You guys are dead on the mark, soapbox or not. I knew nothing about the allocation requirements going into this, not that it would have stopped me from ordering but it would have ebbed some of the tide of the rising frustration waiting on a production number. I ordered 12/19 and got a production number early January. Another week and a half before I got the VIN. I learned about AskMini, NAM and how to track the car on this forum (thank Gawd for that). OL is still saying my car is in the birthing canal. AskMini says it's sitting on the dock in Southhampton. Now if I can just find out which ship it's going out on (and what day), I'll rise to a whole new level of excitement going on while I track it across the ocean to Brunswick (17 long agonizing days!).

Egad, I'm sounding like everyone else in here who has Mini withdrawal.... I need a Mini-fix of information.

 

Yeah you see my point. I would have still ordered my Mini also although I probably would have waited a few weeks to go over everything a few more times and most likely would have added another $2 to $4k in add-on items which would have made the dealer and sales person more $$$ and made me feel even happier about my purchase. My point is INFORMATION good or bad is still information and as 99% of this is out of the dealers control once it is ordered (with an allocation #) it would have made me a happier customer overall. And a lot less wondering what??? I really think my dealer thought he would take my deposit and not hear back from me for 12 weeks (that is what they kept saying and which is going to be almost dead on but really 12 weeks with no communications?) !

Flyinghippo, What city do you live in? I am feeling your pain as we both appear to have missed the Integrity and the Boheme. Maybe we both have tickets on the Manon which is scheduled to arrive and depart on the 10th, 7 days from today which will put our arrival at our dealers in the first few days into March.

 

First - your MA not telling you about the OL is inexcusable. I can understand not pointing you to NAM or any other online forum but the OL is run by MINI USA so there's no reason that they shouldn't have pointed you to it.

When we ordered each of our first two MINIs (one from MINI of Sterling and the other from MINI of Towson) we were told about the OL (even though we knew all about it when we got Number 2). When we ordered our latest (from Classic MINI) we were handed a sheet titled "How to Track Your MINI" which had detailed instructions for creating an OL account.

I've never had a dealer talk about dealing with W&W and getting the status from them - that all came from hanging out on the various forums. Along the same lines, I've never had an MA provide me with any updates on the status of my car. The first MINI got hung up at the VDC for over a week - and we badgered our MA (and the Sales Manager) for updates daily and didn't get a single one. Heck they didn't even tell us when they received the car, although that was only because instead of calling them that day we went over to the dealer and showed up 15 minutes after it came off the truck...

With the second MINI - again I knew the car had arrived before they bothered to tell me that it was there... There was plenty of motivation for the dealer to get this one right too... They knew that I was the president of the MINI club and that we were trying to partner with them to get more folks up to their dealership - and they still screwed up the delivery...

The thing is with many MAs - despite our enthusiasm I don't believe that those of us who order cars are a high priority to them. Lets face it - somebody who buys a car off the lot gets the MA a check pretty quick, those of us who order - it'll be several weeks (if not months) before they get anything from our sale. More than that - the person who buys off the lot is a lot less work than those of us who order, especially if we are enthusiastic and want updates about our car - and all for the same amount of commission as the person who bought the car right off the lot... So where's the enticement to play along?

 

I get it but the enticement should be future business as I'd expect the customers who order cars to be a bit more enthusiastic the the majority of customers who buy cars right off the lot. I seem to see a decent amount of people on here talking about the cars they ordered and it would appear that I see others whom bought off the lot coming on here many months or even years later. Although there is always exceptions to this of course as I would have been glad to make minor compromises had I been able to find a car close to what I wanted anywhere in the entire SE of the U.S. as I already knew going in on the deal that I was not the most patient person, especially over something so exciting as my first Mini after waiting 10 years to own one. My point is that people who order Mini's would probably be more likely to refer future business based on their experience and if that experience isn't up to par we will still recommend Minis just not from the dealers we bought ours from!

 

I hear you, but sadly there aren't too many dealers that see it that way, let alone MAs. You would think that to help drive the referral business alone that dealerships would embrace their local clubs and be thrilled to have a an active owner's community that would be willing to drive referrals to them. From my experience however most dealers are hesitant at best to engage with their owners post-sale.

Along the same lines, from what I've seen few MAs are actual MINI enthusiasts, and even fewer members of management at dealers are enthusiasts and they aren't encouraged to be either. Sadly many of these folks view this as merely a job and don't share the enthusiasm of their clients.

 

This is why I am thrilled with my MA at Classic MINI. I think he is an enthusiast! When we were on our test drive with him, he started telling us about his MINI and all things he's done with it. When I asked him about local motoring clubs, not only did he mention Burning River, he also referred me to NAM as a place to get tons of MINI info. He was obviously a man in love with his car.

That being said, I wonder just how much of the information beyond what is available through Ask MINI and the OL the MAs are allowed to direct people toward. If we're tracking the ships we think our cars are on, and it turns out there was a data entry error on the side of WW, but we were referred there by our MA, who are we going to get upset with when our MINI isn't offloaded when we thought it was supposed to be? Our MA. Since that portion is out of their control, I can understand them not sharing this information with us (no matter how helpful I think it would be and wish it was explained to everyone who orders a MINI). I think throughout this process, when my MA has been telling me dates for production, or delivery, or arrival, etc. they have been a week or so later than normal deliveries just so he can be sure to keep his "promise."

 

Honestly I don't view that as any different than being referred to FedEx's website to track a package... We don't necessarily blame the seller when FedEx screws up a shipment..

 

You may not, however I've seen many times in the past where somebody has complained to a company (or whoever) for sharing something the company had no control over and the information turned out to be incorrect. I honestly think this is a scenario where MINI is trying to cover their butt and not get caught up in something they can't control.

 

I would agree if the MA said "according to" and then reminded me that he couldn't guarantee it. Just like the finance guy said when he told me my interest rate was locked in "according to BMW" but that he couldn't guarantee it. Although I use to do tons of shipping ($16,000 a year) as a small business and some customers did blame me even after apologizing for the mistake and shipping a complete replacement order. (My products were perishable so if they didn't get to the customer timely they were usually a total loss).

On a funny note: I always remember shipping something to Farmingdale, NY but USPS showed it out for delivery in Daytona, FL and when I called customer service they kept arguing that it was out for delivery. Sometimes arguing with stupidity is simply dumb. And knowing that we all deal with crazies from time to time you must always take them into account.

KermitClin, Where is "Classic Mini"? I'd love to meet a sales person like that.

 

Time for a reality check in this thread. However cool MA sounds, these folks are car salesmen. Their job is to sell cars. I have been reading through this forum for months, preparing to order my first Mini. I think it is the coolest thing ever to be able to track the building and shipping progress. I would not expect the MA to do this for every car ordered, they would spend all day tracking cars. I would expect them to tell how we can do it ourselves. Apparently some do and some don't. Not everyone is OC like those of us in this thread. I bet most people just say "Call me when it arrives" or settle for something on the lot. I have been speaking on and off with my MA for a few months, taking a few test drives and asking about various options. I took my family to the dealer yesterday to see how we all(wife and 2 kids) fit in the MCS hardtop. My MA is a car guy but has been selling Minis for quite a while. From what I gather just standing around shooting the bull, calling them all of time asking for an update gets aggravating when Mini has ways for you to get your own updates. After we talked about how to start the order process(he could not locate anything close to what I want), I laughingly told him I was going to call for an update every other day after the order. My wife confirmed I probably would. I told them not to worry, this site had threads dedicated to tracking this stuff.

So basically I'm saying, give these folks a break. As long as you know how to track it yourself, you should be happy. Maybe call once per week. I have never heard of another brand who has tracking like this. We have all of this info available and people still complain. I am happy we don't have a 12 week black hole to wait through.

Instead of this

Try this

Next thing you know...

 

I agree with most of what you said had most MA's told us how to even track anything. From my understanding from 2 other MAs the average MA usually has 1 or 2 cars on order every week of so and that is if they are good at getting the sales and it is a busy dealer (not sure how accurate that is as I thought that seemed high). So asking for a simple email or phone call once a week (and less when the factory is closed for 5 weeks) isn't much to ask for even it is just to say "Hang in there no status change yet" anything would be better then taking the order, not telling me I could track things or how to and simply expecting to call me in 12 weeks when it arrived. I don't expect the sales person to be anywhere as excited as I am. My Wife buys a new Honda about every 4 years (on her 3rd now) and all from the exact same dealer because they take the took the time when she bought the first car and every car after that to make sure she was happy and to follow up well after the sale to see how things were going with her new car, all 3 of them she got the same exact great service and still continues to. I'm not asking for a lot but maybe I am holding Mini to slightly higher standards than a local Mom & Pop used car dealer, if that same Honda dealer was able to sell/order new Mini Coopers I'd bought it from them. I can only hope that the service department is much better at keeping the customer informed or I may have to find excuses during service intervals to go see family near one of the other three Mini dealers close to family members.

 

I have a soap box too. Kirk Larsen at Crevier Mini of Santa Ana WAS the best sales guy UNTIL the day after my order was placed. He then DISAPPEARED into thin air and filled my with lie after lie when I continually emailed him.

When I placed my order I was told 11-12 weeks on average (maybe even sooner). Then I was told Crevier of Santa Ana traded an allocation so that I could get my Mini sooner. Yay!!!! Only to really find out I never had an allocation. I am pretty sure I was lied to about having an allocation. It worked for awhile, I was quite until my car just sat in limbo on the OL for weeks.

I mean, one would have thought since this is my second purchase, as well as I have referred 2 other buyers their direction, that they would have thought - "hey, we should keep her happy, she is a good, repeat, customer. NOT!!!!

Make the sale and move on.

It took 12 weeks just to get my car built. I had to email at every turn to get an update and was avoided until I finally reached out to the owner and pitched a *****. And although I do feel the owner has TRIED to appease me during the major delays. He has been unable to give me any useful information. A lot of this is due to the lack of communication from BMW/MINI to the MA.

I realize that Mini owners are somewhat of a cult. Once you get bit by the bug, you are infected for life. But really, if MINI continually treats their customers like crap, they may just lose their customer base once another manufacturer comes up with a fun car.

So sad that these days you really do have to sacrifice something - there is no more getting Quality, price and service - one of the three usually must be let go of.

I;m extremely disappointed in my dealer and Mini and am just hopeful, once my Mini arrives, I am able to put it behind me.

So, how is that for a soapbox. hahahahahahahah

 

Zeek, if most of us had wauted a normal amount of time that would be one thing. Try waiting 10 weeks and still not see your car produced. It will be a ful 16 weeks before I receive my Mini. 4-6 weeks later than I was originally promised and every day I was told they had no clue WHY my order was not in production. We found out on this forum that the plant had closed. Our dealers were in the dark.

Again, if we had experienced NORMAL orders we wouldn't be so frustrated. I for one was told my Mini broke a record for being "IN production" for 43 days.

Really, a Mini should on take 5-8 days --- not 42. I do believe this gives cause to be upset at the lack of communication. Not asking them to track my Mini, just be able to tell me when I will receive it and HOW I CAN TRACK IT would be nice!

 

I agree. You seem to have an unusual, from what I have been reading here, situation. You were jerked around by the salesman and maybe the dealership. Do you really think Mini is in on it too? I have heard really good things about our dealership here, Brian Harris Mini, the only one in the state, so I am expecting a lot, or at least to not be treated like you were. My MA seems pretty sharp and he knows that I know a lot about the system, so even though I have not ordered yet, he has been explaining details like how he did a search and what areas and for what options. Thanks to all of you, I know what questions to ask as this progresses. He did tell me that when I do order, they can change any of the orders they already have in so I don't have to wait as long in line.

 

Did the APR drop back down to 0.9% again?

 

I'm seeing .9% on MINI Next certified pre-owned 09s and 10s at MINIUSA.com

 

I'm still pushing for the .9% since I ordered before thanksgiving. hahahaha

 

For those that have had proactive MA's they seem to really have had a great experience. Can't help but be a little bit jealous about that.

But, you know what they say, "what doesn't break you makes you stronger" That's me for sure!!!

I hope once you order you have a fabulous experience!!!!

 

It's in Cleveland, OH

 

Its simple the #1 complaint/issue on here is "Communication"BMW/Mini to the Dealers, from the Dealers to us. Any Communications is better than complete silence.

All the extra text when we go off is simply letting off frustration and the natural stress of waiting for something so exciting (to us).

 

Deep Breath...

The MINI plant is open and cars are rolling onto boats, it's been a long wait, (for some of us even longer ).

Thanks to NAM we can tell when our cars will hit VDC and we can get our MA's rolling and earning their money.

Just think how much fun it will be driving down the road in our new MINI's. Personally I am looking forward to AMVIV 10 .

Moral of my soapbox here, dont worry about past. Cant change it.
Wayne

PS... Need more PICS

 

weaf27, I'm in Charlotte although I would like to be in the State of Euphoria with information that the Mini is on a ship. Alas...

 

Hey Weaf27,
How'd you figure out which ship you were on and how to track it? I put my vin into the WWL link under 'Cargo ID' and I get no records found. Hoping since we're both in FL and have the same birthdays we should be on the same ship.

 

I feel your pain/anticipation/anxiety of waiting knowing are Minis are so close yet so far away. Missing those 2 boats really sucks but not anything we can do about it. I'm just trying to find ways to not stress out and I would agree with the post before this...we REALLY need to see more pictures from fresh grads to help me day dream and chill.

 

Actually I used http://sagaweb.2wglobal.com/AppSchedules/ to see which ship from Southhampton to Brunswick, GA and then estimated as it only takes a day to go from leaving the Mini Oxford site to Southhampton and was betting on a high likelihood of getting on the Boheme 48 hours later. Sadly my Mini missed that voyage for whatever reasons. Now I am crossing my fingers for the Manon on the 10th. My VIN isn't showing up on booked with any boat yet either and from my understanding it usually won't until the day before the boat arrives at the earliest. I was so excited and with missing the boat as I know you can relate it has only stressed me out more with anticipation.


And yes everyone keeps telling me to put your VIN in Cargo ID. When I wasn't showing up I checked that I typed it right a dozen times and even closed and reopened the web browsers but no go. It kills me to think our beautiful brand new Minis are just sitting in a parking lot.