Audi Nashville

While the sales staff at Audi Nashville were generally pleasant to work with, the financing department ultimately cost them this sale. I came to the dealership with financing from Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed). Initially, Audi Nashville refused to accept PenFed's check because it was made payable to both me and Audi. I had a second check reissued and overnighted to me, made payable to Audi only. That check was then rejected as well because of endorsement language on the back that, according to Slava in the finance department, they "could not agree to." This was communicated rudely, and when I said that it seemed there was no deal, he appeared completely unconcerned. I contacted Darryl, the sales manager, to explain both the situation and my treatment. To his credit, he attempted to salvage the deal by seeing if Audi could match my PenFed financing. While they did not match the rate, they made concessions that made the deal worthwhile and assured me I would be working with someone else in finance. I completed the loan application and, due to scheduling constraints, arranged to return the following Monday to finalize everything. I communicated with Ella in financing beforehand to confirm timing so there would be no issues when I arrived. Unfortunately, when I arrived for what should have been the final step--my third trip to the dealership--I encountered yet another obstacle. Brandon from financing informed me that the loan they had set up through Ascend Credit Union required additional identity verification because my last name is Spanish and there is "often confusion with Spanish surnames." I was asked if I had my Social Security card with me (which I did not, because it is not good practice to carry one), and they also required income verification. My question is simple: why was none of this communicated to me in advance? They were not prepared for my arrival, did not have their requirements clearly defined ahead of time, and once again put me in a position of wasted time and frustration. Brandon suggested applying for another loan, but acknowledged they would not be able to match the Ascend rate--which was already a full point higher than my PenFed financing. At that point, I was done. The financing department lost this sale. What makes this particularly frustrating is that I had a perfectly valid, well-established lender--PenFed, an institution that has existed since the 1930s--ready to fund the purchase. The comment about my Spanish last name also struck me as uncomfortably close to racial profiling. Are customers named "Smith" routinely asked to bring extra documentation because there are many Smiths? Audi Nashville has quality vehicles and capable sales staff, but their financing process was disorganized, poorly communicated, and ultimately unacceptable. I would strongly caution buyers to clarify every financing requirement in writing before making the trip--or consider arranging financing elsewhere entirely.

Overall everything went well. The process of buying a vehicle is long, but they did a good job. I picked it up on my birthday and they made it wonderful.

They had time for me helping me with the financing. Their service was exceptional. Good job