LeapFrog

The so-called "Lexus Customer Service" forum seems to be a sham. THEY apparently decide which questions / posts they are going to respond to, so those harder, more penetrating questions are simply ignored. Worse, the inquiry is hidden and never sees the light of day so other Club Lexus members can't benefit from the information - which I would submit is the primary reason for having such a forum.

This is a disservice to those owners / prospective owners who have legitimate questions about Lexus vehicles, company policies, procedures, and practices.

Anyone else experiencing this situation? Any chance a Club Lexus moderator can respond?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

The team responding to the Lexus Customer Service forum are real Lexus customer service employees. .

Their goal is ultimately to respond to all questions either publicly or privately, but some of those asked (including some of yours) aren't in their scope of service and they have to reach outside their group to get answers. I'm not sure about your place of employment, but I personally send out plenty of emails asking people I don't know for feedback on topics and never hear back. I'd be willing to bet that happens to them as well.

These folks have great knowledgebase to draw from, but they don't have all the answers and you shouldn't expect that. They'll try to help if they can, but at times it may take more time than you have patience for.

I think you should be posting most of your questions in the 3rd gen IS forum (or even car chat for some of the more general ones about orders) to gain perspective and feedback from other members. It's the more traditional use of our community and I think it'll better fit you.

LeapFrog

Thanks Dave for the prompt and professional response.

For what it is worth I haven't received a response (public or private) to my question of more than a month ago about the reasons for Lexus - either the factory or the port - piling options on my special order IS 350 that I did not request and do not want. These are options that that are listed as "Available" in the factory brochure, but my dealer says "Lexus Corporate made them do it (include the option in the order)". An example is the 18" wheels - which apparently you can't order the vehicle without.

And as to my most recent question - after the acknowledgement of the order the port slapped a number of options on the car, none of which I requested. So apparently these options aren't just "Available", they are required. I can't be the only person who has experienced this.

But why the hesitation on the part of Lexus to respond? It can't be research, a month should be more than enough to find out the answer to virtually any customer question. So I must conclude they don't want to answer. So what is so secret about the ordering / configuration process? Why not discuss it in the open? I didn't have this much obscuring the last time I ordered a car from another manufacturer.

The IS 350 will be my first Lexus, and unless they loosen their grip on the information flow it is likely to be my last.

P.S. Regarding my place of employment and experience with emails, etc. It is a Fortune 50 company, and I can assure you that anyone I work with (or who works for me) either responds in a timely fashion to telephonic or electronic inquiries from our customer base or they find themselves looking for a position for which they are better suited.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Based on that decision making criteria, I would personally recommend you cancel your order and find another brand that makes you happier No offense intended, but if not getting a response to a minor order question on a forum makes you so upset you don't want to buy another vehicle, you're likely never to be quite satisfied.

This Lexus support forum is a new outlet for the Lexus customer team within the last couple of months. They're still getting their legs under them and they've got a large influx of questions that they've never seen before. I can only ask you give them a break and take the path I recommended to seek the input of a much broader audience by posting your questions in the main discussion forums.

I'll bump one of your threads in the forums with some details to give it more visibility.

LeapFrog

Thank you... .much appreciated.

BTW, as you know the first impression is always the lasting one. I may find that I really like the Lexus product line, but in the back of my mind I'll always be wondering....do they REALLY care about their customers?

I almost ordered this car last year. However, several of my neighbors have RX 350's that suffered from the cracked and melting dash problems, and when Lexus didn't stand behind their product it caused me to delay buying. Only after Lexus stepped up to the plate on the dash issue did I decide to order this IS.

I don't need this car, it isn't a major purchase decision, and whether I get it now or not or buy another one in the future matters little to me. What does matter is how I'm treated by the manufacturer and their agents along the way. Lexus had a reputation of excellence in that area so I thought I'd give them a try. So far, given the order changes and the lack of communications and comparing them to my other purchase decisions I'd say I'm just shy of "OK" with the process. I'm hopeful they can change that.