Bert Smith Porsche
04-14-2015, 04:10 AM
#61
05-14-2015, 05:34 PM
#62
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Well, here's the update after two Fedex letters to Mr. Von Platen, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Andrew Pine, and Mr. Jason Nelson (the customer service manager who wrote me a letter saying that he was confident that there would be a resolution that would be satisfactory to all the parties).
After informing Mr Nelson that nothing has been done in two months, he called me twice and explained that PCNA cannot force dealers to sell at MSRP, which I understood and agreed. I then asked if under the circumstances (me being cheated out of my allocation and being a top 5% customer based on volume in the last 20 years), if Porsche can just give me an allocation and I will buy it at another dealership. He subsequently told me that Porsche does not ever give allocation to individuals no matter the circumstances, only "awarding them to dealers" based on their performance. He suggested that I call dealers and try to get one. I asked, "Are you saying that if Jerry Seinfeld called you today and wants an RS, you are going to tell him your company doesn't do that and he has to call a dealer?" To that question he offered no answer. Then I said, " You award RS allocations to 918 customers. So its not like it never happens." Again, no answer to that comment. In the end, I thanked him for his time and told him I take no offense to him because I know he has no power to give me that allocation. I told him though, that obviously somebody in this company has the power, but they choose not to do it regardless of circumstances or customer loyalty. I told him that PCNA is a big company and doesn't need me as a customer or advocate, and I am a big boy and doesn't need Porsches either.
Speaking from personal experiences, companies like AMG and Ferrari definitely reward loyal customers with special treatments like special VIP allocations and priority on new models.
I am glad I picked up my Z06 in January. I still love it and plan on keeping it for a while.
I was gonna get my RS to play and track later this year, but now the McLaren 570 with 570 hp and 2895 dry weight sounds damn good for the same price. Just placed my deposit on one yesterday.
I was gonna get a Pan or Cayenne to replace my Pan GTS, but now its an S-class or a Range Rover LWB SC (just ordered). I actually also ordered an X5M also and will use it if I need an additional sporty SUV.
Anyway, I guess there are lots of choices other than Porsche. It had been a fun 20 years, but for me, maybe its time to move on.
After informing Mr Nelson that nothing has been done in two months, he called me twice and explained that PCNA cannot force dealers to sell at MSRP, which I understood and agreed. I then asked if under the circumstances (me being cheated out of my allocation and being a top 5% customer based on volume in the last 20 years), if Porsche can just give me an allocation and I will buy it at another dealership. He subsequently told me that Porsche does not ever give allocation to individuals no matter the circumstances, only "awarding them to dealers" based on their performance. He suggested that I call dealers and try to get one. I asked, "Are you saying that if Jerry Seinfeld called you today and wants an RS, you are going to tell him your company doesn't do that and he has to call a dealer?" To that question he offered no answer. Then I said, " You award RS allocations to 918 customers. So its not like it never happens." Again, no answer to that comment. In the end, I thanked him for his time and told him I take no offense to him because I know he has no power to give me that allocation. I told him though, that obviously somebody in this company has the power, but they choose not to do it regardless of circumstances or customer loyalty. I told him that PCNA is a big company and doesn't need me as a customer or advocate, and I am a big boy and doesn't need Porsches either.
Speaking from personal experiences, companies like AMG and Ferrari definitely reward loyal customers with special treatments like special VIP allocations and priority on new models.
I am glad I picked up my Z06 in January. I still love it and plan on keeping it for a while.
I was gonna get my RS to play and track later this year, but now the McLaren 570 with 570 hp and 2895 dry weight sounds damn good for the same price. Just placed my deposit on one yesterday.
I was gonna get a Pan or Cayenne to replace my Pan GTS, but now its an S-class or a Range Rover LWB SC (just ordered). I actually also ordered an X5M also and will use it if I need an additional sporty SUV.
Anyway, I guess there are lots of choices other than Porsche. It had been a fun 20 years, but for me, maybe its time to move on.
05-14-2015, 05:36 PM
#63
I was gonna get my RS to play and track later this year, but now the McLaren 570 with 570 hp and 2895 dry weight sounds damn good for the same price. Just placed my deposit on one yesterday.
Anyway, I guess there are lots of choices other than Porsche. It had been a fun 20 years, but for me, maybe its time to move on.
05-14-2015, 05:50 PM
#64
Rennlist Member
That makes me very, very sad. Thank you for the follow-up, and for the update.
I can +1 the fact that Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari do a fantastic job rewarding their loyalists. AMG, perhaps a bit more than Ferrari, as it takes a lot to be someone who's considered "important" to them (considering their owner base).
I can +1 the fact that Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari do a fantastic job rewarding their loyalists. AMG, perhaps a bit more than Ferrari, as it takes a lot to be someone who's considered "important" to them (considering their owner base).
05-14-2015, 05:58 PM
#65
Burning Brakes
Well, here's the update after two Fedex letters to Mr. Von Platen, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Andrew Pine, and Mr. Jason Nelson (the customer service manager who wrote me a letter saying that he was confident that there would be a resolution that would be satisfactory to all the parties).
After informing Mr Nelson that nothing has been done in two months, he called me twice and explained that PCNA cannot force dealers to sell at MSRP, which I understood and agreed. I then asked if under the circumstances (me being cheated out of my allocation and being a top 5% customer based on volume in the last 20 years), if Porsche can just give me an allocation and I will buy it at another dealership. He subsequently told me that Porsche does not ever give allocation to individuals no matter the circumstances, only "awarding them to dealers" based on their performance. He suggested that I call dealers and try to get one. I asked, "Are you saying that if Jerry Seinfeld called you today and wants an RS, you are going to tell him your company doesn't do that and he has to call a dealer?" To that question he offered no answer. Then I said, " You award RS allocations to 918 customers. So its not like it never happens." Again, no answer to that comment. In the end, I thanked him for his time and told him I take no offense to him because I know he has no power to give me that allocation. I told him though, that obviously somebody in this company has the power, but they choose not to do it regardless of circumstances or customer loyalty. I told him that PCNA is a big company and doesn't need me as a customer or advocate, and I am a big boy and doesn't need Porsches either.
Speaking from personal experiences, companies like AMG and Ferrari definitely reward loyal customers with special treatments like special VIP allocations and priority on new models.
I am glad I picked up my Z06 in January. I still love it and plan on keeping it for a while.
I was gonna get my RS to play and track later this year, but now the McLaren 570 with 570 hp and 2895 dry weight sounds damn good for the same price. Just placed my deposit on one yesterday.
I was gonna get a Pan or Cayenne to replace my Pan GTS, but now its an S-class or a Range Rover LWB SC (just ordered). I actually also ordered an X5M also and will use it if I need an additional sporty SUV.
Anyway, I guess there are lots of choices other than Porsche. It had been a fun 20 years, but for me, maybe its time to move on.
After informing Mr Nelson that nothing has been done in two months, he called me twice and explained that PCNA cannot force dealers to sell at MSRP, which I understood and agreed. I then asked if under the circumstances (me being cheated out of my allocation and being a top 5% customer based on volume in the last 20 years), if Porsche can just give me an allocation and I will buy it at another dealership. He subsequently told me that Porsche does not ever give allocation to individuals no matter the circumstances, only "awarding them to dealers" based on their performance. He suggested that I call dealers and try to get one. I asked, "Are you saying that if Jerry Seinfeld called you today and wants an RS, you are going to tell him your company doesn't do that and he has to call a dealer?" To that question he offered no answer. Then I said, " You award RS allocations to 918 customers. So its not like it never happens." Again, no answer to that comment. In the end, I thanked him for his time and told him I take no offense to him because I know he has no power to give me that allocation. I told him though, that obviously somebody in this company has the power, but they choose not to do it regardless of circumstances or customer loyalty. I told him that PCNA is a big company and doesn't need me as a customer or advocate, and I am a big boy and doesn't need Porsches either.
Speaking from personal experiences, companies like AMG and Ferrari definitely reward loyal customers with special treatments like special VIP allocations and priority on new models.
I am glad I picked up my Z06 in January. I still love it and plan on keeping it for a while.
I was gonna get my RS to play and track later this year, but now the McLaren 570 with 570 hp and 2895 dry weight sounds damn good for the same price. Just placed my deposit on one yesterday.
I was gonna get a Pan or Cayenne to replace my Pan GTS, but now its an S-class or a Range Rover LWB SC (just ordered). I actually also ordered an X5M also and will use it if I need an additional sporty SUV.
Anyway, I guess there are lots of choices other than Porsche. It had been a fun 20 years, but for me, maybe its time to move on.
05-14-2015, 06:02 PM
#66
Rennlist Member
05-14-2015, 06:31 PM
#68
Rennlist Member
I live in the Seattle area and purchased two Porsches from a Southern CA dealer in the last year with excellent sales behavior and pricing. Additionally I was offered a discount on a EU delivery for a Boxster GTS last November (we ended up buying a CPO 991 cab) and a slot for a Boxster Spyder a week after announcement (with a refundable deposit). I think our local dealer is also An above-board organization (they didn't used to be price competitive, I'd buy from them now however). Sorry to learn about such sleazy behavior. I've been in large $$ high tech sales for 20+ years and without the trust of a handshake deal I wouldn't have survived. So sad.
05-14-2015, 07:19 PM
#69
Racer
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Inherently false - back in 2007, I wrote to then PCNA CEO Mr. Peter Schwarzenbauer and was given/"awarded" an extra GT3 RS allocation due to an options mix-up with my incoming RS order. Someone has the power to make it happen. It happened with my 2012 AMG C63 Black Series, a bonus allocation after writing to the appropriate parties.
The response you've been given T, does not inspire confidence in the way PCNA or how its dealer network does business. I've kept my silence long enough and sorry to "thread jack"...but Bert Smith is not the only dealership treating its customers like this. Rusnak/Pasadena Porsche falls into the same category. 20+ years loyal customer, 9 Porsches and 10 other "off-brand" cars from the franchise (all purchased new, ordered/fully loaded), not to mention countless referrals...and I was given the run around for a Cayman GT4 and GT3 RS, asking for $20,000 over and $40,000 over respectively. $$ deposit for the RS has been "on file" since 2008.
If my home dealership whom I've purchased 9 cars from including 2x 911 Turbo, 1x Cayenne Turbo, 1x GT3, 2x GT3 RS, 1x Carrera GT, 1x Carrera S and 1x Carrera GTS cannot take care of me, not sure who can. I was pondering writing to PCNA again via Mr. von Platen, but looks like from your results T, it won't achieve anything.
The response you've been given T, does not inspire confidence in the way PCNA or how its dealer network does business. I've kept my silence long enough and sorry to "thread jack"...but Bert Smith is not the only dealership treating its customers like this. Rusnak/Pasadena Porsche falls into the same category. 20+ years loyal customer, 9 Porsches and 10 other "off-brand" cars from the franchise (all purchased new, ordered/fully loaded), not to mention countless referrals...and I was given the run around for a Cayman GT4 and GT3 RS, asking for $20,000 over and $40,000 over respectively. $$ deposit for the RS has been "on file" since 2008.
If my home dealership whom I've purchased 9 cars from including 2x 911 Turbo, 1x Cayenne Turbo, 1x GT3, 2x GT3 RS, 1x Carrera GT, 1x Carrera S and 1x Carrera GTS cannot take care of me, not sure who can. I was pondering writing to PCNA again via Mr. von Platen, but looks like from your results T, it won't achieve anything.
05-14-2015, 07:48 PM
#70
Rennlist Member
This is why Porsche should take pre-orders with no limits for a window of time; then add a little extra for dealer inventory and call it a day. The mystery of volume and limited allocations is starting to lose them respect.. as dealers are getting greedy and burning the very loyal fans that have helped push the marque forward. sad really. I think Porsche is heading down the right direction with their GT cars, I just wish they would change how they sell them.
05-14-2015, 07:51 PM
#71
05-15-2015, 01:32 AM
#72
GT3 player par excellence
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PCNA do or at least did award car to customer.
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
05-15-2015, 10:02 AM
#73
PCNA do or at least did award car to customer.
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
They’ll probably release the next set of RS allocations after the ’16 GT3 allocations are all sold…
05-15-2015, 11:54 AM
#74
Rennlist Member
PCNA do or at least did award car to customer.
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
and this low production limited edition thing is a nice marketing tool but only to certain point.
if they want to really do limited edition, do cars for $20MM each. it will self limit. $40MM each... i wont be calling my dealer for one, no money.
the continued low production marketing strategy wont work long term. study panerai....
05-16-2015, 03:24 AM
#75
I've never experienced a situation where it was so difficult to spend $300K on 2 cars. I've thought about establishing dealerships but it seems like there are more crappy dealers than there are good ones. I have put a deposit down with a dealer in the midwest based upon a referral (a dealer that does not sell over MSRP) so I'm hoping it works out....if it does I'll be doing a lot of business with them in the future.
