Maybe the title is a little hyperbolic, but it’s how I feel today. After trying to turn in a lease for the last several months without buying or leasing another vehicle, I’m pretty sure I’m right.
Audi Financial is terrible.
The first indicator of problems came when we were thinking about trading in our S4 on another vehicle. Audi makes it impossible for a dealer to get a payoff, removing the incentive for anyone other than them to trade for the car. They also make turning the car in an impossible task and charge you for it if you do it early. The lease is paid to zero, and they still want to charge an early termination fee. It’s not enough that every dealer charges a $500 processing fee to buy a car these days.
The latest gimmick is a third-party inspection before drop off.
To actually take the car back, we had to have a third-party inspection from a company that is also owned by the auction that gets to sell the car if the value is higher than the dealer is willing to pay Audi to sell the car. Talk about circular logic creating more false profit on a car where the depreciation was already paid by someone else.
The absolute last straw was that the only person at the dealer who can accept the car is the accounting team.
One person! Who doesn’t answer the phone, return messages, or work it seems. I don’t understand how a business can be in business with that model. Don’t get me started on poor customer service, rude conversations, and a general uselessness that most dealerships display these days.
Final thoughts.
Audi S4, great car. Audi and Volkswagen, terrible brands and customer service.
