Does anyone have the name (and preferably phone number) of AoA's head (Director? Vice President?) of Client Relations/Customer Service and/or the AoA head of the Audi Assured Program, if such a person exists?

After weeks of going in circles with AoA Client Relations I've decided I need to jump straight to the top if I want any resolution...

Thanks,
Ravi

don't really expect any resolution. Car companies know they are supposed to provide customer service so they create these mechanisms that sound great but don't do much. Caveat emptor.

Ravi... you may want to write a note to the new AoA head. His appointment was effective earlier this year (i.e., Jan99) and has stated some of his '99 goals for AoA are to: Strengther dealer support (via parts & trainnng), strengthen the AoA Brand for luxury car buyers, and has set a '99 target of 60,000 cars (fyi.. '98 sales were 47,517). I believe your continued Audi loyalty and experience would be good feedback... and take our entire "user group" towards better AoA warranty & maintenance service levels. Good Luck & let us know what happens down the road. The AoA head is Mr. Len Hunt, VP AoA, Aurburn Hills, MI.

PS... Previously, he was the Head of Audi in the UK.

Let's assume the following:

1. High-end car manufacturers like Audi are not immune to producing lemons, but produce only a tiny percentage of said lemons.

2. The customer who is unlucky enough to have purchased said lemon is not a happy person and will most likely never purchase another car of that marque if his/her problem is not addressed in a reasonable manner within a reasonable time frame.

If you agree with these assumptions, than it makes no sense for car manufacturers like Audi to do anything less than replace true lemons. Not only do you stand a good chance of keeping a customer for future auto purchases, but the news of this "goodwill" would spread like wildfire over the 'Net and generate even more customers.

Surely, customer retention and generation would more than compensate for the "lost" revenue of replacing the lemon(s).

Mitch
'99.5 A6

Only current $$$ count toward corporate profits, Wall Street happiness, bonuses, and career advancement.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but darn few companies will agree with you. Besides, Audi is going gangbusters right now, they have no incentive to change. When they were in the dumps, they had the courage to do the A4, A6, A3, etc.

and I'm a consultant in a high technology/business consulting firm with clients around the world. There is a tremedous concern about customer relations/satisfaction and how to gain future market share (even amongst car companies).

Sure, one must find a balance between making one's stockholders happy in the short-term and making sure the company grows in the long-term. History has proven that moves engineered solely on the basis of short-term gain at the expense of long-term growth invariably result in serious problems down the road (so to speak ;-)

mitch