Reservation time to Configuration time to Delivery time

[Smartdavis]

I am delighted to be wrong!

[tparmar1]

I reserved on July 13th,07, # 1289
Indianapolis area
No word or email from smart yet...
any ideas why midwest is not getting any confirmation Emails..

[SmartCard]

Originally Posted by Winnetou

It is too bad that the presumption of honesty appears to have gone the way of the horse-drawn carriage.

sorry, but the events do seem unbelievable! But let me get this straight- you have TWO deposits out there now? one for an orphan and one for your reservation of 22 Jan? I just can't see in all places - new york, no less that this could happen!

[Winnetou]

Please allow me to clarify, SmartCard. After reserving my smart on-line, I re-visited the dealer to ask if he had any idea how long it would be for the configuration message to arrive. I missed the road-show last Summer, and did not reserve at that time, in the mistaken assumption that when the cars would begin arriving in 2008, I could simply purchase one at a dealer. Through these forums, I had learned otherwise.

My dealer was not sure if I would get a 2008 or 2009 model, so to hedge my bets, I asked to be placed on the orphan car call list, which had about twelve names on it at that time. He requested that I place a deposit; but this deposit is toward whatever car I ultimately purchase: the reserved car or the orphan. Now that I am certain of obtaining a 2008 model in my preferred configuration, I am not in the market for an orphan, which is why I mentioned that there would be a bit less competition for orphans in this area.

I have just read, on other threads here, that others from my area, who made earlier reservations, have not yet received the configuration message. This has made me reconsider my earlier speculation regarding the distribution of smarts in the U.S., and the possible increasing of production. Is it possible that those who place deposits at their dealerships are given preference in configuration? Or has there simply been an electronic anomaly in the computer system?

Like every-one else here, I wish there were more transparency in this unusual automobile introduction process. Ideally, my unusual experience is an indication that things are changing for the better, and that there will soon be a horde of smarts rushing to welcoming arms in America.

[jediknight36]

I emailed Allison Powers from the DFW Smart Center and this is what she had to say when I asked her to look into the early configuration.

"Hey Brandon,

There is no way for me to confirm this info. I seriously doubt that she put in a reservation in January. Our deliveries this month are March 2007 orders. So she may have forgotten when she really reserved this car, especially in New York.

Thanks,
ALLISON"

I think those of you that are still waiting on that email or even you car might want to pass this along to smart.

[dennyrex]

the road show in East Hampton was pretty funny. Not much of a test drive, a few minutes around the block, really. watching the locals scratch their collective head over the goings on in "their" parking lot was funny, and aggravating, in terms of foreseeing a possible negative reaction to the car in high-stress areas. nice day though. happy to hear that everyone is getting good reactions so far.

I'm wondering if there is or could be a thread or sub-forum that recommends good drives on two-lane highways, non-freeway. regional or cross-country. I image there's some great drives out toward the end of Long Island.

[vanslam]

Okay so what have I learned, well I am a 1488 so I will be able to configure in a couple of weeks or 5, 6 or 7 months - iiissssh. Then my car should be here 90, 120 or 150 days later - another isssh. Then I can pick up my Smart and give my dealer a couple of hundred extra for document fees **- ah crap.

Yepp so I am totaled happy with this situation.

[Robbie51]

Originally Posted by Winnetou

Thank you for the kind words, centerextreme! I am sorry about the last sentence in my previous message, but it seemed that I was being accused of being either an idiot or a liar. However, I well understand the frustration of waiting months for a car as delightful as the smart, and I hope that my unusual experience turns out to be an indication that things are about to change for the better, so that smart-lovers will soon receive their cars.

No offense, I just don't see how what you're saying is possible??? Please understand why some of us folks feel this way. We've been waiting months!

[Winnetou]

First of all, Winnetou is most definitely a he.

I do not see how a representative of the Dallas-Fort Worth Smart Center, a smart dealership, would be able to provide much insight into the reason for my very brief reservation-to-configuration interval, or into the general process underlying the initial distribution of smart cars in America; and in fact, Ms Powers admits this in the first sentence of her message. I need not “remember� that I reserved my car on 22 January, since my reservation number is 1482. I configured the car on 1 February.

While I am very pleased at the turn of events, I am unable to find a reasonable explanation. Since two other “reservees� in my area, assigned to the same dealer, have not yet received their configuration invitations despite dates of reservation that were considerably earlier than mine, it does not appear that location is the answer. It is possible that production of smarts is about to be increased, and this supposition would be further supported if the rate of configuration messages increases soon.

My configuration invitation arrived shortly after I placed a deposit at my dealership. This led me to speculate that the deposit had some effect on the process, but I do not know of any system whereby this would be possible.

In the end, my experience might amount to nothing more than a fluke. I do understand the frustration of waiting months for a smart! I had no idea, until I discovered and read these forums, that when the smarts began arriving in America in January, I would have to wait so long to purchase a car: I actually thought that there would be cars for sale on dealership lots. I certainly hope that the flow of smart cars into America is about to be increased so that every-one who is waiting will receive a car before too long.

Dennyrex, the best all-round highway, for a pleasurable drive on Long Island, is Route 25A, which extends from the borough of Queens to Calverton in Suffolk County. But if, where 25A veers South at the Eastern edge of Wading River, one keeps to the Eastern direction on Sound Avenue, a very scenic (and usually rather quiet) drive through the farming region can be had. To keep the scenic way through to Greenport, keep to Middle Road when Sound Avenue diverges Southward in Mattituck, turn left at Peconic Road in Peconic, and bear right at Sound View Avenue, which follows the coast and then finally ends at Route 25 in Greenport. One can loop back on Route 25 and visit the antique shops on the way West.

[jediknight36]

LOL, sorry about that. She just thought you were a woman I guess. I just wanted her to know what was going on. She cant beleve it either. I really hope it was the real thing and not a mistake.