tridentnyc

Hi all,

I ordered a 2012 Q5 back in May and the dealership closest to me that participates in Costco's car buying service extended the offer on my 2012, technically they are only supposed to give the deal on in stock inventory.

Anyway, since I've placed the order, my salesman treats me like some sort of low life. Hard to get any info out of him, on two occasions when I asked some simple questions he said "I can give you your deposit back right now if you like and sell your Q5 by tomorrow".

Now, don't get me wrong, I pushed back on this guy hard both times and both times he backed down immediately but it made me wonder what kind of treatment other forum members may have received through a car buying service such as Costco or Zag.

These guys act like they're making zero money on the car and seem to feel that answering the most basic of questions a royal pain in the ***. After my deal is done I plan on giving a detailed report to Costco laying out my gripes about this clown.

Curious to hear from other members and their experiences.

Thanks.

Dreamaudi

Is he possibly trying to sabotage the sale, so he can up the price to sell it to another buyer? Can you talk to his manager and switch to a different salesman?

Huey52

I used the USAA (zag.com) for my present A5 and it was painless, but I too got that "second class citizen" feeling from my salesman. His first words to me were "you know there's no further negotiation with this process" (which technically wasn't true as I negotiated the after-sale clear bra and Audi Care). I guess I can understand tho', as they don't make as much profit as they would off someone with no service and/or poor negotiating skills.

I would do it again however as it was very efficient. I placed the order and was out the door in 45 minutes.

nooB5

Call the corporate office if attitudes do not improve drastically. The asshat forgets that he is employed in the service industry. You are a paying customer who deserves to be respected as such. Shame on the company for hanging on to someone who can not grasp that concept.

hmn4858

My experience using zag was great. In fact, the dealer didn't have the car I wanted on the lot, so he traded with another dealer in another state to get it. It came in with more miles on it then he quoted me so they took another 500 off the price. I never had any issues with getting questions answered etc. After the sale, come to find out they weren't registered in my state so I had to pay taxes on the sales price of the car vs sales price minus trade. when I called and talked to the sales manager about it he apologized and said he would see what he could do. Next thing I know I have a check in hand for the difference. No second class treatment there.

The G Man

I would take to the sales manager and ask for another salesman, tell the manager if the situation doesnt improve, you will file a complaint with Audi USA.

CrownSeven

I used the Costco program to pick up my Q5 and the experience was just fine. Wasn't treated any differently than a regular paying customer.

If I we're you I'd call up Costco and make a complaint. They take them seriously. Otherwise, take the same deal, and go somewhere else. Even though Q5's are selling like hotcakes, I had no problems getting other dealers to match the Costco price. A sale is a sale.

Goodlivn

when i was looking for my Audi i called the dealer closest to me to ask if he was an AmEx or Costco participant since i belong to both. he assured me he was but irritably mumbled something about "only a few dollars less either way ". i didnt pay it any attention tho and went in to see him. when the dealers from both programs started calling me with better offers than my local dealer i called Costco and found out that he had lied (GASP! a lying dealer??!)....that dealer isnt on their list

since he promised to match tho i thought i would give him a chance. i called the sales guy back and said my wife wanted to change a few options but first i wanted to talk about the deals i was getting....he cut me off mid-sentence and said he would call me right back. lied again

instead i got a call from the sales mgr who flat out told me he wouldnt match those deals. then he started telling me that there was no way they could sell it that low, he doesnt see any cars allocated to that dealer "in the system," blah blah blah

anyway i had to drive about 40mins from my house but when i finally met with an ACTUAL AmEx/Zag dealer he was nothing but pleasant and the deal so far has gone smoothly...although i am still waiting for delivery

tridentnyc

Thanks for all the replies everyone, yeah the salesman is an *** clown, big time. I have a call into Costco, been playing phone tag. I want to make a final decision on whether I want to change my order from Brilliant Black to Moonlight Blue. If I decide to go with the blue then I'll reorder with USAA/Zag and make sure I tell Costco exactly why.

Oh by the way, did I mention the guy is a complete clown?

Roger K

In my opinion, "complete clowns" don't deserve our business and especially our money. I would insist on a different salesman or terminate your relationship with that dealer, and make sure they know why. Remember, you'll be dealing with them for a long time if you plan on servicing your vehicle there. I wouldn't anticipate anything more than a fake change of behavior from your clown. I'm just sayin...