So, back to dealer number 1 (This is REALLY long sorry guys - but this is just as it happened - have to split it in to 3-4 parts maybe as it's too long for 1 post!):
Salesman:
"Ok, I'll take you to see the Sales Manager, would you like a coffee whilst you wait?"
Me:
"No I'm fine thanks"
Salesman:
"Please take a seat here, he'll be right with you"
Me:
<10 mins later - some one else asks if I want a drink>
Salesman:
"This is XX, my Sales Manager"
Sales Manager:
"Pleased to meet you - shall we go somewhere quiet?"<Wonder why?>
<we go to his office - younger guy, probably younger than myself and the salesman>"Ok, take a seat, I hear there's an issue with one of our cars"
Me:
"er, yes, almost every panel is littered with scratches, in fact the only panel that seems to be un-marked, surprisingly enough, is the bumper!"
Sales Manager:
"Is it really that bad?, surely it can't be? The salesman tells me you wish to cancel the order"
Me:
"Yes, it is there's scratches in excess of 2 foot long on the car, the car is totally unacceptable and I'm unhappy about having to have a car - have almost every panel abrasively polished in an attempt to remove the damage. I would be at risk of swirl marks coming through. I have had a similar experience on a 55 plate S4 cabriolet in black when that car was less than 2 years old - as this car is now"
Sales Manager:
"Well, maybe we ought to go and look at the car again, as I;m sure it can't be as bad or repairable - I can look at the deal again and I''m sure I could make some kind of financial amendment to compensate for the issue whilst I resolve the issues?"
Me:
"I'm sorry, but the way that car is, I'm totally unhappy with having to have almost every panel polished so as to try to remove the scratches"
Sales Manager:
"I would like the opportunity to resolve the issues for you, <here comes the bit that p*ssed me off> not all out customers are as particular as you..<I politely interrupt him>
Me:
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but could I just explain to you exactly how that just translated to me please?"
Sales Manager:
"Yes sure...?"
Me:
"Here's what I just heard
Not all of our customer are as picky as you, most people would not have noticed / complained about such an issue"
Salesman:
<I can visibly see that that has really p*ssed him off (not my intention however - I was just telling him how what he's said to me - had translated to me -
as a customer with a genuine issue with their car on delivery) as his tone changed and he was noticeably angry - but I'd hit the nail on the head - anyway read on..." Hang on Mr. XX <he said this early aggressively, raising his tone, which I had not and note - he's now calling by my surname and not, as he previously had, by my first name - so now it's going formal> ... you never let me finish my sentence. What I meant was that most of our customers....<he pauses to gather his thoughts>....well, not all of our customers......<he pauses again>.....XX<dealership name inserted here>Audi has very high standards and.....<another pause for thought but quicker this time>...clearly, you're absolutely right, our standards in this case are way short of the mark - I'm sorry, about my wording there, that it more or less is what I said to you - but look, lets go take a look at the car - do you mind?"
Me:
"Sure"
Salesman:
<Banter as we walk over to the valet bay>
Me:
"Ok, look here on the bonnet, this scratch is well over 2 foot long, how could anyone miss that? Look here there are more scratches all over the bonnet - again every noticeable - admittedly not through to the undercoat - but still excessive"
Salesman:
<Looking guilty>"Hm, yes, I can see those..."
Me:
"Drivers door, scratches around the handle, which to be fair, you might expect owing to getting in and out - I'm not too fused about that - but there are more further down the same panel"
B]Me:[/b]
"Rear drivers side door - see hear - more scratches"
Salesman:
"Yes, I can see those as well"
B]Me:[/b]
"Now, look at the boot-lid!? How on earth could <salesman's name> NOT have noticed these??!!"
Salesman:
"They're really bad aren't they!"
Me:
"Right they are, how has this car been treated - it's an A8 with less than 10k miles, less than 2yrs old! I'm not exaggerating now, my D3 6 year old A8 with 81k on it, was in MUCH better condition than this is!"
Salesman:
"hm.."
Me:
"Look at the rear passenger side door - scratches, marks - look here the rook - several scratches - this one is about a foot long"
Salesman:
"<he's gone quiet now - again, for a change - salesmen are very wordy aren't they normally?
"
Me:
"Front passenger door - here and here - see?"
Salesmanager:
"Yes.."
Me:
"Look here on the bonnet..."<right hand side of the car, as you're looking straight at the car>" someone has already tried to remove some scratches as there's a large dull patch here, and look at the leading edge of the bonnet <just above the headlight - same side> what are all these tiny abrasive marks?"
<We both stand back outside the valet bay looking in - then Sales Manager gets keys and pulls car forward into the light>
Salesmanager:
"I've got to be honest with you XX ..."<he's now calling me by my 1st name again>"I would have rejected that car as well - it's not very good is it?"
Me:
"Precisely and I'm not happy having to have every single panel polished - look you can possibly see a swirl mark reflecting in the light now
Salesmanager:
"No, I know exactly what you mean, but that's not a swirl mark - thats actually the paint - to some extent - you will always see that kind of mark even on a new car"
Me:
"Maybe - you're probably right but I've made my point"
Salesmanager:
"Well, to be fair, it hasn't been valeted..."
Me:
"What?"
Salesmanager:
"It's not been valeted so you're seeing it raw. Look, I'd like the opportunity to get the car looking A1."
Me:
"You're missing my point, I'm unhappy with every panel having to be polished - I'm not prepared to accept that on such a vehicle"
Salesmanager:
"The valeters here can't bring those marks out - it has to go to a body-shop - we sub-out our work to an excellent body-shop down the road from here - would you allow me to ring them to see if I can get them to look at the car for you today? Why not take your wife <she's in the Mondeo with our 3 spaniels> there's a restaurant around the corner - have a meal on us and just get a receipt - we'll pay and I'll make a phone call - will you at least allow me to make a phone call?"
Me:
"I'm not happy having to have nearly all of the car abrasively polished - I don't want this car"
Salesmanager:
"Will you at least allow me to make the call?"
Me:
"Well, sure if you need to, I'm going to see my wife"
Salesmanager:
"Ok, I'll catch you shortly..."
Me:
<I walk over to the Mondeo, he goes into the back-door of the showroom>
<Me to wifey>"Well, I'm really p*ssed off, the car is a shambles, practically every panel has significant surface scratches - yes they may all buff out- but I'm just way unhappy to allow them to buff them ALL out - it'll be covered in swirl marks and the finish just won't be as good - what do you think?"
Wifey
"Well, if they repair it, every time you go to wash it you'll potentially see the marks and be reminded of this experience when you came to collect it - and might even think "Why did I accept it - I should have thrown it back at 'em!" don't you think?"
Me:
"Yes, I do, you're right but I want to consider what they might surprise me with and see how that makes me feel. Right, ok, best case scenario, like REALLY best case, they'll maybe say something like
"Well, we'll knock a grand off the car and polish it all up so they're all gone and the car is mint" - if they said that to me - would I be happy? I don't think they would say that - but would I be happy - .... No, I don't think I would be - the car is wrong and that just doesn't make the car itself right - plus a week or 2 later, you'll probably see the finer abrasive marks on the car as I did of the S4 we had...No, that's my decision - they can keep it!"
Wifey
"I think you're doing the right thing"
Me:
"Do you want to see it?"
Wifey
"yes" <we walk over to the valet bay>