How Long will this $99 process go on

[Karl Roth]

Originally Posted by anthonype3

As usual most of the "Smarties" have missed my point.
My point is there are cars being delivered to dealerships every day to be sold to anyone who walks through the door.
These are not so called "orphans". They were never ordered by anyone.
I think Smart should have to fill the orders from people whose money they are holding before using that money to build cars for sale to the general public.
Thats my opinion and i'm sticking to it!

Where is that info coming from?
karl

[smartSparky]

Originally Posted by anthonype3

At what point will smart start acting like a regular car dealer and take orders at the lot or just sell what they have.

With the incredibly long lead times I would think they are entering the point where a class action law suit is a real possibility.

How long can they continue to ask their customers to pay a deposit on a car that they wont see for two years yet continue to fill up certain dealerships with vehicles that anyone can walk in and buy.

I think that their first responsibility should be to people whose money they alreay have.

I see absolutely no basis here for a class action lawsuit. As with any purchase, caveat emptor. All of us, with any auto buying experience went into this thing with eyes wide open. I knew from day one that there would be no instant gratification. That if what I wanted was a smart, I needed to pony up $99 and be prepared to wait. At no time was there any promise, implication or deception about how long it would take.

The only thing that smartusa may be at risk for is paying interest on the $99 for however long they hold it. But again, as long as it wasn't promised in the EULA that no one reads, I doubt they're on the hook for even that.

[ncvcjrdad]

Seems to me Smart is really looking for a lot of bad publicity and angry customers by the way they're handling orphans. Dealer gets to add a few tholusand dollars by waxing the car and calling it a miracle shine, then sell it to somebody who doesn't have to/ want to wait. Orphans ought to be offered to the next reservation holder at no additional dealer mark-up.

[Karl Roth]

Originally Posted by ncvcjrdad

Seems to me Smart is really looking for a lot of bad publicity and angry customers by the way they're handling orphans. Dealer gets to add a few tholusand dollars by waxing the car and calling it a miracle shine, then sell it to somebody who doesn't have to/ want to wait. Orphans ought to be offered to the next reservation holder at no additional dealer mark-up.

They only get one each time "we" bail. It is worth waiting for. Special order from most company's and it takes time to get your car. As bad as the wait is the car is worth it. For me it is.
karl

[chieftmc]

What a bunch of cry babies!!!!!!!!!! If you don't want to wait for your smart, then cancel and buy something else. QUIT CRYING!!!!!!!!!!

[brian r]

Originally Posted by BeavertonScion

Better at $99 than some of the other manufacturers charging $500 plus to take a reservation.

When Scion first started up dealers would require $500 to place an order...so $99 to me was a bargain.

I had to put a $1000 deposit down when I got in line for my Lotus Elise, and that was a year before any cars appeared in the US. When cars arrived, there were "extra" cars available to dealers that were not customer-ordered. To get one, you just had to show up and pay-well over sticker. They went faster than fortwos are now.

I have a deposit on a Lotus 2-Eleven, and that required a $5000 deposit. Deposits were taken last fall with no cars to demo, and they will be delivered hopefully in May.

The idea of a class-action suit is silly. If you get on the bus late, the open seats will be in the back...

[jose3030]

Originally Posted by chieftmc

What a bunch of cry babies!!!!!!!!!! If you don't want to wait for your smart, then cancel and buy something else. QUIT CRYING!!!!!!!!!!

LOL

Classic material bro.

[Mousecat]

I think I have figured out where most of angst comes from. Reflecting on my own situation I think it all started with the "Insider" concept. The gap between the "Insider" expectations that they are a special group and at the start of something big compared with the reality of what many percieve as a flawed system is creating more problems then is necessary.

The best part of this board is the divide between those who got their cars and those who are still waiting.