nicholasG78

For a first time Audi buyer it was exciting for me to see this new 7million dollar Audi center built in W. Islip NY. I had already been to another Audi dealer on L.I. and was close to purchasing but received a recommendation from a friend to go to Atlantic. I met with the "top seller" and spent 2 1/2 hours for him to offer me the same price and nothing than i received from the original dealer i went to. They didnt have the car on the lot, but said "we have to make a swap for it" and asked for a deposit, which i gladly put down. Never receiving a VIN number or Lot number on the vehicle. (my bad)The original Audi dealer i went to called me and asked if i was still interested in the A4, i told them about the deposit i left with Atlantic, and they came up with a really nice deal i couldnt refuse, for less than Atlantic! I went in, signed a "sales Agreement with them and i was done!!! As soon, as i signed i called Atlantic back to cancel my depsosit, and then the games BEGAN! I received a guilt trip message from the salesman, stating that "he was upset at me for not going through with it'" Since when do "top salesman" get upset when a buyer doesnt go through with a sale? After numerous calls, emails and left messages, i finally got in touch with the sales manager, who stated i am not entitled to get my deposit back, and that i should've given them "prof courtesy" before i =signed anything with anyone else. HELLO is this Illegal or what? How can they not refund me money back on something i never received or never had a receipt of the car they supposedly had to "swap". ANYONE with info please give me some pointers on how to get my money back.
Please do not go to that dealership if you are a first time buyer, its all smoke and mirrors with Atlantic

av_audi

Check with state laws. I know that in California, they cannot keep your deposit, but the shady dealers try to convince you that you have lost it. If you put down the deposit by credit card, call the CC company.

ThePiombino

While it's shady and, IMO, bad business practice to try to guilt someone into purchasing from them, I can't really blame them. I mean, they can't do worse than having you still not buy from them. Best case- the guilt trip works and they make money off you they wouldn't have made otherwise.

As for the security deposit, I'm pretty sure that ALL deposits are refundable unless explicitly designated otherwise. You should have been asked to sign something when you made the deposit. That paper should say whether or not it's refundable. I would call the salesman, give him a chance to give you the money. If he/she denies you the money, give the manager one more shot. If HE/SHE denies you that's when you let him/her know that the next step is to call AoA and alert the news media and BBB. They won't mess with that.

markcincinnati

You will, eventually I'm sure, get your deposit back. Be persistent. I don't understand this kind of behavior and I think it is petty and risky on their part; but, my friend who was the owner of two auto dealerships (and then sold out to a billion dollar mega-multi-dealership company) told me that there is a school of thought (that he thought was short sighted and stupid) that says a successful dealership approach is to get the customer to "either buy from you or be pissed off so much that they will never buy from you."

He particularly mentioned a local Ford dealer who believed when a prospect pulled into the lot that a "lot lizard" would attach himself to the hood of your car and get you to the point of making an offer or peeling out in disgust, heading home and taking multiple showers to rinse off the slime.

Locally, Cincinnati, we have two [Audi] dealers. I have shopped them both, always purchased from the same one (29 Audis). Their behavior has always been consultative, no pressure. Of course, I have never bought a car that I didn't order -- maybe it is different if you are trying to buy something from inventory (but I doubt it.)

Takes all kinds.

snagitseven

After spending 2 1/2 hours with the salesperson, it would have been good form to have at least given him the opportunity of matching the better deal. You apparently didn't, so they are pissed that you just used them to secure a better deal from the other dealer.

That said, (not sure about New York law) unless the car was a special order and you signed a sales agreement that the deposit was non-refundable, you will get your money back. Even if you did, it's likely they will relent anyway. Legalities aside, they just want to make it difficult because you dissed them. Not the best dealer business practice, but there you are.

iflywoe

i know in Florida they can not keep your deposit if the car is not on the lot, but check you state laws first.
how much of a deposit are we talking about?
you have to feel bad for the sales person he could have sold a car in 2 1/2 hours with someone else.

iflywoe

http://www.newyork.bbb.org/SitePage....c-aea3fd4a2335

Ordering The Car

Remember, if there is a car in stock that fits your want list, you'll save time and money by selecting it instead of ordering from the factory.

If you do order from the factory, figure on waiting a while for delivery, Be sure and read the order form. It should include the base price of the car, cost of options, dealer fees and the amount of the deposit. Compare the list with the sticker on the car.

It is important to note that, if you sign a purchase-and-sale agreement and then decide that you do not want the car, you may lose part or all of your deposit. So find out what your rights to a refund are incase you change your mind before you sign.

The dealer may want to re-appraise your trade-in when the new car is delivered and you arrive to pick it up. If you have already signed a firm purchase agreement, refuse the re-appraisal. Providing your trade-in car hasn't been damaged since being appraised, the dealer must stick to the original quote unless the agreement notes otherwise or more than 30 days have expired

markcincinnati

Being in sales (not auto sales, software sales), I can tell you that there is almost always one vendor who is what we call "meat." We know, for example, that our prospects "want" one of two or three competing products. Probably there are two of the three that are "acceptable" at some price and one that is, well, never going to get the business even if the price were to drop to "$0."

Meat.

When you're meat you hate it. When you pretty much figure out who is meat, you also hate it, because you know what you would do: you would make it painful on your competitors if you are the meat. It is not fun but we all, sort of, bring this on ourselves.

In this case, two vendors have the IDENTICAL offering (apparently) and you have -- either intentionally or unintentionally -- pitted them against each other. Of course this suggests that it is your fault.

On the other hand, it also appears that the guy who now thinks you used him as meat thinks he got screwed 'cause he would've beat the other guy if "you'd only given him the chance." The thing is, he feels cheated (but he wasn't really) that you didn't give him a chance to beat the other guy.

Frankly, he is probably pissed at himself, since he wasn't as quick as the other guy.

What a crappy way to run a railroad you may say, and, more or less, I agree -- but this only goes to support the point in the book "Blown to Bits" that the Internet makes car dealers sitting ducks.

You'll get your money back -- but I'll bet it will leave a nasty taste in your mouth, er, FOREVER!

av_audi

The OP didn't go back to the original L.I. dealer using the deal he got from Atlantic as meat. They called him, and when they found out what deal he had gotten, they improved on it.

What conclusions can we draw from this?

1. Atlantic didn't give the OP the best deal they could. Of course, why should they. But that means they left themselves vulnerable to a better offer from elsewhere. That is the chance salespeople often take - they pretty much have to - but that means they have to be willing to be occasionally outdone by other dealers.

2. Yeah, by putting down the deposit, the OP kind of agreed to go with them. But after dealing for 2.5 hours, the salesman implicitly told him this is the best deal they could offer. If it was, then giving him another chance was irrelevant. But if it wasn't the best deal they could have offered, then the salesman didn't offer the OP the best deal he could, so why should the OP should feel any "loyalty" towards him?

This is a sales system setup by dealerships. They can't whine about it when the outcome isn't always in their best interest. I am sure they have undercut other dealers themselves. It's a dirty business, but they only have themselves to blame, and they are the ones who on average come on top. Not the customers.

nicholasG78

Thanks for all your reply's. They were helpful!! Credit Card company already called for dispute of charge, and i already called Audi Inc, but they really dont get to involved per say with the dealerships unless some fraudulent business is going on. I explained to Audi though that this dealership does not make Audi Inc "look" good, and the Custm Rep stated they do an internal review of the dealership when a problem is reported. Hopefully that sales manager at Atlantic will get a surprise phone call from Audi Inc.Whether or not that changes things is up to that sales manager!!