LA Auto Gallery SUCKS

To Whom It May Concern:

I visited the Woodland Hills LA Auto Gallery dealership yesterday, Friday, September 15, 2006, at approximately 2pm. I had a very insulting and demeaning experience with one of their sales representatives.

I am in the market of buying a different vehicle for my personal use, and have been testing out different manufacturers models, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, etc. I became interested in the Audi S4 after a friend of mine bought an A4 from their dealership and can’t stop talking about how he loves his car. I need something with a little more power, hence the S4. I have been doing some Internet research and came across a 2006 Pre-Owned Yellow S4 that they had for sale. This is what caused my visit to their dealership.

When I first arrived, I grazed the lot for 10 minutes (by myself) and couldn’t find the Yellow S4 or a sales person for that matter to help me. I then went into the office and requested assistance. The receptionist used the intercom and called for an available sales person.

I was greeted by a short man wearing a Porsche baseball cap. I believe he said his name was Richard. He was the only sales person that I could see that was wearing a baseball cap. He also told me that he was new to selling Audi’s (usually sells Porsche) and is only doing so because he had a meeting in the morning and the sales manager is making him sell more Audi’s. I told him what I was looking for and he told me that the car was here and for me to follow him around the lot. We looked for about 5 minutes before he decided to ask a co-worker where the Yellow S4 was. He came back and told me “it was sold last night, but I have a Black S4 you might be interested in.” I said OK and he went to go get the keys. When he returned with the keys, he started the car but noticed there was no window sticker. He left me with the car, while the car’s ignition was on, and returned to his office to find out where the window sticker was. When he returned again and told me there was no sticker because “this car was a Demo Model.” I asked him what a Demo Model was and said, “it is a car that one of the sales managers or their wives have driven for a while.” That was a little more information than I cared to know about. I was already having a negative feeling about this car.

We finally get into the car and the sales rep pulls the car about 4 feet out of the parking spot, stops, then proceeds to grill me about how I am going to pay for the car. I told him I wasn’t even sure if I was going to buy an Audi and that I would like to test-drive this car to feel how it drives and handles. He kept asking me questions about if I am leasing or buying, how much I am going to put down, what monthly payments I can handle, etc. I told him that I was going to use some cash, as a down payment and that I wanted to spend around $800 per month for a payment.

The Sales Rep. said, “wait a minute, this car is $56,000. If you put $5000 down, you will still need to finance $51,000. Your car payments will be over $1000.” As he said this, he put the car in reverse and parked the car. I said yes, but anything can happen and I have never driven the S4 and would like to compare it with the other cars I am deciding between. He said “why bother, you cannot afford this car. I need to make a living and am not here to test drive cars for fun.” I was so astonished at his comments that I got out of the car and left your lot without driving the car. Never have I been spoken to in such an insulting and demeaning manner.

Their dealership was highly recommended by 3 friends and 4 family members that bought cars from them (ranging from Porsche to Ferrari to Audi). Because of their Sales Rep’s unprofessional attitude, I vow never to return to their dealership and to also share my experience with friends and family, as well as post comments on internet chat forums about how they conduct business.

FYI- I went to one of their competitor dealerships and was treated in the exact opposite way. It was a pleasant experience and the sales manager worked out an awesome deal on a 2006 S4. I returned later that night and purchased the car.

Sincerely,

Jason

Comment On This

''I previously commented about a dispute I was having with The Auto Gallery and Porsche. Since that time, the situation has been resolved to my satisfaction. I now realize that my dispute with the dealership and Porsche was the result of an unfortunate mutual misunderstanding and miscommunication.''

Comment On This

Dear Readers,

I would like to comment on this "bashing" of The LA Auto Gallery. First I would like to clearly explain my relationship to the guys over at the dealership. I have been a customer of theirs for the past 5 years and purchased now 4 vehicles from them including: 2005 Ferrari 360 Spider for myself, 2004 Maserati GT for my wife, 2008 Porsche 911 was my second toy and since my son just graduated college I bought him a 2008 Audi A4. Being a faithful customer doesn't mean that I was an easy sale. Prior to my first purchase from them I was new to the area and shopping all of the competition. I did not show up looking like a guy that was going to cut a check and drive away with whatever I wanted, as I was dressed in jeans, T shirt and a ball cap. I was still treated with respect and test drove multiple cars over a 2 week period with plenty of conversations on the phone with my salesman. When the question arose of how I would pay for the car I inquired about what options they could offer me. I wasn't thrown out of the dealership or told to park the car and stop wasting anyone's time. That's not exactly true for some of the other dealers in the area, but I am not here to "bash" any company. My only concern is to let everyone out there who may read this know that there's a great group of people who can offer the best high end vehicles with impeccable service.

In my opinion THE LA AUTO GALLERY RUNS THE BEST OPERATION IN THE AREA. I can tell you if you are looking for a Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche, Audi or any other brand you should at least keep them on your radar as an option. You will see that at the end of the day they will deliver the best car with the best deal.

Kind Regards,

DPM

Kind Regards,

DPM