Is Anyone Else Tired of SOA Information Blackout
 

This will probably do little good execpt I might feel better for having posted this thread.
I have been buying new cars for about forty years and have never experienced what has been going on with the BRZ and SOA. First we are all hiped to buy the car, SOA opens up pre orders on March 1st. Between then and April 6th were all ordering cars with little info., actually ordering cars with options that now don't even exist on the Subaru Build Your Own site. We have no idea what the car really costs until April 6th, some were happy others were not. We have several, at least four I am aware of, versions of how the BRZ pre orders will be filled and delivered. Most versions ignore the basic business principle of first come first serve, but who knows, which is the point of this thread, WHY THE BLACKOUT OF FACTUAL INFORMATION FROM SOA.
SOA has to by now know the interest in the vehicle allthough the blackout seems to be causing the interest to decline. So one would think they have derived all there is to know from the pre orders how ever many pre orders there may be, so WHY THE INFOMATION BLACKOUT. I sometimes feel people in SOA are reading all these post on all these sites and laughing their backsides off.
SOA did not get where they are today by being stupid, SOA knows without a doubt when the BRZ's will be built, if they have been built, when they will be shipped or if they have been shipped, when they will arrive at US ports and how long they will be in port getting the port installed options completed or will be waiting to be shipped by, truck rail or whatever. They also know without question how the vehicles will be distributed to dealers. There is not a business alive that cannot answer those basic questions regarding there products, SO WHY THE INFORMATION BLACKOUT, whats left to gain.
Anything of value is worth waiting for, I for one will wait but truely do not like what SOA is doing with no information especially to those 1000 plus, if not more, of us that have pre ordered this vehicle based solely or in part on Subarus reputation or our experiences with the brand.
Well I feel a little better at least for the next hour or so.

There's a reason they do this, and it's entirely corporate/marketing. If there was no such thing as competition, they could tell you the price the second they priced out the cost of the materials and labor to put the car together.

Phoning SOA will do absolutely nothing for you, other than tie up the phone lines for people that have actual issues.

:)

If they told us everything upfront what would would we all gossip about on here.:lol:

Seriously though what do you expect SOA to tell you. Our cars probably haven't been manufactured yet. I don't blame them for not wanting to give people a exact date (or even a narrow estimate) because if something happens and they miss that date people will flip out.

Have to agree. I think they knew it was a lose lose for them either way and the only way to win was not to play. Keep information, create buzz. In the end we will all forgive.

Well.. Maybe some will forgive.

Maybe its just me, but I dont really feel a lack of info. I placed an order and was told likely delivery is going to start around the middle of May. I have a price. I got the options I want. I can go online and see that my order does not have a VIN yet, so has not been built yet. My dealer can do the same thing. My dealer texts me at least twice a week to check in and try to answer any questions I might have. He sends me any updates he has.

Its a product that is being built on an assembly line. That means its a slow tedious process, and the US market is not first in line. You'll get your car, when you get it. Be patient.

Living close to Long Beach, one the largest ports for car deliveries to the US, I often drive down by the storage lots and see cars sitting there for weeks that dealers say haven't arrived yet in the US. When the Murano convertible was set to be released, my buddy that works at Nissan told me that there wouldn't be one in the US for over a month, yet I was seeing them in the storage lot. It's all a big timing game on getting these products to dealers and the public on set days. Its an even bigger game with two nearly identical products competing with each other. Just look at stuff like the releases for Apple products. We all know that places like Best Buy have boxes upon boxes of the product sitting there weeks before the release date. Its about keeping the manufacturer happy and playing by their rules. If FHI isnt divulging all the info up front, then SOA cant do much about it. I wouldn't call it an INFORMATION BLACKOUT. I feel like I have tons of info. There are hundreds of review videos and pics, we have pricing, we have options pricing, we have delivery times (maybe not exact, but a good estimate). I seriously doubt that SOA's biggest concern is making sure you know when you'll get your exact order.

Chill out, have a beer, watch some BRZ videos, and bask in the glory of the fact that you will get BRZ when it's ready.

What facts don't we know yet?

Only expected dates of delivery, AFAIK. Pricing and specs are certainly released now.

I'm not too worried... first BRZs should be from beginning of May through beginning of June. This is pretty standard for new cars, often it's not clear when they will actually be released from port. The only complication is if you have a car to sell privately.

I think your expectations are too high. There is no concrete release date, they have said for some time now 'Q2 12'. So there's nothing to complain about until after 6/30/12 if there are none being delivered. They're not being vague at all, we as consumers are just impatient to get it. This and many other "problems" others are vocal about on here (limited quantities, markups, etc) will go away. Just wait a few months and be patient.

The comments to my venting have been interesting to say the least. I wonder if some really read the post.

I note that some blame FHI for the lack of information concerning production and delivery. Do you truly believe that SOA has people that sit at ports and blindly wait for container ships from Japan to arrive so they can see what cars were sent to them by FHI? In this age of technology you don’t think there is some detailed communication between the two or access to relivent information?

Others say that we have all the facts. I certainly am not beyond making a mistake or missing something but I have seen no facts attributed to SOA in Cherry Hills that articulates a “reasonable time frame” as to when vehicles will arrive in port for distribution and more importantly how they will be distributed to dealers who have people that have made their pre orders. There was a posting running around from last February that tried to explain to dealers how distribution would work, you don’t think that SOA has refined that at this point since they now know, or have a better idea, as to the interest in the vehicle and how many pre orders they have to date. Maybe I was being to general in my original venting. I certainly understand that things can happen which can cause delays. However it would be nice to have something to hang our hats on other than a time frame for delivery from May to November along with a factual statement from SOA on distribution methods for pre ordered vehicles. That would certainly make the wait easier; at least there would be a clearer light at the end of the tunnel. My dealership has also supplied me with all the information they have and keep me updated weekly with the, your order still says wait list and the vehicle should be here sometime between May and July. At least SOA could supply their dealers with more information, which I still believe exists somewhere.

Some have generically said that FHI and SOA can do whatever they want with this vehicle since they now know that if some people cancel their order someone will buy it, this is absolutely true. In my venting I was merely asking that SOA show some interest in being loyal and forthcoming to those that have pre ordered this vehicle based on the Subaru brand reputation. I for one believe that Subaru produces a great product and expect the BRZ to be in that same mold.

Finally I did not want everyone to call SOA and tie the Customer Service reps up so others can’t get through. Those Customer reps do a fine job and have been very helpful when I have dealt with them in the past. They currently are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. I believe that they too are being kept in the dark. However an e mail to them asking for more information and that the request be sent up the “SOA food chain” does not seem inappropriate, someone has some better information.

I, as all of you, will continue to wait for this vehicle which I believe is worth waiting for. I was just venting in the forum and apologize for arousing the ire of some, I will now quietly go back and wait and revel in the anticipation of the arrival of my BRZ.

I do believe they could provide better information. Even just a constant weekly email or phone call saying that they have not got any new news would make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Oh well, fingers crossed that some VIN's and dates will start flowing in more consistantly. I'm just scared that I'll be stuck trading my current vehicle when my BRZ arrives and I'd much rather get more value out of it via private sell. Then again could be a part of the marketing scheme! Perhaps Subaru just didn't prepare themselves for such a huge success. I think they knew they'd have interest but perhaps underestimated just how much!

I think the system is pretty clear... each dealer will receive a set number, which will be more or less distributed throughout a period from May through December. So, if you're first at a dealer, it will likely me May or June. If you're 8th of 15, it will me near the fall sometime, subject to lots and lots of factors they can't control (i.e. resin shortage).

First come first serve wouldn't be fair - as we are not customers of FHI. The dealers are the customers. So each dealer is buying as many as they are allowed. And as soon as they get each car, it will either be pre-sold (if you have an order) or offered to the rest of the public if nobody has claimed it.

Perhaps this clarifies... and if not, what exactly are you wondering?

You'll get you're car before the end of the year that's basically the only thing SOA has said. Even once they start hitting the states they will trickle in and most of us won't be in that first group. I'm eager too, but trying to be paitent. If you honestly feel that SOA is treating you unfairly then it's your right to complain, but I for one don't think they're being unreasonable now that they've released the prices.

Clearly the OP is overblowing the situation.

Yes, SOA delayed pricing information release for a little while longer than we all expected and hoped. I think some of that had to do with building some media hype and attention. I also think they wanted to gauge public interest prior to see if they could justify a little higher price than they may have originally targetted.

Right now, the only information that hasn't been exactly confirmed is arrival dates. You have to understand that SOA's communications are careful and calculated. Auto manufacturing and transportation is fluid. There are many variables the come into play that can affect the time-frame. Subaru cannot give a very accurate date until they get closer to the time of arrival. They would much rather have a few people frustrated by only getting a ballpark idea than to have many people really angry about them not living up to expectations.

Imagine you're a pre-order buyer and they tell you the car will arrive on or around May 10th or pick any other random day.. But, between now and then they run into any number of snags that can come up. Let's say a supplier goes down and can't supply a part (ie. possible fuel line shortages due to a resin supplier explosion). Let's say bad weather delays shipping across the ocean? let's say things get hung up and delayed at the port facility? What happens if you wanted extra accessories installed at port and they take longer to install than expected? What happens if the truck or train from port to your state gets delayed.. There are so many variables. I'm quite sure that SOA would rather give you a broad estimate (ie. sometime in May) than to try to pinpoint within a day or two. They would much rather have you a little frustrated by having less information than to have you very angry because they wound up giving you bad information.

Exactly. I don't understand what's unclear about how distribution is going to work. The timeline has been set for months now too.

Initially they held back info for various reasons but now I can't think of anything that they are intentionally holding back.