**** GT3 Worldwide Action Group Letter to PAG & Dealers ***
Discussion
We have today, filed our GT3 Worldwide Action Group Letter of complaint, to Porsche AG senior management. A separate communication has also concurrently been sent to Porsche sales offices and regional distributors across the globe.
This letter was the culmination of an intense collaborative/consultative approach between 100+ 991 GT3 stakeholders from across the globe via a private forum that was created for this purpose.
The letter seeks to take PAG to task on the issues of communication and fair treatment across regions, in relation to the 991 GT3 "engine rod bolt recall" and the customers it affects. To the best of our knowledge Porsche AG have not at this time consulted the stakeholders directly with regards to these matters!
We hope you will take some time out of your busy schedules to click on the link below and read what has been submitted to dealers and PAG.
We also urge you, as a 991 GT3 "stakeholder", regardless on whether or not you have been a direct part of the GT3 Worldwide Action Group Forum to press upon your supplying dealer the contents of this communication. Your dealer may be aware of the letter and it should help achieve a satisfactory remedy for you. If your dealer hasn't received the letter, please share the DP or sales manager's email address with us and we'll be happy to send it directly.
Thank you for your support.
Sierra Mike & Macca
A full copy of the communication to both dealers and PAG appears here:
http://tinyurl.com/991GT3-PAGletter
A sample below:
This letter was the culmination of an intense collaborative/consultative approach between 100+ 991 GT3 stakeholders from across the globe via a private forum that was created for this purpose.
The letter seeks to take PAG to task on the issues of communication and fair treatment across regions, in relation to the 991 GT3 "engine rod bolt recall" and the customers it affects. To the best of our knowledge Porsche AG have not at this time consulted the stakeholders directly with regards to these matters!
We hope you will take some time out of your busy schedules to click on the link below and read what has been submitted to dealers and PAG.
We also urge you, as a 991 GT3 "stakeholder", regardless on whether or not you have been a direct part of the GT3 Worldwide Action Group Forum to press upon your supplying dealer the contents of this communication. Your dealer may be aware of the letter and it should help achieve a satisfactory remedy for you. If your dealer hasn't received the letter, please share the DP or sales manager's email address with us and we'll be happy to send it directly.
Thank you for your support.
Sierra Mike & Macca
A full copy of the communication to both dealers and PAG appears here:
http://tinyurl.com/991GT3-PAGletter
A sample below:
Fair play to you all. Feeling somewhat fortunate that I cancelled my order and received deposit back in November 2013 when they pushed my delivery date back so have been watching this with interest. I have had a stonking few months on road and with visits to Donnington, Silverstone & Spa in a 997 Gen2 GT3RS that I bought from JZM immediately after cancelling my order. Anyone who wants to do the same it's very possible when I get back to UK next week I will be selling it as the yacht racing season is upon us and I just won't have time to use it, especially as come Autumn the wife will be popping out a little one! Speak to Russ at JZM as he knows the score with this car and I would much prefer it went to someone who has lost the opportunity of some fun this year due the 991 GT3 issues...
I'm not a 991 GT3 owner/buyer call it what you like so please humour me (but I'm interested in how this situation develops from a professional perspective)
Surely any compensation package per day should reflect the cost of the car in a given market and be adjusted accordingly - i.e. cars are cheaper in Germany, therefore the UK should have a higher daily amount of compensation and around the world et al - however there needs to be a benchmark and who decides what that is
Not sure how much notice Porsche will take of it - there's no threat of LA or for example you will all jointly ask for your deposits back on a given date after the 2nd May so what happens if they ignore the deadline?
I'm guessing their response will be that they are communicating as fast as they can given the complex nature of the beast (they don't want to f
k the fix up as well!) and if you don't like how we're handling it you are fully aware of your choices and some have already done so.
Surely any compensation package per day should reflect the cost of the car in a given market and be adjusted accordingly - i.e. cars are cheaper in Germany, therefore the UK should have a higher daily amount of compensation and around the world et al - however there needs to be a benchmark and who decides what that is
Not sure how much notice Porsche will take of it - there's no threat of LA or for example you will all jointly ask for your deposits back on a given date after the 2nd May so what happens if they ignore the deadline?
I'm guessing their response will be that they are communicating as fast as they can given the complex nature of the beast (they don't want to f
k the fix up as well!) and if you don't like how we're handling it you are fully aware of your choices and some have already done so.Edited by HoHoHo on Wednesday 23 April 14:38
Good letter, reads very well. Don't be swayed with any formal response that appears indifferent and keep pressing.
What were the thoughts on the owners concerns to delivered cars and any stigma to repairs within the network and not from factory, effects on resale etc? Or was it thought that the additional year warranty sufficiently covered this?
Pops
What were the thoughts on the owners concerns to delivered cars and any stigma to repairs within the network and not from factory, effects on resale etc? Or was it thought that the additional year warranty sufficiently covered this?
Pops
Great letter, however and knowing the German mentality, I suspect they'll either ignore it or stall it, as to keep in line with their current communication policy...
You really need to get some more visible public PR, and hence try and get more owners on board as well as non-motoring related press. I.e. A Watchdog type program...
Good luck..
You really need to get some more visible public PR, and hence try and get more owners on board as well as non-motoring related press. I.e. A Watchdog type program...
Good luck..
Regarding current resale prices by dealers apparently OPCs are not allowed to sell over retail but non Porsche owned centres can get around this by passing it on to their branches selling new other marques.
I cannot understand the post about the production line as engines will be going to registered cars first so if more engines are produced quickly built cars will get done earlier.
I cannot understand the post about the production line as engines will be going to registered cars first so if more engines are produced quickly built cars will get done earlier.
I'm sure this is incredibly frustrating for all concerned but I'm not sure Top Gear/Watchdog will have much sympathy for what will be seen as a few rich people being unable to get hold of or play with their £100k+ toy.
I think the letter's well written but it does over-simplify the costs over very differing markets. The product may be the same but the buyers pay wildly varying on-the-road prices (e.g. 100% more than the UK in parts of Asia) - the global market for a new Porsche isn't quite the same as "every US serviceman should be able to buy a Coca-cola for a dollar, anywhere in the world". It would be reasonable to expect a greater cash compensation sum in markets where the ultimate price is higher, wouldn't it?
I think the warranty extension request is more than reasonable (and is perhaps deliberately so in order to reach swift agreement) - it doesn't specify but I would expect that the idea is that it's an extension of the manufacturer warranty, not the payment of the premium for an extended warranty.
I think the letter's well written but it does over-simplify the costs over very differing markets. The product may be the same but the buyers pay wildly varying on-the-road prices (e.g. 100% more than the UK in parts of Asia) - the global market for a new Porsche isn't quite the same as "every US serviceman should be able to buy a Coca-cola for a dollar, anywhere in the world". It would be reasonable to expect a greater cash compensation sum in markets where the ultimate price is higher, wouldn't it?
I think the warranty extension request is more than reasonable (and is perhaps deliberately so in order to reach swift agreement) - it doesn't specify but I would expect that the idea is that it's an extension of the manufacturer warranty, not the payment of the premium for an extended warranty.
thegoose said:
I'm sure this is incredibly frustrating for all concerned but I'm not sure Top Gear/Watchdog will have much sympathy for what will be seen as a few rich people being unable to get hold of or play with their £100k+ toy.
One of those folk just happens to be Hampster...so I suspect you'll get more than a little resonance from TG. And the roasting of Hammond by Clarkson/May to date over the GT3 pyrotechnics..has been entertaining.
Again.. he hasn't said A thing about the issue since then.. and he's an avid Twitter poster... how bizarre..
I forwarded the letter as an FYI to the Sales Principle of the Dealer where I have my order. He's been responsive and helpful in the past about this.. as much as he could at least given the lack of info from AG or GB..
I forwarded the letter as an FYI to the Sales Principle of the Dealer where I have my order. He's been responsive and helpful in the past about this.. as much as he could at least given the lack of info from AG or GB..
thegoose said:
I think the letter's well written but it does over-simplify the costs over very differing markets. The product may be the same but the buyers pay wildly varying on-the-road prices (e.g. 100% more than the UK in parts of Asia) - the global market for a new Porsche isn't quite the same as "every US serviceman should be able to buy a Coca-cola for a dollar, anywhere in the world". It would be reasonable to expect a greater cash compensation sum in markets where the ultimate price is higher, wouldn't it?
You make a fair point but the letter does at least represent a useful stake in the ground to base individual conversations around. I highly doubt that everyone affected will ever be equally happy about the compensation they receive, partly because we paid difference prices so our losses are different but also because we have different tolerance levels regarding what is a fair thing. Some will be moderately happy, some will be pissed off, some will swear never to buy another Porsche, some will blame the dealer for not fighting hard enough, and some will shrug it off as part of life's rich tapestry.Have you thought about sending this to Autocar (UK), Car Magazine (UK), Auto Motor und Sport (DE), Moniteur Automobile (BE & FR), Car & Driver (USA & Canada), Jalopnik (international) ? The latter seem to be one of the really independent ones too.. were they not the only ones publishing CH rant about Ferrari a while back ?
Looking forward to seeing how this pans out, I will be gobsmacked if the letter is even acknowledged, or if it is I bet it reads something along the lines of
"thank you for your letter, it has been forwarded onto our Director of Misdirection and Delaying Tactics and a response will be issued within the next three weeks, again we would like to thank you for your patience on this matter".
Good luck guys
"thank you for your letter, it has been forwarded onto our Director of Misdirection and Delaying Tactics and a response will be issued within the next three weeks, again we would like to thank you for your patience on this matter".
Good luck guys
rosino said:
Have you thought about sending this to Autocar (UK), Car Magazine (UK), Auto Motor und Sport (DE), Moniteur Automobile (BE & FR), Car & Driver (USA & Canada), Jalopnik (international) ? The latter seem to be one of the really independent ones too.. were they not the only ones publishing CH rant about Ferrari a while back ?
Publish it everywhere; knowing that there's bunch of rich guys being denied their toys is providing a valuable service lifting the moral of all of us plebs. After all “we’re all in it together ….” 
I'm sure Porsche's management and lawyers will be completely unfazed by that letter. What do you mean about "discrimination within the single european market"? Are you saying that Porsche can't offer different packages/products/prices (including compo) to different European countries?
Has anyone who has asked for a full refund been denied that option? The main (and fatal) weakness I can see in the letter is that everyone really, really wants to keep their cars because they are amazing but want some kind of compo for not being able to use it (and have loan cars while Porsche makes reasonable attempts to remedy the problem) So there are "more than a hundred" people who are not happy with the GT3 situation, seemingly none of whom actually want to give the car back despite Porsche's poor communication and self inflicted "brand damage". How many of those "more than a hundred" will hand the cars back and never buy from Porsche again (when the next best thing comes out)? Twenty? Fifty? Not many, I suspect. Did you poll the Group and ask how many would hand their cars back if a full refund is offered?
Unfortunately, there is a queue of people waiting to snap up any returned cars and the overall impact on Porsche's business (let alone VAG) is negligible.
I can imagine the extreme frustration of people who have paid up not being able to drive their cars and hopefully it will be fixed soon. Hopefully that frustration won't be compounded by not getting the response you expected from the letter.
Has anyone who has asked for a full refund been denied that option? The main (and fatal) weakness I can see in the letter is that everyone really, really wants to keep their cars because they are amazing but want some kind of compo for not being able to use it (and have loan cars while Porsche makes reasonable attempts to remedy the problem) So there are "more than a hundred" people who are not happy with the GT3 situation, seemingly none of whom actually want to give the car back despite Porsche's poor communication and self inflicted "brand damage". How many of those "more than a hundred" will hand the cars back and never buy from Porsche again (when the next best thing comes out)? Twenty? Fifty? Not many, I suspect. Did you poll the Group and ask how many would hand their cars back if a full refund is offered?
Unfortunately, there is a queue of people waiting to snap up any returned cars and the overall impact on Porsche's business (let alone VAG) is negligible.
I can imagine the extreme frustration of people who have paid up not being able to drive their cars and hopefully it will be fixed soon. Hopefully that frustration won't be compounded by not getting the response you expected from the letter.
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