Reservation/confirmation compounding

[Big Panda]

Originally Posted by partsrme928

I like to look at it like this.
When you buy your ticket, with a number on it, to buy a smart. You are allowed in the door. Where you enter a maze. In this maze you are on a conveyer belt. Like any other maze there are forks in the path along the way, but you don't get to choose your route. There are parts of the maze that are well lighted others are dim and others are dark. Most of us enter the dark section where we know nothing. We can't see anybody else, we don't know how long the maze is and we can't talk to anyone. some of us will stay in the dark all the way through the maze. Some will go through a dimmly lit area where we can see and talk to some of the other people. We can compair ticket numbers and we think we know something about where we are in the maze. Then we notice some of the people appear to be moving faster and some slower. Along the way we are given clues, like that sign on the wall that seems to be flashing ramdom dates for some reason. Some of us are allowed to travel in the well lit area where they can see everyone, talk to everyone, even people outside the maze, Dealers and smartusa. These people are told when there car will be built what the vin number is what boat it is on when it docks at the port what time it will be at the dealer and when to pick it up. Only that info may or may not be true.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

After that well thought out post by partsrme928, what else needs to be said? Well put.

exactly "Jimbo"....."partsrme928"s post should be used as a 'disclaimer' on the smartusa DDE site!!! too funny..........

[min4cin]

Some of you keep talking about being assigned to a dealer, when I called Smart to find out which dealer I would be assigned (there are 3 dealers about 1.5 to 2.5 hours away) the rep told me I would have the opportunity to pick the dealer I wanted when I confirmed my Smart. Didn't they change the assignment process because of the fees issue. I am sure they still recommend you go to a certain dealer to keep the dealer area protected. Correct me if I am wrong,

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by min4cin

Some of you keep talking about being assigned to a dealer, when I called Smart to find out which dealer I would be assigned (there are 3 dealers about 1.5 to 2.5 hours away) the rep told me I would have the opportunity to pick the dealer I wanted when I confirmed my Smart. Didn't they change the assignment process because of the fees issue. I am sure they still recommend you go to a certain dealer to keep the dealer area protected. Correct me if I am wrong,

that's the first I've seen of it. I don't think smartusa is concerned about the dealer fee issue and most of us don't have the choice between nearby dealers for smart to do something official like that. Now I do know of an instance or two where the " squeaky wheel got greased" and smart allowed transfer to another dealer

[SMARTnTiny]

Originally Posted by Jeepster55

here's an interesting observation which kind of contradicts the above post.

there are two smart owners in BFE Illinois ("meaux61" and "SmartNTiny")who live in the same small town just within a few blocks of each other and were assigned to smart center of Indianapolis. don't know 'when' they reserved, but they have BOTH taken delivery of their cars.

it really makes NO sense....NONE i tell ya!

Jeepster, as Meaux has said, we reserved in March of 2007. Meaux took delivery in March 08 and I took delivery in April. She was an 1180 and I was an 1185.

I wouldn't have purchased through smart center Indianapolis if I had been given a choice. If I purchase a second car, I will pick a different dealership.

[meaux61]

Originally Posted by min4cin
Some of you keep talking about being assigned to a dealer, when I called Smart to find out which dealer I would be assigned (there are 3 dealers about 1.5 to 2.5 hours away) the rep told me I would have the opportunity to pick the dealer I wanted when I confirmed my Smart. Didn't they change the assignment process because of the fees issue. I am sure they still recommend you go to a certain dealer to keep the dealer area protected. Correct me if I am wrong,

This is now the case. The early reservees (like myself and SmartnTiny) were assigned to a specific dealership and could not change. After NUMEROUS complaints to smartusa, they changed the configuration system so that there is a dropdown when you configure and choose your dealership. It would behoove dealerships to give excellent customer service now, since there is actually competition. Dealerships lose 2% of thier profit if they lose someone from thier territory. SmartnTiny and myself are in the Indianapolis smart dealership's territory. I have already reserved my second smart, and depending on reports of customer service, I now have several to choose from. Two in the Chicago suburbs, the Indy dealership and the St. Louis dealership are all 2 to 3 hour drives for me. It seems as if Josh Dreyer up in Lincolnwood is doing an excellent job. We will see.

Meaux