Evora GT430

[Trevsked]

I’m not sure Lotus have a customer relations/retention department? 

 

Trevor.

[PAR]

That is very disappointing to hear, particularly as the official strategy is to build (at a cost) the exact car you want. On my end my experience with my dealer was only positive. I bought a demo that had all the options I wanted and  colour I liked but my dealer would have rather sold me a custom car (he was delivering a 410 sport  configurated to measure at gbp100k as I was paying my deposit) with whatever spec I would have liked. 

To me the point of limited editions is to have a nice spec car at a better price than a fully optioned car. It then allows dealers to hold some stocks with a chance to make money on it. Dealers makes good money on customised customer orders but rarely make much on the stock in show room as the cars don’t go out that fast and they end up discounting them.

[SFO]

😍😍 

😍😍

Edited April 29, 2018 by SFO

[C8RKH]

3 hours ago, Trevsked said:

I’m not sure Lotus have a customer relations/retention department? 

 

Trevor.

I'd love to run that department!  Talk about dream job...

[tim_marra]

Isn't the retention department the guy on the gate?

[Trevsked]

I do hope not as he and I see things a little differently, not sure he know he’s and arse.

Trevor.

[JayEmm]

Quite a shame really the way Lotus are treating their most prestigious customers.

They need to learn from the other premium marques - eg. Ferrari, Aston and McLaren in particular - nothing is a hassle and they should know for some customers money is no object when it comes to getting THE car. From a purely business perspective it is silly not to allow these things to happen.

I don't care what state the company is in, there is never a situation where some of the things on previous pages should have been allowed to happen.

[Bravo73]

9 hours ago, The Pits said:

Should be easy in theory to stick some back seats in there but I believe the 2+2 chassis are slightly different with different mounting points for rear seat belts and isofix points.

A minor point but adding those mounting points to a 2+0 car is a considerable job which would effectively mean taking the car apart again (for access). So, unfortunately, it isn’t viably practical and not just a matter of ‘sticking some back seats in there’. 

[franjipane]

Jayemm, I know what you're trying to say but, there shouldn't be a bunch of 'most prestigious' customers and then everyone else. Anyone who buys a lotus should get the car they think they're getting whether it's an entry Elise, an Evora 400 or a GT430. Lotus should be making everyone feel like they're getting the love, and for the most part I believe they are, in part due to the company's small size and excellent dealers.

[Bruss]

My experience is that the dealers can only give the support that the factory can back up, otherwise it costs them time and or money. The dealers I have bought from have always done their best, often going the extra mile, but it always feels that they are just gap filling for Lotus shortfalls. Good that they do, but it shouldn't be neccessary.

 

[JayEmm]

Lotus' dealers are by and large excellent.

@franjipane what I mean is not ignore the regular customers (if there is such a thing as a "regular" Lotus customer), but some companies have whole departments catering to those with XXL sized pockets (eg. MSO) - it's good business. And anything that makes Lotus more profitable AND improves the products AND customer satisfaction is surely a good thing, non?

I believe Lotus Motorsport used to do some of this, but I never interacted with them.

[franjipane]

Yes, everyone should feel like they got a great buying and ownership experience, regardless of pocket sizes. Granted it may scale a bit to suit

[booboo93]

2 hours ago, JayEmm said:

Quite a shame really the way Lotus are treating their most prestigious customers.

They need to learn from the other premium marques - eg. Ferrari, Aston and McLaren in particular - nothing is a hassle and they should know for some customers money is no object when it comes to getting THE car. From a purely business perspective it is silly not to allow these things to happen.

I don't care what state the company is in, there is never a situation where some of the things on previous pages should have been allowed to happen.

Just 60 editions are planned for worldwide markets (only 6 vehicles for the UK). The Evora GT430 is
available to order now with a non-refundable £12,000 including VAT deposit.
Regards
Lotus Marketing Team

I knew I had seen it somewhere,  It's quite easy to see why some  are up tight about things !

PPI's were mis-sold !

[The Pits]

This is what Lotus Exclusive is all about. However all new Lotus orders offer the chance to spec something unique in practice. I never used 'Lotus Exclusive' but spec'd my own seats, stitching, door mirrors and paint. I found it a very bespoke process and had many a good discussion about minor details while the car was on the line during factory visits. Such things are virtually unheard of with other sports car makers. Nothing of the sort went on when I ordered a TVR Sagaris.

I think what we're dealing with is Lotus had a plan and they didn't stick to it for reasons I think we can all understand underneath all the bluster and foot stomping. The plan was for 6 GT430s, take it or leave it spec, choice of colour, limited options. There was even a £4k titanium harness bar option initially that came to nothing which was a shame, I'd have loved that. In order to realise more sales they allowed anyone to spec it how they wanted, however you look at it, this IS listening to customers but comes at the frustration of the early adopters. As Gav said the key to buying a new Lotus is to bide your time. The world is your oyster if you want a Sport 410 now, choice of new factory fandango version or heavily discounted original. We were told we had to be quick to get a GT430 but clearly this is no longer the case and the UK buyers will have all the GT430s they want. Masses of room for improvement with factory-dealer communication as well as factory-customer and after sales. My own personal experience has been very positive. The PPF guys removed some factory film and took a bit of paint with it. Factory took the car back and repainted without hesitation. They could easily have pushed back. Same goes for an exhaust that wasn't quite as straight as I'd have liked. Thanks to Jamie at B&C this was dealt with right away before taking delivery. The car itself is deeply impressive and intensely engaging.

However I hear too many tales of woe and these pages should be wall-to-wall celebration of a brilliant new Evora. When even the unhappy customers are happy with the car it looks like all the hard work was done. It's in JMG's hands to sort it out. I really thought he'd be hot on this sort of thing, coming from a big auto brand background. Ferrari do customer clinics and previews of new models and make sure to talk to customers before the press. Great idea across the board and easy for Lotus to arrange, cost them very little and would answer much of the current criticism at a stroke.

[Trevsked]

Do they actually have a customer relations department Jonny, apart from yourself obviously 🙂

 

Trevor.

[The Pits]

....with friends like you Trevor....

[Ali tuck]

Slightly off topic but sort of relevant....chap I know had a new 911 turbo s,tracks it.had a sevice,few other bits done ,that’s 5 grand please sir ,ok pays the bill.oh could you also change the battery in the remote please it’s playing up.no problem sir....£3.90 please.

hes had 18 Porsche’s .......sold it within a week and won’t be going back....ever!

[Bruss]

@Ali tuck

Sorry but how is this relevant?

Lotus are OK because they sink to Porsche levels of service?

or buyers will ditch a company for the smallest of things even if they have previously been loyal?

Either way it suggests Lotus need to up their game.

 

[Ali tuck]

Bruss...it’s not really but reading the threads reminded me of that story which I thought I would share as amusement 

[franjipane]

I'd absolutely love a 430, the wing is mental along with the other amazing details, every time I'm at B&C I can't help having a good look.

I'm really tempted to upgrade the 400 but I'm also curious what's coming up in 2019-2020.

[Trevsked]

44 minutes ago, The Pits said:

....with friends like you Trevor....

Was a joke hence the smiley. Nobody has told me yet if Lotus has a customer relations/retention department. I've had a couple of cars and dealt with various departments but don't ever remember being contacted by such department. @bibs.

 

Trevor.

[Bruss]

8 minutes ago, Ali tuck said:

Bruss...it’s not really but reading the threads reminded me of that story which I thought I would share as amusement 

Apologies, it's just my humour quotient is low when I see Lotus continue to get so much right and then screw it up. I have to stop caring 🙂

[Trevsked]

Was a good story though and it's often the little things that irritate the most.

 

Trevor.

[Bibs]

Neil Turner is 'Customer Service & Warranty Manager' last time I checked his email sig. 

[pete]

It is certainly quite disturbing to see so much praise for a car alongside so much criticism of the manufacture but why has there been no comments from anyone at Lotus or any of their dealers, are they all afraid of JMG