Letter to BMWNA

[lfcorrea]

To: Allocation distribution (F80) personnel

I have placed an order through my local dealer (XXXXXXXX) for a custom M3 that I have always wanted... My wife and I are on our 4th BMW now, the M3 will be our 5th.
The order was placed within the first week of July, now, over a month later, I still have yet to have an allocation for my car.

It would have been great to pick up the car on the last week of September for an ED, as my wife and I will be Munich for the week, but yet I don't have an allocation.

Online I see several dealers with 3+ allocations given in the last week, yet my dealer is waiting for one to be provided for me. I rather work with my CA any day and would REALLY hate to deal with someone in XX, XX, XX etc just to expedite things.

Wouldn't it make sense to give my dealer the allocation, since I have already put a down payment, instead of giving extras to a bigger dealer (which are not sold)??

More importantly, and the real part of my frustration, wouldn't it be nice to able to treat a loyal customer right? That way you make my dream come true; to pick up an M3 in Germany and drive it like it was meant to be driven!

Anyways, I know I am venting and the person receiving this email will not be able to help me with my dream... but it would be REALLY nice if it did fall in the right hands.

One attempt so far landed on the phone with customer relations. He proceeded to call my dealer to see what the status was.... I think I can do that myself!

Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

[BavarianDevil]

September may be a little to aggressive for a ED. Good luck. Let us know if they respond.

[BEMR]

Sounds like your dealing with the wrong dealer, sorry but true.

[mephiska]

It's not BMW NA you should be pushing. It's the dealer. They can do trades with other dealers, they can call corporate to try and be your advocate and get you a car.

But the sad truth is how hard the dealer will work for you and fight to get your allocation depends on how much you're paying. The closer to invoice you are, the less incentive they have to trade other profitable allocations to fill your order quicker.

[Bmwguy11]

Originally Posted by mephiska

It's not BMW NA you should be pushing. It's the dealer. They can do trades with other dealers, they can call corporate to try and be your advocate and get you a car.

But the sad truth is how hard the dealer will work for you and fight to get your allocation depends on how much you're paying. The closer to invoice you are, the less incentive they have to trade other profitable allocations to fill your order quicker.

Yea I agree with this. There are allocations out there, your dealer is the one you need to be raging at.

[RobbyMack]

Originally Posted by mephiska

It's not BMW NA you should be pushing. It's the dealer. They can do trades with other dealers, they can call corporate to try and be your advocate and get you a car.

But the sad truth is how hard the dealer will work for you and fight to get your allocation depends on how much you're paying. The closer to invoice you are, the less incentive they have to trade other profitable allocations to fill your order quicker.

^ this. Good luck with the search OP. Stay strong and don't accept mediocrity from your current dealer.

[Donger Kim]

As others have said, this is an issue with your dealership. Why not touch base with other dealerships to see what they can offer you? I do not think end of September is out of the question for what it's worth. most of my waiting was waiting for the first MY16 of allocations in July. During that period, stores in he NW as far as I know didn't have any M3 allocations. My dealership had to trade for it

[Clark_Kent]

I know you probably don't want to hear this but this is not a loyalty game. If you want an allocated vehicle with such high demand and on your terms (price, availability, etc.), you have to strike out on your own and find one of the 363 dealers in the BMWNA network that can accommodate your requests. It sounds like you already know this so I'm not sure why this thread was even started. I wish it weren't this way but that's just how this works.

[lfcorrea]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I know you probably don't want to hear this but this is not a loyalty game. If you want an allocated vehicle with such high demand and on your terms (price, availability, etc.), you have to strike out on your own and find one of the 363 dealers in the BMWNA network that can accommodate your requests. It sounds like you already know this so I'm not sure why this thread was even started. I wish it weren't this way but that's just how this works.

I agree with you and the other posts on here. I understand how the game needs to be played and I found allocations elsewhere, to include 90 minutes away from home.
Indeed I would have to play close to or equal to MSRP there, maybe cheaper in far away states...
My point is that there is a perfectly fine BMW dealer in town, that in theory, should be able to help me! Just frustrated at the system. I really like the dealer, and am hoping for a miracle I guess.

[Clark_Kent]

That's fair enough and I completely understand. This is probably the only place you can vent where people actually care/understand the feeling. It's probably fair to say that many here have been jerked around by a dealer around this scarcity of allocations for the 2016. Good luck and I hope everything works out.

[Bmwguy11]

Originally Posted by lfcorrea

I agree with you and the other posts on here. I understand how the game needs to be played and I found allocations elsewhere, to include 90 minutes away from home.
Indeed I would have to play close to or equal to MSRP there, maybe cheaper in far away states...
My point is that there is a perfectly fine BMW dealer in town, that in theory, should be able to help me! Just frustrated at the system. I really like the dealer, and am hoping for a miracle I guess.

"the system" you are referring to is your dealership. realize that someone can walk in after you, pay MSRP, and the dealership can give that person their next allocation. If you put money down or make an order and you have no allocation/production number that day, then the dealer can "hold" onto your order when allocations come in, and instead give them to orders that make them more $$$. Not saying that's what your dealership did, but the point is, if your dealership wanted to get you an allocation, they would have by now.

[jttBimmer]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

I know you probably don't want to hear this but this is not a loyalty game. If you want an allocated vehicle with such high demand and on your terms (price, availability, etc.), you have to strike out on your own and find one of the 363 dealers in the BMWNA network that can accommodate your requests. It sounds like you already know this so I'm not sure why this thread was even started. I wish it weren't this way but that's just how this works.

+1

So true. I tried momentarily to be loyal. If I had i'd probably be just about getting an order in instead of picking up my car in 2 weeks. I learned real quick the CA I thought I was cool with had no real loyalty to me.

Shop around. It is all a numbers game.

[Ghetto2315]

Originally Posted by lfcorrea

I agree with you and the other posts on here. I understand how the game needs to be played and I found allocations elsewhere, to include 90 minutes away from home.
Indeed I would have to play close to or equal to MSRP there, maybe cheaper in far away states...
My point is that there is a perfectly fine BMW dealer in town, that in theory, should be able to help me! Just frustrated at the system. I really like the dealer, and am hoping for a miracle I guess.

My very first MY16 M3 ED order was taken in early May. I knew that BMW USA would be handing out allocations to us dealers at some point in June. I waited patiently for BMW USA to fill my clients allocation. I checked every day. Finally, June rolled around and still nothing yet when I did a search, yet there were other dealers in my region that got allocations but we're not sold. I told my client to be patient all while he was getting more and more frustrated because he was eager to reserve his ED date. July rolled around and still the same story. Not only did more dealers get more allocations that weren't sold, but my sold client STILL did not get filled. I was furious and sick to my stomach that I couldn't yet give my client the green light. It's actually mind boggling that BMW does not immediately fill sold orders first before they hand out spare allocations to dealers that aren't sold yet.

Let me be clear. I tried to swap with other dealers for their allocation. Promising I would give them an allocation back once I receive one. No dealer would give them up. So please stop with the nonsense that the OP should be hounding the dealer. The dealer is at the mercy of BMW USA and the allocations they hand out. I then contacted my regional manager and he contacted corporate to some how get me an allocation for my client. After a week, my regional manager got me an allocation.

OP, I would send that letter to BMW USA and I would also have your dealer contact their respective regional manager to see what they can do. Trust me. Your CA feels awful that he/she cannot fulfill your ED order right now and it's not their fault. Heck, I feel bad for you and you're not even my client! I have an allocation now for an M3 and I can guarantee that my boss wouldn't give it up, regardless if we were getting one back sooner or later. If it were up to me, I would give it to your store so your CA could fill your order.

Apologies for any brevity as I typed this on my phone.

[lfcorrea]

Thank you! That was a genuine reply and it was very appreciated! This is the first dealer in the last 15+ years that I actually care about, and am truly hoping they can pull it together in the end.

I sent the letter in through the website, but who knows where it will end up. It would be nice to see it fall on the hands of someone that cared...

Originally Posted by Ghetto2315

My very first MY16 M3 ED order was taken in early May. I knew that BMW USA would be handing out allocations to us dealers at some point in June. I waited patiently for BMW USA to fill my clients allocation. I checked every day. Finally, June rolled around and still nothing yet when I did a search, yet there were other dealers in my region that got allocations but we're not sold. I told my client to be patient all while he was getting more and more frustrated because he was eager to reserve his ED date. July rolled around and still the same story. Not only did more dealers get more allocations that weren't sold, but my sold client STILL did not get filled. I was furious and sick to my stomach that I couldn't yet give my client the green light. It's actually mind boggling that BMW does not immediately fill sold orders first before they hand out spare allocations to dealers that aren't sold yet.

Let me be clear. I tried to swap with other dealers for their allocation. Promising I would give them an allocation back once I receive one. No dealer would give them up. So please stop with the nonsense that the OP should be hounding the dealer. The dealer is at the mercy of BMW USA and the allocations they hand out. I then contacted my regional manager and he contacted corporate to some how get me an allocation for my client. After a week, my regional manager got me an allocation.

OP, I would send that letter to BMW USA and I would also have your dealer contact their respective regional manager to see what they can do. Trust me. Your CA feels awful that he/she cannot fulfill your ED order right now and it's not their fault. Heck, I feel bad for you and you're not even my client! I have an allocation now for an M3 and I can guarantee that my boss wouldn't give it up, regardless if we were getting one back sooner or later. If it were up to me, I would give it to your store so your CA could fill your order.

Apologies for any brevity as I typed this on my phone.

[evanevery]

If you place your order with a dealer who doesn't already have an allocation you are taking your chances.

In fact, an unscrupulous dealer might even get an allocation AFTER you place your order and then use that standing allocation to hook another buyer (leaving you to continue to wait).

Did your dealer promise you some "outside" delivery date? Was he/she willing to put you in a free loaner car off their lot if your vehicle is not delivered according to their estimated timeline?

What does your dealer have to lose if they don't deliver a vehicle to you on a reasonable timeline? What is your leverage?

[mephiska]

Originally Posted by lfcorrea

Thank you! That was a genuine reply and it was very appreciated! This is the first dealer in the last 15+ years that I actually care about, and am truly hoping they can pull it together in the end.

I sent the letter in through the website, but who knows where it will end up. It would be nice to see it fall on the hands of someone that cared...

The thing is this guy you're responding to is a dealer who worked hard for his client and did exactly what I said - made phone calls, tried to make trades and eventually reached out to corporate to get his client a car. And it's exactly what my CA did for me, and what your CA should have been doing for you, but apparently hasn't. I placed my order with my CA the last week of June and had a production number three weeks after that.

What price are you getting through your dealer? I wonder why they aren't trying harder to get you a car.

[Ghetto2315]

Originally Posted by lfcorrea

Thank you! That was a genuine reply and it was very appreciated! This is the first dealer in the last 15+ years that I actually care about, and am truly hoping they can pull it together in the end.

I sent the letter in through the website, but who knows where it will end up. It would be nice to see it fall on the hands of someone that cared...

The letter will get received by a customer service rep at BMW NA. They will in turn get in touch with your dealer. Perhaps this be the step before they make a call to the regional manager for help in filling your order.

[igom3]

Originally Posted by mephiska

It's not BMW NA you should be pushing. It's the dealer. They can do trades with other dealers, they can call corporate to try and be your advocate and get you a car.

But the sad truth is how hard the dealer will work for you and fight to get your allocation depends on how much you're paying. The closer to invoice you are, the less incentive they have to trade other profitable allocations to fill your order quicker.

+1

[Macheins]

Originally Posted by lfcorrea

I sent the letter in through the website, but who knows where it will end up. It would be nice to see it fall on the hands of someone that cared...

I also wrote a letter to BMWNA as a result of my experiences in trying to order a M3. I did receive a letter and phone call in response.

I should preface this buy saying that there were not a ton of allocations out there when I started my search. A lot of replies say push your CA/dealership... back then, nobody could get anything. Like the other CA in this thread suggests, it's not always that easy. When there are plenty of allocations, sure... maybe it is... but that doesn't define every scenario.

The response I received was largely scripted. By this I mean, they have some very canned language that makes it seem like your letter is being taken very seriously and sent to someone who will definitely take action on it for the betterment of BMW customer interactions in the future. I say they make it seem that way because there is obviously no way to confirm that happens. I have worked at some companies where our sales teams have damage control groups that execute this exact play. They don't have any real power to do anything for you, but they want you to feel heard and will tell you that your letter/complaint/suggestion has been sent to someone that will definitely execute on it. In reality, there is no way to know if your letter is just tossed into File 13 or if anyone will actually take the verbatim and do take any action as a result. Still... they will likely give you a response.

All that said, I am still in process of trying to buy a M3 myself. I have a lot of previous posts and discussions via PM in regards to trying to just secure an allocation and meet a particular delivery timeline. I've been trying to give my money to someone to purchase this car since early April. Whether I get the car or not, I am personally walking away from this experience a bit jaded at the entire dealership and allocation process as a whole in regards to trying to order a newly built vehicle. I know this is not necessarily a BMW specific thing, but the allocation restrictions and layered games the CA/dealerships play on top of it make for a seriously frustrating experience.

I do believe that frustration is definitely something worth directing at BMWNA. They support this model and build upon it... and in regards to the allocation distribution, that is entirely on them. The BS you get from a particular CA is largely driven by the model as a whole. CAs and dealerships simply want to make money. It just gets worse when too many of them, in an effort to secure your business and not let you go elsewhere, try to use your ignorance of the process and ambiguous language to string you along while they try to actually obtain an allocation to submit your order.

The thing I dislike most is that as a customer you have to become an expert on this process and seek out allocations at other locations just because of the model. I am VERY thankful for this website or I would have likely bailed out on this purchase long ago. I spoke with over 30 dealerships in my quest to find an allocation. Ultimately, when I did finally get one, it was given to someone else without anything I could do about it. I nearly gave up at that point because it is hard to want to mentally jump through so many hoops to give someone your money.

My personal situation may work out in the end. Khoi at Long Beach BMW has been fantastic to work with and candid/up front through everything. I just find it a bit ridiculous that it required going through so many channels and requesting help from folks here (who have been fantastic and encouraging throughout everything!) all to finally find a dealership 2,400 miles away that received more allocations than my entire region.

Some of you may find this process of seeking out a dealer and playing their games within this model an entirely normal process. For the rest of us, it is entirely unnecessary and frustrating. At this point, even though the cars are not even direct competitors, if something does not work out with my current order... I'm likely to buy a Tesla P90. Talk about a much easier buying process.

Hopefully that doesn't come off too entitled or whiny... it's hard not to get emotionally back into that state of mind when recalling everything. At this point, I'm entirely happy to walk away from everything if it doesn't work out... it's just a car... I just hate this buying process.

TL;DR: Wrote a letter as well. Got a simple response. BMW offered/did nothing directly (wasn't expecting anything). Still trying to buy this car.

[RobbyMack]

The frustration in this thread is given when you aren't expecting this process. Ever try to buy a highly sought after anything? It's pretty much the same and you also have to deal with yahoos with a lot more cash than you willing to overpay for your slot. In a way it's no different than buying a home in the current market in the SF Bay Area. Level setting expectations are things truly great salespeople do. I think the folks mentioned in this forum (Avila, aviles, Poland, Khoi, Etc.) all do a fine job of that and you don't see their customers with the same level of frustration. Who you work with matters. Personally I'm dealing with one of the gentlemen above not because I'm getting the best deal, but because I know what to expect and trust them not to lead me astray. I knew I wasn't first in line for a July m3 allocation with my guy and he told me upfront not to expect anything until likely sept or oct considering how tight allocations were. however we both figured their might be a few in front of me who bail if lease terms are unfavorable. Lucky for me those things came true and my guy had an allocation to give. Good luck with your search OP, all I can tell you is to keep the faith and go on an email binge to any and all dealers out there looking for an allocation.

[bradleym]

it is kind of a crazy system, but as others have pointed out, there will always be something like this in place for sought after items.

i got one of the first f80 allocations for my16. i don't know what _really_ happened, there is no verification, but i suspect that my success was in part due to the following:

when i 'did' my deal i was clear i would not pay above msrp, but content to pay msrp.

some others on the board think i'm crazy -- that i could have saved 2-4k -- but getting the allocation & car was more important to me.

the boat my car is on passed between puerto rico and dominican republic this morning, due into CA on the 28th.

i am empathetic to your situation, and sincerely hope you get an allocation soon -- just waiting for my car to build and ship has been excruciating enough! -- but i'm pretty sure that most dealers will respond well to $$. they're in sales after all.

[mephiska]

Originally Posted by Macheins

I'm likely to buy a Tesla P90. Talk about a much easier buying process.

Prices on Tesla are not negotiable, you pay their MSRP. If you walked into a BMW dealer and just paid MSRP on an M3 you'd probably walk out with a production number or get one in a few days.

edit: Thank you bradleym for proving my point exactly!