General Manager Tom O'Donnell Canceled My Purchase After - kradic16
General Manager Tom O'Donnell Canceled My Purchase After I Paid My Deposit, Wired the Full Balance, and Signed the Purchase Agreement!
This was, without question, the worst car-buying experience I've ever had.
I first worked with Tina, who sent me the Carfax and confirmed the vehicle had been sitting on the dealership's lot for 4 months. Because I was buying this 3-year-old vehicle with nearly 100,000 miles out of state for my 21-year-old son, I wanted to do my due diligence before spending more than $17,000. This wasn't just my money—my son had worked hard and saved for this purchase, so it was important that we understood exactly what we were buying.
I emailed Tina with several reasonable questions, including whether the car had undergone any previous pre-purchase inspections, whether the dealership had its own inspection report, and whether they could provide a cold-start video, underbody photos or video, and a more complete walkaround.
None of those questions were answered.
Instead, Brad sent me a five-minute walkaround video that did not include a cold start, did not show underneath the vehicle, and did not address any of the questions I had asked. During that video, Brad also stated the vehicle came with a 3-month / 3,000-mile powertrain warranty from the dealership. However, when I later received the purchase paperwork from General Manager Tom O'Donnell, the 3-month / 3,000-mile powertrain warranty mentioned in the video was not included in the paperwork, which only added to my concerns.
I also wanted an independent pre-purchase inspection, but despite multiple attempts, I could never get the dealership to coordinate. That meant I was expected to buy an out-of-state vehicle for my son without the information or inspection I had requested.
Communication throughout the process was consistently poor. At one point, I called looking for Tina, and the employee who answered told me, "There is no Tina here. You must have the wrong dealership." Throughout the entire transaction, I felt like I was constantly chasing information instead of the dealership proactively communicating with me.
Despite all of those concerns, I still moved forward because I really wanted the car for my son. I paid my $1,000 deposit by credit card and wired the remaining balance.
The day after I sent the wire transfer, I had to call the dealership four separate times just to get an update on my purchase. Eventually, I reached General Manager Tom O'Donnell, who told me the dealership had not yet received the wire. I explained my frustration with the poor communication and the fact that I had agreed to buy an out-of-state vehicle for my son based on a five-minute video without answers to my questions or an independent inspection. Rather than acknowledging those concerns or trying to work toward a solution, he canceled the deal. When I called back hoping to resolve the situation, he told me there was "nothing else to talk about." After everything that had happened, I was left feeling that my business was not valued and that resolving my concerns was never a priority.
Instead of taking delivery of the vehicle, I found myself trying to recover my money. At the time of writing this review, I am waiting for the outcome of a wire recall and a dispute of my $1,000 credit card deposit after the dealership canceled the transaction.
What should have been an exciting milestone for my son turned into days of uncertainty, phone calls, and trying to recover the money we had already committed to the purchase. I cannot recommend Audi Allentown based on how this transaction was handled.
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