Disgusting customer service by Audi Menlyn Pretoria

<p>What happened to basic customer service? Gotta start at the beginning to "land" the point on what I can only describe as arrogant, and simply pathetic service by Audi in Menlyn.</p> <p>Roughly this time two years ago I decided to trade in my Kia Sorento as it reached its "out-of-service" plan mileage....I was gonna get another Kia Sorento...loved the car....but my father-in-law (key point this) convinced me to go check out this awesome Audi A6 demo model he stumbled upon at Audi Menlyn. I went, and I liked. Given that my Sorento service plan was up to 100k only, I said to the sales guy at the time, this sale is 100% dependent on whether they can extend the service plan to 150000kms. I told him, never again do I not extend the service plan as I drive a lot (live in Pretoria and work in Joburg). My father-in-law was with me, and so was my wife. Deal!....the sales guy said. He punched some numbers and said if he loads the extra 50k mileage it will work out to x amount on a monthly basis (I was only interested in the increase on my monthly installment). Done. I remember the conversation as if yesterday....and so does my wife and so does my father-in-law.</p> <p>Fast fwd to two years later and about 4weeks ago when my Audi A6 reached 105k kms (now over the past two yrs, my wife and I did comment on the fact that Audi Menly service centre has not been a "friendly" and "slick" place...very unlike Kia was....but we are not the complaining type...and I never want to cost somebody a job from a bad review). The morning while the car was in for this service, Audi Menlyn service dept called me and said, look we have no record that you have an extension on your service plan. Obviously am livid and say; but that was a major CONDITION of the sale for me. I called my wife, called my dad-in-law....both angrily confirmed that indeed they were there when we insisted on a 150k km plan (thus a 50k extention to the plan). We remember it well, as we INSISTED on the 50k extra. Now, I walked out of a meeting to take this call. Obviously, Audi Menlyn Service dept puts the onus on ME, the client/consumer to go and find evidence of the extension. That in itself is disgusting!!! I luckily found a document on email that states I was quoted ZAR26k for a service extension, but on the actual bill, they charged me just over ZAR33K. So I....I repeat...that is me....have to send this to Audi Menlyn service dept. They call me back saying, that they can SEE that I paid ZAR33k for an extension to the service plan....but it was NEVER loaded on their system (they promptly blame the sales dept....more on this later....), and since the car is now OVER 100k kms they cannot activate this. This costs me being on the phone for lenghy periods of time with them...explaining the very basic customer service principle: their mistake....has absolutely ZERO to do with me...NOTHING. WHY must I as the consumer pay because two years ago, their sales agent, forgot to load the service extension for wich I PAID for two years ago. Finally I get to Audi Menlyn, and now they don't know for how long or how much mileage the extension is. So I tell them....clearly they do not have the compitence to load an extension, it was very clear when THREE of us sat at the sales desk and I insisted on 50k kms extra otherwise I don't take the car (key point here is, they don't know the mileage....but I am DEAD certain that I insisted on 50k kms....and my two witnesses confirm this without hesitation). They finally say ok....remember me saying it was 50k kms was NEVER questioned at this point. I'm gatvol that I had to spend hours finding proof myself that I paid over ZAR30k for this and still that was almost not enough as they didn't load it in time on their systems. Now fast fwd to yesterday....exactly ONE MONTH to the day after said "service" I get a phone call from one Andries Coetzer at Audi Menlyn (i figure out halfway through the call he is from the sales dept), falling into an immediate monologue on how it wasn't the sales dept fault but the service dept fault....but he is not in the blame game....so sorry that it was never loaded...but still, he is 100% sure they did give it to the service dept. I reply asking what this has to do with me? As long as its loaded its fine. And why call me a MONTH later now? He says, yes, it is now loaded (remember I drove away from audi Menlyn on 27 May....this is now 27 June... thinking it was pathetic, but at least sorted, now I get a call 4 weeks later saying it wasn't THEIR fault, it was their sisters/brothers in service' fault!). Before I put down the phone, Andries says to me: it was an extension to 120k kms right? Yep, he asked that....obviously by this time i have HAD it. NO mister Andries Coetzer from Audi Menlyn....it WAS 150k KMs for Pete's sake!!! I emphasized that to him, this 150k kms extension to which they quoted 26thousand rand for and I paid 33thousand rand for was a CONDITION of the SALE!!!! But alas, the sales guy from two years ago, is not with them anymore (i wonder why), and it only states I paid 33k and some cents for a service extension. So i tell mr Andries Coetzee, that I don't CARE to listen to his explanation. I requested that day, that I need 50k kms extension or we don't have a deal....and my wife and father-in-law were witnesses to that!! So Andries says he will call me back the next day (which is today). Firstly, we agreed he will call me just after noon....3.04pm....but hey, 3 hours could also be "just after 12". He says, that; no it cannot be 50k kms for the following reasons.....now as any extremely gatvol man (and remember, am at work....I have a very senior position at a VERY large multi national) will do when at work having to deal with YET another example of complete and utter disregard for customer service, I interupt him and say: "I do not CARE what his reasons are, as the SALE of the car was conditional to them loading 50k kms on the service extension....I not only have two witnesses for this, but they have proven now a number of times that THEY have messed this deal up so BAD and has NO idea of what transpired the day of the sale.....they made ME find the evidence that I paid that money two years ago....by NOT honouring that agreement with the sales guy (I believe his name was Nicky), they would have sold me the Audi A6 on FALSE PRETENSE. BIG DEAL. It is NOT my job as consumer to go and double check what he loaded. I ASKED FOR 50k KMs extra, he quoted a number....I PAID!!!!!!. The evidence (a word Mr Coetzer loved to throw in in our conversations) shows clearly that the young sales guy messed up massively! He didn't load it, and didn't put the KMs on the sales paper. Just the amount in Rands. Now, me, poor car buyer....I don't question it, I asked for 50k kms and he quoted a Rand amount. I pay the Rand amount. But Andries Coetzee from Audi Menlyn then gets VERY upset and says, I should not interrupt him...he gave me a chance to speak, so now its his turn (nice service buddy....especially since you guys already messed up and I clearly explained, am not interested in your reasons, for only giving me 120k kms because that means YOUR sales people sold me the car under FALSE PRETENSE). So obviously my blood boiling, he smugly tells me that it never COULD have been 150k kms anyway as Audi SA confirmed to HIM they only sell it in 20k increments!! On this Andries, why did you not know this little "fact" the previous day on the phone? surely you sell extended service agreements every day? another piece of evidence that they just want out of the agreement, messed up and now I am *****ed. I suspect, young Nicky ALSO did not know this 2 yrs ago, sold me the car anyway to make the sale, hoping I would forget and be ok with only 20k kms extra. Andries also tells me, that the fact that BOTH my wife and father-in-law was THERE that day, and that my wife (she is VERY strict on 50k kms....her KIA is on 150k kms) made sure I made it part of the deal....this means nothing says Andries Coetzee as they are "connected" to me....Andries doesn't finish his sentence at this point as he and I both understand that he means the 3 of us are *****. He doesn't say it outright....but oh boy does he "say" it. Because Audi SA said to him, that ZAR 33k could never have bought more than 120k kms service extension. Dear Audi...NOT MY PROBLEM!!!!! I asked for 150. I paid. If your sales guy messed up 2 yrs ago...YOUR PROBLEM</p> <p>He writes to me in email that they will put TWO options on the table for me (the audacity I tell you): 1. they will honour the agreement to 120k kms since I paid ZAR33k. or 2. they will pay me the money back</p> <p>Now some points on this:</p> <p>1. On both options, they messed up 2 yrs ago, they messed up a month ago, I must except that 3 of us are sucking 150k kms out of our thumbs...the only people that was actually there that day. And the fact that it was a CONDITION of sale I verbally gave to Nicky the sales guy (conveniently no more at audi Menly), is now null and void....Audi Menlyn wins all the way. Their customer in the A6 is the issue. The A6 sold to me on false pretense then my dear audi</p> <p>2. you are NOT honouring ANYTHING. I know you use the word honour and agreement in your email to *** honouring something would be that I (in front of two witnesses) said to mr salesman: I want 150k kms on service extension...pls....otherwise I don't buy the car. But now I have the car....mmmmmm</p> <p>3. I don't want the money back.....because my verbal CONDITION of sale to Nicky was: 'hey Nicky, ek koop NIE die Audi A6 as ek nie 50duisend km op die diensplan kan laai nie!"</p> <p> </p> <p>So to Audi SA and to Audi Menlyn (Messers Andries Coetzer and Diederik Kruger): here are two options for you:</p> <p>1. HONOUR the fact that I ASKED for 150k kms extension. If you cant load 50 but only in 20 increments....not...my...problem! You didn't tell me that when I aksed for it two years ago. THAT is customer service. Let Andries Coetzer call me and apologise. And truly HONOUR the agreement, and admit gross negligence on their sales guy's part two years ago.</p> <p>2. Enforce one of your two options on me....based on Andries' evidence....thus calling me and my dear wife, and my father-in-law liers. Even though you yourself were not there, and the evidence shows Audi Menlyn messed up.</p> <p>In the business I work, we have a saying: NEVER let a customer leave unsatisfied. NEVER. This is not a **** cellphone contract Audi SA!!! Its an expensive Audi A6. What messers Coetzer and Kruger are doing, is saving you roughly ZAR30k although their sales agent made a mistake...by not extending my agreed service plan. But, again, in my business we call it "short sighted". You gain your roughly ZAR30k from me as a client....but does that stack up to the profit you will lose when I trade in my Audi A6 (wouldve traded in at 150ks....will now have to do sooner), and I go back to Kia...or Toyota...or God forbid BMW?! What profit would you have made on my trade in and me extending my "life with Audi" by another few years? Or even in 8 years when I trade in again? Or when my dad, also an Audi driver trades in his Audi A4 for...wait for it....not Audi (my dad is super loyal to me...he is so annoyed at the audacitiy of Audi Menlyn, that he wants to sell his Audi NOW....and go back to Volvo...its a new Audi)?! Now by giving me GREAT customer service, by NOT "ipso facto" calling my whole family *****, and by truly honouring the original sales agreement....you would have lost roughly ZAR30k now.....but made WAY more in profit by keeping me and my family at Audi. </p> <p>I dare you Audi SA, to come back to me and truly honouring the agreement! I DARE you to apologise for arrogant behaviour by your Audi Menly sales AND service staff (the one's that made ME find the proof of payment from two yrs ago). I might just stay with Audi......I can't vouch for the rest of my family (you know, the one's with the fogged memories.....because you guys did so well all this time). I dare you, to explain to Audi Menlyn how the concept of "future profit" works (bend backwards customer service now.....lots of loyalty and future business later)</p> <p>Finally; again I suspect the young sales guy 'Nicky" from 2yrs ago, also didn't know how the service extensions worked (evidenced by never loading it...evidenced by having me pay ZAR7k more than the quoted amount), I suspect he pushed the sale through, I suspect he either forgot to load it, and hoped I would forget so many miles later what we agreed....I really suspect he NEVER loaded it because he realised his mistake way back when. Again, its not my job to know what ZAR33k buys my in service extension, I asked for 50k......I paid. Simple. </p> <p>Do the honourable thing Audi SA.</p> <p>I suspect you won't...and you have lost a family of customers for life.</p> <p>Regards</p> <p>Dewald du Plooy</p> <p> </p>