More Frequent Corporate Emails

[SmallerBaller]

I know one of the big things we complain about is the lack of communication from Lotus and the quality of customer service, but I received 3 emails from corporate in the week between June 28 and July 5, which is more than I had total up to this point. I know maybe it wasn't the message we want (your delivery is at this date and your car has all the parts, etc.) but as others have said, they don't know for sure when things can roll out and are also at the mercy of the supply chain. If we want more frequent communication, we will have to accept that it probably wont all be super-duper informative.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I appreciate the seemingly new effort from the Lotus team, it makes the customer at least feel like we haven't been forgotten about! I don't know if any employees actually monitor this forum, but if they do, I just wanted to say some of us appreciate the effort and it didn't go unnoticed. Hope this trend is here to stay and is not just a result from Goodwood. Thoughts from others?

 

[VL3X]

Thoughts from others?

I haven't received any recent emails from Lotus. Apparently they don't care about their customers across the pond, even though they are holding at least $5k from all of us with orders in. We've all seen Matt's delay update on YouTube, but have received nothing directly.

 

[Nova]

They finally figured out how to do bulk emails.

I kid, I kid. Good to get a little something in the inbox even if it is just some fluff.

 

[SmallerBaller]

I haven't received any recent emails from Lotus. Apparently they don't care about their customers across the pond, even though they are holding at least $5k from all of us with orders in. We've all seen Matt's delay update on YouTube, but have received nothing directly.

I am from the Northeast US and got them (obviously), and my dealer also only required $2500 with no second deposit, just purchase on delivery! Hmmmm...

 

[TomE]

I know one of the big things we complain about is the lack of communication from Lotus and the quality of customer service, but I received 3 emails from corporate in the week between June 28 and July 5, which is more than I had total up to this point. I know maybe it wasn't the message we want (your delivery is at this date and your car has all the parts, etc.) but as others have said, they don't know for sure when things can roll out and are also at the mercy of the supply chain. If we want more frequent communication, we will have to accept that it probably wont all be super-duper informative.

Anyway, I just wanted to say I appreciate the seemingly new effort from the Lotus team, it makes the customer at least feel like we haven't been forgotten about! I don't know if any employees actually monitor this forum, but if they do, I just wanted to say some of us appreciate the effort and it didn't go unnoticed. Hope this trend is here to stay and is not just a result from Goodwood. Thoughts from others?

There's been a small improvement. The email the week before Goodwood with the link to the Matt Windle video was good and needed in the circumstances. It would have been better 1-2 weeks earlier, to pre-empt the "I should be getting my 30 day call now for my July delivery" anxiety. And it seems not to have been sent to a lot of people who should have seen it. Plus the promise of individual follow-ups made in that (and at Goodwood) haven't happened promptly enough, although they are starting to happen.

There was a marketing email on Tuesday about Goodwood and London Concours. Good to have that, but also served as a reminder that the individual contact promised at Goodwood had not happened in the indicated timeframe.

So a step in the right direction, but still a lot more that could be done relatively easily. Some basic customer segmentation and then a few simple tailored messages would be useful: UK V6 FE people with deliveries originally in June-Sept (progress on sorting supply chain and contacting people about revised dates), V6 FE people who haven't been given a batch yet (when is the next step of the process), i4 FE people (timeframes for spec/next deposit), US folks who didn't get a 2022 allocation (timeframes for 2023 dealer allocations), European customers (press cars touring soon), Base people (timing of pricing and options and new colours) etc etc.

There are several Lotus folks on here, the majority in a personal capacity and with non-attributable usernames. Lotus PR dropped in a few weeks ago to respond to comments about their attendance at a car event. Matt Windle spoke to me at Goodwood about something I'd written on here.

 

[Eagle7]

I've received 2 from Lotus Cars in the past week, both about Goodwood.

 

[VL3X]

I've received 2 from Lotus Cars in the past week, both about Goodwood.

Yeah, I suppose I got those too.

All they needed to do was create an account management and customer relationship system so we could simply log in and view our order and status. Even if it rarely updated, it'd still be reassuring to see our order appear on their site.

 

[SmallerBaller]

There's been a small improvement. The email the week before Goodwood with the link to the Matt Windle video was good and needed in the circumstances. It would have been better 1-2 weeks earlier, to pre-empt the "I should be getting my 30 day call now for my July delivery" anxiety. And it seems not to have been sent to a lot of people who should have seen it. Plus the promise of individual follow-ups made in that (and at Goodwood) haven't happened promptly enough, although they are starting to happen.

There was a marketing email on Tuesday about Goodwood and London Concours. Good to have that, but also served as a reminder that the individual contact promised at Goodwood had not happened in the indicated timeframe.

So a step in the right direction, but still a lot more that could be done relatively easily. Some basic customer segmentation and then a few simple tailored messages would be useful: UK V6 FE people with deliveries originally in June-Sept (progress on sorting supply chain and contacting people about revised dates), V6 FE people who haven't been given a batch yet (when is the next step of the process), i4 FE people (timeframes for spec/next deposit), US folks who didn't get a 2022 allocation (timeframes for 2023 dealer allocations), European customers (press cars touring soon), Base people (timing of pricing and options and new colours) etc etc.

There are several Lotus folks on here, the majority in a personal capacity and with non-attributable usernames. Lotus PR dropped in a few weeks ago to respond to comments about their attendance at a car event. Matt Windle spoke to me at Goodwood about something I'd written on here.

Yeah, there is definitely much to be desired still, but I thought it was a step in the right direction as you said. Hoping that if we take notice of the slight improvements, maybe more will follow? Probably foolishly optimistic, but now I know that we have eyes on us, I gotta watch what I say or I could 'accidentally' end up with a lemon! Does seem like a bit of an issue if not everyone is getting the same emails for some reason...

 

[SmallerBaller]

I've received 2 from Lotus Cars in the past week, both about Goodwood.

You think they are just because of Goodwood, or that they maybe hired a new intern and we can expect more general emails going forward? All speculation (as with 90% of this forum) but I am hoping it wasn't just event specific. I am probably wrong though.

 

[Carbuilder]

I was totally unimpressed. In fact, I was annoyed. Send emails out to people that have given you money for a new car and send them info on anything EXCEPT about when they might get their car.

I emailed Lotus customer support to tell them that and it seems that they forwarded it to my dealer who called me. I told him it was not a complaint about him, since he doesn't know anything about deliveries, but about those above him that apparently don't know anything either. He told me the usual about delays, global shortages, how we haven't got it as bad as other car companies, yada, yada yada. All true, but how about letting us know what IS going on, not what ISN'T. How about keep us informed about what you do know? Make all the excuses you want, Lotus communication sucks!

 

[SmallerBaller]

I was totally unimpressed. In fact, I was annoyed. Send emails out to people that have given you money for a new car and send them info on anything EXCEPT about when they might get their car.

I emailed Lotus customer support to tell them that and it seems that they forwarded it to my dealer who called me. I told him it was not a complaint about him, since he doesn't know anything about deliveries, but about those above him that apparently don't know anything either. He told me the usual about delays, global shortages, how we haven't got it as bad as other car companies, yada, yada yada. All true, but how about letting us know what IS going on, not what ISN'T. How about keep us informed about what you do know? Make all the excuses you want, Lotus communication sucks!

Yeah, I think we can all agree the communication is terrible. I just at least saw SOME effort, which I didn't want to look down on. Hoping that recognition will encourage further improvements. But I also understand your frustration, and your viewpoint is certainly valid and understandable.

 

[VL3X]

I was totally unimpressed. In fact, I was annoyed. Send emails out to people that have given you money for a new car and send them info on anything EXCEPT about when they might get their car.

I emailed Lotus customer support to tell them that and it seems that they forwarded it to my dealer who called me. I told him it was not a complaint about him, since he doesn't know anything about deliveries, but about those above him that apparently don't know anything either. He told me the usual about delays, global shortages, how we haven't got it as bad as other car companies, yada, yada yada. All true, but how about letting us know what IS going on, not what ISN'T. How about keep us informed about what you do know? Make all the excuses you want, Lotus communication sucks!

Yeah, they just forward US complaints to our dealer. Same thing happened with me and a friend. The GM called us asking why we were upset and how he's now catching shit from Lotus. He said he hasn't heard any updates and that his Lotus rep has been very quiet and/or unresponsive so he doesn't have any updates for us Emira buyers because he doesn't know anything solid.

 

[Davidexige]

New email just in, contains a few answers to the FAQ from Goodwood.

 

[SmallerBaller]

New email just in, contains a few answers to the FAQ from Goodwood.

I haven't gotten this one (at least yet)... interesting...

 

[Bod27]

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Dear andrew The 23rd – 26th June saw Lotus featuring at Goodwood Festival of Speed. The festival marked the premiere of the ultimate three-car garage from Lotus, as the Eletre was joined on stage by the beautiful Emira sports car and the pioneering Evija hypercar. Also there – in a vibrant yellow competition-inspired finish – was the Emira GT4 race car, unveiled just last month and already sold out for the first year. Matt Windle commented: “What an amazing first day at Goodwood – with such a passionate and knowledgeable crowd it never disappoints! The Lotus stand was busy from the moment the gates opened at 7am, and was great to see the fans new and old getting up close to our cars and chatting with our team. If day one was anything to go by, the rest of the weekend will be a massive success too!”. To read more please visit Lotuscars.com. On the stand we had several Lotus factory staff ready to greet our Emira customers, thank you to those who were able to visit us, it was it was a pleasure to meet you, and from this contact we have complied an FAQ. Q: How can I make specification changes? Specification changes are only available on orders not locked with production. To make changes to your specification, please respond to this email and the Lotus Customer Care Team will be in touch. Q: When can I test drive an Emira? Test drive vehicles will be available at Lotus Centres around August this year, as a priority customer you will receive an email when test drives are ready to book. Q: I’ve heard about delays to Emira orders, can you provide me with an order update? All delays are order specific so please contact the Lotus Customer Care Team and they can quickly provide you with an update, please either respond to this email or call 03300 948 047. Q: Where am I in the Emira order queue? We are unable to provide a specific position, only a production and likely delivery month. Closer to your production month we will offer several handover dates for you to choose from. Q: My order is scheduled for 2023, when will I have more specific information? We are aiming to have a build plan for 2023 in Winter of 2022. If you have any other questions our Lotus Customer Care will be more than happy to help, please either respond to this email, or call 03300 948 047. Lotus Cars ​ ​ ​ ​ FB IG TW YT​ ​ Email information: This email was sent t If you no longer wish to receive our periodic emails, please unsubscribe or view/modify your preferences/settings. Thank you.​

 

[Bod27]

They could use a capital letter for my name!!

 

[SmallerBaller]

Did you realise you’ve left your email address on there?

Good catch, but now it is in two places haha

 

[MCS]

Good catch, but now it is in two places haha

Deleted my message now you’ve seen it

 

[Bod27]

Its ok, If anyone wants to buy a bathroom , just email me LOL

 

[MCS]

Its ok, If anyone wants to buy a bathroom , just email me LOL

Thanks for the offer but I’m all good for bathrooms