I received the same call. I like everyone over at Kuhn and wish it would have worked out but I also appreciate Ineos making it right.
From my understanding the rerouted vehicles will have no extra fees and are being offered free shipping to our homes.
@moosetown Indeed this would be fair if accurate. Has Ineos provided you this assurance?
As a matter of basic prudence, I asked these specific questions and was told that they could not.
Q: I understand situations change and you are now indicating that my vehicle will be delivered by Dealer B instead of Dealer A. Dealer A had provided written assurance that they would honor MSRP. Will Dealer B also honor MSRP? Will there be any other out of pocket differences between Dealer A and Dealer B e.g. documentation fees etc. (which can vary wildly and are 100% margin)?
A: Expect Dealer B to honor MSRP. Don’t know about other potential fee differences.
Q: Understood, if I wish to choose a different dealer i.e. Dealer C or Dealer D because: a) they are geographical closer to me by ~100miles or, b) because they can provide me the assurances that there will be no “out of pocket” differences, is that possible?
A: Yes, you may choose a different dealer than Dealer B, however, if you do so,
you are now responsible for the cost of delivery and/or pickup of the vehicle AND in doing so, this may further extend the delivery window.
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The apologists and fanboys can jump in that “
no one was assured MSRP” or just be glad “
other order holders have dealers farther than 400 miles” Indeed, this is entirely accurate, but only demonstrates a clear lack of understanding of basic business acumen or good faith business practices.
As
@PilotMike noted, to which I concurred with in my note, this
is an unforced comms the business practice error.
Having worked in real start-up environments (not the captive arm of a $60B Rev global conglomerate), indeed truly unexpected changes or external factors beyond one’s control can come up.
That appears NOT to be the case here. There appears to have been know (substantial) risks which could have been controlled through basic mitigation planning with commiserate customer outreach.
Instead, order holders were guided with unrealistic expectations followed by a corporate take it or leave “fix”.
For those keeping score. Order holders were provided
UNSOLICITATED guidance to expect deliver in early December i.e. vehicles had cleared QC at the port, and those with hitch retrofits had been completed. The only remaining step was transport from port to dealer.
After several weeks, the next communication provided was that the vehicle is going to being re-routed to a different dealer, (in my case not even the closest dealer). As a result, this may or may not cost me more. Ineos won’t provide assurance that it won’t. And, if I would like to take delivery from a different dealer because a) is it physically closer to me or b) it may be more competitive, than I am on the hook for the
NEWLY INTRODUCED transportation costs.