Market conditions? More like "I have to have this car right NOW, no wait YESTERDAY," so I won't even TRY to find a reasonable deal.

If you can afford a MINI, you can take three days off work, fly to the East coast, and drive the car back to wherever they're charging a ridiculous mark-up. I'm sorry if anyone finds this offensive, but people who are overcharged when they clearly have options to do otherwise - they deserve it. Unless, of course, they are perfectly happy wasting their money and don't whine about it.

In short, there is no excuse for something like that to happen. Especially around here, where there are no fewer than four dealers (don't forget Crown in Richmond)... Even on the West coast, "market conditions" means get off your duff and take a trip. It's well worth the money saved, unless you have more cents than sense.

I, and you folks I must assume, work pretty g*ddamn hard for your money. I also don't have an enormous financial cushion, so I feel no sympathy for anyone who pays too much when he/she could have made a brief trip (and let's face it, NoVa to north Baltimore or Annapolis and back isn't even a day trip), unless they are perfectly content wasting that money...and it is a waste. You can have your car serviced at your local dealer, they can't refuse warranty service just because you didn't buy the car there.

Off the soap-box.

Marty

 

By way of followup, I sent the letter off to John Morehead, the owner of Sterling 2 weeks ago and haven't heard a word. From the posting earlier in this thread from Mini Corporate, I called the customer support number and spoke with Isaac who was exceptionally professional, apologetic and clearly understood customer service. Sent over a copy of the letter. We'll see what happens.

I still can't wipe the ***** eating grin off my face when I drive the car . . .

 

I have also had contact with Jeff and I would agree with your assessment of him. He seemed to actually want to help. He is not my MA however, he is the only MA I have gotten e-mail from. Don't they all have e-mail?

I am surprised at the assessories policy you mentioned. No one has EVER said that I had to order any accessories, just to buy the car. Now in fairness, before I called Sterlingi had already sent them a MINI build from the MINIUSA website, so they knew I was already planning to get more than the $2700. Just adding the nave system put me over half way there.

I have generally found Sterling to be responsive to my direct inquiries, but I guess I am surprised that some things are not just done based on their initiative. It is really silly stuff, like I got a VIN when I called and asked for it, but they knew I was interested in the build schedule and could have sent an email when this info came available. I got info about the build dates and arrival dates, but only after calling to ask. i got the allocation number the same way, by calling to ask.

AskMINI told me about a program that the dealer can sign buyers up for where these sorts of notifications occur automatically, and I am told it doesn't cost the dealer anything. I called my MA, they knew about the program and since I asked they said they would sign me up. I don't know if they did, but the only e-mail I have gotten from MINIUSA was the post above that I assume all of us got.

So I really don't have anything to complain about, but I did expect, based on stories from other buyers, that the MA and the dealer would be more proactive. Especially since they are not really working too hard to sell these cars. You would think they might have a little spare time to take care of these things.

I found out that my car is sitting on the dock in Southhampton waiting for the Trinidad on the 19th. It has been there since the 8th or 9th. I have still not heard from the MA to let me know this status. But I am also not quite as rabid about these details as other I have seen on the talk groups.

I am begining to wonder where all these tea shirts, key rings and coffee mugs I keep hearing about are.

Regards
Phil

 

The accessories was only on a convertible not on a tin-top.

Jeff has been stellar. There was an issue at the VPC that had my car "stalled" there for 9 days. It came off the ship on 9/7/04 and got to the VPC on 9/8/04. It sat there for a week. On Tuesday I got in touch with Christal Waddy to try to get her assistance. She gave Jeff instructions on how to contact the VPC the next day and enlisted the BMW sales manager to help Jeff. They found out 3,000 cars were being held up due to a message from Mini in Oxford indicating that the transmission fluid had to be changed in all 3,000 cars. BMW America wouldn't accept the vehicles until the transmission fluid was changed. They had no ETA for completion. When I spoke to Christal again on Thursday, the computer systems were down and she couldn't get any information. I simply told her that if the card took more than two more weeks to arrive I wouldn't accept it, cancel my order and reorder from Tate Mini after the first of the year. I explained I had no intention of accepting delivery of a convertible that would sit in front of my house for four or five months not being used while I was paying insurance and car payments. The convertible is a second, leisure vehicle. She was upset that I would go to another dealer and asked me to talk to Jeff this morining (Friday) to check on the status. Christal may have stirred up the VPC because when I called Jeff he took my phone number, called back in ten minutes to say the VPC had checked the car over and had already put the vehicle on the transport and it had already left NJ for VA. If it comes in Saturday or Monday morning they are going to give my car priority and try to have it ready Monday afternoon. If it comes in during the day Monday I'll have it on Tuesday afternoon.

I guess they didn't want to lose a sale.