Mr Grumpy Pants

[mr_joshua]

@Leonard - some serious props to you.. I've been reading through all the recent video review comments and I'm just floored by all the entitled, whiny, naysaying bullshit. There are a select few on this forum who are nothing more than holier-than-thou, commenting-from-their-moms-basement, backseat-driver, wannabe-fanboys-who-can't-actually-afford-this-car trolls who are really starting to annoy me. Their posture and retorts are unhelpful, unwarranted and clearly uninformed.

You are wise to recognize and distance yourself from these fools.

 

[mr_joshua]

@Leonard - also.. your post title was hilarious. Mr. Grumpy Pants.. I chuckled at that when I saw it..

 

[DJW]

Fully get where you are coming from. I have been customer facing for last 20 years and have found the lotus buying process woeful. Im actually debating just cancelling my june delivery V6 FE as not enjoying the experience.

Anyway, as per your suggestion I had also decided if I didn’t have anything positive to say I would keep quiet and thus little input on the forum for the last few months. #grumpypants2

Anyway back to the positive nature of thread and look forward to seeing these cars on the road.

 

[Leonard]

@Leonard - also.. your post title was hilarious. Mr. Grumpy Pants.. I chuckled at that when I saw it..

Cheers appreciated lol. Hopefully catch up at an event some time

 

[Leonard]

Fully get where you are coming from. I have been customer facing for last 20 years and have found the lotus buying process woeful. Im actually debating just cancelling my june delivery FE.

Anyway, as per your suggestion I had also decided if I didn’t have anything positive to say I would keep quiet and thus little input on the forum for the last few months.

Anyway back to work the positive nature of thread

Don't cancel Worth a reset to be sure. To quote another adage "don't cut off your nose to spite your face" lol. It will be worth it both from a driving and also if ur being mercenary a financial perspective

 

[Johnson]

Haven't we all been in customer service at some point in our careers (work is, after all, serving some sort of customer)? We're all disappointed we haven't had more info on our purchases, and I'm still thoroughly confused as to why the swatches are variable across countries (i.e. Magma).

It's all just a matter of time. In a year we'll have forgotten all about these gripes.

 

[TomE]

A candid and mature post @Leonard. Understand where you're coming from. We all have good and bad days and react differently to what's going on. Our online comments are made in the moment and so reflect how we are at that point in time, but unlike real world conversations they sit there for numerous others to read and judge as by.

Most people are well aware of my frustrations about comms and customer service. I see so much missed opportunity for what could have been an engaging and very Lotus-like approach to the last 8 months since the reveal, without huge extra effort.

I have good and bad days too about the Emira. I continue to be positive about the car itself and have always been confident it will be brilliant to drive. But for me that was a given, the bit Lotus have always been superb at. Some reviewers seem to be relieved in saying "phew, it still drives like a Lotus" - of course it does, the project team had way more investment and support from Geely than they've ever had before.

It's all the other stuff that is disheartening. We had a great day at the factory back in Jan, but see almost no change on comms or customer experience as a result of our feedback discussions. I have had several further chats since then, including exchanges of messages over the weekend about concerns being expressed on various social media about customer experience. I really hope it is being understood, and I will be reassured by seeing one simple action being taken as a start - for example there is one specific comms gap that has now been raised three times, acknowledged and not yet tackled.

The reviews have been mixed from my perspective, but that's me. As I've posted elsewhere, I think an opportunity was missed by not using a more finished car or bringing forward one production build. The driving reviews have been great - but I always believed that would be the case. I've also been closely following the car and project for over a year, so there is very little new info from my perspective, plus some errors and new ambiguities introduced. I'm clearly not the target audience for these reviews and for other people they will have been much more useful. So I'm trying to recognise my own reaction and not to be too negative about it privately and online, hence one reason why I'm not heavily commenting in the review threads.

The other factor is that Tuesday (still technically "today" for me at 3am) has been a "down" day. All day we've been supporting our clients taking special actions to keep lights on and wheels turning (my clients are in energy, oil and gas). At the start of the day I heard that someone I knew from my last job had been killed over the weekend with her two children while trying to evacuate from Kyiv. It's so sad and senseless. And brings into perspective being annoyed about the lack of details about the seats of a £80k sportscar.

These cars will be brilliant and fun. We'll enjoy driving them, sharing our experiences and meeting each other. We are very lucky to have that opportunity.

 

[NicolasB]

A candid and mature post @Leonard. Understand where you're coming from. We all have good and bad days and react differently to what's going on. Our online comments are made in the moment and so reflect how we are at that point in time, but unlike real world conversations they sit there for numerous others to read and judge as by.

Most people are well aware of my frustrations about comms and customer service. I see so much missed opportunity for what could have been an engaging and very Lotus-like approach to the last 8 months since the reveal, without huge extra effort.

I have good and bad days too about the Emira. I continue to be positive about the car itself and have always been confident it will be brilliant to drive. But for me that was a given, the bit Lotus have always been superb at. Some reviewers seem to be relieved in saying "phew, it still drives like a Lotus" - of course it does, the project team had way more investment and support from Geely than they've ever had before.

It's all the other stuff that is disheartening. We had a great day at the factory back in Jan, but see almost no change on comms or customer experience as a result of our feedback discussions. I have had several further chats since then, including exchanges of messages over the weekend about concerns being expressed on various social media about customer experience. I really hope it is being understood, and I will be reassured by seeing one simple action being taken as a start - for example there is one specific comms gap that has now been raised three times, acknowledged and not yet tackled.

The reviews have been mixed from my perspective, but that's me. As I've posted elsewhere, I think an opportunity was missed by not using a more finished car or bringing forward one production build. The driving reviews have been great - but I always believed that would be the case. I've also been closely following the car and project for over a year, so there is very little new info from my perspective, plus some errors and new ambiguities introduced. I'm clearly not the target audience for these reviews and for other people they will have been much more useful. So I'm trying to recognise my own reaction and not to be too negative about it privately and online, hence one reason why I'm not heavily commenting in the review threads.

The other factor is that Tuesday (still technically "today" for me at 3am) has been a "down" day. All day we've been supporting our clients taking special actions to keep lights on and wheels turning (my clients are in energy, oil and gas). At the start of the day I heard that someone I knew from my last job had been killed over the weekend with her two children while trying to evacuate from Kyiv. It's so sad and senseless. And brings into perspective being annoyed about the lack of details about the seats of a £80k sportscar.

These cars will be brilliant and fun. We'll enjoy driving them, sharing our experiences and meeting each other. We are very lucky to have that opportunity.

Thank you for the perspective, sorry to hear about your friend and the troubles you are dealing with.

 

[Eagle7]

Of all the things the human race can do and does, war has to be one of the most senseless, and it's so destructive on a massive scale. In a matter of moments it can destroy centuries worth of construction and progress. And for what? For the egos of a handful of so-called leaders? When you look back at history, it's astonishing how much damage so few can cause to so many.

So sorry about the loss of your work associate Tom.

 

[Maverick1]

Leonard, I understand where you're coming from on some of the shortcomings, but mate let's get real.
Why be so grumpy when you are fortunate enough to own one of the most awesome, entertaining little hot hatchbacks out there....a Toyota GR Yaris.
I have a little tip for you, whenever you start feeling grumpy about the Emira, simply hop into your GR and go for a spirited drive.
Guaranteed to put a large grin on your face.

 

[kratedisease]

Just wanted to take a moment to apologise to my fellow forum members. I've recently realised that I've become a TOTAL whiny barsteward on here and thats really not me.

I did genuinely start this Emira buying journey as a happy exciteable bunny who could not wait to see what was instore over the next 12 months. As a Customer Service professional my positivity levels are generally set pretty high, but over the past 8 months my enthusiasm has waned to the point where I'm not really bringing anything positive to the forum party.

The trouble with being a CS professional is you spend your whole day proactively trying to give everyone else a positive experience and in you private time you hope that may be reciprocated in some small way. In most cases you can shrug off a poor purchase/after sales experience, but with the Emira being such an emotive purchase I've definitely gone down the proverbial emotional rabbit hole and come out the other side a more bitter human being.

Even though I know this forum is a place for general discussion both good and bad. I dont want to add negativity to the forum and in some small way possibly detract from other members having a more positive and exciting experience. So from now on I will be keeping to the mantra of "if you havent got anything nice to say, then say nothing at all"

Not looking for attention here and I'm not drunk or unstable (no more than normal anyway).

Genuinely just wanted to say that I am not the negative person that my recent postings/ramblings may have made me out to be, I hope this Emira malarky all pans out for the best and I look forward to hopefully meeting some of you in person at events in the future.

Cheers

View attachment 3623

I cried as I read this..............., OK .......NOT !!

Hallmark card ?

 

[Leonard]

Leonard, I understand where you're coming from on some of the shortcomings, but mate let's get real.
Why be so grumpy when you are fortunate enough to own one of the most awesome, entertaining little hot hatchbacks out there....a Toyota GR Yaris.
I have a little tip for you, whenever you start feeling grumpy about the Emira, simply hop into your GR and go for a spirited drive.
Guaranteed to put a large grin on your face.

Why do you think I got it #forthejourneyhome

 

[Leonard]

I cried as I read this..............., OK .......NOT !!

Hallmark card ?

I will send you my address

 

[roundincircles]

I understand exactly how you feel. Before I retired, I was a Customer Service Manager and I share your disappointment in the overall Customer Service experience.
I went to the Manchester Airport Emira reveal and asked one of the Lotus senior execs why they were cutting out the dealers and handling everything themselves. He explained that this was the 'modern way'. I said that in the past, a big part of the enjoyment of getting a new car was the relationship with the dealer and the whole visiting the showroom experience and haggling about the price, trying to get extras thrown in, or the dealer phoning you with some snippets of new information.
I left the roadshow feeling like an old man that was out of touch with the 'modern way' a dinosaur slowing turning into a fossil (I am 58 by the way). I realised that the purchasing experience was going to be truly awful and had to decide did I want a very good looking car that was wonderfully engineered that I would have great pleasure in owning or just put up with the very poor experience prior to ownership.
I was put in my place by the Lotus Exec there is no doubt and I was very tempted to remind him I had £80K in my pocket ready to give to his company, but I felt that this would be pointless as he wasn't listening to me really, the 'modern way' was either drummed into him or he really believed it.
I remember my father complaing that nothing was the same as it used to be, but I suppose many of us turn in to our fathers/parents! Some would say that this is called progress.
So far Lotus have met all my expectations in the buying journey and have easily achieved my expectation of awful.

Love it......join the club.

My kids make it clear I'm 'not current' in business experience and that my 40 odd years in global enterprise is irrelevant. Well show me a business that can survive without customers....Dad, shut the F.....k up....

 

[Leonard]

A candid and mature post @Leonard. Understand where you're coming from. We all have good and bad days and react differently to what's going on. Our online comments are made in the moment and so reflect how we are at that point in time, but unlike real world conversations they sit there for numerous others to read and judge as by.

Most people are well aware of my frustrations about comms and customer service. I see so much missed opportunity for what could have been an engaging and very Lotus-like approach to the last 8 months since the reveal, without huge extra effort.

I have good and bad days too about the Emira. I continue to be positive about the car itself and have always been confident it will be brilliant to drive. But for me that was a given, the bit Lotus have always been superb at. Some reviewers seem to be relieved in saying "phew, it still drives like a Lotus" - of course it does, the project team had way more investment and support from Geely than they've ever had before.

It's all the other stuff that is disheartening. We had a great day at the factory back in Jan, but see almost no change on comms or customer experience as a result of our feedback discussions. I have had several further chats since then, including exchanges of messages over the weekend about concerns being expressed on various social media about customer experience. I really hope it is being understood, and I will be reassured by seeing one simple action being taken as a start - for example there is one specific comms gap that has now been raised three times, acknowledged and not yet tackled.

The reviews have been mixed from my perspective, but that's me. As I've posted elsewhere, I think an opportunity was missed by not using a more finished car or bringing forward one production build. The driving reviews have been great - but I always believed that would be the case. I've also been closely following the car and project for over a year, so there is very little new info from my perspective, plus some errors and new ambiguities introduced. I'm clearly not the target audience for these reviews and for other people they will have been much more useful. So I'm trying to recognise my own reaction and not to be too negative about it privately and online, hence one reason why I'm not heavily commenting in the review threads.

The other factor is that Tuesday (still technically "today" for me at 3am) has been a "down" day. All day we've been supporting our clients taking special actions to keep lights on and wheels turning (my clients are in energy, oil and gas). At the start of the day I heard that someone I knew from my last job had been killed over the weekend with her two children while trying to evacuate from Kyiv. It's so sad and senseless. And brings into perspective being annoyed about the lack of details about the seats of a £80k sportscar.

These cars will be brilliant and fun. We'll enjoy driving them, sharing our experiences and meeting each other. We are very lucky to have that opportunity.

Cheers. I think we share most of the same concerns Tom and as you say the MAJOR frustrations come from Lotus knowing how frustrated we are and still not rectifying the easily solved 5% that is causing 90% of issues for most customers.

Your positive posts to this community, combined with your more balanced assessment of the issues is far more enlightening that my recent negativity though, so chapeau to you good sir.

Very sorry to hear about your friend. That kind of news grounds you pretty quickly doesnt it. I lost a friend to Covid before Xmas whom I had only recently just caught back up with. He was a huge car nut and life and soul of the party. He will be sorely missed and because of his legacy I am determined to get this car and use it as he would have used it. Life is for living and it is also way too short to spend it being negative.

Hopefully we will get to catch up at Chatsworth, sun shining, cars shining and everything in perspective

 

[andrew6382]

A candid and mature post @Leonard. Understand where you're coming from. We all have good and bad days and react differently to what's going on. Our online comments are made in the moment and so reflect how we are at that point in time, but unlike real world conversations they sit there for numerous others to read and judge as by.

Most people are well aware of my frustrations about comms and customer service. I see so much missed opportunity for what could have been an engaging and very Lotus-like approach to the last 8 months since the reveal, without huge extra effort.

I have good and bad days too about the Emira. I continue to be positive about the car itself and have always been confident it will be brilliant to drive. But for me that was a given, the bit Lotus have always been superb at. Some reviewers seem to be relieved in saying "phew, it still drives like a Lotus" - of course it does, the project team had way more investment and support from Geely than they've ever had before.

It's all the other stuff that is disheartening. We had a great day at the factory back in Jan, but see almost no change on comms or customer experience as a result of our feedback discussions. I have had several further chats since then, including exchanges of messages over the weekend about concerns being expressed on various social media about customer experience. I really hope it is being understood, and I will be reassured by seeing one simple action being taken as a start - for example there is one specific comms gap that has now been raised three times, acknowledged and not yet tackled.

The reviews have been mixed from my perspective, but that's me. As I've posted elsewhere, I think an opportunity was missed by not using a more finished car or bringing forward one production build. The driving reviews have been great - but I always believed that would be the case. I've also been closely following the car and project for over a year, so there is very little new info from my perspective, plus some errors and new ambiguities introduced. I'm clearly not the target audience for these reviews and for other people they will have been much more useful. So I'm trying to recognise my own reaction and not to be too negative about it privately and online, hence one reason why I'm not heavily commenting in the review threads.

The other factor is that Tuesday (still technically "today" for me at 3am) has been a "down" day. All day we've been supporting our clients taking special actions to keep lights on and wheels turning (my clients are in energy, oil and gas). At the start of the day I heard that someone I knew from my last job had been killed over the weekend with her two children while trying to evacuate from Kyiv. It's so sad and senseless. And brings into perspective being annoyed about the lack of details about the seats of a £80k sportscar.

These cars will be brilliant and fun. We'll enjoy driving them, sharing our experiences and meeting each other. We are very lucky to have that opportunity.

Am sorry to here about your friends, yes it brings every thing into perspective

Thank you for every thing you said, I too have been thinking about the reviews, yep..... using a VP car but understand why they still went ahead,

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Sorry for your friends loss, @TomE and @Leonard .

Now, I just heard (not true) that the Infotainment system combined with the KEF speakers, has facial recognition, and every time we look sad it will remind us that we are in a very special #ForTheDrivers car and warn us to change our mood inmediately so we can enjoy every second of our lucky lives.

#ForTheMoods

 

[Leonard]

and every time we look sad it will remind us that we are in a very special #ForTheDrivers car and warn us to change our mood inmediately so we can enjoy every second of our lucky lives.

#ForTheMoods

If I don't get a full blown erection every time I drive this car then I will be disappointed

 

[eclat2emira]

If I don't get a full blown erection every time I drive this car then I will be disappointed

You want your erection "full blown"???!!!! Goodness you really are hard to please!!!

 

[Leonard]

You want your erection "full blown"???!!!! Goodness you really are hard to please!!!

I'm hoping it will get blown more regularly driving around in this masterpiece