Special Order-What information did your dealer give you?
09-22-07, 07:58 AM
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Special Order-What information did your dealer give you?
OK. As many of you here know, I'm waiting for a 6MT IS250, Matador Red, Cashmere, Premium, with Nav special order. We ordered a 2007 but they told us we would get a 2008 "for no extra charge because they couldn't fill our order".
Well, I was told that we would have our car in October. Last time I called they said end of September, or early October. I asked for any evidence that they had telling when it would be made, shipped, or if they had a VIN for it. They said to trust them, cooperate told them that we were a priority. We decided to let them be until October 1st, and then we would demand their promises in writing. We have the order and all they are going to give us in writing, but no evidence of it being built or on the way.
My question is, how soon before they come does the dealer know about the car? Do all of them have a way to know were it is in the order process? If they were told that, shouldn't there be evidence somewhere now?
Thanks for you help. I'm hoping it comes in before that, but I want to be ready!
Well, I was told that we would have our car in October. Last time I called they said end of September, or early October. I asked for any evidence that they had telling when it would be made, shipped, or if they had a VIN for it. They said to trust them, cooperate told them that we were a priority. We decided to let them be until October 1st, and then we would demand their promises in writing. We have the order and all they are going to give us in writing, but no evidence of it being built or on the way.
My question is, how soon before they come does the dealer know about the car? Do all of them have a way to know were it is in the order process? If they were told that, shouldn't there be evidence somewhere now?
Thanks for you help. I'm hoping it comes in before that, but I want to be ready!
09-22-07, 08:10 AM
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I doubt that they can get a special order in a month. Since your vehicle is fairly common, it probably is on an allocation list. The new car manager should have a listing of this and other models as well. The only thing that makes it difficult is get is the MT option. If it was an AT you could probably pick up one pretty much the same day at one of the dealers in your state.
09-22-07, 08:15 AM
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Hey Buc, I did a special order as well back in June after looking around for a car at the end of last Spring. Basically once the dealers take your deposit and put your order in, they go incommunicado. You will not hear from them again until about three weeks before your car is expected. I just recently heard from my dealer (JM Lexus in Florida) a week or so ago and received my VIN. They expect my car to arrive in port on Monday, and then it's about 7-10 days from port to dealer, so I'm looking at early October for my delivery date. By the way I also got a quick call from them at the end of July saying that my order had been submitted and that my car would be built in August.
You can call them and ask about your car, but they will tell you that they don't know and don't have a way to find out. This isn't the whole truth. Of course Lexus knows where something that costs $30-40,000 is at all times. It may also be true that the dealers don't necessarily have access to such detailed information though, so in a way they are right. The thing too is that dealers seem reluctant to give you a date, which to me is lame. The dealer has to know when cars are coming and going. If they didn't, how could they run a business not knowing when their inventory was going to show up? The dates at which cars are being built, loaded on boats, and arriving in U.S. ports are known. It's a well and carefully tuned precision process despite the dealers constant should shrugging and playing dumb.
The other thing I feel obligated to say whenever the special order threads come up is that you have to be careful with some dealers and be very clear about what you want and expect. Some take your order preferences and try to find the car elsewhere. Whether that means another dealer or an incoming car that's sitting on a boat on its way to the U.S. Others will take your special order and sit on it. This may be due to a couple of things. One reason is dealers only can order a set number of cars per month. That means if their current monthly allocation is full, you have to wait. Whether the dealer will give you one of their allocations or make you wait is another issue. This is where going with a high volume dealer really helps. They have the ability to get the car quicker. I've also long suspected that the dealer discourages you as much as possible from special ordering because they want that sale today. After you've waited a month or two they figure they can wait you out if you cave in after hearing it might be another 3-6 months before you see your car. Perhaps I'm being paranoid about that, but there are too many bad experiences with special ordering. This part of Lexus really has a lot of room for improvment. Anyway, there are only so many boats shipping ISes to the U.S. and one of them is arriving in Florida in the next couple of days. It's pretty simple: either your car is on that boat or it's not. Your dealer should know by now. If not, then it's unfortunately another month of waiting for you.
You can call them and ask about your car, but they will tell you that they don't know and don't have a way to find out. This isn't the whole truth. Of course Lexus knows where something that costs $30-40,000 is at all times. It may also be true that the dealers don't necessarily have access to such detailed information though, so in a way they are right. The thing too is that dealers seem reluctant to give you a date, which to me is lame. The dealer has to know when cars are coming and going. If they didn't, how could they run a business not knowing when their inventory was going to show up? The dates at which cars are being built, loaded on boats, and arriving in U.S. ports are known. It's a well and carefully tuned precision process despite the dealers constant should shrugging and playing dumb.
The other thing I feel obligated to say whenever the special order threads come up is that you have to be careful with some dealers and be very clear about what you want and expect. Some take your order preferences and try to find the car elsewhere. Whether that means another dealer or an incoming car that's sitting on a boat on its way to the U.S. Others will take your special order and sit on it. This may be due to a couple of things. One reason is dealers only can order a set number of cars per month. That means if their current monthly allocation is full, you have to wait. Whether the dealer will give you one of their allocations or make you wait is another issue. This is where going with a high volume dealer really helps. They have the ability to get the car quicker. I've also long suspected that the dealer discourages you as much as possible from special ordering because they want that sale today. After you've waited a month or two they figure they can wait you out if you cave in after hearing it might be another 3-6 months before you see your car. Perhaps I'm being paranoid about that, but there are too many bad experiences with special ordering. This part of Lexus really has a lot of room for improvment. Anyway, there are only so many boats shipping ISes to the U.S. and one of them is arriving in Florida in the next couple of days. It's pretty simple: either your car is on that boat or it's not. Your dealer should know by now. If not, then it's unfortunately another month of waiting for you.
09-22-07, 09:24 AM
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jdanon,
You're the reason that I called last week. I, too, have been disgusted with the "trust us" and word of mouth promises from the dealer. We ordered at the end of May, beginning of June. We didn't expect the car for 4 months. That was OK. What isn't OK is that we haven't seen any kind of paperwork saying that our car is being built, is built, of is on the way...just the "your file has been red flagged and set as a priority" talk. "Cooperate knows that they made a mistake and are rushing your order." Since you were told that you were getting your car in October...what we were told...how come you have all the information and we don't?????
How did you finally get your information. What's so hard is that the people we have been dealing with have been so nice and professional and haven't given us a real reason yet to raise the h@** that is brewing inside me over this right now. I asked my husband what he was getting annoyed and he said, I'm almost there.
I'm the kind that likes to get things out right away and get it taken care of. He's not. When we were on a flight back from Mexico and surrounded by kids banging on our seat behind us, and other kids standing on their seats yelling and puttting their fingers in the air vents (quite a noise), I asked the parents nicely to ask them to stop. When it didn't end, I got ready to ask again. My husband said, "No, don't bother them." After an hour and a half of that, he stood up, turned around and yelled, "ENOUGH!!!!" and it stopped. It killed me. He waits until he can't take it any more.
It's going to be his primary car (I'll steal it when I can) so I'll let him do his "ENOUGH" speech. I just want to be prepared by knowing what they have access to in order to let them know that I'm not just a starry eyed Lexus buyer. (Although the reason I am so anxious is that the car does put stars in my eyes...but I can hide that...I think I can.??)
You're the reason that I called last week. I, too, have been disgusted with the "trust us" and word of mouth promises from the dealer. We ordered at the end of May, beginning of June. We didn't expect the car for 4 months. That was OK. What isn't OK is that we haven't seen any kind of paperwork saying that our car is being built, is built, of is on the way...just the "your file has been red flagged and set as a priority" talk. "Cooperate knows that they made a mistake and are rushing your order." Since you were told that you were getting your car in October...what we were told...how come you have all the information and we don't?????
How did you finally get your information. What's so hard is that the people we have been dealing with have been so nice and professional and haven't given us a real reason yet to raise the h@** that is brewing inside me over this right now. I asked my husband what he was getting annoyed and he said, I'm almost there.
I'm the kind that likes to get things out right away and get it taken care of. He's not. When we were on a flight back from Mexico and surrounded by kids banging on our seat behind us, and other kids standing on their seats yelling and puttting their fingers in the air vents (quite a noise), I asked the parents nicely to ask them to stop. When it didn't end, I got ready to ask again. My husband said, "No, don't bother them." After an hour and a half of that, he stood up, turned around and yelled, "ENOUGH!!!!" and it stopped. It killed me. He waits until he can't take it any more.
It's going to be his primary car (I'll steal it when I can) so I'll let him do his "ENOUGH" speech. I just want to be prepared by knowing what they have access to in order to let them know that I'm not just a starry eyed Lexus buyer. (Although the reason I am so anxious is that the car does put stars in my eyes...but I can hide that...I think I can.??)
09-22-07, 10:19 AM
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Here's how I would work it. I would keep asking some very basic high level questions until you get them to paint themselves into a corner so to speak where they pretty much have to contradict themselves proving that they are lieing, or provide you some real answers.
I would first tell them that you are aware that there is a boat coming into the Jacksonville port early in the week with all the cars that are to be delivered at the end of the month or early October. There was supposedly another shipment at the beginning of September that provided the last of 2007s and some 2008s, but assume your car wasn't on that boat either otherwise you'd definitely have it by now. Ask them point blank if your car is in this latest shipment. I was provided my VIN two weeks ago while my car was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Surely if the car is in port they have to know exactly where every car is going at that point since the next step is to deliver them to the dealers. If they can't tell you, then your car is not in this shipment, and you have every right to be mad. This is where your husband can go off on them.
If they keep telling you that you'll have your car in October ask them how this is possible since this shipment of cars will be the last one for another month and October starts in another week or so. I find that playing like you know more than they do puts them in an awkward position which forces their hand a bit, but do it in an innocent non-confrontational kind of way otherwise you'll get nothing out of them. Heck tell them you called the corporate office and they gave you the low down on how the shipments work. The dealers are so disconnected from everything they could never prove where you got your information.
Some of the other things that sound like lies in your story is the part about "rushing your order". They don't rush orders. From what I can tell, the cars are made at the beginning of each month then put on the boats. Shipment time is roughly 17-20 days to California, and 24-28 days for the Eastern U.S. Because of that big ocean between Japan and us, it's impossible to rush anything unless you're putting it on a plane. Maybe they mean your order will be forced into (or added to) your dealers allocation for the next order month who knows. Sounds like customer service lip service to me.
Basically to summarize what I have done in my special order, which admittedly though the process seems to be working for me with JM Lexus compared to my local dealers is still a bit shaky. I told JM what I was looking for and that I wanted to special order. They told me 30-60 days up to 90 in the worst cases for current year models. This was in mid-June, so they gave me the option of a July car (2007) and I'd get it in about 50 days in early August. Or, I could wait and they wouldn't submit my order until July meaning I'd get an August built car and the first of the 2008s in about 3 1/2 months. I opted for the latter.
Within a day I was faxed an order sheet with my name, address, the model and model year I was ordering, the colors, and a detailed breakdown of each option and the total bottom line price including all tax (which for me is zero since I'm in CT and will defer payment of this until registration), fees, etc. All I had to do then was put down a $2,000 deposit and pray that I wasn't going to get screwed and lose four months of time. I wasn't worried about the money, that's a lot easier to get back than time!
In July, about a month or month and a half later, I got the phone call saying my order had been sent to Lexus and everything looked good, and they were still expecting my car to come in mid to late September.
Two weeks ago I got an email with my VIN and that my car was scheduled for delivery to the port facility on September 24th and would be at the dealership within a week to ten days. Initially I asked about getting the car shipped up to me which I expected to be a pain in the butt and that I'd be on my own finding a transportation service. Lo and behold JM said they ship cars all the time and had several services they use and I could choose which ever one I wanted. Naturally I wondered what the cost of this was, and they said under $1,000 so I was sold. I would have saved a lot of time if I just went with them in the first place.
So where am I now? Well I talked to the dealer at the end of the week and they said they wanted to get the paperwork going so they could ship my car when they got it. I sent them copies of my insurance and license, and they are overnighting the paperwork for me to sign and send back with a check. They are also in the process of getting dates and prices for transportation for my car, so they are really earning their commission on this one. Oh yeah the price is exactly what we agreed upon, no games at all.
Overall I've been very impressed with how they are handling everything. They could easily treat me like a second rate customer seeing as I'm over a thousand miles away, but they are just on top of every little detail, and doing things ahead of time (without me having to call and nag) to make sure everything goes as smoothly and quickly as possible. They've been forthcoming with information from day one which we can all appreciate, and they are sticking to the dates they told me back in June, so what more can I ask for? I also wanted to change my wheels last month and they did that with no problem. I thought I was going to be screwed on that trying to change a special order when the car was already built or on its way. Needless to say I am a very satisfied customer thus far.
I would first tell them that you are aware that there is a boat coming into the Jacksonville port early in the week with all the cars that are to be delivered at the end of the month or early October. There was supposedly another shipment at the beginning of September that provided the last of 2007s and some 2008s, but assume your car wasn't on that boat either otherwise you'd definitely have it by now. Ask them point blank if your car is in this latest shipment. I was provided my VIN two weeks ago while my car was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Surely if the car is in port they have to know exactly where every car is going at that point since the next step is to deliver them to the dealers. If they can't tell you, then your car is not in this shipment, and you have every right to be mad. This is where your husband can go off on them.
If they keep telling you that you'll have your car in October ask them how this is possible since this shipment of cars will be the last one for another month and October starts in another week or so. I find that playing like you know more than they do puts them in an awkward position which forces their hand a bit, but do it in an innocent non-confrontational kind of way otherwise you'll get nothing out of them. Heck tell them you called the corporate office and they gave you the low down on how the shipments work. The dealers are so disconnected from everything they could never prove where you got your information.
Some of the other things that sound like lies in your story is the part about "rushing your order". They don't rush orders. From what I can tell, the cars are made at the beginning of each month then put on the boats. Shipment time is roughly 17-20 days to California, and 24-28 days for the Eastern U.S. Because of that big ocean between Japan and us, it's impossible to rush anything unless you're putting it on a plane. Maybe they mean your order will be forced into (or added to) your dealers allocation for the next order month who knows. Sounds like customer service lip service to me.
Basically to summarize what I have done in my special order, which admittedly though the process seems to be working for me with JM Lexus compared to my local dealers is still a bit shaky. I told JM what I was looking for and that I wanted to special order. They told me 30-60 days up to 90 in the worst cases for current year models. This was in mid-June, so they gave me the option of a July car (2007) and I'd get it in about 50 days in early August. Or, I could wait and they wouldn't submit my order until July meaning I'd get an August built car and the first of the 2008s in about 3 1/2 months. I opted for the latter.
Within a day I was faxed an order sheet with my name, address, the model and model year I was ordering, the colors, and a detailed breakdown of each option and the total bottom line price including all tax (which for me is zero since I'm in CT and will defer payment of this until registration), fees, etc. All I had to do then was put down a $2,000 deposit and pray that I wasn't going to get screwed and lose four months of time. I wasn't worried about the money, that's a lot easier to get back than time!
In July, about a month or month and a half later, I got the phone call saying my order had been sent to Lexus and everything looked good, and they were still expecting my car to come in mid to late September.
Two weeks ago I got an email with my VIN and that my car was scheduled for delivery to the port facility on September 24th and would be at the dealership within a week to ten days. Initially I asked about getting the car shipped up to me which I expected to be a pain in the butt and that I'd be on my own finding a transportation service. Lo and behold JM said they ship cars all the time and had several services they use and I could choose which ever one I wanted. Naturally I wondered what the cost of this was, and they said under $1,000 so I was sold. I would have saved a lot of time if I just went with them in the first place.
So where am I now? Well I talked to the dealer at the end of the week and they said they wanted to get the paperwork going so they could ship my car when they got it. I sent them copies of my insurance and license, and they are overnighting the paperwork for me to sign and send back with a check. They are also in the process of getting dates and prices for transportation for my car, so they are really earning their commission on this one. Oh yeah the price is exactly what we agreed upon, no games at all.
Overall I've been very impressed with how they are handling everything. They could easily treat me like a second rate customer seeing as I'm over a thousand miles away, but they are just on top of every little detail, and doing things ahead of time (without me having to call and nag) to make sure everything goes as smoothly and quickly as possible. They've been forthcoming with information from day one which we can all appreciate, and they are sticking to the dates they told me back in June, so what more can I ask for? I also wanted to change my wheels last month and they did that with no problem. I thought I was going to be screwed on that trying to change a special order when the car was already built or on its way. Needless to say I am a very satisfied customer thus far.
09-22-07, 10:52 AM
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jdanon is right on target.
Based on jdanon's contact info at JM Lexus, I placed my special order through Cindy at JM Lexus back in June. The entire process has been hassle free and upfront.
1. Present to them what I wanted and negotiate a price that was put in writting on a JM Lexus purchase order that is hand written (the typed form is done when the car is actually on the lot)
2. The following day, they placed the order and emailed me the actual order form they placed with Lexus (I added G-Spiders and XM a month after the order was placed, no problem since those are port installed options, the additions were placed on the original hand written purchase order and also emailed to me to show the changes)
3. After emailing JM Lexus in late August for an update, they emailed me a VIN and "on the boat" date.
4. As per JM Lexus's allocation, the car should be in the States by the end of September and at the dealership within a week from port delivery
5. Will go to the dealership, pay for the car, take it home.
Very simple and straight forward.
Total time: 3 months + 1-2 weeks.
Based on jdanon's contact info at JM Lexus, I placed my special order through Cindy at JM Lexus back in June. The entire process has been hassle free and upfront.
1. Present to them what I wanted and negotiate a price that was put in writting on a JM Lexus purchase order that is hand written (the typed form is done when the car is actually on the lot)
2. The following day, they placed the order and emailed me the actual order form they placed with Lexus (I added G-Spiders and XM a month after the order was placed, no problem since those are port installed options, the additions were placed on the original hand written purchase order and also emailed to me to show the changes)
3. After emailing JM Lexus in late August for an update, they emailed me a VIN and "on the boat" date.
4. As per JM Lexus's allocation, the car should be in the States by the end of September and at the dealership within a week from port delivery
5. Will go to the dealership, pay for the car, take it home.
Very simple and straight forward.
Total time: 3 months + 1-2 weeks.
Last edited by DropTopGal; 09-22-07 at 10:55 AM.
09-22-07, 11:49 AM
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Thanks, guys. You are such a great help.
I couldn't wait. I called the salesperson and they're talking to the manager right now. I'll keep you updated on what they say.
I couldn't wait. I called the salesperson and they're talking to the manager right now. I'll keep you updated on what they say.
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09-22-07, 11:52 AM
#8
jdanon,
You're the reason that I called last week. I, too, have been disgusted with the "trust us" and word of mouth promises from the dealer. We ordered at the end of May, beginning of June. We didn't expect the car for 4 months. That was OK. What isn't OK is that we haven't seen any kind of paperwork saying that our car is being built, is built, of is on the way...just the "your file has been red flagged and set as a priority" talk. "Cooperate knows that they made a mistake and are rushing your order." Since you were told that you were getting your car in October...what we were told...how come you have all the information and we don't?????
How did you finally get your information. What's so hard is that the people we have been dealing with have been so nice and professional and haven't given us a real reason yet to raise the h@** that is brewing inside me over this right now. I asked my husband what he was getting annoyed and he said, I'm almost there.
I'm the kind that likes to get things out right away and get it taken care of. He's not. When we were on a flight back from Mexico and surrounded by kids banging on our seat behind us, and other kids standing on their seats yelling and puttting their fingers in the air vents (quite a noise), I asked the parents nicely to ask them to stop. When it didn't end, I got ready to ask again. My husband said, "No, don't bother them." After an hour and a half of that, he stood up, turned around and yelled, "ENOUGH!!!!" and it stopped. It killed me. He waits until he can't take it any more.
It's going to be his primary car (I'll steal it when I can) so I'll let him do his "ENOUGH" speech. I just want to be prepared by knowing what they have access to in order to let them know that I'm not just a starry eyed Lexus buyer. (Although the reason I am so anxious is that the car does put stars in my eyes...but I can hide that...I think I can.??)
You're the reason that I called last week. I, too, have been disgusted with the "trust us" and word of mouth promises from the dealer. We ordered at the end of May, beginning of June. We didn't expect the car for 4 months. That was OK. What isn't OK is that we haven't seen any kind of paperwork saying that our car is being built, is built, of is on the way...just the "your file has been red flagged and set as a priority" talk. "Cooperate knows that they made a mistake and are rushing your order." Since you were told that you were getting your car in October...what we were told...how come you have all the information and we don't?????
How did you finally get your information. What's so hard is that the people we have been dealing with have been so nice and professional and haven't given us a real reason yet to raise the h@** that is brewing inside me over this right now. I asked my husband what he was getting annoyed and he said, I'm almost there.
I'm the kind that likes to get things out right away and get it taken care of. He's not. When we were on a flight back from Mexico and surrounded by kids banging on our seat behind us, and other kids standing on their seats yelling and puttting their fingers in the air vents (quite a noise), I asked the parents nicely to ask them to stop. When it didn't end, I got ready to ask again. My husband said, "No, don't bother them." After an hour and a half of that, he stood up, turned around and yelled, "ENOUGH!!!!" and it stopped. It killed me. He waits until he can't take it any more.
It's going to be his primary car (I'll steal it when I can) so I'll let him do his "ENOUGH" speech. I just want to be prepared by knowing what they have access to in order to let them know that I'm not just a starry eyed Lexus buyer. (Although the reason I am so anxious is that the car does put stars in my eyes...but I can hide that...I think I can.??)
09-22-07, 07:27 PM
#9
I think Lexus' special ordering system is phony. I tried to order a car once, and will never do it again, at least not through Lexus. Wait four months and got no answer. I threatened to take my money to another place unless they deeply discount a car that was on the lot. Ordered a 250 MT, bought a 350 instead. 
But I repeat, I WILL NEVER ORDER A CAR FROM LEXUS.
But I repeat, I WILL NEVER ORDER A CAR FROM LEXUS.
09-22-07, 08:48 PM
#10
Lexus Champion
I think Lexus' special ordering system is phony. I tried to order a car once, and will never do it again, at least not through Lexus. Wait four months and got no answer. I threatened to take my money to another place unless they deeply discount a car that was on the lot. Ordered a 250 MT, bought a 350 instead. But I repeat, I WILL NEVER ORDER A CAR FROM LEXUS.
But I repeat, I WILL NEVER ORDER A CAR FROM LEXUS.
09-22-07, 11:39 PM
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I doubt that they can get a special order in a month. Since your vehicle is fairly common, it probably is on an allocation list. The new car manager should have a listing of this and other models as well. The only thing that makes it difficult is get is the MT option. If it was an AT you could probably pick up one pretty much the same day at one of the dealers in your state.
I gave up and snagged an AT with more options from a neighboring dealer after I scoured the vehicle log from Long Beach. Don't make the same mistake I did and take their word for it. Keep at it.
09-26-07, 05:34 PM
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Just an update...
Well, on Saturday I called and was told that they were expecting a list on Wednesday morning with the special orders on it. I got home today from work, and of course there was no call. So I called and was told that they had a call in to corporate but they never returned their call.
My salesperson (I don't know if I told you this, but my original salesperson didn't stay with Lexus and they assigned me to a new one...turned out it was the man that I had bought my Sienna van from in 2000 and he was great) said that he was coming in tomorrow, and he and one of the other managers were going to work on this. This is the first time that this new salesperson is going to bat for me. He's new with Lexus, and I think that he's been laying low and learning. He's a great guy and I'm hoping that tomorrow they'll find something out.
I told him that I'm counting on him to find out something. I also told him that I hoped he does, because if he doesn't, I'll be forced to contact corporate. He told me that if he didn't that I should.
I'll let you know what happens next. I've been patient. Good cop me has been working on this. Next, we unleash bad cop me and then REALLY ANNOYED NOW Cop, DH.
Well, on Saturday I called and was told that they were expecting a list on Wednesday morning with the special orders on it. I got home today from work, and of course there was no call. So I called and was told that they had a call in to corporate but they never returned their call.
My salesperson (I don't know if I told you this, but my original salesperson didn't stay with Lexus and they assigned me to a new one...turned out it was the man that I had bought my Sienna van from in 2000 and he was great) said that he was coming in tomorrow, and he and one of the other managers were going to work on this. This is the first time that this new salesperson is going to bat for me. He's new with Lexus, and I think that he's been laying low and learning. He's a great guy and I'm hoping that tomorrow they'll find something out.
I told him that I'm counting on him to find out something. I also told him that I hoped he does, because if he doesn't, I'll be forced to contact corporate. He told me that if he didn't that I should.
I'll let you know what happens next. I've been patient. Good cop me has been working on this. Next, we unleash bad cop me and then REALLY ANNOYED NOW Cop, DH.
09-27-07, 05:36 PM
#13
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Well today was the day that they were going to find out for me what is going on with my car. My salesperson and a manager were coming in on their day off to find out what was going on and were going to call us. Of course, when we got home there was no call and no messages were left. So, I called and both were not there.
I ended up talking to the original manager that placed the order. He is the one that said that we were going to get an '08 and that he suspected that something must have happened to our car on the way here, like an accident. Today he said that the turnover from '07's to '08's probably was the cause. He said that he turned our car over to one of the big managers in new cars. I can't wait to hear what they say tomorrow. They need to have an answer for me or we go in to have a talk with them one on one in front of the Saturday crowd.
The biggest problem I have today is that they said that they would let us know. If they didn't find anything out they should have had the you know what's to call us and tell us so and tell us what they were doing to make this happen.
I ended up talking to the original manager that placed the order. He is the one that said that we were going to get an '08 and that he suspected that something must have happened to our car on the way here, like an accident. Today he said that the turnover from '07's to '08's probably was the cause. He said that he turned our car over to one of the big managers in new cars. I can't wait to hear what they say tomorrow. They need to have an answer for me or we go in to have a talk with them one on one in front of the Saturday crowd.
The biggest problem I have today is that they said that they would let us know. If they didn't find anything out they should have had the you know what's to call us and tell us so and tell us what they were doing to make this happen.
09-28-07, 07:34 PM
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OK guys. Here's what happened today. I got my call, and my salesman says that they don't make the IS250 MT with Navi for our area and that they're going to try to find one for us in an area that does...ie...CA. Needless to say, I was @#$$ed. I said, why didn't they tell us that in the first place. Why all the, "It's coming in October" stuff. He was very nice, and has inherited this mess. I was ticked at the manager that has been stringing me along.
So, I'm thinking, of course they make them for special orders. They just don't make them for the normal dealer allocation. So I call back and ask to talk to the new manager dealing with this. I have to say I liked him. He didn't dish out any lies and told me that he just didn't know when it was coming and that they were going to try next week to find us a car just like we want. The special order will stay in, but they hope to get us one sooner.
I am so angry with the other guy and the "They won' say, but I think that your vehicle was damaged on the way here" junk the other guy gave us. I told them so and when I was done, they had added a clear bra to my imaginary car.
Stay tuned. I want my car!!!!!
So, I'm thinking, of course they make them for special orders. They just don't make them for the normal dealer allocation. So I call back and ask to talk to the new manager dealing with this. I have to say I liked him. He didn't dish out any lies and told me that he just didn't know when it was coming and that they were going to try next week to find us a car just like we want. The special order will stay in, but they hope to get us one sooner.
I am so angry with the other guy and the "They won' say, but I think that your vehicle was damaged on the way here" junk the other guy gave us. I told them so and when I was done, they had added a clear bra to my imaginary car.
Stay tuned. I want my car!!!!!
09-28-07, 08:47 PM
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For the heck of it, I did a "build" for the Midwest region (55144-it's in Minnesota), and it looks like Premium/Nav on a 6MT is available in that market. Maybe that can be a starting point, if they are really going to try to find you a car......
I hope you end up getting what you want. When I was looking for my 6MT, I ran across a couple of dealers who either wouldn't order, or wanted an extraordinary commitment (ex: a $10,000 non-refundable deposit) before they would do it. Then I found my car just sitting on a lot........