Smart Center Birmingham in the news

[MikeDCop]

While we don't have much for a newspaper here in Birmingham (I'm still mad at them for misspelling my name on the front page several years ago ), they did do an OK job reporting on our new Smart Center.

Here's the link: Crown brings street Smarts to Alabama- al.com

And our own Jeffrey White even got an indirect shout out from them about his camera skills.

Mike

[triton63]

I just got off the phone with the Birmingham Center. I asked about their orphan list. I was told they require a $500 deposit before you can get on their list. Is this normal? Atlanta doesn't require any deposit. It might be the only way to get one in less than 24 months.

[MikeDCop]

When I talked to them on Grand Opening day, it was to discourage the car dealers from just hopping on the orphan list.

[SuperGeek]

It would be a barrier to entry, thereby making sure that only those who are serious enough to reserve their hard earned cash are reserving the cars. Anyone can call 20 dealers and be placed on 20 orphan lists. If you had to put down $500 in advance on each one, you'd have to work to get that 9500 back when you found the one you wanted. With a $500 reservation downpayment, that's applied to the cost of the car, so you don't actually pay more. It's like layaway but for a car instead of a camera at WalMart.

[Kermit]

I had talked to them on Grand Opening day about the $500 and it indeed does keep the orphan beggars away. As of last Saturday they had a whole 35 on their orphan list! I wonder how many of those are for specific optioned cars and how many are for those that will take anything?

I also asked if their orphans were going to get loaded down with crazy stuff like navigation - didn't get a straight answer so I think that's still out there and they're unsure. Right after I asked the question he did show me how they're having their wheels powder coated. Leaving the silver edge and coloring the center spokes. Looks good on a silver tridion car I would think.

[triton63]

I talked to Mark Roberts and he said they were not loading them with options as some dealers are. That is keeping the price down on the orphans they have.

[Jeffrey White]

Ed told me that you also had to have a reservation # from Smart to get on the orphan list. That will really keep it to those of us that have waited our time. I have elected to not go orphan for now due to I want the particular options I ordered and think I will regret not getting what I have waited on if I settled with something.

I like the wheels they have, He is supposed to be getting me a price for a black set since I have the black Tridion o on my reserved car. I had already found a place in Alabaster and Pinson that would do them for me, but if I can just have them changed at the dealer, that would be great so that I don't have to worry about the pressure sensors.