Strong Audi - Salt Lake City, UT

And I am back! It has been way too long, I have been really busy with work and life in general. I still am not sure how so many people read this blog, it is kind of crazy to me. I would like to focus more on my brand interactions with national companies, so that more people can relate, but my experiences seem to happen with some of the local companies. Hopefully this story will be helpful to others in the sense that, if you have a car dealership that isn't working for you, know that there is always one that IS willing to help.

I have been looking at entry level luxury sedans for a while now. I had narrowed my search down to the BMW 335xi or the Audi A4 Quattro Premium Plus... ultimately I decided that I was most interested in the Audi, so I began working with the three dealerships in Utah; Ken Garff Audi, Cutrubus Audi, and Strong Audi. I contacted each of the dealers to see what they had in stock and see what type of deals they would offer. Both Cutrubus and Ken Garff got back to me immediately and seemed very wiling to help, Strong on the other hand, never responded.

Despite their non-response, I visited their dealership because it was the closest to me. The sales associate that I was UNfortunate enough to get was named Chad. When you hear about the stereotypical car salesman that is over the top cheesy, that is what I got with this guy. I found a vehicle that I was interested in and when asked to come talk price, I went in. Chad sat me down and started the conversation by saying "we are the biggest and best dealer in Utah and we set the pricing for all of Utah, we have this nice dealership to maintain, so don't expect to get too much off the price".

Nice opener Chad. To think that a customer wants to "pay for your nice dealership" is a total misunderstanding of what the customer is interested in. I want the best deal for ME, not for you. He proceeded to tell me that Audi doesn't offer rebates (although they are listed all over edmunds.com etc) and that the most you could get off a car in Utah was $500. He told me that it was illegal for dealers to go lower than that, WHAT???!!!

When I objected to a few of the things he had said, and let him know that I had researched pricing etc, he said "clearly you don't understand this type of car", "this isn't a Honda dealership". Wow! Insult the customer, that seems like a brilliant move. Needless to say, I left the dealership after coming with the intent to buy.

Recently I purchased my A4 from Cutrubus. In addition to the A4, I was able to get a family member to purchase an A6 at the same time, creating a combo sale. The service I received was far superior, in fact, I found a better deal price-wise, but still went with Cutrubus because of the way we were treated. I was able to negotiate the details via email, which is what works best for me. The whole process was very convenient and led to the sale of not one, but two new cars.

Strong missed the mark on every level. They didn't respond to my initial electronic request, they weren't willing to listen to my concerns as a customer, and they went as far as insulting my intelligence. Ultimately, they lost out. If you or anybody you know is looking at Audis, be sure to avoid Strong Audi at all costs. They are dishonest and not worth the time. Both Ken Garff and Cutrubus will provide a much better experience. If you go with Cutrubus, Spencer Webb is an excellent resource (although the other salesman seemed to be very helpful when I picked up my plates as well).