, KY BBB, and the principal owner of the Lexington Audi dealership. The rough draft is a little lengthy but I left it that way for the Rennlist board. I can tell you I am a non-confrontational person but Andy Ludwig the GM at this dealer was a complete jerk and I was willing to go to jail for breaking his nose but the thought of being sued and giving him some sort of last laugh kept me somewhat calm. Please feel free to give me your constructive thoughts and advice. Be kind as this is a rough draft with little editing. Thanks guys Dear Sir or Madam: We are writing this letter to inform you of the extremely disappointing service we recently experienced while doing business with one of your dealerships - Audi of Lexington, Kentucky. My wife needed a new car and I have been searching diligently for a few months looking for the right one. I desired to find her something safe and of good quality as well as a reputation, and her requests were quite simple� a white cabriolet, tan interior with heated seats. After scouring the Internet and using the Audi�s Certified Pre-Owned search, I soon found a pre-owned 2004 Audi A4 cabriolet for sale at Audi of Lexington which, according to the details/features listed on their website, met our requirements. The long distance made me a bit hesitant as I would be unable to inspect the car but I felt confident in dealing with an Audi dealership for a CPO�d vehicle rather than purchasing a used vehicle from either an unknown individual or a non-factory dealership. I contacted the sales rep Malcolm Cheek who answered all my questions and we came to an agreement of sale price for the automobile which was described on their Audi website. I then placed a deposit via credit card and later arranged to fly from Greensboro, NC at 6am to the Lexington dealership on New Years Eve in order to sign the paperwork and drive the car the 6 hours back home for my wife. When I finally arrived at the dealership the salesperson quickly urged me inside as I was starting to examine the car and had me start the paperwork. After a quick walk around the car, seeing it looked great, and trusting the salesperson I followed him into the building to his desk to begin the paperwork. Upon completion of the paperwork we then walked outside to have him show me the car, it was shortly thereafter that it came to my attention that the car in fact did not have heated seats at all, in contradiction to their advertisement and conversations with the salesman. Needless to say, this was not a pleasant surprise especially since heated seats were a top priority for my wife. I showed them the original advertisement and Mr. Cheek agreed that the car was falsely advertised as having heated seats. He then stated that the dealership gets a list of the option information by entering the VIN into their Audi computer system and from that information they describe the vehicles. I was obviously very concerned at this point. Malcolm then told me he would speak to the General Manager and see what could be done to rectify the situation. I then told him I would regretfully be contacting my wife to see if this was going to break the deal. He stated he understood. I then called my wife to let her know of the car not having heated seats and she too was very surprised and let down. She like myself could not believe an Audi dealer would not know their own Audi vehicles they were selling. We both started to get suspicious but decided to not make a decision until we heard what the GM and the dealership would do. Malcolm returned shortly with the news that shocked my wife and I. Malcolm returned stating the GM didn�t want to do anything about it. Nothing at all. I then told Malcolm I had to hear this in person from the General Manager whom I still had not met at this point. So I walked inside to speak with the General Manager Andy Ludwig about the situation in hopes of working out a solution to this problem which in my mind, involved them either installing the heated seats in the car as it was advertised, decreasing the price of the vehicle by the value amount of the heated seats, another idea I had not thought of, or taking me back to the airport and paying for my ticket home. Upon walking up to Mr. Ludwig I introduced myself politely. He did not return the introduction but just shook my hand and waited for me to say something. Not being the confrontational type and still being optimistic that he would apologize and make an effort to correct the mistake his dealership made I then told him I was hoping we could work this out. He replied that he could not do anything at this price and then stated �If you had paid our original asking price, I could do something for you�. I was actually speechless for a moment by his lack of concern and twisted perspective of a business agreement. I then told him how I fail to see how it even applies, since we negotiated and agreed upon a price prior to my trip to Kentucky for the car which was expected to have heated seats as well as all the other features included in the advertisement. He answered again with the same response of how I should have paid the asking price and then made another statement that �I should have inspected the car earlier before I flew in to buy it� and how �he would have never bought a car so far away�. I responded how I had purchased other CPO cars like this before without a problem and that we are having this conversation because of a mistake by your dealership. Mr. Ludwig responded that the mistake was made by the salesperson for not checking the vehicle. After hearing that I should have walked out simply based on the lack of professionalism, lack of ethics, and respect for a customer. I didn�t though because I then asked him if he would pay for my flight home since there is no interest in correcting the mistake made by your dealer and his response was �no, I guess you are out of luck.� I then told him that if this is the way he was going to handle it I would be contacting Audi North America, the Better Business Bureau, and be making a few postings on the internet and asked him if it was worth losing a few sales over? His response was �I don�t care� and he walked away. At NO time during the entire conversation with Mr. Ludwig did he offer an apology. So at this point I am at the dealer with the choice of paying for an expensive ticket home or getting in the car and driving home. Personally I did not want to buy the car based on the principal that this dealership did not deserve my business simply based on the General Manager�s actions. On the other hand I knew my wife would most likely still be somewhat pleased with the car and how she was tired of looking for one. It was a tough decision. It was about this time that what I perceived as a good cop bad cop routine started. Malcolm then asks me to step outside to get away from everyone and begins stating some negative opinions about the General Manager and his frustrations about working for him. He then offers to install one driver�s side aftermarket heated seat system. Which he says is out of his pocket, will reduce his commission, and for me not to tell anyone. We call a few places and find out it will be around $425 to have it installed at a Webasto Authorized Installation and Service Center in Kernersville, NC for $425. It was quite obvious this dealer had me between a rock and a hard place. It was either going to be a $750++ last minute walk up ticket home or I was driving home a car that was not the one we contracted to purchase and the principal that an unethical and unprofessional Audi dealership gets this sale. After much frustrating and aggravating thought I decided that it will cost me more to fly home and have to look for another car in the near future. I expected a much higher level of service from your company, and I am quite disappointed. I feel that the Audi of Lexington dealership was very unprofessional in their handlings of this situation, and the General Manager was very discourteous as well as arrogant. In contrast, I recently purchased a Certified Porsche from a Porsche dealership in Florida and they handled the transaction with a high level of class as expected. Similarly, we chose Audi and made the conscious decision to purchase a CPO�d vehicle specifically from an Audi dealership because we felt it would ensure a certain level of professionalism, respect and honesty in regards to the business at hand. Unfortunately, this was not the case and we feel you should be informed. I write you today in hopes of rectifying this unfortunate predicament. Please feel free to contact me at xxxxxxxx. Thank you. Sincerely, xxxxxxx

These guys do deserve to get a bite where it hurts- their wallet, and lose a few sales. When I bought by 911 C4S in North Carolina, absolutely no money exchanged hands until the dealer inspection was done and approved. I would buy 1 hour from a lawyer, and have him edit your letter, perhaps driving the point harder. John

Scot - you tell the story and register your complaint, but you don't let then know what you expect. They won't try to guess what you want. I read a consumer advocate column a few years back and the writer stated that the most common mistake consumers make when registering a complaint is they fail to let the company know what it will take to resolve the issue. What do you expect them to do? If you leave it as it is written, you will get an apology from Audi or the GM (Audi will make him do it) but you probably won't get anything else. If you just want to vent, that’s OK, but you won’t get anything more than an apology. Tell them what they need to do, within reason, to correct this situation. You may not get what you want, but at least they will know what you expect then to do. I know it is a draft, but you might want to see if you could shorten it up a little. Set it aside for a day or two then reread it. Take out any parts that are not specifically pertinent to the issue. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Dealers spend a lot of money advertising. Perheaps you can mention that depending on how they deal with you, you could publish your letter on all local papers. To be more specific, like Tim said, what exactly do you want them to do now? Money compensation?

That is good advice Tim gives. Shorten it, specify EXACTLY what you want. And then............kick their *** on the web!

Agreed that you absolutely need to state what you consider a satisfactory resolution. Further, I would: -edit for length (i.e., don't go into details that arent' specifically at issue, like the color) -change the narrative of your discussion with the GM. It should be entirely factual, so don't use impressions like "unprofessional." These impressions belong in the introduction and conclusion of the letter, but the description of the events will hit harder if it is only facts. Sprinkling impressions (appropriate though they are) through the timeline of events will make you seem angry and spiteful, which you don't want. Since you were in NC and the dealer in KY, you may be able to threaten reporting an interstate commerce violation to the FTC. Can a lawyer weigh in on that?

Sorry to hear about your experience, sadly I had similar at the local Audi, Land Rover and Porsche dealers. After son totaled our LR3 we bought a CPO LR3 which was advertised as having Bluetooth phone connectivity. I also confirmed this by phone with the salesman. Upon delivery of the LR3 it did not have it. Called the salesman, nothing. When they made their QA call I told the lady I spoke to, she transferred to the sales manager and 3-4 days later they installed the Bluetooth stuff at no cost to me. Was impressed with that... On to your situation... Suggestions: -Edit for length -Insert what you want, you complain but never tell them what would make things right for you -2nd the suggestion to have a lawyer write it up for you. -Include copy of the ad for it

IMO you might have been better off buying it then pointing out it was misrepresented.

Scot, I think the letter is excellent. You do state in the middle of the letter that you expect heated seats installed or cash back or something you have not thought about. I like the advice about having an atty look at it. You may get that by posting it here. I do have a couple of thoughts: 1) Explain that the reason it is lengthy is you want to be certain to state the facts clearly so Audi NA can take action against this GM and do the right thing. 2) After the GM said he would never buy a car so far away perhaps you can add a sentence like "with the internet's astronomic growth, isn't Audi interested in this? Other manufacturers are. (perhaps you can dig up some statistics from another dealer as to how many cars they sell via internet, around here they do a lot). 3) Prior to sending it to the papers and BBB, tell Audi NA you are giving them the chance to rectify the situation. Let them know you are giving them a 7-10 day timeframe to research and reply to you. Let them know if you don't hear anything by then you will be a) sending your letter to the papers b) BBB and c) every Audi enthusiast web forum (name them) and other automobile web forums (state number of members wherever you can). End your letter with something like: "I hope the lack of integrity, honesty and respect I received from this General Manager are not indicative of the other Audi dealers in North America. I look forward to your reply." Good luck. I was in this situation once many years ago. Came out they exceeded my expectations. Hope the same happens for you. Andy T

Zoo, I read this last night but didn't comment right away. This is a lousy situation and I feel bad that it happened to you. This letter is full of emotion and color, throw it away- go talk to an attorney and have him/her draft up a new one. Your only valid angle here is that the dealership advertised a car as x (and you have a copy of this advertisement) and you have a purchase order/contract for a car referenced by the ad. Regardless of what you were able to negotiate as a discounted price on the car has nothing to do with the dealer's obligation to provide you with a car as advertised. FWIW: you could have purchased this car site unseen and just had it delivered to you as many others have done. If my car arrived w/o xenon lights, heated seats, the alloys shown on the pictures, heated seats etc... I would expect immediate compensation at the going rate for hopefully OEM level of equivalent product... nothing else. Best of luck in resolving this.

My comments? As Tim said, be specific about what you want them to do. No bank will deposit an apology into your account. I wouldn't bring the salesman's offer up in the letter. IMHO, he asked you not to mention this to the GM. If you accepted his seat, you accepted the terms of his offer not to tell anyone. If you feel you must, I would let him read your final draft or at least tell him your breaking his confidence. Maybe others thinks it's a small point but I see it as staying on the high road. Including a lawyer to edit the letter is a good idea. I think John Edwards will be available real soon and he has a license to practice in NC.

Excellent point Tim. I also think you have got your point across very well and the length of the complaint would raise my interest if I worked for AOA. GL, what a b@st@rd, hopefully he gets reprimanded and you get something positive out of it.

I think this is what small claims court is for.

I'm confused. Did you walk or buy the car?

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Me too - did you buy the car? Stefan

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Shorten, then get on with your life...

Sounds like he bought the car. I agree that it's a pretty crappy dealer experience and they were jerks, but in reality I doubt that Audi will do much (doesn't mean that it's not worth trying) - the experience doesn't damage their name, just the one of the specific dealer. The lesson here is to get verification of all of the particulars before going to see a car and when there examine the car in advance of signing anything. I feel bad for you Scot, but this does nothing to change my opinion of car dealers at all - they will screw you into the ground whenever they can and leave you high and dry when it suits them. The experience that Phil had recently in buying his S4 was unusual, most of the time they know that they'll sell their car one way or another, so don't care if it's to you or the next poor soul that walks though the door. I'm guessing you have the car now. I'm not sure that $425 would be a deal breaker for most people on a car like this. Hopefully the car is everything that you wanted and you can get the heaters installed aftermarket.

I've owned 3 Audis (still have my '00 A6) and loved them all but found service often lacking and Audi of America totally unresponsive. So, don't be surprised if you get no satisfaction from AoA. Best of luck anyway.

If you purchased the car, I am having a hard time with the logic. The manager made you so mad that you wanted to punch him, yet you gave them business???? What am I missing? Make no mistake, I think he acted very poorly. However, in the end you rewarded his hard negotiation style with a sale. It seems like you accepted their terms, but you still want them to pay(after the fact)?

Like everyone, I'm sorry to hear about your bad dealer experience, Zoo, but this is why that GM continues his poor behavior toward the customers -- he got the sale anyway. On principle alone, I would've rather paid more to fly home empty-handed than to put a single dime in his pocket. Then I'd plaster my comments all over the web, contact Audi NA and whatever media outlets that will listen, as well as the BBB. As outraged as you were, and had every right to be, it sounded like you took the car and accepted the salesman's restitution. In that case, from Audi NA's vantage point, the dealership had already "compensated" you somewhat for their error. The only thing left then would be the customer service aspect -- the unprofessionalism on the part of the GM. For that you might get an official apology and a hand-slap on the GM, or maybe even a token service voucher of some sort. Is that an acceptable outcome for you? In the end, you were "forced" into a sale despite your indignations, and that would **** me off more than anything. Good luck with your effort, and I hope Audi NA steps-up above and beyond.

I will not buy an Audi there if that helps.

This is what can happen when you buy a car long distance (and they know that). NEXT time (and for all others) you MUST make the salesperson check EVERY non-standard (extra) option personally, then sign something saying every extra is there. I would ALSO recommend getting a PPI and have the PPI company check all extra options as well. I made this mistake when I bought my C4S from Houston and then realized it didn't have Xenons when the ad said it did. I was completely SOL. Bottom line now, you bought the car you drove it home, accept it, cause you ain't getting ****!

What an as!... as others said... shorten the letter and be very specific in your ask. You may get something (probably not), but it will at least make you feel good. I wouldn't get a lawyer involved... couple of hundred $ in outflow and I don't think he will get you substantially more. Good luck!

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+1

A lot of good opinions. I would shorten the letter removing the salesman's comments. I would say that you bought the car only because the price of the ticket home was at or more then the seat heaters value. I would use the term fraud or misrepresentation. Get a price quote on two seat heaters installed and ask for full compensation. If you know an attorney have them edit the letter and cc them at the bottom.

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+1. You don't want to know what happens to long, heated narrative letters of complaint when they land in a corporate in-tray. Keep it short and focused, and ask for exactly what you want. Words like fraud and misrepresentation, used sparingly and clearly, are a good way to show you mean business. They then only have the options of saying yes, or escalating it by saying no. By all means use a lawyer to help you write the letter, but don't involve one to deal with the other side at the complaint stage. That will punt your letter straight to their corporate counsel and nobody will even try to solve the problem for you. These things fail when people get distracted either by wanting someone to suffer or by fishing around to see what compensation will be offered rather than declaring a clear expectation, just as with any negotiation. One final bit of advice: Check for spelling and grammar. I've seen more than one of these things badly written become laughingstocks inside companies that receive them, which only slows things down and predisposes people to push back for the sport of it. Your desired response is: "This guy isn't bluffing and he's not a loon. Let's just deal with it and make it go away."

Thanks guys for the great advice and giving me a piece of your time. Just like I expected from the Rennlist Forum Yes, I did drive the car home. If it was totally up to me I would have walked into the GM's office, grabbed my folder, said a few choice words and flown home but watching my wife's face when I pulled into the driveway made it all worthwhile. She loves the car (except for the cold seats) Thanks again.

Maybe I will get an attorney to edit...... I had to yet to edit it myself so it is a little rough and lengthy. I will shorten it and clearly state my expectations.

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Sounds like it turned out afterall. I understand the need to write the letter, but suspect it's a fool's errand. Maybe AoA will send you a hat. Stefan

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Letter is way too long. Redact significantly If it was me, I might simply state car was advertised as X, represented on the phone as X, represented in person as X, sold to you as X, and received as Y. After discussing with the manager, you were basically told, "too bad." Based on your interaction, you feel you have no choice but to turn this matter over to the KY BBB and the State Attorney's General Office. However, in the interest of good will, you are willing to speak with a Audi North America representative to attempt an amicable resolution. Then end with something like, please contact you by January 9, 2008. Any communication after this date should be directed to your attorney. Also, I found this re: KY laws: http://www.autopedia.com/html/LemonLaw/KY_lemonlaw.html "If you can prove very specific misrepresentations, you may have a claim for fraud or a private claim under KRS 367.220 for violation of the Consumer Protection Act. You might be able to revoke acceptance under the Uniform Commercial Code (KRS Chapter 355). " You should look into this carefully, as the CPA may also require them to pay attorneys' fees. You might even be able to get your airplane fare back. Lastly, as a reminded of common sense - keep EXCELLENT records/notes/etc. **none of this is to be considered legal advice, and should be disregarded entirely** **you should always have a qualified legal opinion - AKA hire an attorney** -td

Yep, letter is too long and needs to be more to the point. Then state clearly what you want - is it money, an apology, other? Be specific. I'm taking notes on your letter since my new S4 is going in for a synchro and possibly a full transmission replacement in the next 1-2 weeks. Dealer and Audi of America have pledged to "make the car right" but if it needs a tranny, they want to use a remanufactured one - which is unacceptable to me in a 400 mile car (yes, folks it has fewer miles on it than the 996!!) Hopefully, it wont' come to that and the synchro will fix the problem. I've dealt with AoA on several occasions - the dealers don't like it when you go to them with complaints and posting negative stuff on the internet to potential customers is damaging as well. Do what you need to do regarding your experience. Personally, I would have walked just on principle. I wouldn't give those guys the satisfaction of selling me a car.

My dealer experience has also been poor--Found my '03 996 on the web, bussed down and drove home, and little issues (and ATTITUDE) have been terrible. Makes you wonder why, in this computer age, there is not a "Dealer Service" type of web page where potential buyers can peruse before they lay their money down!! Enjoy your car--My wife loves her A4 Avant. Steve B

It's funny, as this appears to be a trend with Audi. I have friends that say exactly the same thing about every Audi dealer they have worked with.

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Solid business idea, and would cost almost nothing to start up. Trip Advisor, which started out doing the same thing for hotels and resorts, sold for about half a billion dollars...

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Here you go... http://www.dealershipratings.com/ doesn't look like it gets a lot of use though... Edmunds has one as well... again, not a lot of usage... http://www.edmunds.com/dealerships/drr/jump.html

Plus there's Yelp.com to allow you to review every place you interact with.

Forget the whole thing and get on with your life. 1. The dealership made a mistake in the advertisement - mistakes happen. 2. The salesperson was lazy and didn't confirm the equipment - no surprise here. 3. The GM wasn't warm and fuzzy with you - he obviously doesn't value your business (which is his right) so buy elsewhere. 4. Caveat emptor. You have no legal recourse so quite wasting you time and go enjoy driving the car.

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Not sure I completely agree. I think that if we all just walk away from this stuff, it encourages companies to keep getting away with it, and even to try to get away with more. I support anybody who tries to even just make it a bit uncomfortable for lazy or devious merchants. At a certain point you have to cut your losses and get on with life, yes, but meekly disappearing serves nobody. Remember your Edmund Burke... "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." Same applies to bad retailers.

Point taken, Bruce - I just have a low initial expectation from dealerships and most other retailers in today's market place. Although I must say, with all due respect, I'm not sure if Edmund Burke would agree that his quote applies to the car buying process...

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Personally, I'd have a harder time believing that he WOULDN'T agree that it applies to the car-buying process. Evil is evil, whether it be a murderer, a king, or a GM at a higher-end car dealership. +1 for Bruce...

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Possibly not...

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He's right. You'll be wasting your time, you'll never get a penny out of them. They don't care whether you flew there and have to drive 6 hours home OR you drove 5 minutes to buy the car. It's up to you to check out the car BEFORE you buy it. I am speaking from MY experience. You had the choice to NOT buy the car, it's not their fault you would have been out of pocket to fly home. You think if you drove 30 minutes to find out it wasn't what you expected they would give you gas money for your drive home? You get my point. An extra option they quoted in their ad is NOT actionable. They all have a disclaimer as well about this.

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Very good way of putting it Gant.

Scot, If not too late: Find out if the Lexington, KY television stations have news reporters who investigate consumer rip-offs. Many do. Get the names, Tv station names, other information, etc and include this information in your letter. Then the GM and Audi N.A. will have something to weigh their actions against. If this is too much work, then just forward your email to the Lexington TV stations and see if you get any return calls. This GM was a bully and you gave him the opportunity to make good which he refused (and even insulted you). You are doing future buyers a favor by taking this on. Good luck.

Here is the final edited letter that was sent certified today. Again, thanks for the great advice. Not stressing out about it in the least. Will keep you posted if Audi replies. Learned a lot from my mistakes and from the dealer's behavior. Definitely will come in handy for later car purchases. So far I have yet to meet a salesperson that really deserved my respect. Dear Sir or Madam: We are writing this letter to inform you of the extremely disappointing service we recently experienced while doing business with one of your dealerships - Audi of Lexington, Kentucky. My wife was in need for a new car. I desired to find her something safe and of good quality as well as a reputation, and her requests were quite simple� a white cabriolet with heated seats. After scouring the Internet and using the Audi�s Certified Pre-Owned web search, I soon found a 2004 Audi A4 cabriolet for sale at Audi of Lexington which, according to the details/features listed on their website, met both our requirements. The long distance made me a bit hesitant as I would be unable to inspect the car but I felt confident in dealing with an Audi dealership for a CPO�d vehicle rather than purchasing from an unknown individual or a non-factory dealership. I contacted the sales rep Malcolm Cheek who answered all my questions and we came to an agreement of sale price for the automobile which was described on their Audi website. I then placed a deposit via credit card and later arranged to fly from Greensboro, NC at 6am to the Lexington dealership on New Years Eve in order to sign the paperwork and drive the car the 6 hours back home for my wife. When I arrived at the dealership, the salesperson quickly urged me inside as I was beginning to examine the car. Trusting the salesperson, I followed him inside to his desk so we could go over the papers. Upon completion of the paperwork we then walked outside to have him show me the car. Shortly thereafter, it came to my attention that the car in fact did not have heated seats at all, in contradiction to their advertisement and conversations with the salesman. Needless to say, this was not a pleasant surprise especially since heated seats were a top priority for my wife. I showed them the original advertisement and Mr. Cheek agreed that the car was falsely advertised as having heated seats when it actually did not. I was obviously very concerned at this point. Malcolm said he would speak to the General Manager and see what could be done to rectify the situation. Malcolm returned shortly with news that shocked my wife and I; he informed me that the GM didn�t want to do anything about it� nothing at all. So I walked inside to speak with the GM Andy Ludwig about the situation in hopes of working out a solution to this problem, which in my mind, involved them either installing the heated seats in the car as it was advertised, decreasing the price of the vehicle by the value amount of the heated seats, or taking me back to the airport and paying for my ticket home. Upon walking up to Mr. Ludwig I introduced myself politely. He did not return the introduction but just shook my hand and waited for me to say something. Not being the confrontational type and still being optimistic that he would apologize and make an effort to correct the mistake his dealership made, I then told him I was hoping we could work this out. He replied that he could not do anything at this price and then stated �If you had paid our original asking price, I could do something for you�. I was actually speechless for a moment by his lack of concern and twisted perspective of a business agreement. I then told him how I fail to see how that even applies, since we negotiated and agreed upon a price prior to my trip to Kentucky for the car which was expected to have heated seats as well as all the other features listed in the advertisement. He answered again that I should have paid the asking price and then stated that I �should have inspected the car earlier before I flew in to buy it� and how he �would have never bought a car so far away�. I then informed him that if we could not come to an agreement, I would be contacting Audi North America, the Better Business Bureau, my lawyer, as well as writing postings on the numerous internet car forums of which I am an active member. His response was �I don�t care� and he walked away. At NO time during the entire conversation with Mr. Ludwig did he offer an apology. In retrospect, after hearing what he had to say I should have walked out simply based on the lack of professionalism, ethics, and respect for a customer. It was quite obvious that this dealer had me between a rock and a hard place. But it was either going to be a $750++ last minute walk-up ticket home, or I was driving home a car that was not exactly the one we contracted to purchase. After much frustrating and aggravating thought I decided to go forward with buying the car for my wife and deal with this issue by taking it to upper management instead for resolution since discussions with Audi of Lexington were futile. Needless to say, I expected a much higher level of service from your company, and I am quite disappointed. I feel that the Audi of Lexington dealership was very unprofessional in their handlings of this situation, and the General Manager was discourteous as well as arrogant. In contrast, I recently purchased a Certified Porsche from a Porsche dealership in Florida and they handled the transaction with a high level of class as expected. Similarly, we chose Audi and made the conscious decision to purchase a CPO�d vehicle specifically from an Audi dealership because we felt it would ensure a certain level of professionalism, respect and honesty in regards to the business at hand. Unfortunately, this was not the case and we feel you should be informed. I write you today in hopes of rectifying this unfortunate predicament which, as I stated previously, at the very least would consist of Audi paying for the installation of the heated seats in the car as it was originally advertised as well as a letter of apology from Mr. Ludwig. We hope to be contacted about a resolution by January 21st, otherwise we will have no other choice but to inform the Better Business Bureau about this dealership�s poor business practices and false advertising, my friends and family about this experience, as well as our lawyer about this misrepresentation by your company and potential fraud. Please feel free to contact me at XXXXXXXXXXXXX Sincerely,

I've never had much respect for an car sales personnel. Stories like this do not change the situation. Good luck and let us know if you hear anything.

Good luck, Zoo!! We're all behind you!

Letter sounds much better. It had the right tone. Let us know how you do.

My guess, you'll get a free Oil change or something like that with an apology letter. Keep us posted!

A - you should have left and flown home then sued for the cost of the trip, aggravation, lost opportunity, unfair trade practices (assuming KY has such a beast), etc. B - Audi ain't gonna do jack. The dealership is an independent franchise. You need to figure out who actually owns the franchise and express that to them as well. Lawsuits are great ways to express yourself. C - If you are going to send a pre-suit letter, edit it and proofread as mentioned. D - If you financed it, the note holder may be a subject to all of the claims and defenses you have against the selling dealer.

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Zoo is one of the best guys i've met on this forum and I wish him the best, and support whatever he does. Alhtough, as I've said before. While he may get a stroke and an apology from Audi North America, he won't get a dime from them OR the dealer. Furthermore, no lawyer will take it as there is no case. Besides, to file suit, the lawyer would need at least $3000. The dealer knows this. Zoo would be spending at least $3k in lawyers fees plus misc expenses to "attempt" to recover $750.00 They also know he's long distance, so small claims is out. If I were he, I would leave it alone. He took the deal and the game is over.

I disagree that no lawyer would take the case. I defend these kinds of cases and there are plenty of them out there. The key to making the case appealing is that most states have statutory provisions allowing for collection of attorneys fees and no juror likes a car dealer. If you can't convince the judge to toss the case, the dealer is going to write a check. OTOH, one problem that he may have is an arbitration clause prohibiting the case from being presented to a jury. Of course, the dealer would actually have to raise that as a defense before that becomes an issue. Oh, and I wish him luck too. The dealer GM was a phallus and should be beaten to death.

Gant-I very much appreciate the complement. I wish I could contribute more to the forum though. Most of the time I just read, learn, and chuckle. I do have one question for you though: what do you like most about the TT compared to the C4S? Don't worry. I am not going to put myself through the stresses or expenses of any lawsuit. I will though be posting the letter on a few websites related to dealer ratings etc. VIPER- You made some very good points.

Quotes source post: 4966753

The Raw Poiwer! That power is usable and easy to learn to contol. The TT is just so much faster and more responsive than the NON TT 911's. It feels like a super car. I really do love it.

I was confronted with a similar "advertising" mistake when negotiating the purchase for an 06 Cayman S (for my sister). Fortunately the outcome was much better. The car was advertised on the Porsche website as 6k miles and CPO from a dealer about 2 hours away. After a phone discussion resulting in a fair price discount the salesperson informed me the car was not CPO but he would get it certified for the negotiated price. I sent a credit card deposit and went to the dealer 2 days later to pick up the vehicle. The car was immaculate with the pleasant suprise of 19" factory wheels (one advertising error in my favor). The unpleasant surprise was a OD reading of 12k. After showing him the website print out, the saleperson apologized for the "advertising error" but also noted the CPO inspection had resulted in an oil change, brake fluid flush, and replacing all four tires at no additional cost. I told him this was the second "advertising error" on the same vehicle and I was no longer interested in purchasing it. He quickly summoned his sales manager who apologize for the errors knocked 2k off the price. I wanted to push it a little bit farther but my sister had already fallen in love with the car. So done deal. I've done a long distance purchases and notice the haggling factor was reduced since, once you walk your not comming back. The factory dealers also seem to be a bit more concerned over consumer protection laws in California, were everyone has a lawyer in the family and litigation is a statewide past time.

Quotes source post: 4966569

You're right, although, for the lawyer to collect fee's, he MUST win. There is not enough of a guarantee that he will win. If he works for contingency, he gets paid NOTHING if he doesn't win. So that's why lawyers never work contingency in these cases. If he works on a set fee, Zoo MUST pay up front. He isn't gonna wanna do this and take the chance to lose more than $3k. For these reasons, no lawyer will take this. I challenge Zoo or anyone else to call a fair-practice lawyer to get advise, some may give free advise. I guarantee this is what the lawyer will tell you. How do I know? Cause i've been down this exact road. The dealer knows all this and has NO worries of being sued. This happens everyday and is common. Buyer beware! Hope I'm wrong!

Gant, that may be the case in MO but is not the case here. Most of these cases settle because a jury will rape a dealer cause every juror has been on the other side of the equation and gotten hosed by a car dealer. It is simple human nature. Even my arbitration cases end up with me working to minimize the damage to my client rather than any expectation that we will 'win'. In fact, minimized damage is a win. Zoo, I hope I can help. Being a car guy it still chaps my *** when I see this kind of crap. I'd also suggest you sign up on every Audi board you can find and hose them. Be sure to include their dealer name multiple times in both the topic and the body of the posting. Brandywine Porsche cost me a lot of money acting in a similar manner and I made certain that a search on Brandywine on this board as well as several others shows a detailed and very factual recitation of their misconduct. Hopefully, by doing that you will prevent someone else looking for fair treatment from experiencing the same maltreatment.

Quotes source post: 4945951

I test drove an S5 yesteday and was quite impressed. However, Audi's generally poor reputation for service will have me buying another BMW. This post certainly helped to reinforce my decision. Best of luck! I had a similiar situation to this once with a Jaguar. Whenever I feel like I'm getting screwed, I walk away. Eat the loss. Michael