Email to Lotus customer service Manger - ref colour photos

[TXEMIRA]

Exactly correct. Now I do understand why some try to explain this away by giving the whole "Lotus was unprepared for the interest and the excitement that this particular car generated" spiel but logic would dictate that surely there are some aspects of this whole shite show that were a tad of a clusterfook initially but SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECTIFIED BY NOW. Pics of actual cars BEFORE locked in deposits and ALL available interior swatches are two examples of this.

I genuinely don't know if these missteps are some sort of contrived rite of passage for potential (and current!) Lotus enthusiasts or its simply a disdain for the majority of the customer base. Very strange this...

Right. AND a communication out to those with deposits, separate of gen pop, that admits it - would go a long way.

Heck, even delay, revamp, and restart.

Best thing they could do is borrow an operational Delorean & Flux Capacitor, and go back in time a bit here.

#ForTheRestart

 

[torstin]

Gavan is probably not the one in charge of press photos, but here's the deal. You knew it was a work-in-progress when you put your deposit down. You knew they weren't in production yet, and wouldn't be for almost a year. You have to know there's a lot of serious things that have to get done before they can start producing cars, and showing photos and some leather samples aren't on that priority list. That's just the way it is. Whoever is in charge of those two things is the person to blame, not the entire company.

Personally, I'm able to make a choice based on seeing something like this:

View attachment 3319

And the new configurator is close enough to know which color combo I want. But that's just me.

If you or anyone are truly that unhappy with the company, to the point that you'd rather not spend the money on an Emira because they haven't shown you actual photos of the FE colors, or you haven't seen an actual leather sample as opposed to an actual photo of them (apparently actual photos aren't good enough after all), then by all means don't buy the Emira. You're just going to be unhappy the whole way, so why do that to yourself. Either have faith in their ability to make a gorgeous car that handles like nothing else, or stop making yourself miserable and complaining endlessly over it all. Cancel your deposit if you have one, and go buy something else.

Yes you can complain, yes you can not be happy about something, yes you can have an opinion about it, but once you've said your piece, enough. The same few keep going on and on, and working themselves up into a fizz over it all. That's not helping anything, nor is it improving anyone's experience, including those complaining. Write to the people in charge. Their names and emails are on the Lotus website.

Actual production begins in 11 days. They have plenty on their mind and plenty to do right now. Publishing some photos and sending out a leather sample is not a priority at the moment. If that's not acceptable, save yourself. Just go buy a Porsche or whatever else meets the standards you feel Lotus isn't.

You have no idea if the new configuration is close enough to know which colour you want - because you haven’t seen the real life versions to compare.

 

[Eagle7]

Remember the days when a new model came out, and you went to the dealer, looked it over in the showroom, and the salesman took you around the lot to see it in different colors and combinations, then you went inside and made the deal to buy or lease?

Yeah, it seems those days are gone. Now it's get in line waaay in advance by putting down a deposit, and hope you did that early enough to not have to wait 2-5 years before you get the car. This makes buying a car an act of faith now. Things just keep getting stranger and stranger.

 

[Tonyshepp]

I hear you and we can all 'make do' But this is not the customer experience you should have to make do with on a 80k product, from a company that wants to step up to play with the big boys...

The real kicker as others have said is the acknowledgment that the experience has been poor to date and then not doing much, if anything, to change it that’s really where it hurts.

 

[EM33RA]

Gavan is probably not the one in charge of press photos, but here's the deal. You knew it was a work-in-progress when you put your deposit down. You knew they weren't in production yet, and wouldn't be for almost a year. You have to know there's a lot of serious things that have to get done before they can start producing cars, and showing photos and some leather samples aren't on that priority list. That's just the way it is. Whoever is in charge of those two things is the person to blame, not the entire company.

Personally, I'm able to make a choice based on seeing something like this:

View attachment 3319

And the new configurator is close enough to know which color combo I want. But that's just me.

If you or anyone are truly that unhappy with the company, to the point that you'd rather not spend the money on an Emira because they haven't shown you actual photos of the FE colors, or you haven't seen an actual leather sample as opposed to an actual photo of them (apparently actual photos aren't good enough after all), then by all means don't buy the Emira. You're just going to be unhappy the whole way, so why do that to yourself. Either have faith in their ability to make a gorgeous car that handles like nothing else, or stop making yourself miserable and complaining endlessly over it all. Cancel your deposit if you have one, and go buy something else.

Yes you can complain, yes you can not be happy about something, yes you can have an opinion about it, but once you've said your piece, enough. The same few keep going on and on, and working themselves up into a fizz over it all. That's not helping anything, nor is it improving anyone's experience, including those complaining. Write to the people in charge. Their names and emails are on the Lotus website.

Actual production begins in 11 days. They have plenty on their mind and plenty to do right now. Publishing some photos and sending out a leather sample is not a priority at the moment. If that's not acceptable, save yourself. Just go buy a Porsche or whatever else meets the standards you feel Lotus isn't.

Mate it’s getting very boring and border line obsessive you rebutting other peoples opinions, and doing everything in your might to defend Lotus.

We get your passionate about the company but don’t be fooled by how a business should be run. Communication, communication and did I say communication.

Vision and strategy amount to nothing, if you can’t bring others on the journey to arrive there by clear and concise ongoing communication.

Wait for it “time for you to write a 20 page script to now defend yourself and Lotus”…….

 

[Eagle7]

You have no idea if the new configuration is close enough to know which colour you want - because you haven’t seen the real life versions to compare.

I've seen the planforms, and the configurator matches those. That's close enough for me.

 

[xen]

Gavan is probably not the one in charge of press photos, but here's the deal. You knew it was a work-in-progress when you put your deposit down. You knew they weren't in production yet, and wouldn't be for almost a year. You have to know there's a lot of serious things that have to get done before they can start producing cars, and showing photos and some leather samples aren't on that priority list. That's just the way it is. Whoever is in charge of those two things is the person to blame, not the entire company.

Personally, I'm able to make a choice based on seeing something like this:

View attachment 3319

And the new configurator is close enough to know which color combo I want. But that's just me.

If you or anyone are truly that unhappy with the company, to the point that you'd rather not spend the money on an Emira because they haven't shown you actual photos of the FE colors, or you haven't seen an actual leather sample as opposed to an actual photo of them (apparently actual photos aren't good enough after all), then by all means don't buy the Emira. You're just going to be unhappy the whole way, so why do that to yourself. Either have faith in their ability to make a gorgeous car that handles like nothing else, or stop making yourself miserable and complaining endlessly over it all. Cancel your deposit if you have one, and go buy something else.

Yes you can complain, yes you can not be happy about something, yes you can have an opinion about it, but once you've said your piece, enough. The same few keep going on and on, and working themselves up into a fizz over it all. That's not helping anything, nor is it improving anyone's experience, including those complaining. Write to the people in charge. Their names and emails are on the Lotus website.

Actual production begins in 11 days. They have plenty on their mind and plenty to do right now. Publishing some photos and sending out a leather sample is not a priority at the moment. If that's not acceptable, save yourself. Just go buy a Porsche or whatever else meets the standards you feel Lotus isn't.

Fairly condescending post here. The thread is about an email to Lotus expressing discontent about our inability to see actual pictures of the car but you bring up Gavin and the tire options...then suggest he's not the one in charge of pictures...lol.

The missive of 'if you don't like it go buy something else' is just lazy. If that were the case we'd all live in huts and accept mediocrity for the rest of our lives. How dare a paying customer request for better communication from a company! The point of the thread is literally to echo the message and hope Lotus recognise the issue...

You act like Lotus is this halo company that can do no wrong. We're here because we like the product, it doesn't mean we need to worship the company and can't be objective about their failings.

 

[Leonard]

The real kicker as others have said is the acknowledgment that the experience has been poor to date and then not doing much, if anything, to change it that’s really where it hurts.

Amen brother. Its we hear you, but don't actually give a shit. You either want our product or don't. If we weren't in a current bubble where car prices are inflated and it's cheaper to buy new than used the Lotus order book would not be looking anywhere near as pretty

 

[Leonard]

Remember the days when a new model came out, and you went to the dealer, looked it over in the showroom, and the salesman took you around the lot to see it in different colors and combinations, then you went inside and made the deal to buy or lease?

Yeah, it seems those days are gone. Now it's get in line waaay in advance by putting down a deposit, and hope you did that early enough to not have to wait 2-5 years before you get the car. This makes buying a car an act of faith now. Things just keep getting stranger and stranger.

Nope any other manufacturer at this level (and below) gives you the tools to make an informed decision on spec. Not only that they make it an experience so you feel connected emotionally to the brand. As someone that's been helping 99% of this forum to feel some of that connection I'm suprised by your acceptance of the overall purchase experience

 

[Eagle7]

Mate it’s getting very boring and border line obsessive you rebutting other peoples opinions, and doing everything in your might to defend Lotus.

We get your passionate about the company but don’t be fooled by how a business should be run. Communication, communication and did I say communication.

Vision and strategy amount to nothing, if you can’t bring others on the journey to arrive there by clear and concise ongoing communication.

Wait for it “time for you to write a 20 page script to now defend yourself and Lotus”…….

The "boring" part is a two-way street. People complaining (repeatedly about the same things) have an "opinion", but if I say something about that, it's borderline obsessive and annoying. There's a fair bit of "obsessive" about the complaints too.

I'm not fooled by how a business should be run. I am however, able to recognize start-up issues for what's essentially a new company, with new everything including a new car.

If Lotus has these same issues with the Type 132? Then yeah, there's a problem there. Right now, I'm willing to give them some slack. After they're established and have their first new model produced and are moving onto their second model, if they haven't tightened some of these issues up, then that's a genuine failure that would need to be addressed.

 

[Leonard]

I'm not fooled by how a business should be run. I am however, able to recognize start-up issues for what's essentially a new company, with new everything including a new car

This isn't a frickin sandwich shop taking over a failed shop lease!
Seriously there are zero excuses for a company of this size. I'm actually embarrassed for them as it's not even hard to get right...

 

[Eagle7]

Fairly condescending post here. The thread is about an email to Lotus expressing discontent about our inability to see actual pictures of the car but you bring up Gavin and the tire options...then suggest he's not the one in charge of pictures...lol.

The missive of 'if you don't like it go buy something else' is just lazy. If that were the case we'd all live in huts and accept mediocrity for the rest of our lives. How dare a paying customer request for better communication from a company! The point of the thread is literally to echo the message and hope Lotus recognise the issue...

You act like Lotus is this halo company that can do no wrong. We're here because we like the product, it doesn't mean we need to worship the company and can't be objective about their failings.

Condescending compared to what, yours and others posts towards Lotus? They're not a halo company. Why do you think I went to the trouble of buying a 3D Emira model, so I could do renders of the colors for everyone, because the factory configurator was terrible. That's me calling them out for a pretty big "wrong".

Being objective is seeing it from both sides; theirs and yours. It took them months to rectify the configurator, but they didn't jump on social media and talk about it for months in advance, so we didn't know what they were working on. Maybe that's their style, I don't know, but you can be sure that by now, they're well aware of all the complaints. All someone from China had to do was make a sketch of something they saw at a Type 132 preview, and within hours they were contacted by Lotus and politely asked to take it down, so they're watching.

 

[Leonard]

Maybe that's their style, I don't know, but you can be sure that by now, they're well aware of all the complaints. All someone from China had to do was make a sketch of something they saw at a Type 132 preview, and within hours they were contacted by Lotus and politely asked to take it down, so they're watching.

This isn't how modern companies work. It's so backward that it just supports all of the negativity and comparisons with 'old' Lotus

 

[Tonyshepp]

Condescending compared to what, yours and others posts towards Lotus? They're not a halo company. Why do you think I went to the trouble of buying a 3D Emira model, so I could do renders of the colors for everyone, because the factory configurator was terrible. That's me calling them out for a pretty big "wrong".

Being objective is seeing it from both sides; theirs and yours. It took them months to rectify the configurator, but they didn't jump on social media and talk about it for months in advance, so we didn't know what they were working on. Maybe that's their style, I don't know, but you can be sure that by now, they're well aware of all the complaints. All someone from China had to do was make a sketch of something they saw at a Type 132 preview, and within hours they were contacted by Lotus and politely asked to take it down, so they're watching.

It’s all credit to your renders that have helped us out, But it shouldn’t have had to be you. If I was Lotus I’d be private messaging you with the offer of some free merchandise for helping them out whilst they were trying to mobilise an effective comms plan.

 

[Eagle7]

This isn't a frickin sandwich shop taking over a failed shop lease!
Seriously there are zero excuses for a company of this size. I'm actually embarrassed for them as it's not even hard to get right...

Actually I see it as exactly the opposite. A company of this size would be the ones to let things like this slip through the cracks. There are more cracks for things to slip through in a big company, than there are for a small company like a sandwich shop.

Write or call them. Tell them what they're doing wrong, and what they need to do to fix it.

Here ya go:

Customer Services
(UK)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in UK.
Call +44 (0) 3300 948 047

EMAIL:
customercare@lotuscars.com
09.00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday

Customer Services
(USA & Canada)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in USA & Canada.
Call toll-free on 1-800-24 LOTUS (1-800-245-6887)

EMAIL:
inquiries@lotuscars.com

Customer Services
(Rest of the world)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer feedback regarding service or vehicle problems.

EMAIL:
customerservices@lotuscars.com
08:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday
08:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday

Marketing – Cars​

CONTACT FOR:
Cars marketing enquiries

EMAIL:
marketing@lotuscars.com
8:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday | 8:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday


James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications

jandrew@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7384 830903


Rob Borrett, PR Manager, Content & Launch Programmes

rborrett@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7718 560789


Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager

aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 7802 918662


Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press & Digital Media

sthomas2@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7909 813785


Richard Yarrow, PR Manager, News and Technology

ryarrow@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7471 994525


You can also contact them on Twitter and Instagram.

https://twitter.com/LotusCarsPR

https://www.instagram.com/LotusCarsPR

 

[andrew6382]

I hear you and we can all 'make do' But this is not the customer experience you should have to make do with on a 80k product, from a company that wants to step up to play with the big boys... Even the incredibly wealthy want their egos massaged. If there is no feel good factor at any point of the journey then its not a journey most people will want to take

HearHear...... said so well..... like I have said before its taking the shine off the purchase. Questioning what the ownership is going to be like. I keep saying this, what Tom said, basicaly they know the messed up, and are not will to change..... Pluss and I know some are going to think this is od..... But with all thats kicked off.... I want to see how China deals with it..... They have signed a packed with Russia ?

Oh just seen China now flexing it power Taiwan

 

[Eagle7]

It’s all credit to your renders that have helped us out, But it shouldn’t have had to be you. If I was Lotus I’d be private messaging you with the offer of some free merchandise for helping them out whilst they were trying to mobilise an effective comms plan.

Well I appreciate your comment, but it didn't really bother me to do what I did. I took it as an opportunity to participate in the adventure. Maybe Lotus will or won't contact me privately. It would be nice if they did, but not unexpected if they don't. In today's litigation-happy society, company communications seem to be fewer and very carefully worded when they do communicate.

They really need to improve the communication, and they know it, which was largely why they invited 4 people to the factory for a personal tour and conversation. It was a step in the right direction, but they do need more. I expect they're working on that, perhaps the way they were working on the configurator and we didn't know it, but until we see it, there's a hole in their corporate image.

Right now I'm more concerned about what's going to come off the production line starting in 11 days. I want it to be top-notch. I want the Top Gear and other reviews to be solid. I have an Alfa Romeo and I sincerely hope we don't get the kind of reviews like the Alfa Quadrifoglio did in its early months, where cars died on the track, wouldn't start, had issues, etc. I want the Emira to be tight, solid, balanced and look first class, inside and out.

In the meantime, I hope they've got a plan for communications that's as good as their new configurator.

 

[Leonard]

Actually I see it as exactly the opposite. A company of this size would be the ones to let things like this slip through the cracks. There are more cracks for things to slip through in a big company, than there are for a small company like a sandwich shop.

Write or call them. Tell them what they're doing wrong, and what they need to do to fix it.

Here ya go:

Customer Services​

(UK)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in UK.
Call +44 (0) 3300 948 047

EMAIL:
customercare@lotuscars.com
09.00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday

Customer Services​

(USA & Canada)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in USA & Canada.
Call toll-free on 1-800-24 LOTUS (1-800-245-6887)

EMAIL:
inquiries@lotuscars.com

Customer Services​

(Rest of the world)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer feedback regarding service or vehicle problems.

EMAIL:
customerservices@lotuscars.com
08:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday
08:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday

Marketing – Cars​

CONTACT FOR:
Cars marketing enquiries

EMAIL:
marketing@lotuscars.com
8:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday | 8:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday


James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications

jandrew@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7384 830903


Rob Borrett, PR Manager, Content & Launch Programmes

rborrett@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7718 560789


Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager

aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 7802 918662


Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press & Digital Media

sthomas2@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7909 813785


Richard Yarrow, PR Manager, News and Technology

ryarrow@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7471 994525


You can also contact them on Twitter and Instagram.

https://twitter.com/LotusCarsPR

https://www.instagram.com/LotusCarsPR

I was

Actually I see it as exactly the opposite. A company of this size would be the ones to let things like this slip through the cracks. There are more cracks for things to slip through in a big company, than there are for a small company like a sandwich shop.

Write or call them. Tell them what they're doing wrong, and what they need to do to fix it.

Here ya go:

Customer Services​

(UK)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in UK.
Call +44 (0) 3300 948 047

EMAIL:
customercare@lotuscars.com
09.00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday

Customer Services​

(USA & Canada)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in USA & Canada.
Call toll-free on 1-800-24 LOTUS (1-800-245-6887)

EMAIL:
inquiries@lotuscars.com

Customer Services​

(Rest of the world)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer feedback regarding service or vehicle problems.

EMAIL:
customerservices@lotuscars.com
08:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday
08:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday

Marketing – Cars​

CONTACT FOR:
Cars marketing enquiries

EMAIL:
marketing@lotuscars.com
8:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday | 8:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday


James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications

jandrew@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7384 830903


Rob Borrett, PR Manager, Content & Launch Programmes

rborrett@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7718 560789


Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager

aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 7802 918662


Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press & Digital Media

sthomas2@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7909 813785


Richard Yarrow, PR Manager, News and Technology

ryarrow@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7471 994525


You can also contact them on Twitter and Instagram.

https://twitter.com/LotusCarsPR

https://www.instagram.com/LotusCars

Actually I see it as exactly the opposite. A company of this size would be the ones to let things like this slip through the cracks. There are more cracks for things to slip through in a big company, than there are for a small company like a sandwich shop.

Write or call them. Tell them what they're doing wrong, and what they need to do to fix it.

Here ya go:

Customer Services​

(UK)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in UK.
Call +44 (0) 3300 948 047

EMAIL:
customercare@lotuscars.com
09.00 – 17:00 Monday to Friday

Customer Services​

(USA & Canada)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer Services in USA & Canada.
Call toll-free on 1-800-24 LOTUS (1-800-245-6887)

EMAIL:
inquiries@lotuscars.com

Customer Services​

(Rest of the world)​

CONTACT FOR:
Customer feedback regarding service or vehicle problems.

EMAIL:
customerservices@lotuscars.com
08:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday
08:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday

Marketing – Cars​

CONTACT FOR:
Cars marketing enquiries

EMAIL:
marketing@lotuscars.com
8:15 – 17:15 GMT Monday to Thursday | 8:15 – 12:15 GMT Friday


James Andrew, Executive Director, PR and Communications

jandrew@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7384 830903


Rob Borrett, PR Manager, Content & Launch Programmes

rborrett@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7718 560789


Alastair Florance, Group PR Manager

aflorance@lotuscars.co.uk

+ 44 (0) 7802 918662


Samantha Thomas, PR Officer, Product Press & Digital Media

sthomas2@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7909 813785


Richard Yarrow, PR Manager, News and Technology

ryarrow@lotuscars.com

+44 (0) 7471 994525


You can also contact them on Twitter and Instagram.

https://twitter.com/LotusCarsPR

https://www.instagram.com/LotusCarsPR

I felt so passionately about it that I was applying for the Head of Customer Experience role they advertised. It got pulled after a week though and I'm still waiting to see the impact of the new recruit..

 

[EspritGuy]

Right. AND a communication out to those with deposits, separate of gen pop, that admits it - would go a long way.

Heck, even delay, revamp, and restart.

Best thing they could do is borrow an operational Delorean & Flux Capacitor, and go back in time a bit here.

#ForTheRestart

It seems like the Flux has been operating at capacity.
#what-the-flux

 

[Leonard]

Well I appreciate your comment, but it didn't really bother me to do what I did. I took it as an opportunity to participate in the adventure. Maybe Lotus will or won't contact me privately. It would be nice if they did, not but unexpected if they don't. In today's litigation-happy society, company communications seem to be fewer and very carefully worded when they do communicate.

They really need to improve the communication, and they know it, which was largely why they invited 4 people to the factory for a personal tour and conversation. It was a step in the right direction, but they do need more. I expect they're working on that, perhaps the way they were working on the configurator and we didn't know it, but until we see it, there's a hole in their corporate image.

Right now I'm more concerned about what's going to come off the production line starting in 11 days. I want it to be top-notch.

Well I appreciate your comment, but it didn't really bother me to do what I did. I took it as an opportunity to participate in the adventure. Maybe Lotus will or won't contact me privately. It would be nice if they did, not but unexpected if they don't. In today's litigation-happy society, company communications seem to be fewer and very carefully worded when they do communicate.

They really need to improve the communication, and they know it, which was largely why they invited 4 people to the factory for a personal tour and conversation. It was a step in the right direction, but they do need more. I expect they're working on that, perhaps the way they were working on the configurator and we didn't know it, but until we see it, there's a hole in their corporate image.

Right now I'm more concerned about what's going to come off the production line starting in 11 days. I want it to be top-notch. I want the Top Gear and other reviews to be solid. I have an Alfa Romeo and I sincerely hope we don't get the kind of reviews like the Alfa Quadrifoglio did in its early months, where cars died on the track, wouldn't start, had issues, etc. I want the Emira to be tight, solid, balanced and look first class, inside and out.

In the meantime, I hope they've got a plan for communications that's as good as their new configurator.

Production has nothing to do with Customer Experience or Sales resource.
You say they need to improve communication. You know they went so far as to bring four forum members in for feedback. And nothing has been done off the back of it.