I have eulogised at great length already about my car but one thing that needs to now be mentioned is the shoddy customer service that appears to be synonymous with Audi ownership. Having been a loyal Mazda customer for three years, I thought I knew all I needed to know about bad customer service. However having upgraded back to Audi last year I believed my worries would be behind me and I would be able to enjoy worry free ownership once again.< For me the warning signs started soon after ordering the car only to find out that while the car had been built to schedule there was no transporter available to bring it back into the country. A nationwide problem apparently, not helped by the lack of communication and the fact they persuaded me to trade in my old car two months earlier… Then I wanted an IPod dock – “no problem sir, but there is no stock”. Weeks turned to months until I tracked one down at another dealer. As they didn’t post I did a 40 mile drive to pick it up. Next I had a stone on my brake pad so called up the flash new Audi centre in West London (the one by the M4 overpass). “No problems sir, bring it in and we will sort it asap”. Only to turn up bright and early on Saturday for nobody to have any recollection of my call and a quick two minute inspection to say there was no issue. Also the paint you requested on the phone (to cover a few of those high speed stone chips) is not in stock. On my way back into London later that weekend with my brakes screaming I decided to book it into Docklands Audi. Spoke to them on the phone, ordered the paint. All was well. Work complete I ask where my paint was. “That isn’t in stock sir, we have to do a special order for that”. Ok time to speak to a manager. So after promising to post the paint I hear nothing. So I gave them a call only for them to tell me they don’t post paint….arghh! And so it went on. Two promises broken and three wasted visits later I have my paint. And I haven’t even got to the puncture and six hours waiting for assistance yet. After dealing with four different Audi centres across England within the last eight months my experience has been poor. Ok nobody has died (yet), but I do think they should be able to do a lot more, especially when buying what is meant to be a premium product. I’ll reserve judgement until my first service before deciding if the R8 is a worthy upgrade.
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