I just received the e-mail tonight that my PIP is on its way to the dealer! We've been tracking it since it left Japan on 3/10, through the Panama Canal, Jacksonville, and finally Newark! It was unloaded from the New Century 2 Monday. Now it's going to be loaded onto a truck. Does anyone have pictures of a car-carrier truck full of PIPs? That would be a cool photo!
That's nice they've actually kept you informed. I got an email on March 19th telling me my car left Japan. Since then, crickets.
Well, here's my e-mail list: 02/29/2012 - Your Plug-in Will be Built in March 03/09/2012 - We've Finished Building Your Plug-in 03/14/2012 - Your Prius Plug-in Is On Its Way (World Traveler) 04/13/2012 - Your Prius Plug-in Is On It's Way (On Way to Dealer) So, you're probably about to get the news soon!
I imagine the ones at Toyota with the idea for the e-mail/web site notices were a maybe bit overwhelmed at the response (2100 units in 3 months). Though it seems like automation should've carried the day. FedEx and UPS can tell me at almost any time -day or night- where my package is in their stream. I would think the swipe of a wand could easily be employed with the PHEVs. Maybe that's how the system is set up, but I think Toyota underestimates the customer. Once you start providing the customer information straight from the stream, you need to be able to support at occasional refreshes. In my case, the car's been in PORT for almost a week, the dealer, Dianne, has already confirmed that it's set for arrival in her store sometime next week, and there's still nothing on the Toyota page since the PiP left Japan on the 23rd of last month. It's not a complaint. Just an observation. How many times will Toyota have the opportunity to have a kick-off like this one? I suspect it won't be too many. So hopefully they'll learn from it. I think they wanted it to be a different experience than it's been, but I don't think there are that many people behind the curtain. So props to them for getting it this far. And next time, I'm betting they'll make the experience even better.
Yes, all true. But there are a lot of differences here from a product shipped by FedEx. Size, of course, and cost, and customs. And there's a dealer in the equation, and the dealer has his own agenda. I don't trust my dealer. So I really rely on Toyota's updates to keep me informed. Without those updates I'm kind of adrift, and dealers are always looking for uninformed people to take advantage of. Example: just yesterday I went to my dealer to ask for an update. A salesman told me my car had arrived, and sent someone to go get it. Man, was I excited. As I was waiting, he told me the car has a $3,000 dealer markup, but that they were happy to negotiate. I said, no, I have a contract to pay MSRP. He hemmed and hawed for a while, but I was firm, and after a few minutes his manager came over and said, oh, did they say my car had come in? No, it's not my car, my car hadn't arrived. But they have another one exactly like it and I can have it right now if I pay $3,000 over MSRP. Deflated, I told them, no, thanks, I'll wait for my car, and left. Now, how do I know that any of this is true? The last official update I got from Toyota was that my car left Japan on March 19th. Thanks to this forum I learned from Erica that it arrived in Long Beach Friday of last week. But that's all I know. It's a 45 minute drive from Long Beach to the dealer--for all I know the car is already on the lot. For all I know the one the dealer is trying to sell me at a jacked up price is actually my car. If Toyota has only made 2100 of them, how likely is it that my dealer just happens to have one exactly like mine sitting on the lot waiting for a buyer? Or, maybe they're telling the truth. I justt don't know. If Toyota were keeping me informed, as they said they would, I wouldn't be asking my untrustworthy dealer for updates, and I wouldn't find myself in positions like this.
I don't think that Toyota is happy with the behavior of your dealer. But laws protect the independence of your dealer. I would NEVER purchase a car from this dealer again and I would make it clear to all of my friends and acquaintances what it is like to deal with these people. On the other hand, there is another side to this "coin". It is the customer who insists on a discount. It always seems "fair game" to get as low a price as we can. If that is acceptable, then why can't a dealer who has a hot product get a premium for it? We would all be better off if the standard price was the standard price, MSRP. Dealers will say that there is a place for a "loss leader" and there are last years models which have been on flooring for too long and which need a buyer quick so go for a discounted price. But the usual purchase should be MSRP. Dealers need to pay the bills and buyers need to know what to expect. We may see a whole new marketing system for cars if dealers keep ripping people off. Actually there are already "no hassle" outlets. And then there is Dianne. She seems to "get it". Hopefully people like her will get business to the exclusion of your dealer. It doesn't seem to be "rocket science".
TomE, check posts in this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-prius-plug-in/106233-issue-my-plug-in-order-my-nightmare.html If your chosen dealer is giving you a hard time, get with Erica and Dianne, and they will help you on the effortless road to Plug-in ownership.
Yes, had I known about Dianne last November I certainly would have purchased through her. But I didn't learn about her (or this forum) until long after I put my order in. I wouldn't buy a car from Toyota of Hollywood again, and would point anyone who asked me about buying a PiP toward Dianne. Still, there are a lot more dealers out there like Toyota of Hollywood than like Toyota of Carson. It would be to Toyota's benefit, and their customers', to be as communicative with us as possible. Err on the side of too much information, not too little, and we'll be prepared.
Indeed, get Erica involved. Your dealer made a deal way back in November with you. Possibly they need to be reminded of this small but important fact by corporate.
By all means contact Erica. If you have been paying attention, the fantastic work she does, does NOT include giving direction to dealers. There is a long and well established relationship of what can and cannot be done between a factory and the dealer. Both are quite careful to obey that relationship. She did confirm that we have a contract which is specific about the price and which binds the dealer. But that contract has its own internal method of arbitration. My experience and observation is that Erica is on our side.
Agreed to get them involved. You and the dealer signed a contract. YOU picked THEM to receive your car and could have picked anyone!
TomE, Sorry for your experience with Toyota of Hollywood. Seems they went to the same Dealer School as Garden Grove Toyota. Those 2 Dealers are 18 and 24 miles from Dianne at Toyota of Carson. With very little effort Dianne could take ALL their business !!! TomE, make sure you add your Order info to PIP-Order-VIN-Delivery. Form to enter https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...BUdGc6MQ#gid=0 Spreadsheet to View. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...GhDWlFsWDBUdGc Then add your Gas Fillup info to the MPG Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...WDBUdGc#gid=10 Good Luck.
My dealer, Kelly from Luv Toyota in Lakewood, New York, was kind enough to take this picture of some Plug-Ins on a delivery truck that they received! My car happens to be the middle one!
In Minnesota, my car is so rare (1 of 2) that whenever a see s picture of my Clearwater Blue, I wonder to myself "Hey! How did they get my car on there?!"
