I'm a long-time multiple Audi owner and I lusted after the 3.0T Audi A6 Avant Quattro from the day it was released in 2009. But there was no way I could justify the price for a new one, so I resigned myself to years of waiting for my ideal car to become available as a lease return or one-owner trade in. After several near-misses, at 1:00 a.m. on a recent Monday I finally spotted an online ad for ?the" car posted by Tom Williams Audi. This car appeared to meet every criterion that I had established: 2011, one-owner, low-mileage, meticulously maintained, southern state, clean carfax, with exactly the colors and options I would have specified if I had ordered it from the factory. The single requirement that it didn't appear to meet was designation as CPO. I immediately sent a voicemail, text and email to the dealership, following up with a call to the dealer later that morning. Buying any used car online sight unseen can be an exercise in frustration because of the many opportunities for miscommunication and misunderstandings. Couple that with my propensity to be an automobile dealership's worst nightmare, and Hannah Griffin was the poor soul who drew the short straw. But she handled my demands (foremost of which was that it be designated as CPO) and subsequent negotiations with aplomb, always professional, courteous and pleasant. I decided the best way to finalize the purchase was to personally visit the dealership and, if satisfied, drive this car home. Hannah rearranged her schedule to allow her to meet me at the airport and drive me to the dealership, and when I finally cast eyes on the car I could hardly believe my good luck. It had indeed been certified, so that was the final seal of approval for me. In no time I had presented my personal check, signed the documents, taken possession, and driven away. It was en route to my intermediate destination, Huntsville Alabama, that I began to become aware of issues that I had overlooked in my haste to take the car. Even a CPO isn't going to guarantee a problem-free experience, and this was no exception. After all, it's still a used car. But by the time I arrived in Huntsville I was steaming mad and on the phone vented my frustrations directly to Jim Hardy, Tom Williams Audi's used car sales manager. Jim was as courteous and professional as I had found Hannah to be. To make a long story less long, after several conversations with Jim and Hannah and an unannounced visit to the local dealer, I determined these were fixable issues and, even though Jim would have refunded my money, I wanted to keep this car. Jim and Hannah extended themselves to meet my demands more than many people could reasonably expect, including a personal face-to-face meeting with me in Huntsville to ensure my satisfaction. I don't know of any dealership that would go that far to meet a customer's needs. They personally coordinated with the other dealer to resolve all of my issues, and one day later I was enjoying a long drive home to San Antonio in a virtually flawless A6 Avant Quattro Prestige, content that I had made the purchase of a lifetime. Any dealership can sell a car. The true measure of their worth is the manner in which they address problems. Tom Williams rose to the task in exemplary fashion. Loyalty isn't earned by the car, it's earned by the dealership. Tom Williams Audi has earned my loyalty and Audi of America should be proud to have such a representative for their brand. Bottom line, should the occasion ever arise, I would go out of my way to buy a new or CPO Audi from Tom Williams Audi in Irondale Alabama. No one is going to be more fair to the customer, and no one is going to stand behind their sale as well as they will. Believe me when I say, if they can satisfy me, they can satisfy anyone.
Gary
Dec 23, 2014