njlexusguy

Hello All. I wanted to ask those who have taken delivery of their RC's, how was the delivery experience?
I ask because i was well NOT impressed. Please let me explain.
I picked up my RC 350 F SPORT today 3/7/15. I will leave the dealers name out as i still have to get the items they did NOT install taken care of.
I contacted the dealer before the RC was delivered to them. I received from the dealer the shipping information so i knew when the boat would arrive.
I asked for some specific things to be done. I even asked my wife to stop by the dealer the day the car arrived to make sure that what i requested would be done.
Well as you might have expected, they didnt listen. STRIKE 1 AND STRIKE 2. Then today i was asked what items i wanted because no one looked at the salesorder. STRIKE 3.
To be honest as a luxury brand dearship i would have expected better. Guess i was wrong.
2 weeks ago i did a deal to get a Honda for my son and everything was done with absolutely NO issues on delivery.
Sorry for the long post.

I would like to hear what others experienced when they took delivery?

unc879wins

well, you do live in Jersey.

LRCSALES

iTrader: (1)

As a lexus salesman I am sad to hear this. I often custom order cars as well as track them from Japan to Oregon (where the cars I sell reach there first) and update the customer as much as possible. Also the way we see the cars progress in our dealer daily there are projected dates for arrival and actual dates it shows us both. These days can be pushed back or happen earlier than projected. What sort of things were not installed and or done for you? I would love to help if I can.

Ryan

BAlbright

Sorry to hear about your bad experience. You would hope that when you buy a luxury brand vehicle that you would get exceptional service. I spent 21 years in auto sales and I always tried to be the best in the business. Unfortunately in those 21 years, I worked with many salespeople who really did not know their product and did the minimum to get buy. Many who enter the business think it's easy money and don't really care. On the contrary , it is a brutal business and to be successful, you really need to "go the extra mile". Very few salespeople retire from the car business. They either quit (came to the realization that it's not as easy as they perceived) or they get fired. As in many businesses , there are pros and there are those that are there just for a paycheck. I hope the survey you got (or will get) will reflect your experience.

tfischer

I have bought 4 Lexus cars from 3 different dealerships, including an RC350 in November, and the only thing missing from the fist class experience was the tea and crumpets. Of course, we don't know what was on your list of things that did not get done, nor do we have the dealer's reason for not having them installed. Still, this seems quite out of the norm; Lexus salesmen are pretty good at keeping their customers informed and happy.

yok3dIS

Sorry for the unfortunate experience. I am fortunate to have gone through positive experiences in now two dealerships for my lease. Both sites were very accommodating and were responsive to my every need. The most recent one for my RC 350 F Sport, felt like I was family.
It's interesting you mentioned about the luxury brand experience, since a friend mentioned how the Japanese customer service is almost a given - they pride themselves with only giving the best.

NjDude

Sorry to hear about your not so pleasant experience. When I bought my car, I received a white glove treatment and was very happy with the car buying experience. So much so, that I am planning to go to the same dealership and salesman for when I get my RC 350.

Canesguy

My Lexus delivery experiences have been exemplary. One way to get promised items/add-ons installed quickly is to not complete the deal and actually take delivery until they are done, that is, whenever possible.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

Im also a salesman find it unusual someone who sells Lexus cars would be so negligent. Report the guy. Don't let it slide.

caha14

I am sorry that you experienced this.

Over the years, I have purchased three brand new Lexus from three different dealers. Unfortunately, I must admit that with the exception of the first experience, which was stellar, the other two left much to be desired. Zero communication regarding arrival timing, simple requests ignored, passing the buck (e.g., this is not my responsibility; tell that other guy), missing accessories (e.g., winter mats are not in stock, but we'll order them... even though they had 6 weeks to do so, before the car arrived), "sorry we removed the film from the NAV screen" (even though I asked them 3 times to leave it alone), and I could go on.

This sounds particularly egregious, and provided that nothing is beyond repair (figuratively speaking), I hope and trust that you can get them to make it right. Kudos to folks like LRCSALES and Ice350. I am not in sales, but I function the same way with clients. It really isn't that hard, and it goes a long way. There's a lot of apathy (and mediocrity/incompetence) out there.

dchar

It's funny that you say that. My local Lexus dealer tried to get more money out of me on a new car due to my "less than stellar" survey responses on my previous purchase. Sales GM printed my survey, shoved it in my face, and used it as an excuse for not giving me a good deal this time. He stated, "We cannot come any lower on the price due to your past survey. Your survey really hurt us so we need a way to make up for the loss." I tried to explain my honest responses, but he then started yelling at me, "How can you give us a bad survey after we got you such a good deal? Your deal was one of the worst for my dealer. I trusted that you would give my salesman a good review and you didn't. My salesman lost his holiday bonus because of you and your survey. It seems like we can't please customers like you." Obviously not management material...

You probably think I'm exaggerating, but that was exactly how it went down. Nevertheless, I will never give my business or recommend anybody to this dealership as long as that sales GM works there. I got the deal I wanted from a different dealer that matched the figures I wanted.

Not sure how other Lexus dealers handle the survey results, but be careful what you say if you're planning to get another Lexus from there, since it isn't kept anonymous.

BAlbright

The GM is obviously a jerk. You did the right thing by going elsewhere. And to "play that card" when you were ready to buy another car is crazy. He couldn't possibly have thought that that would lead to anything positive for either side.

caha14

Not surprised. This is one of those things that is ridiculously screwed up in the car business. For both sales and service surveys, the "punishment" isn't always in line with the offense, and it is very easy for folks to lose a huge chunk of their check because of a bad survey. If you do a horrific job with a customer, I can understand. However, under the current system, one single less-than-stellar response can mean an immediate "fail". This makes no sense, but it explains why sales folks in particular take the survey so seriously. On the service front, I heard a story of a service advisor being dinged because a customer complained that there were no low-carb bagels at the dealer's cafe. After some fighting within the organization, I understand that this was fixed for the advisor, but really, how absurd is it?

If I were a "car business wizard", I would revamp the survey system so that employees can actually be scored and results can be used constructively. The "truly outstanding" across the board or nothing approach only triggers situations like yours. Otherwise, it is pointless, as many of these "truly outsdanding" surveys are not really so, but rather, are a result of people acquiescing to the dealer's request.

This GSM's behavior is deplorable, and frankly against everything Lexus stands for, but Lexus itself is perpetuating this kind of response through this system (which is not unique to them). Separately, what ever happened to "sorry we messed up; what can we do better?".

dchar

Exactly! It's been over 72 hours and no form of apology sent over too. They didn't even do a follow-up call when they received the survey.
The thing is, the salesman really deserved the responses (or worse) I gave on the survey. Not only was he rude and condescending, but he did not exhibit the customer service I expect from a Lexus dealer. The salesman and his GM were trying to "play games" with me by saying they were giving me the "best price," and quotes I received from other dealers were tricks that dealers use to attract customers down while they change the terms when they arrive. After a lot of back and forth, they finally came down to match the other dealers. The dealer sales experience was completely different between my first GS in 2012 and second GS in 2014. I wanted to purchase from them because they are my local dealer and they offer perks for their own customers.

njlexusguy

I wanted to follow up with my Lexus experience. First of all, the salesperson and sales manager were very nice and professional. They ordered my car and it was delivered clean just the way I expect it.
I have purchased (2) Honda's, (3) Toyota's , (1) Mercedes and now (1) Lexus vehicle here in NJ since 1998. All new. What my issue is as I am in the business in delivering TOP customer satisfaction when doing my day job, I expected a certain level of professionalism when delivering a 50K vehicle. Now all the things that did not meet with my expectation will be handled. Nothing terrible, just something I would have expected to be handled better.
The delivery went smooth, they extracted several thousand extra dollars in add-on's from the guy in the RIP OUT Room and I was a happy camper once I had the keys and on the road.
Sometimes its the little things that bother you.