So…….I ordered in 2021 …….zero contact from the dealer save for a perfunctory response to a question as to status in May - “no news - yet to be allocated a build slot” etc etc

Standard - to be expected - in a world suffused with conflict and headed for recession this is what you can expect having committed to a measly £110k plus purchase - chill - if you don’t want the vehicle we can sell it to another punter - you don’t matter to us ….. ?

Maybe harsh - perhaps there is some unexpressed love there I am missing

Or perhaps it’s my fault - my customer service level expectations were a little too high and this is to be expected in 2022

Thoughts ?

Not feeling overly warm to RR as at 1 July 2022 ………

I am in a similar situation, all contact has been instigated by me and knowing that my salesman (who incidentally I bought the last 5 vehicles through) was going to be on holiday for the first 2 weeks of July, I phoned on Thursday and Friday for my monthly update, each time being told he was not available but not getting a call back.
That said I can understand their frustration, embarrassment and reluctance to communicate when all they can say is I know nothing. letters not necessarily in the right order

Sadly, I think this is the new norm, but only if we accept it.

Its almost a certainty that we're looking at another recession and maybe when dealers can't rely on easy money, they might, just might, look at how they engage with and retain customers.

I had exactly the same communication issues with the dealer with my last L405, doubt its going to be built, no news then its here when can you collect it. I'm as guilty as the next, but what I don't understand is why when we know the dealers are awful, JLR Exec Office are shocking and the build quality of the cars is best described as hit & miss, do we go back for more.

Exactly the same story with my dealer. I ordered a year ago now. Any contact with the dealer is instigated by me via a monthly email or phone call. There is a timely response but the story is always the same “order confirmed but not slotted, we have no idea when it will be”. To be fair on the dealer, I genuinely don’t think they have any information so there is little to be gained by complaining to them.

It was the same with my BMW. It was over 6 months late and the build date kept slipping for no particular reason and others who had ordered much later had taken delivery of their cars. No information from the dealer just the same as with LR.

The factories are building what they can when they can based on what parts they have. They are not going to explain to customers the process that they are using to schedule orders for all sorts of reasons. Therefore it’s something we are going to have to put up with for the time being.

It’s frustrating though when I see so many cars passing through Autotrader of all sorts of specifications and I have still have not got mine even when I was near the top of the queue.

I can’t even be bothered to call the dealer now. It will come when it comes and there is nothing I can do about it.

I can’t quite fathom that those fortunate enough to be spending big cash on a car, actually in true British style put up with a load of codswallop. It’s obviously choice and being realistic if they’ve got nothing to offer…, but the shear lack of respect that you’ve chosen to spend your hard earned with them, I’d be voting with my feet. visiting from www.rrsport.co.uk

Vote with my feet and then do what? Buy from another manufacturer and get the same story? Aside from that fact, there is not another SUV I want, even if I spend more money.

This is exactly why LR and their Dealers get away with the arrogant approach to customers.

X7.....hmmm, nice idea but can't pull 3.5 ton, Q7...not even close, Merc GL...worse reliability than LR and the Bentayga.....a Bentley with big wheels and hopeless off road.

Thanks guys - in a weird way the common experiences that you are all having help me to put up with mine - well to a degree

Think I’ll go fishing and forget about it

Clearly dealers could communicate better, but going by the one I use, they probably aren't getting anything from JLR themselves. What I was told is that their vehicle allocation has been reduced to maybe two thirds of what they would normally have had (on all vehicles, not just L460) so bad news for their business and the ability of sales people to earn commission. In their case the 2022 allocation is all sold, and there is a long waiting list for the 2023 allocation. Apparently the 460s they have been getting are all LR chosen spec and they tend not to get much notice of what is coming and when, it is almost like the vehicles turn up out of the blue.

I can't be bothered ordering months ahead and will just wait and see if the market changes.

Incidentally the last time I was at Pentland Edinburgh south (not the dealer I use) they had a D300 SE 460 on the forecourt with "Approved Used £125,000" on it, not advertised on LRAU site as far as I could see. I'm not that keen... Only Range Rovers since 1988

You're certainly not on your own Flying Trotter, so don't take it personally.

I ordered a P530 back in September 21, but changed it to a PHEV in early March 22, which now still see's me floating around in a holding pool - My order isn't even confirmed!!

As 5.0 says, if you go elsewhere, you'll probably have a similar experience and end up with a lesser car, so changing manufacturer is not a good move in my opinion. Plus, the Range Rover is a fantastic car, and very difficult (if not impossible) to beat. So I think we're all just going to have to ride it out.

On a positive note, by the time our cars arrive, hopefully the Technicians at our local dealerships will have gained more experience in terms of fixing faults, so there may be a positive.

In terms of orders - Has anyone else who's still sat in the holding pool, considered placing a second order elsewhere, just in case the second one with another dealership turns up quicker?

Exactly how and when JLR decides to confirm / slot / build, seems to be a bit of an unknown.

Seriously considering placing another order myself, just in case it comes through quicker.

Speaking as someone that works in a (non-JLR) dealership, the above stories are common across many marques - it's all supply chain driven (or rather braked), the chief one being silicon supply. We are having new vehicles delivered with core modules missing and bypass connectors in place, vehicles are being brought back from customers to have the missing modules fitted and configured as and when available.

It's a far cry from the 'line pinch' or 'pack pinch' that was common not that many years ago for VOR spares of major assemblies...

The sales staff, (as much as I despise their existence!) are doing what they can, in general, the progress calls you should be getting are not happening as they are at the mercy of the assembly plant scheduling, the shippers (staff shortages and ferry booking backlogs). Some assembly plants are part-building vehicles and putting them in a holding parc on-site, awaiting deliveries. Apparently some deliveries are themselves delayed due to inward shipping issues and shortages due to second or third line silicon fabs being released for production rather than being scrapped as would be the case a few years ago - these modules are being assembled but failing on production or assembly test, meaning the whole module is junk rather than just the silicon components.

It's a mess, Covid, Brexit, Suez blockage and a semiconductor plant fire were the chief causes - although Brexit is only a small part as all manufacturers are having the same issues - they just can't build 'em fast enough.

If I had a new car on order, I'd stick with it, it'd be the one I chose - changing that would be for a second choice and I'd only regret that every time I drove it. I've had new cars in the past, some have been on time, some delayed, the handover of something you ordered 'just for you' is worth the wait to my mind.
They will be delivered, if you don't buy it, the next person gladly will, if you walk away from an order, it won't get cancelled but sold as soon as it arrives.
We're getting 30-40% of the new cars we've ordered every month, there's no speculative ordering as in the past, every car already has a buyer - which is good for us as there's no slack in the system for discounts to be had. The upside is that used vehicles are not dropping in value, so your trade-in will be worth the same, if not more, once your new car has arrived.

I know of one manufacturer who are now buying washing machines to strip out the semiconductors.

"I know of one manufacturer who are now buying washing machines to strip out the semiconductors"

That's been bandied about for a few months now, but no one has ever disclosed who its purported to be

Care to share?

It won't be Mazda - they're buying up the semiconductorless washing machines to make the bodyshells with....

dingg1 wrote:

"I know of one manufacturer who are now buying washing machines to strip out the semiconductors"

That's been bandied about for a few months now, but no one has ever disclosed who its purported to be

Care to share?