❔ QUESTION Who do I call to change my "locked-in" spec?

NicolasB

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After finally getting some leaked photos of different colors and pictures from people's tours or driving academy days, I've decided to go back to my original spec of magma with full black pack. I tried calling the US customer service line twice and leaving a message for some guy who's apparently the field operations manager, but I have gotten no response. I am in the states, of course, but should I be trying to call up Hethel? I feel like if I call my dealer he'll just tell me that I cannot change it or he won't be able to do much himself anyway.

For anyone else who's in the same boat, I will document the process and let you know what effect this may or may not have on my delivery date. The last I knew was about 3 months ago when my dealer told me that I could probably expect my car sometime in the spring of '23. I'm guessing that it has moved back to mid or late summer at this point, so I feel like changing my spec a year in advance should I have absolutely no effect on delivery.

Cheers
 

TomE

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Several of us early UK deposit holders were told the provisional specs we’d submitted were already locked in and any changes would incur a delay. That despite previously being told we’d be able to change them.
 

BeHappy

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I asked to change the colour of my brake callipers from Red to yellow and I’ve been told this will delay my car from Oct to at the very earliest Spring 23 but they can’t give me a date !!!!!! and for clarity if you have accepted a cancelled order these are locked by the factory so I would need to revert to my original position then my delay is added to this so who knows when I would receive car. Give me strength ☹️😞
Mind you they will have given my original position to someone else by now 🤯 Basically they making it nigh on impossible for you to make any changes even if minor changes.
I was also told my email today that :

“At present we are still awaiting confirmation on certain specifications potentially causing more of a delay than others. Once clarified we can advise any affected customers. Email updates are expected to be sent soon having been delayed on a few occasions in the weeks since Goodwood. “
 
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NicolasB

NicolasB

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I asked to change the colour of my brake callipers from Red to yellow and I’ve been told this will delay my car from Oct to at the very earliest Spring 23 but they can’t give me a date !!!!!! and for clarity if you have accepted a cancelled order these are locked by the factory so I would need to revert to my original position then my delay is added to this so who knows when I would receive car. Give me strength ☹️😞
Mind you they will have given my original position to someone else by now 🤯 Basically they making it nigh on impossible for you to make any changes even if minor changes.
I was also told my email today that :

“At present we are still awaiting confirmation on certain specifications potentially causing more of a delay than others. Once clarified we can advise any affected customers. Email updates are expected to be sent soon having been delayed on a few occasions in the weeks since Goodwood. “
Insanity! I still am awaiting a response from my request. If they turn me down I am not sure if I will cancel or keep it and try to flip it. Autotrader has been calling me lately. Lots of beautiful Vantages, GT3's and R8's available right away...
 
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NicolasB

NicolasB

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Well, it has been a little over 2 weeks since my dealer and I spoke and I told him I wanted to change colors. I emailed Lotus CS yesterday for an update, and here is my reply I received this morning:


"Morning Nick,



I have received the following reply from our Area Manager:



“The dealer did request the changes and we were able to edit the order. I am waiting for a call back from the dealer and I will advise him to reach out to the client and notify the changes.”



I am sure Matt will reach out to you again.



Kind regards,

Isabelle"


So I think that is excellent news! I am officially back to team Magma 🔥 Waiting for the dealer to call it email, but I think it happened. According to the recent schedules that were published, I should be March production and possible delivery a couple months later. I figured that was plenty of time for them to be able to change my paint and caliper color without really having any significant impact on production.
 

neonate

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Well, it has been a little over 2 weeks since my dealer and I spoke and I told him I wanted to change colors. I emailed Lotus CS yesterday for an update, and here is my reply I received this morning:


"Morning Nick,



I have received the following reply from our Area Manager:



“The dealer did request the changes and we were able to edit the order. I am waiting for a call back from the dealer and I will advise him to reach out to the client and notify the changes.”



I am sure Matt will reach out to you again.



Kind regards,

Isabelle"


So I think that is excellent news! I am officially back to team Magma 🔥 Waiting for the dealer to call it email, but I think it happened. According to the recent schedules that were published, I should be March production and possible delivery a couple months later. I figured that was plenty of time for them to be able to change my paint and caliper color without really having any significant impact on production.
Good news at last. Matt is good with communication and dealing with in general!
 

TomE

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Well, it has been a little over 2 weeks since my dealer and I spoke and I told him I wanted to change colors. I emailed Lotus CS yesterday for an update, and here is my reply I received this morning:


"Morning Nick,



I have received the following reply from our Area Manager:



“The dealer did request the changes and we were able to edit the order. I am waiting for a call back from the dealer and I will advise him to reach out to the client and notify the changes.”



I am sure Matt will reach out to you again.



Kind regards,

Isabelle"


So I think that is excellent news! I am officially back to team Magma 🔥 Waiting for the dealer to call it email, but I think it happened. According to the recent schedules that were published, I should be March production and possible delivery a couple months later. I figured that was plenty of time for them to be able to change my paint and caliper color without really having any significant impact on production.
Great result. Their email doesn’t say it but I assume that’s with no extra delay as a result of the change.

Watch now as everyone else who wants to make changes calls Lotus and cites this as evidence of it being allowed!
 
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NicolasB

NicolasB

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I got a call from my dealer today. He was calling to let me know that the change had gone through, but he was a little upset. Apparently he was under the impression that it was something happening between Hethel and me, and that he was kind of not part of the process. When I emailed yesterday to check in, they apparently contacted him and, as he stated, gave him a little slap on the wrist for not communicating well with his customers. I couldn't believe that, of all the people to say something like that, it would be Lotus headquarters. They are terrible with staying in contact with their customers, as we all have experienced, yet they wanted to give him a hard time about not getting back in touch with me about something he really had no control over. I apologized to him for the inconvenience and promised that I would not be making any other changes.

He also told me that he is not sure when the demo cars will be coming to his dealership for test drives, but supposedly there will be a call of some kind next week to maybe let the dealers know more about that schedule.

There was no talk of any delays on my order, so as far as I know things are good to go. I'm glad that I went ahead and made the request, I cannot say that everyone else would get the same result based on when your order is due, but I am feeling lucky.
 
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NicolasB

NicolasB

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I’m flabbergasted Lotus gave your dealer a hard time about poor comms!
That's what I told him, pot calling the kettle black, much? Either way, it was a roundabout way of them talking with him regarding the changes in the first place. He didn't really need to be involved, and they could have dealt strictly with me. He reminded me I had agreed it was locked in on May 20th, but that I still wanted to change colors, despite what I had agreed to as a final choice. I really don't see how color is an issue. If I decided I wanted auto transmission, or different wheels or whatever, then I can see that making a problem for them with how many of something they have ordered, but paint? They should let anyone change paint color, especially since they decided to not show us what they actually look like in person!!
 

Lowtush

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My local dealer let me know I'm able to alter my spec as well.

I wanted to love Dark Verdant, but with no official photos from Lotus - - and only very limited "real photos" submitted from the general populous - - I am leaning more towards Seneca because a) Lotus have actually put out quality images of it and b) I feel more confident knowing I'll like it because of that.

Now to ponder.
 

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