My smart is stuck in customs?

[Carlarm]

My current DDE = 12/31/2008 to 3/31/2009. For the past week it has been advancing a day later each day. This past Saturday Smart Center San Jose called to ask if I still wanted to buy the car (yes!). On Monday I got an email saying it had arrived in port and that it would be delivered in two or three weeks.

Has anyone else experienced this, especially through the port of Long Beach? What is a best guess for time to get through customs or whatever is happening?

Below is a history of my DDE since I decided to track it:

Monday 5/05/2008 Reserved (originally was going to be a Pure)
Friday 9/05/2008 Configured Passion Coupe Red/Black/Red
11/??/2008 DDE = 12/12/2008 to 3/12/2008
Wednesday 12/10/2008 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Thursday 12/11/2008 DDE = 12/27/2008 to 3/27/2009
Friday 12/12/2008 DDE = 12/28/2008 to 3/28/2009
Each day, DDE remained the same until ...
Wednesday 12/17/2008 DDE = 12/29/2008 to 3/29/2009
Thursday 12/18/2008 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Friday 12/19/2008 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Sunday 12/21/2008 DDE = 12/18/2008 to 3/18/2009
Monday 12/22/2008 DDE = 12/21/2008 to 3/21/2009
Tuesday 12/23/2008 DDE = 12/22/2008 to 3/22/2009
Wednesday 12/24/2008 DDE = 12/23/2008 to 3/23/2009
Each day, DDE remained the same until ...
Wednesday 1/14/2009 DDE = 12/24/2008 to 3/24/2009
Thursday 1/15/2009 DDE = 12/25/2008 to 3/25/2009
Friday 1/16/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Saturday 1/17/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Sunday 1/18/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Monday 1/19/2009 DDE = 12/29/2008 to 3/29/2009
Tuesday 1/20/2009 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Wednesday 1/21/2009 DDE = 12/31/2008 to 3/31/2009

[SuperGeek]

If your car's in port, the DDE isn't going to help you much, only frustrate you. Your best contact is with the dealer who will know where their potential property is. It's yours (reserved anyway) until you say otherwise or ignore them for a month. If you told them you still want it, they're not listing it as an orphan, and will contact you when it arrives.

US Customs will delay shipments of the most minor things from buttons to cars, simply because there may be a tourist hiding in a wheel well or something and they have to be sure to stamp their forms. My family business has been brutalized by the practices of government customs around the world, and there's not a whole lot you can do to get a car released a day or week sooner. They'll get to it... eventually. Two or three weeks is actually not an unusual amount of time for Customs to be holding something.

I'm sure the anticipation is killing you, but patience is worthwhile at this point. Panicking and stressing will just make things worse.

[Neonspinnazz]

Originally Posted by Carlarm

My current DDE = 12/31/2008 to 3/31/2009. For the past week it has been advancing a day later each day. This past Saturday Smart Center San Jose called to ask if I still wanted to buy the car (yes!). On Monday I got an email saying it had arrived in port and that it would be delivered in two or three weeks.

I'd probably blame it on the recent holiday and presidential inauguration...
-Wait patiently, at least your DDE doesn't say something like 1/1/2011 .

[Neonspinnazz]

Originally Posted by SuperGeek

... there may be a tourist hiding in a wheel well ...
I'm sure the anticipation is killing you, but patience is worthwhile at this point. Panicking and stressing will just make things worse.

What a great way to travel from country to country, just pack yourself into a wheel well of a new car!

-Couldn't agree more, 3 weeks is not too long. Wait it out and you will eventually join the others who had got theirs' already and soon have stories of your own to tell.

[Shore]

Hi Carlarm,

I am in Los Angeles, and currently have the exact same delivery dates as you. My dealer is Beverly Hills, though I have heard nothing from them, other than the email early November saying I would be taking delivery the end of December, that never happened. I assume if your car is on the ship in Long Beach, my car should be in the same load. If I hear anything I will let you know.

[danag]

Originally Posted by Carlarm

My current DDE = 12/31/2008 to 3/31/2009. For the past week it has been advancing a day later each day. This past Saturday Smart Center San Jose called to ask if I still wanted to buy the car (yes!). On Monday I got an email saying it had arrived in port and that it would be delivered in two or three weeks.

Has anyone else experienced this, especially through the port of Long Beach? What is a best guess for time to get through customs or whatever is happening?

Below is a history of my DDE since I decided to track it:

Monday 5/05/2008 Reserved (originally was going to be a Pure)
Friday 9/05/2008 Configured Passion Coupe Red/Black/Red
11/??/2008 DDE = 12/12/2008 to 3/12/2008
Wednesday 12/10/2008 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Thursday 12/11/2008 DDE = 12/27/2008 to 3/27/2009
Friday 12/12/2008 DDE = 12/28/2008 to 3/28/2009
Each day, DDE remained the same until ...
Wednesday 12/17/2008 DDE = 12/29/2008 to 3/29/2009
Thursday 12/18/2008 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Friday 12/19/2008 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Sunday 12/21/2008 DDE = 12/18/2008 to 3/18/2009
Monday 12/22/2008 DDE = 12/21/2008 to 3/21/2009
Tuesday 12/23/2008 DDE = 12/22/2008 to 3/22/2009
Wednesday 12/24/2008 DDE = 12/23/2008 to 3/23/2009
Each day, DDE remained the same until ...
Wednesday 1/14/2009 DDE = 12/24/2008 to 3/24/2009
Thursday 1/15/2009 DDE = 12/25/2008 to 3/25/2009
Friday 1/16/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Saturday 1/17/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Sunday 1/18/2009 DDE = 12/26/2008 to 3/26/2009
Monday 1/19/2009 DDE = 12/29/2008 to 3/29/2009
Tuesday 1/20/2009 DDE = 12/30/2008 to 3/30/2009
Wednesday 1/21/2009 DDE = 12/31/2008 to 3/31/2009

I got a call from SJ smart last weekend also wanting to know if I wanted my car due at the end of February. I told them yes and now I just wait. I've stopped looking at my DDE too seriously since it keeps moving too. I just know my smart will be here at the end of next month. Just sit back and enjoy the wait because you are almost there.

[jediknight36]

Watch it... Mine was "stuck" and it came in un-expectantly. Its on the way....

[smartHHO]

Originally Posted by jediknight36

Watch it... Mine was "stuck" and it came in un-expectantly. Its on the way....

Same here. Dealer was waiting for the list to go from Distributor to Dealer. It never did. It just showed up one day on the truck. So, if you got an email saying it is in port. Then best guess is 10 days or less most likely. So stick with that. And then make sure you keep tabs on your dealer. Sounds like they are friggin evil. How dare they ask you if you still want it. That is not how the process works. They should call you and say it is in. If you don't want it, then you would say ORPHAN it pls. OMG, I think dealers like that should not be allowed to sell them. Damn Theives.

[MPrice2984]

Mine seemed to do the same thing - the salesman told me it was 'stuck in customs' and I wouldn't see it for another three weeks. This was on a Thursday, I picked it up the Saturday after he told me it was 'stuck'. It took 1 week from port in Baltimore to delivery in Chicago.

[SuperGeek]

Originally Posted by smartHHO

How dare they ask you if you still want it. That is not how the process works. They should call you and say it is in. If you don't want it, then you would say ORPHAN it pls. OMG, I think dealers like that should not be allowed to sell them. Damn Theives.

If you had a customer put down a small deposit on a $12-15k item, 12-18 months ago and had no other contact with that customer... wouldn't you want to know if they still want it? Remember, you don't want that car sitting on the lot for very long, so you want to find a committed buyer for it, whoever it may be.