A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Originally Posted by bmw1
Trust me, a little chat is more than what he got and this will NOT happen again. Like I stated earlier, I am ALWAYS available if you need anything. That being said, if I'm to lose a deal to another dealer, I'd hope it'd be from Newport as they are one delaer I consider friends. Thanks.
Abraham Reyes
Lotus of South Bay
(310)939-1851
Thank's for the nice words, ditto on the friendship.
Cheer's Don.
A:
OK.. here is my 2 cents. I'm on the east coast so I can only comment on what I've read here. When I was buying an NSX, I visited a dealership looking at a used one. They didn't treat me well and I could not buy the car. The next day I bought a new one for cash in a deal I made over the phone. 5 years later I made the deal over the phone for the Elise I have now.
Bottom line here is. If you are really serious about an Elise, then give Abe a second chance. Just reading these posts, I feel he's worth it. In business, not everything goes right, but that's not the most importaint thing. The most importing thing is how you fix the problems.. how you make it right. Abe is doing just that... and that should not be ignored. If you are just a tire kicker.. then move on. If you are really serious... even if you may not buy one... you should go see Abe. He has earned the right to serve you.
That's my opinion from a far. The only other thing I can say is... Know what you are getting into. The Lotus is not a "car" . It's an experience. It's an amusement park ride.. over and over. It may or may not be for you. experience it and decide.
YMMV
MikeC
A:
Crow331,
I live in the Bay Area. If you're near come over, drive my car around , then go to South Bay and buy one from Abe. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation for Abe. He's a great guy. He's done many extra favors. He became a friend.
I bought 2 '05s from him. We flew down; he picked up me and my brother and we drove up Mullholland Drive and Hwy 1 for 2 drives of a lifetime. Hope you can look past your unfortunate experience.
Originally Posted by bmw1
Trust me, a little chat is more than what he got and this will NOT happen again. Like I stated earlier, I am ALWAYS available if you need anything. That being said, if I'm to lose a deal to another dealer, I'd hope it'd be from Newport as they are one delaer I consider friends. Thanks.
Abraham Reyes
Lotus of South Bay
(310)939-1851
A:
Originally Posted by joe13531
Believe me, there are plenty of people who are slobs and eccentric (not saying you are).
Actually, that's a pretty good description.
A:
Originally Posted by dduane
Crow331,
I live in the Bay Area. If you're near come over, drive my car around , then go to South Bay and buy one from Abe. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation for Abe. He's a great guy. He's done many extra favors. He became a friend.
I bought 2 '05s from him. We flew down; he picked up me and my brother and we drove up Mullholland Drive and Hwy 1 for 2 drives of a lifetime. Hope you can look past your unfortunate experience.
That's when you know they want to sell the car... when they pick you up. I bought mine from Newport European, and they picked me up from the train station in Santa Ana.
After reading all this, I think everyone can come to conclusions that if you go to South Bay, ask for Abe. They are great in general, and maybe one salesman has his bad days once in awhile. Then again, doesn't everyone has their goods and bads?
A:
Originally Posted by dduane
Crow331,
I live in the Bay Area. If you're near come over, drive my car around , then go to South Bay and buy one from Abe. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation for Abe. He's a great guy. He's done many extra favors. He became a friend.
I bought 2 '05s from him. We flew down; he picked up me and my brother and we drove up Mullholland Drive and Hwy 1 for 2 drives of a lifetime. Hope you can look past your unfortunate experience.
Duane, thanks for the offer, I'm in L.A., I really appreciate it though! What I've discovered most from this little experience is what a great group of people there are on this messageboard. Nice little community that I hope to be a part of soon with the eventual purchase of my Elise. Thanks everyone.
I sent off an email to Abe requesting a test on Thursday ... David's day off
A:
Originally Posted by Crow331
Duane, thanks for the offer, I'm in L.A., I really appreciate it though! What I've discovered most from this little experience is what a great group of people there are on this messageboard. Nice little community that I hope to be a part of soon with the eventual purchase of my Elise. Thanks everyone.
I sent off an email to Abe requesting a test on Thursday ... David's day off
Hi Dan,
Got your e-mail and Thursday will be just fine as I'm in from 8:30 AM-9:00 PM. Let me know what time works best for you so that I can clear my schedule for you. Take care and Thanks for giving us another opportunity if nothing else, to satisfy your driving pleasure. Look forward to meeting you.
Abe
A:
Originally Posted by pete k
Same thing happened to me at Symbolic in San Diego. Twice. I gave up and bought two cars elsewhere, and will never go back! I have an order in now for a third. Symbolic missed three deals. Lotus of Portland, GREAT GUYS!!!
So Pete, are ya tryin to have a lotus a day in your garage??
A:
I don't think he'll mind me publishing this, but an apology email to me from David S.:
Dear Daniel: Just a note. Customers are the life blood for all businesses. Customer care is utmost. I must apologize to you for what happened. I have no excuses nor do I think there is any justification. Dan, I do apologize, so please accept my apologies. I know that this will not erase anything that happened, but I want you to know how badly I felt after the fact. Please accept my humble apologies. Please take care and thank you very much, David Sato
A:
Newport was great to me they let me test drive their cars in two different ocations and in diferent configurations
They even give me to drive the model I wanted while I was still not sure about the purchase
Excelent people and great service
MY experience from Lotus of SB was a bit like yours (Im 28 but look like 23) walked in not much attention and then I left.
They may be the best around but I some times go by 1st impresions
A:
I'm surprised at all of the negative experiences with Symbolic in La Jolla.
I was doing a phone deal for my 2005 Elise and Mike from Symbolic was very courteous, returned my calls, was willing to do whatever it took to get me in the car. The only reason I didn't buy from them was that they didn't have an Ardent Red/Buscuit that I was looking for. (I eventually bought it from Silver Star.)
I'm kind of on the fence with reading about the experience with South Bay.
On one hand, the Elise/Exige are cars that attract a lot of attention and probably attract a lot of "tire kickers" who want a free ride. It's not like working at a Ford dealership. There is a very small pool of people who will actually buy these cars. It then becomes a challenge for the salesman to determine who is for real and who just wants a joy ride around the neighborhood.
On the other hand, you probably should have had friendlier treatment from the get-go, which it seems that the salesman now recognizes.
I buy cars frequently and I ALWAYS call a dealership and talk to a salesperson about what I'm looking for before I show up to the lot. It lets them know that you're a serious buyer looking to make a real purchase without wasting anyone's time. In fact, I like to have the price negotiated on the phone before I go in. (When possible.)
A:
First off, I like to thank everyone who voiced their opinion regarding this matter whether it be good or bad, Thank you.
As some of you may know already, I recently became the Sales Manager for Lotus of South Bay but, before that, I was a sales associate for the dealer from the very beginning when we first got the franchise. I was in charge of gathering up names and numbers (a list if you will) before we opened as a dealer so that we had something to work off of. During that time, a gentleman who later came to be my very first Lotus customer although he was # 16 on the list , introduced me to Elise Talk back in August of '04. I never signed up until Jan. '05 but, during all that time, I would read all I can and learn a little more than what I already knew about the brand and see what Lotus enthusiasts were all about. I soon came to admire the passion everyone had for a little company called Lotus who caters to true driver enthusiasts and moreso, Mr. Mark Starr. as I saw how he has a loyal following and decided that if I were to imitate someone, it would be him, afterall, he's on the east coast and over here I did not hear of any dealer seperating themselves from the rest (sorry, other Lotus dealers ) So that's when I decided that in order for Lotus of South Bay to be successful, customer satisfaction would HAVE to be the upmost priority. I made it a habit to stand by my word and do absolutely anything I can to make sure that my clients were well taken care of, even if it came out of my pockets adn I know some of you can attest to that . After about two months of being the ONLY sales associate, the company hired Mark Nathanson so that I did not burn out...thank God . Dave Sato did not come into the picture until the latter part of 2005 and in all honesty he is a sweet man with a kind heart that does a decent job of attending to customers. Being a salesman, I never really looked at what my colleagues were doing as I was always busy making sure my clients were being taken care of but, now with this new position, I understand that I must be aware of what my sales force is doing, not just my clients but, to the image of Lotus of South Bay and that's why when I read all this stuff about some of your dealings, it makes me sick to my stomach. I look at this particular dealership (Lotus of South Bay) as a project that my owner, GM & GSM has allowed me to mold to what I think it should be because I too share the same passion as you guys for Lotus.
One thing that I would like to clear up however is that no matter what car you drive or how you dress, you would not be judge and I think someone tried to indicate that and I can tell you that that cannot be further from the truth. Lotus of South Bay is in Hermosa Beach and EVERYONE wears flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt; this is the norm in the South Bay area so I don't know where that came from. I also spoke to Dave and really layed into him but, one thing I must say is that we really do try to set up our weekends with appts. as this will ensure a successful sales rate but, that is not to say that we will not take care of someone who walks in. Dave did have someone coming in from San Diego and the last thing David wanted to do is not be here for his appt if his client showed so David was faced with the dilema of "take care of someone here now?" or "piss off an appt driving all the way from San Diego?" Unfortunately, David did not handle the situation right and this is the end result and for that I apologize. As manager, I should have stepped in and attended to the clients need.
Eitherway, I will not try to take up more of your time as I believe that this is the longest message I've ever posted on here but, I just want to let the Elise Talk Community know that if you are in the market for a Lotus, you need only contact me and I will guarantee that you are taken care of.
Thanks,
Abe
A:
Originally Posted by bmw1
One thing that I would like to clear up however is that no matter what car you drive or how you dress, you would not be judge and I think someone tried to indicate that and I can tell you that that cannot be further from the truth. Lotus of South Bay is in Hermosa Beach and EVERYONE wears flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt; this is the norm in the South Bay area so I don't know where that came from.
Sorry if I was unclear, I was attempting to say that I was treated GREAT at Southbay even though I dropped by looking like a beach bum. Other dealers would have not given me the time of day dressed like I was, I think that's what a couple of other posters were implying.
A:
Originally Posted by ZTEC
Everybody has a bad day once in awhile, David just needs a hug!
From a goddamn BEAR!!
A:
Check autotrader. I dont know if you want a new Elise or used. I bought a used Elise (200 miles), hard top included for only $43K. That is about 10K less than new. I wont buy another new car again as it depreciates the minute you take it off the lot. I saw a charcoal colored Elise for $39K with less than 2,000 miles. Not bad. It is located in Souther Cal.
A:
This was truly an anomoly. Go see Abe; you'll be glad you did. I will never, ever buy ANY car, whether it be a Lotus, Lambo, Neon, or a car they DON'T have (but can find) from anyone but Abe and South Bay, ever again. Period.
A:
I'm surprised to read what happened. You should go back for a test drive! I live in Thousand Oaks and I've been there at least 4 times to get a test drive and just to visit. There's a Lotus dealer 5 minutes from my house and I'd rather drive for nearly 1 hour to visit South Bay. I've been talkin' to these guys since March of 2005.
I tried to get a test drive with at least 3 or 4 dealers for over ONE YEAR! Even one in Arizona! The only place I was able to drive an Elise was at South Bay, not only was I able to drive it once, but twice! Abe is a great guy. You really can't call him a salesperson (or manager, now. ). He's a great friend. I can't believe this guy works like 10 hours a day, 7 days a week and puts up with all us SoCal Elisetalkers that I'm sure call and email him everyday. That's dedication, dude.
I had a chance to meet and talk to David for a while during the April 1st open house and the last time I visited South Bay. He's a nice guy. You must have been there on a rare off-day or something. I haven't met Mark yet, but I spoke to him over the phone last week for a while and he's a nice person also.
There really is nothing but great things to say about this dealership and it's people.
A:
I don't want to beat this to death anymore but I just wanted to clear up a few things after Abe's post. I think I was the one who brought up the "maybe it was the way I dressed or my tattoos" thing. I only brought that up because I didn't really have a good explanation, as the customer, why I couldn't get the 2 simple things I was asking for and thought that COULD be a reason. I was not saying it was, but I was just trying to come up with some reason. Obviously this is not the case with Abe or his dealership nor did I get that impression when I was there, I only thought of it as I was driving home disappointed.
As far as the appointment goes, when David first said I needed an appointment, I was bummed because there wasn't anyone else in the dealership, surely I could get a test drive. But then he followed it up with the fact that someone from SD was coming down who DID have an appointment and even though I was bummed, I did understand. Though I did think, "Is there ANYONE who can help me get a test drive today??". The kicker to it all was the fact that I couldn't even get the car started to hear it. With no one there, it would of taken no time or effort to get the engine started so I could get a listen. The two things just compounded. I accept the apologies of Dave and from Abe as the manager. Everyone here has had stellar service for the most part from Lotus South Bay and I'm sure that will continue with Abe at the helm.
In the end, I've decided to give the new Lotus Beverly Hills a shot, but really only because it's closer to my neck of the woods. If I hadn't seen that the new dealership had opened I would of gone back to Abe and received the excellent service you have all come to know
A:
When my employees act in such a fashion, I have a wonderful way of dealing with it. I get new employees. Seriously this guy should take a stab at selling Honda.
A:
I wonder if the reason that you need to make an appointment to drive, or even start a Lotus is because the batteries are dead in all the cars you see sitting outside. Perhaps they need advance notice so they can 'prep' a car and have it charged?