So I ordered a 2012 A4 Avant with S-Line+ a week ago, signed a contract with the dealer, and left them a $1000 deposit.

A few days ago my sales agent gives me a final configuration print out for the car and it's missing the Sports Package (Code WQS). I point this out to him as it clearly states on the order guide that this is a required option to get the S-Line+ (PQX). Once the sales agent realized his mistake, he's now attempting to renegotiate the deal!

The purchase agreement does clearly state PQX but not WQS.

My question is, are they bound to sell me the car at the price we negotiated or can they back out of the deal?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

This is a fairly common trick being used by dealers to see if you will bite. If you have a signed purchase order, and the PQX code on the final config printout it could be that WQS is already included. The S line + is not much:

S line embossed alcantara and leather seats; 19" Titanium 5-arm rotor design wheels with 255/35/19 summer tires; Brushed aluminum decorative interior inlays; Black cloth headliner; Black-Optic exterior kit with gloss black grille surround, matte black window surrounds.

I am not sure why the sport package would be required:

Front sport seats with four-way power lumbar; Three-spoke steering wheel with shift paddles; Sport suspension with 20mm lowered ride height.

There may be a seating conflict here, along with a wheel problem caused by the lowering.

You might call Audi USA to get the correct confirmation.

Be polite but firm with the dealer. If you got a deal $2,600 under invoice, you might have to pay for it, because that is a good deal and the dealer is not making much money. (he wants to make a sale to get the right to buy a popular profitable model) If you paid more than invoice, you don;t need to pay any more, he made enough.

He knows that chances are slim you will find an attorney to sue for specific performance over a 600. contract dispute. Consider European Delivery and get the discount and the first drive on the Autobahn.

 

$2600 under INVOICE? Is this what I should be shooting for?

 

Suppose it depends where you live and how hungry the dealer is to make a sale. In California, Audi dealers don't seem to be interested in dealing at all for well optioned vehicles. On an order, if you back out on a stripper that means they gotta hustle to move it... ooh effort... they may work with you... well optioned? Jokes on you.... they just got another car they can sell at invoice with little difficulty.

As to eching, like moviela said, better call Audi NA pronto and get clarification immediately.

 

I think he means $2600 under sticker (MSRP), not $2600 under [dealer] invoice.

As a reference point for pricing, the Audi Supplier discount is 6% off MSRP (excluding destination charge) which gets close to dealer invoice. For this discount, the dealer kicks in 3% and Audi kicks in the other 3%. So anything more than 3% sticker is probably a fair deal, and if you can get the dealer to do closer to 6% off sticker that it's really good deal.

 

I definitely didn't get it for $2600 under invoice. I think Moviela was just trying to make a point that the dealer would be less inclined to bargain if that was the case.

I'm not sure what the rules are about talking about pricing on the forum, so I'll just say that I got it for under invoice.

This is a dealer in California and I won't name the dealer just yet as I want to give them a chance to make this right, but at this point it seems to me that they are being dishonest. And if they aren't being dishonest, then they are just incompetent.

I contacted AoA and spoke to a rep. They didn't know the answer off the top of their head so they said that they would research the issue and get back to me.

From my perspective it's pretty simple. They screwed up and if they take a loss on the vehicle then they take a loss on the vehicle. It's a matter of principle. If I were on the other end of the deal, I wouldn't go back looking for money from the buyer. It just shows that the dealer is a sucker and it's bad customer service.

Rest assured I'll name the dealer and the sales rep so that everyone here knows to avoid them in the future if things don't work out.

 

When I contacted Audi of America I was planning on just getting confirmation that my configuration would include the Sports Package, but it looks like they have escalated this to a representative that works with the dealers in my region to attempt to resolve this on my behalf. I'm expecting a response no later than this Thursday.

It sounds like the dealer was trying to claim that they configured the order off a copy of the order guide prior to the June 17th revision.. That's clearly a lie as my order was placed using this exact revision as I have a copy of this guide stapled to my contract. Additionally, my order was placed on July 2nd.

So now which are you going to believe, that they are incompetent or dishonest?

This is going to be my first Audi, coming off of a BMW 3 series and I have to tell you the experience is not going well. Have others experienced this kind of buying experience from Audi dealerships?

 

I didn't order mine since I the configuration I wanted was available at 3 different dealers in the Bay area. I went to the Audi dealership in San Rafael and the salesman was ok. We didn't really need any knowledge about the car anyways. We negotiated and were beginning the paperwork. I went outside to take a phone call. When I returned my wife relayed to me how rude the sales manager had been during my absence. I had felt that he was already a bit condescending. When she told me what he had done, I tore up the paperwork took it and my wife and I left.

We called Stevens Creek Audi, near San Jose, that also had the configuration that I wanted. They treated us GREAT before, during, and after the sale. I routinely took the car there for service regardless of the 75 mile drive from our home in Tiburon to San Jose. The treatment was that good. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Stevens Creek. While my salesman is no longer with them, the Service Manager, Darren Ferguson, and Service Advisor, Dave Hoffkins, never failed to provide excellent service and make us feel well taken care of throughout our time in Northern California. And it didn't hurt that they were a Stasis authorized dealer...

 

If it was an honest mistake, then just pay extra for it.

You're basically not paying for an option that you need on a car to get it the way you want. So you're asking for something that you should have really never got in the 1st place.

The only way I could see that you're in the right is if you clearly pointed at the time of transaction and they shot you down, and said, no, we have it right.

And that they made the mistake knowing that YOU caught it and were trying to let them know. If you did that, then I'm on your side. I'm assuming that's what you mean to say happened.

So it depends on how the conversation went.

But in the end, it is a Mistake and you really are getting something for nothing. So I'd have a little class and not go blasting a certain salesperson all over the internet and try to riun somebody. Buy a car from somebody else and move on.

Nobody can take the high road anymore and everybody's gotta get revenge on the Internet.

 

Did you get echiang confused with my post? echiang has not blasted anyone by name, not even the dealership. Letting the community know the salesperson IS somewhat irrelevant as dealerships of every manufacturer go through salespeople like water through a net. As in, next to zero retention. Letting the community know about how the transaction goes IS highly relevant. One way or another...

If some of that was directed at me... My post did not name but described the location of a dealership that employs/ed someone who lost my business and why without wasting time on specifics. I did however name the dealership AND the personnel that have provided exceptional service and treatment to my wife and I. The positive is much rare and more refreshing these days.

What is the point of a community of enthusiasts helping and looking out for eachother? That doesn't mean we all need to agree. Constructive debate is healthy and keeps us thinking.

Care to define/expand on your intended use of the phrase "the high road"? I fail to see how it is relevant beyond the "ethical" connotation? In which case, in essence, he is asking the dealership to honor their agreement. So by that logic, you would actually seem to agree with his course of action. Taking "the high road" is literally taking the "easy way" as in taking the roadways and or railways that were often raised from the surrounding terrain as a simple form of creating more efficient transport for people and goods.


As to "revenge on the internet", it is up to us to help the moderators police our own forums, if you will. Feel free to report anything you feel is inappropriate, slanderous, initiated by hatred, prejudice, etc. I have always tried to post while adhering to the tenet that one should not post anything that they would not say to someones face or be willing to reiterate in court. I also try to use emoticons where relevant so that the intent of one's statement can more clearly be discerned.

Don't think for a moment that people have not been sued for what they write... That is an admonition to those that think "revenge on the internet" can't end up costing you big time.