MyenShi

Hello all,

I’ve been a registered member of Rennlist for a while, but this is my first time posting. Though I've followed the 991 GT3 forum from the onset with great interest, I planned on waiting to post till after I took delivery. With all that's happened, I figured I should jump in now, seeing as I had a pretty thorough talk with PCNA this morning and wanted to share it with everyone here - especially for people in the same position as me.

Short Version:
- Customers who have yet to take delivery will not be compensated less.
- President of PCNA has been pushing to get us as much as possible.
- They are committed to making all customers happy.
- Extended warranty and monetary compensation are on the table.
- They are moving forward as quickly as large corporations can.

Long Version:
I just got off the phone with the lead west coast representative at PCNA. My main concern was whether those of us who haven’t taken delivery yet would be properly taken care of, seeing as we’re in a bit of a “middle child” situation. Let me preface this by saying that I completely understand the frustration of owners who had their GT3’s unceremoniously trucked back to the dealer, and the uncertainty for those who have their cars in the pre-production stage right now.

While I believe we’re all in the same boat, suffering the same loss of use and similar kinds of stress and frustration, those of us with our cars at port face a unique set of anxieties. Yes, we have a bit more leeway in that we have yet to pay for our vehicles, but would that mean we have less leverage in negotiating compensation? We are also in the unfortunate position of not having the confidence in the car from seeing and driving it. Some owners have been allowed to properly garage their GT3’s as well, and it’s really difficult to stomach how they’ve been left just sitting at the port, exposed to the elements. Not to mention the engine swap itself, though I trust the techs to do that properly when the time comes.

Seeing as Porsche seems to have begun addressing those customers who already have their cars, along with talks of pre-production vehicles being built as MY2015 cars instead of 2014, I wanted to make sure we wouldn’t be left out and have been persistently calling PCNA this week.

So good news, bad news.

The bad news is that it’ll still likely be a few weeks till we get a concrete idea of what sort of compensation we’ll be receiving, and what the timetable for a fix will be. I believe someone posted in another thread that they’d gotten a 3 week estimate for the next announcement, and my first call to PCNA today confirmed that.

The good news, however, is that I was assured everyone would be taken care of properly, and that people who have cars on the ground but haven’t taken delivery yet won’t be compensated less. I find myself in an especially trying situation as I was technically supposed to take delivery much earlier this year, but my GT3 is one of the 40 or so vehicles delayed for 45 days due to supplier shortages.

He continued by saying they are in “full crisis mode” right now, remarking that even he was surprised at how quickly they are pushing forward to make things right, considering just how difficult it is to get large corporate entities to move at anything beyond a glacial pace. Detlev von Platen is apparently pushing to get us as much as possible as well.

Moreover, if an individual is not satisfied with the blanket compensation which seems to be in the works for everyone, they are welcome to contact PCNA and they’ll do their best to meet your needs. So as long as what you’re asking for is realistic, I imagine Porsche will do its best to make you happy. He stressed that Porsche does not want to lose customers over this, or be remembered poorly for this incident. Certainly, the best counter from a PR perspective is to make as many GT3 customers as happy as possible so we can speak well of the brand and the car once all is said and done.

He also said he’s been following various forums, and has seen first hand the amount of frustration and pain this whole incident has caused. Though he did add that he wishes that he could address or correct some of the misinformation floating around, and some of the wrong conclusions people have drawn.

On a personal note, I’m a huge fan of Porsche and have purchased several in the last few years. I’ve wanted a GT3 since getting into my first 911 because of everything it stands for with the brand. I, like others, was a bit concerned over the new motor and PDK, but I’ve always held on to technological progress and trusted Porsche to do right by the namesake. This whole crisis has shaken my faith with the brand as an engineering entity, but I’m not ready to walk away yet and hope Porsche will do right by all of us to restore what faith has been lost. I suppose we’ll find out in a few weeks.

There's been a lot of frayed nerves and some tension on this forum - which is to be expected - but hang in there, everyone.

AndyBrew

I agree whole heartedly with your comments and it's good to hear Porsche are putting together something to reward those of us that are standing by them in these troubled times, my situation is very similar to your own so I just hope this approach is a global one and not just for the American market.

Thanks for posting it's given me some hope!

Dude-

Great Post MYenshi. I spoke to them this morning as well and you are spot on. My impression is that they are trying hard.

doubleurx

I agree that "Frayed" has some nerve!

Mike in CA

Great first post, MyenShi; heck great post period. Thanks for the info and welcome to the conversation!

997TTMeteor

Thanks MyenShi – I really hope these compensation & retention plans become reality. Waiting another 3 weeks for an update isn’t going to be easy, especially as the weather changes here and I start missing events.

G car

Thank you for update I hope your right,may car was due 15 April large down payment planning to DE, no car, May have to use lotus Exige this would be the fifth Porsche in the garage, 356, turbo, rs, C4s but wanted now for track. Had many other Porsches, Maybe Abarth Fiat if not Lotus. Just hope to get this solved and my car here, now Rs in storage and up grades

bakamon

Thanks for the post and your trying.

I hope they can make you and everyone happy after 2-3 weeks.

0Q991

@MyenShi -- +1 to all that you posted. I'm in the same boat as you and have had many similar conversations with PCNA and my impression (as of today) is the same also.

I have a good feeling and am hopeful that PCNA / PAG will do what is right. In fact, I have a feeling that they will go above and beyond, knowing that that goodwill, in the aftermath of this situation, will go a very long way.

Porsche997s

Great first post !!

Fadi1

Thanks for the post. I am in a similar situation. My car is in Houston port and had a delivery date of 3/7/14. I believe Porsche will make it right. I also want to add that my dealership in San Antonio has been great. They even loaned me a car 991S convertible for a day with the promise to get me another one next week just so I don't go through withdrawal. I've owned several Porsches before but this one was the most anticipated. Thanks again for the post

carcommander

A lot of spin here. I love Porsches too. I currently have a 2014 turbo and a 2013 GTS.

It does not take months to come up with a schedule and a compensation package. If I ran Porsche I would have someone's head over this and quickly communicated to my customers the corrective measures.

They are trying to let this blow over and do as little as possible.

Cyrek

I to have the middle child blues. So important we put a unified foot forward. Certainly a good post.

MyenShi

Hey Andy, I believe you mentioned that you’re in the UK? I sincerely hope they’ll ultimately take care of you guys properly over there. You should definitely see about getting together with other UK GT3 owners to stay informed and present a united front. Best of luck!


Glad to hear it! Yes, I’ve chosen to believe they’re trying their hardest and I plan on giving them the benefit of the doubt till I’m given a definite reason to feel otherwise.


He does indeed; it’s not like he has a monopoly on GT3 BBQ’s.


Hey Mike - thank you, and thanks for the welcome as well. I really appreciate what both you and Macca have been doing over the last several months in defending the 991 GT3 from a steady stream of detractors. Some had fair points, but there seemed to a good number who just have it in for the car.

Totally different subject, but I seem to recall you struggled between white and Guards Red, if I’m not mistaken. I went through the same as well, though ultimately picked the opposite from what you ended up with. The car looks great in almost any color which definitely made the choice a bit difficult. At least you can't pick the wrong color with this car.


I hope so, too. I totally agree… to think we’ve been waiting over 4 weeks, and then having to wait another 3… It’s even tested my patience. But in Japan, we have a saying: “shikataganai” or “it can’t be helped”. I’ve been trying to hold onto that but it’s been an uphill battle at times.


Lotus is my third favorite brand after Porsche and McLaren. I’ve driven a few, and definitely would love to have an Exige for track use (with a very, very good helmet). I’d definitely go with that over the 500 Abarth, personally.


I sure do hope so. I’m willing to be as patient with Porsche as I possibly can, but I know there are many people at wit’s end. I hope Porsche does right by us, not just for my sake but for everyone’s as well.


Absolutely; my phone call with them today definitely helped ease the stress I’ve felt this week. I genuinely believe they know they can’t afford to screw up how they handle this situation, as they are currently under intense scrutiny over this.

When I told my friend in Japan about the stop-sale and motor swap, I was surprised to learn that he had heard about the recall on the news! I didn’t think the typical TV news broadcast would bring this up, but a Japanese blogger made a good point about this: “Leave it to Porsche’s prestige to warrant widespread news coverage based on just two fires. Your average car company could have dozens of fires and no one bats an eye.” Overall, though, I’ve heard Porsche is actually being praised in Japan for its transparency, swift action, and willingness to change motors on all cars.


Thanks!


Thank you, and no worries; I knew there were a good number of us in this position and it’s best we stick together. I totally agree; my sales rep here is a great guy, and my dealer has been trying to accommodate me throughout this process. A longstanding relationship with your dealer is critical in situations like this, and I genuinely feel for those who may not have that luxury.


As someone in marketing, I am certainly no stranger to spin doctoring. Some parts of what we’ve been told lean towards it, but for the time being, I am willing to believe most of what we’re told is genuine. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a realist, and I’ve been as frustrated with this whole situation as anyone else. I’ve done my fair share of worrying, but until it’s unequivocally shown that Porsche is unwilling to properly take care of all of us, I will continue to hope for the best.

I totally agree with you on personally wanting to work and communicate quickly, and having someone’s head. I would absolutely try to do the same. But then I would quickly have to contend with the responsibilities, liabilities, pressures, and sheer red tape associated with a massive corporation catering to a clientele with the highest of expectations, spanning many nations and cultures in a high exposure and incredibly embarrassing mishap. As much as I’d love to take the mic and say, “Hey everyone. We ****ed up. Sorry. We’re offering you this and this as an apology; let’s be friends again?” I’d ultimately have to take the time to make sure everything offered is both feasible for the company and fair to the customers.

However, if the recompense offered is insufficient when the time comes, you bet I will be upset. Till then, with all the negativity and fears floating about, I’m willing to put my own little doubts aside and try to be as positive as possible for the sake of everyone here.


Exactly. Years ago, I was a little surprised to hear Porsche monitors forums like this to see what people are saying. I have no doubt of that now. Knowing that we’re all sharing information is enough of a motivation for PCNA and Porsche to be very careful in offering proper compensation to all affected.

rubbaman

Thanks MyenShi for post. I don't know if I'm a middle child or not. My build was supposed to start today but now is in limbo. All the expected dates are now showing V170, PAG Handling Necessary. I don't even know what compensation I should expect for having been delayed since 2/7/2014 when I got my build slot and put in the system. Certainly not what the folks who have had their cars snatched or those sitting at port or dealers. Just don't know anything and PCNA won't say anything. I guess it's safe to say I will most likely get a car this year sometime. But I won't know what 'MY' it will be for a while yet. Hopefully something will be said in 3 weeks or less for us bastard step-children.