GT3 Action Group meeting with PCNA
08-26-2014, 08:59 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
GT3 Action Group meeting with PCNA
We had two meetings with Tim Quinn who is the Vice President of AfterSales and Andrew Pine who is the Director of Customer Relations. Tim is responsible for the technical aspect at PCNA whereas Andrew is responsible for the customer experience aspect. The first meeting was on Wednesday with just a couple of us and lasted one and a half hours. The purpose of this was to discuss a draft agenda and highlight some of the issues we wished to discuss. The second meeting took place with the Group on Thursday morning and this lasted nearly three hours.
The Group met over dinner and drinks on Wednesday evening to discuss and finalise the agenda for the meeting on the following morning. As you can imagine, put a bunch of Porsche enthusiasts together and the conversation flows endlessly. Needless to say, the company was excellent. Having finalised the agenda, this was emailed to PCNA and we enjoyed the rest of our evening till late. Fortunately, we had invited PCNA to come to us at the hotel so that made things easier the next morning.
The Group reconvened the next morning to meet with Tim and Andrew. Introductions were made and Tim gave a brief account of his unique insight into Porsche in the US over the last twenty or so years. A copy of the agenda was passed to everyone and, since the meeting was conducted in a friendly and informal manner, it was helpful to keep us on track and cover the issues.
First up on the agenda was communication. Many people have experienced inconsistencies, inaccurate data, lack of information and poor responsiveness. Part of the reason for this is that PAG was reluctant to give information on an interim basis. It would appear that part of this is cultural but, due to the nature of the issue, they wanted to be sure the information was complete and accurate. Despite that, information was given by PAG only to be changed later. Needless to say, this has added to many people's frustration.
One example of this is the order in which the engines were to be produced and the cars to which they were to be allocated. This has been the cause of consternation for some customers. We asked PCNA to recognise that some MY14 cars would be delivered at the same time, if not later than MY15 cars as it means that, despite being brand new, they're effectively one year old.
Another issue has been cars being delayed at ports for no apparent reason. We were informed that the last of the cars have now been repaired and. once repaired, responsibility was passed to the logistics group. One of the factors which has caused the cars to be delayed is the lack of liftgate trucks to transport them. There's only a limited number of these in the country and even events like Monterey Car Week have impacted their availability thereby causing further delays. Additionally, cars needed to have their engines installed before Thatcham Labels could be issued to ensure the engines and the labels matched up.
Loss of manufacturer's warranty was another issues we discussed and the need for additional warranty to match the original warranty.
We then discussed the disparity in compensation between different categories. It makes no sense that Category A buyers, having spent in excess of $150k should be paid $2k per month whilst Category B buyers who'd paid a deposit of $2k were receiving the same amount. Furthermore, despite the offer of $2k per month compensation, some customers were still incurring a loss. When we asked the reason for the disparity we were told they hadn't looked at it in those terms but in terms that customers were without a car. It seems the figure of $2k was determined by budgetary constraints and the pot of money available. We encouraged PCNA to take another look at this.
We recognised that many dealers had performed brilliantly although that could not be said of all. It was clear from the meeting that PCNA often has little influence over how a dealership conducts itself. There have been many issues surrounding the issuance of loan cars, information, misinformation, incorrect information etc ... However, that said, it is still worth giving feedback regarding how your dealer performed and I would stress that it's just as important to give positive feedback as it is the negative.
Special mentions were given to Ian Moon and Andrea for the praise they've received from customers. They were both engaged to help directly with the GT3 issues. We feel they have both experienced an accelerated learning curve and would be an asset to PCNA in the future.
The issues regarding the lack of memory function on the 18 way Adaptive Sports Seats, the Bluetooth and telephone connectivity if it wasn't expressly selected and mesh inserts were also raised. Whilst both Andrew and Tim were confident about how PCNA will deal with the first two, they asked for us to give them some time to double check before anything is made official.
The reason some cars are being delivered without mesh inserts is because of a shortage of supply of the inserts. Rather than have the cars held up, it was decided to get the cars into customers hands as soon as possible. For those cars without mesh inserts, they will receive them in due course as part of a workshop campaign. Anyone who hasn't waited and fitted their own inserts are advised to replace them with the Porsche products.
We also suggested that relationships could be strengthened, or repaired as the case may be, by PCNA hosting specific GT3 customer event at their driving centres. This was done very successfully in the UK in 2009 as a preview event for the 997.2 GT3 and could be used as a template for the 991 GT3. The event was broken down into multiple activities; each 30 minutes long with 8 guests in each group. Some were driving activities with the rest being overviews regarding the car, a walk around with Andreas Preuninger, a talk with senior executives from PCGB and PAG etc ... This was nothing more than a suggestion but one we hope they'll seriously consider.
Finally, we accepted that in some circumstances it can be difficult to monetise the loss or inconvenience. We therefore suggested that, since virtually everyone is a Porsche enthusiast and repeat customer, PCNA offers its GT3 customers the offer for a priority order on a new Porsche car with a validity of three years. This is similar to the 918 program but for a shorter period of time. We called this the 'Golden Ticket'. This would not cost Porsche anything but an allocation for a car.In return, Porsche gets repeat business from a customer who is valued.
Tim and Andrew told us that they would take our discussions to the PCNA executive board and share the same with their colleagues at PAG. They informed us they should get back to us quite quickly on some of the points but others would likely take longer such as the GT3 event.
I discussed some of the individual experiences Group members have shared with me and agreed to send information to Andrew in that regard. We now have an open channel for dialogue with PCNA which is helpful for everyone.
Although the Rest of the World Group members haven't been party to this initiative, I asked Tim if he could help those members as well and he agreed. He will speak to his counterparts where possible.
As I stated earlier, this meeting lasted for nearly three hours and it's likely that I have missed many of the details. Where that's the case, I'm sure some of the other Group attendees won't mind filling in the details.
Overall, we had a very constructive twenty four hours in Atlanta with four and a half of those with PCNA. We appreciate both Tim and Andrew's candour and willingness to help. They spent a considerable amount of time with us and it's to be appreciated even more so in light of the fact that they're both going to Europe next week. Regardless of that, they still found the time to meet with us. We hope the meeting was as beneficial for them as it was for us.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Group and this initiative. A very special thank you goes to everyone who attended Atlanta. You know who you are and I hope you make yourselves known. I look forward to when next meet.
Without the support of everyone who put their names to the letter, we could have stood up as individuals but would not have been counted.
By pursuing this collectively, I'm optimistic we'll make progress. Thanks Guys!
The Group met over dinner and drinks on Wednesday evening to discuss and finalise the agenda for the meeting on the following morning. As you can imagine, put a bunch of Porsche enthusiasts together and the conversation flows endlessly. Needless to say, the company was excellent. Having finalised the agenda, this was emailed to PCNA and we enjoyed the rest of our evening till late. Fortunately, we had invited PCNA to come to us at the hotel so that made things easier the next morning.
The Group reconvened the next morning to meet with Tim and Andrew. Introductions were made and Tim gave a brief account of his unique insight into Porsche in the US over the last twenty or so years. A copy of the agenda was passed to everyone and, since the meeting was conducted in a friendly and informal manner, it was helpful to keep us on track and cover the issues.
First up on the agenda was communication. Many people have experienced inconsistencies, inaccurate data, lack of information and poor responsiveness. Part of the reason for this is that PAG was reluctant to give information on an interim basis. It would appear that part of this is cultural but, due to the nature of the issue, they wanted to be sure the information was complete and accurate. Despite that, information was given by PAG only to be changed later. Needless to say, this has added to many people's frustration.
One example of this is the order in which the engines were to be produced and the cars to which they were to be allocated. This has been the cause of consternation for some customers. We asked PCNA to recognise that some MY14 cars would be delivered at the same time, if not later than MY15 cars as it means that, despite being brand new, they're effectively one year old.
Another issue has been cars being delayed at ports for no apparent reason. We were informed that the last of the cars have now been repaired and. once repaired, responsibility was passed to the logistics group. One of the factors which has caused the cars to be delayed is the lack of liftgate trucks to transport them. There's only a limited number of these in the country and even events like Monterey Car Week have impacted their availability thereby causing further delays. Additionally, cars needed to have their engines installed before Thatcham Labels could be issued to ensure the engines and the labels matched up.
Loss of manufacturer's warranty was another issues we discussed and the need for additional warranty to match the original warranty.
We then discussed the disparity in compensation between different categories. It makes no sense that Category A buyers, having spent in excess of $150k should be paid $2k per month whilst Category B buyers who'd paid a deposit of $2k were receiving the same amount. Furthermore, despite the offer of $2k per month compensation, some customers were still incurring a loss. When we asked the reason for the disparity we were told they hadn't looked at it in those terms but in terms that customers were without a car. It seems the figure of $2k was determined by budgetary constraints and the pot of money available. We encouraged PCNA to take another look at this.
We recognised that many dealers had performed brilliantly although that could not be said of all. It was clear from the meeting that PCNA often has little influence over how a dealership conducts itself. There have been many issues surrounding the issuance of loan cars, information, misinformation, incorrect information etc ... However, that said, it is still worth giving feedback regarding how your dealer performed and I would stress that it's just as important to give positive feedback as it is the negative.
Special mentions were given to Ian Moon and Andrea for the praise they've received from customers. They were both engaged to help directly with the GT3 issues. We feel they have both experienced an accelerated learning curve and would be an asset to PCNA in the future.
The issues regarding the lack of memory function on the 18 way Adaptive Sports Seats, the Bluetooth and telephone connectivity if it wasn't expressly selected and mesh inserts were also raised. Whilst both Andrew and Tim were confident about how PCNA will deal with the first two, they asked for us to give them some time to double check before anything is made official.
The reason some cars are being delivered without mesh inserts is because of a shortage of supply of the inserts. Rather than have the cars held up, it was decided to get the cars into customers hands as soon as possible. For those cars without mesh inserts, they will receive them in due course as part of a workshop campaign. Anyone who hasn't waited and fitted their own inserts are advised to replace them with the Porsche products.
We also suggested that relationships could be strengthened, or repaired as the case may be, by PCNA hosting specific GT3 customer event at their driving centres. This was done very successfully in the UK in 2009 as a preview event for the 997.2 GT3 and could be used as a template for the 991 GT3. The event was broken down into multiple activities; each 30 minutes long with 8 guests in each group. Some were driving activities with the rest being overviews regarding the car, a walk around with Andreas Preuninger, a talk with senior executives from PCGB and PAG etc ... This was nothing more than a suggestion but one we hope they'll seriously consider.
Finally, we accepted that in some circumstances it can be difficult to monetise the loss or inconvenience. We therefore suggested that, since virtually everyone is a Porsche enthusiast and repeat customer, PCNA offers its GT3 customers the offer for a priority order on a new Porsche car with a validity of three years. This is similar to the 918 program but for a shorter period of time. We called this the 'Golden Ticket'. This would not cost Porsche anything but an allocation for a car.In return, Porsche gets repeat business from a customer who is valued.
Tim and Andrew told us that they would take our discussions to the PCNA executive board and share the same with their colleagues at PAG. They informed us they should get back to us quite quickly on some of the points but others would likely take longer such as the GT3 event.
I discussed some of the individual experiences Group members have shared with me and agreed to send information to Andrew in that regard. We now have an open channel for dialogue with PCNA which is helpful for everyone.
Although the Rest of the World Group members haven't been party to this initiative, I asked Tim if he could help those members as well and he agreed. He will speak to his counterparts where possible.
As I stated earlier, this meeting lasted for nearly three hours and it's likely that I have missed many of the details. Where that's the case, I'm sure some of the other Group attendees won't mind filling in the details.
Overall, we had a very constructive twenty four hours in Atlanta with four and a half of those with PCNA. We appreciate both Tim and Andrew's candour and willingness to help. They spent a considerable amount of time with us and it's to be appreciated even more so in light of the fact that they're both going to Europe next week. Regardless of that, they still found the time to meet with us. We hope the meeting was as beneficial for them as it was for us.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the Group and this initiative. A very special thank you goes to everyone who attended Atlanta. You know who you are and I hope you make yourselves known. I look forward to when next meet.
Without the support of everyone who put their names to the letter, we could have stood up as individuals but would not have been counted.
By pursuing this collectively, I'm optimistic we'll make progress. Thanks Guys!
08-26-2014, 01:05 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
We also suggested that relationships could be strengthened, or repaired as the case may be, by PCNA hosting specific GT3 customer event at their driving centres. This was done very successfully in the UK in 2009 as a preview event for the 997.2 GT3 and could be used as a template for the 991 GT3. The event was broken down into multiple activities; each 30 minutes long with 8 guests in each group. Some were driving activities with the rest being overviews regarding the car, a walk around with Andreas Preuninger, a talk with senior executives from PCGB and PAG etc ... This was nothing more than a suggestion but one we hope they'll seriously consider.
Finally, we accepted that in some circumstances it can be difficult to monetise the loss or inconvenience. We therefore suggested that, since virtually everyone is a Porsche enthusiast and repeat customer, PCNA offers its GT3 customers the offer for a priority order on a new Porsche car with a validity of three years. This is similar to the 918 program but for a shorter period of time. We called this the 'Golden Ticket'. This would not cost Porsche anything but an allocation for a car.In return, Porsche gets repeat business from a customer who is valued.
These are ideas that sound very exciting to me!
Finally, we accepted that in some circumstances it can be difficult to monetise the loss or inconvenience. We therefore suggested that, since virtually everyone is a Porsche enthusiast and repeat customer, PCNA offers its GT3 customers the offer for a priority order on a new Porsche car with a validity of three years. This is similar to the 918 program but for a shorter period of time. We called this the 'Golden Ticket'. This would not cost Porsche anything but an allocation for a car.In return, Porsche gets repeat business from a customer who is valued.
These are ideas that sound very exciting to me!
08-26-2014, 01:48 PM
#4
Rennlist Member
Sunil, thanks for the excellent summary of the meeting. Was the disparity in compensation between Europe and NA discussed?
08-26-2014, 05:18 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
I think they could give more money per month to europeans because their cars would be fixed sooner then ours, so they got more per month but there were fewer months
08-26-2014, 08:09 PM
#6
Thanks for all the hard work on our behalf!
I'm going to credit the group with adding the bucket seat option to the US cars. After all, it happened right after your meeting. So, thanks for that!!
I'm going to credit the group with adding the bucket seat option to the US cars. After all, it happened right after your meeting. So, thanks for that!!
08-26-2014, 08:20 PM
#7
Sunil,
Very impressive work and while I am not officially part of the group, thank you for doing all this work on behalf of many enthusiasts. It will certainly help all of us.
Sam
Very impressive work and while I am not officially part of the group, thank you for doing all this work on behalf of many enthusiasts. It will certainly help all of us.
Sam
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