Good news for Smart San Jose

[harleybago]

I have talked to Derek on the phone and he did a good job at giving me and my wife a little be better warm and fuzzy.

[Derekb]

The car started as a passion cabrio and had nearly everything on it. Since the car is sold (someone had to have it) I don't have the specific numbers in front of me.

The purpose of this car is to display what is possible. Nearly all our orphans have gone out with owner chosen accessories. We have always been realistic on our retail policies and don't take it to the extreme.

: )

Derek

Originally Posted by tivoboy

Well, If I take the passion price from the smart site, and add every option on the smart site, and then EVERY option listed here (below) from my original email from Steve, I get 19250$.
If I add say another 600$ for lojac, and say 1500$ for a 48 month warranty extension, I'm at 22,000$ tops.

So, I guess the leather seats, and chrome wheels must be really expensive. :-)

Package 1
Navigation/multimedia unit. Includes 7” LCD touchscreen, AM/FM received, CD/DVD/MP3/WMA drive, Denso based Navigation. $1895.00
Package 2
As above plus iPod interface which gives you complete control and text information on the touchscreen. $2080
Package 3
Sirius Satellite Radio interface completely controlled on LCD touchscreen. $375 plus Package 1.
Package 4
Bluetooth interface which operates with either the above system or the factory radio. Includes display and voice activation. $600
Package 5
Audio system upgrade including 2 Alpine tweeters, midrange and crossovers, 200 watt 4 channel amplifier and 10 inch subwoofer. $945

[Derekb]

Originally Posted by 16d @ 4

Derek,
Any orphans available for this week? My friend just put his name on the orphan list couple of weeks ago and no phone call yet...

Our lot is pretty empty. I hope your friend is realistic on the wait time. It can vary greatly but a couple of weeks is not long considering our list is 40+ pages long. Hang in there.

-Derek

[Derekb]

Originally Posted by jmartinsmart

Derek,
Just a note to say it was nice to see Nahid at the Lomard Event in San Francisco. She did a great job of representing smart center San Jose. I was thrilled that she recognized me (as one of her customers) and totally blown away that she remembered my name.

You have a great group of employees there, hang on to them.

Thanx again,
Jim Martin
Proud Passion Owner

Jim,

Nahid is great and I'm glad she was able to go and represent smart SJ. It is nice to be around her enthusiasm for the product.

Derek

[Ricochet]

My wife and I visited the dealership early Sunday and were surprised to see several models, some of them customer cars in for service. We were the only customers at the time. Perhaps the others were out praying for an orphan to satisfy their needs. We were treated well, all questions were answered, and we put our name down for an orphan Cabrio. Though it's a bit far from Fresno, I think I'll be pleased doing business with them.

Jerry

[lowndex]

Originally Posted by lowndex

As of 6/24/08, Steve Sneath no longer works for Smart San Jose! This could have been bad news for Smart San Jose. There is news of encouragement. The new Sales GM is Derek B., who races cars, tweaks engines, likes to go fast, etc.. Most importantly, Derek seems quite customer oriented. In my first conversation with Derek, he wanted to know what my top issues (not necessarily concerns) were with my local dealership - how to improve.

To that end, I asked Derek to focus on the Service Department. Customers need direct access to a Service Advisor; not a sales staff member serving as a liason.

Also, some of the Smart parts costs need to be brought in line with other dealerships. For example, the Smart clock and tachometer that mounts on top of your dash. San Jose quotes a charge of $700 + for the two items installed. Sacramento only charges $397.00 + tax (installed).

Summary: Derek seems qualified, motivated and tasked (by Doug Gold, Director of Northwest Operations) to make Smart San Jose a top Smart dealership. Time will tell, but I am optimistic and will continue to send my service business to San Jose, my local dealership.

I called the San Jose dealer today and heard Derek no longer works there! This dealership cannot keep a General Manager. Wonder why? Derek was a hope for addressing the lack of focus on service (which he did), provide after market parts and installation (not to much) and generally improve the support expereince with customers (he did). In Derek's absence, what is San Jose's future? I sure wish my local dealership was more stable.