Nissan LEAF Press Release : Reservations restart May 1st

[Yanquetino]

Sorry, charlie1300, but I beg to differ. If Nissan had been taking reservations all along, with no interruption, it would be a different story. We have always known that Tier 1 delivieries would happen before Tier 2, and then Tier 3.

However, Nissan CLOSED those reservations because they had already met their production quota of 20,000 reservations. And among those 20,000 reservations were the ones that we Tier 2 and 3 customers had made. In other words, Nissan was counting our deposits to tally its full quota, yet now will allow a 20,001st customer --and beyond-- to butt in line ahead of us. With nary an explanation or apology! That is simply rude.

One of those original 20,000 LEAFs was supposed to be mine. It had my name on it in their system and my money in Nissan's accounts.

 

[LakeLeaf]

I like this statement as well:

“Nissan LEAF deliveries are about to grow from the few hundreds, to the many thousands, and all current customer orders will be fulfilled by the end of this summer.”

Of course I'm not sure if 'the other 36' are simply considered a 'reservation' and not an actual 'order'.

I think you have to take "order" as those who have already been able to place an actual order - not those who have made a reservation. That is those who have gone through the RAQ process and put in an actual order with their PD.

Also note the nuance - "current customer orders" - which I would take to mean that Nissan is making no promises about the timing of delivery of cars for those who are able to order when the Nissan ordering system reopens next month.

 

[relytgerg]

Also see the thread at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3466

Here's some contact information I was able to quickly obtain off the Internet if anyone wants to use it to voice their frustration about being passed over when you're not in a Tier1 market:

From NissanUSA.com - United States Consumer Affairs:
Nissan Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin TN 37068-5003
(800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,
Eastern / Central Time / Pacific Time
Monday through Friday

From http://www.ceoemail.com - email address for Carlos Ghosn, CEO:
[email protected]

Per the Annual report - postal address:
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
1-1, Takashima 1-chome, Nishi-ku,
Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 220-8686, Japan

Let's let them know how we feel.

 

[TRONZ]

I think for a product like this Nissan has had to really be careful with demographics. They claim to have 340,000 people interested in the LEAF. But how many are REALLY interested??? They charged a refundable Reservation fee and weeded out 320,000 people! Very interesting! This number is overly simplistic but Nissan clearly used it to correlate potential owners geography with a marketing strategy and who knows what else. Nissan HAD to DEFINE and CHOOSE the market carefully... then declare a STRATEGY they could build on. Lets remember some basics. Americans are funny (fickle) shoppers. We will often say we want something (everything) now but then don't buy it when it's available. Foreign car companies know this all to well and are very cautious with the U.S. Market. We haven't even gotten to the fact that the product in question is the worlds first mass market EV AND being launched during the great recession!

Nissan's got guts and also underestimated the demand for Electric Cars!

 

[daniel]

Tavares [...] said new customers could end up getting one by summer if they order in early May.

... Before those of us who ordered in September/October!

Also note the nuance - "current customer orders" - which I would take to mean that Nissan is making no promises about the timing of delivery of cars for those who are able to order when the Nissan ordering system reopens next month.

... Except that they'll get their cars before those of us who ordered in September/October.

* * *

Remember that we'd ALL have our cars now if Nissan had kept its promise to deliver the first 4,700 cars in December and January. We gave them $99 with that understanding. Then, keeping our money, Nissan decided to sell the 4,700 cars promised as a QUICK United States roll-out, in Japan instead. I can perfectly understand their preference for selling the cars in their own country. BUT THEY LIED TO US when they promised to sell those cars here. They took earnest money from us, and then went back on their promise and sold those cars in Japan, bumping us down the line. (The incompetent programming which resulted in the "lost" orders and the leapfrogging of January orders, and the horrible tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami are entirely separate matters, the former indirectly their fault for outsourcing programming to incompetents, and the latter nobody's fault.)

My heart goes out to the victims of the disaster, and to the brave workers who are exposing themselves to the radiation in the damaged nuclear plants in order to try to make the area safe for the residents.

But Nissan, while probably not breaking any laws or violating any contracts, has lied to us, has been dishonest with us, and has shown us utter disrespect. Every corporation exists to make a profit, but some do it by treating customers in a way that will make those customers appreciate the company, and some do it with contempt for the people who buy their products. It is with great sadness that I am forced to the realization that Nissan falls into the latter category.

 

[TRONZ]

I think Nissan has no problem with people canceling their reservation and getting their $99 back. Everyone here has freedom of choice and I think it's highly unfair to characterize any potential buyers as being trapped. Eager yes. Trapped no.

 

[charlie1300]

Whether Nissan had closed the reservations or left them open doesn't really matter. The result will be the same. The point is that when there is a regional phased roll out, the reservation/order sequencing is only going to be maintained within each region. Once the initial orders for the first region are filled, they will take new orders for that region, regardless of where in the process the other regions are. Same for the second region, and so forth. This process wouldn't be unique to Nissan, any major Corp would do the same general process.

Sure, it would have been nice if Nissan had been clearer about how the regional roll out was going to affect reservation holders in tier 2 and the forgotten 36. But as a proud member of the forgotten 36, I don't feel I've been duped or treated unfairly. As soon as I saw the layout of the regional roll-out, I knew I was in for a long wait.

I don't expect Nissan or any other Corp to do something that is contrary to their basic bottom line. Freezing new orders and deliveries in Tier 1 until tier 2 and 36 got all theirs would be such an act.

Nor did expect that my $99 deposit entitled me to much. After all, its 0.2% of the MSRP. Really just a token deposit.

 

[GeekEV]

I don't recall Nissan giving a specific December timeframe. Many of us EXPECTED that, but I don't think it was ever promised. Did I miss it? References please...

 

[AmarilloLeaf]

.

Time to fire up a chat window, methinks.

If you are 10 miles away, rent an Arizona PO box, a Mailbox ETC box, or use an Arizona friends address for your reservation.

Nissan will allow you to change your address.

Then you can order.

 

[Yanquetino]

If you are 10 miles away, rent an Arizona PO box, a Mailbox ETC box, or use an Arizona friends address for your reservation.

Nissan will allow you to change your address.

Then you can order.

PO Boxes won't work. As the dashboard fine print states: "Customer's address registered on nissanusa.com must match credit card billing address and the residence where Nissan LEAF will reside."

The designated dealer must also be in a Tier 1 state, and the nearest one in AZ to me is in Lake Havasu, nearly 300 miles away away.

More importantly, in my mind this raises an ethical question, one that I first encountered a couple of years ago when customers started using fake addresses to reserve an Aptera. Call me naïve, but I have never felt comfortable about being less than honest with Nissan. They are, after all, a company whose efforts I wish to support. And yet... look how much consideration they have given me in return. Sure, I could lie that I live in a Tier 1 state, but it is a sad state of affairs when a company would allow "cheaters" to win, while truly honest consumers lose out. And I thought we EV advocates were trying to build a better world.

 

[AmarilloLeaf]

If you are 10 miles away, rent an Arizona PO box, a Mailbox ETC box, or use an Arizona friends address for your reservation.

Nissan will allow you to change your address.

Then you can order.

PO Boxes won't work. As the dashboard fine print states: "Customer's address registered on nissanusa.com must match credit card billing address and the residence where Nissan LEAF will reside."

When I changed my address, they didn't give a flying leap about the credit card. All they cared about was that the new address was in a state that could order a Leaf.

If the PO box is YOUR PO box, there is no deception or fraud here.

If you choose the status quo, I think you should also stop your bellyaching.

 

[daniel]

I think Nissan has no problem with people canceling their reservation and getting their $99 back. Everyone here has freedom of choice and I think it's highly unfair to characterize any potential buyers as being trapped. Eager yes. Trapped no.

Nobody's trapped. But we have been lied to throughout the process. We came into this in good faith, and we're being treated with disrespect.

... The point is that when there is a regional phased roll out, the reservation/order sequencing is only going to be maintained within each region...

Except that it's not. The deliveries have been entirely out of order.

 

[Yanquetino]

If you choose the status quo, I think you should also stop your bellyaching.

Hooo. Niiiice. That was sure kind.

 

[TRONZ]

I also hate to point out that their are countless "Forgotten" threads. Every time Nissan does a press release there is an eruption of new threads about this. I really want to be sympathetic but we are going over well worn tracks here. Nissan and everyone here wishes there was a LEAF in every driveway. Unfortunately, the pragmatic nature of reality makes that impossible. It will take time.

 

[kmp647]

take a look at the new registration page on the leaf website
http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/login/auth
"beginning May 1, Nissan will reopen reservations to selected US customers who were registered before April 20, 2011 in states currently selling the Nissan LEAF™ (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington)."

following this early-reservation period, reservations then will open to the general public in those launch states.

not only will Nissan take a new reservation from persons currently registerd starting May 1st

they will begin shortly after that taking new reservations from the general public.
as long as you are in a roll-out state

so somone who never thought of a Leaf or cared til next week, gets to: reserve a Leaf and likely order before I get to order sometime when ("late summer 2011" has turned to fall 2011 according to chat) even though I have been in line since day one.


I am not complaining here.

 

[malamastra]

Well I am from Marryland DC area. Does Nissan really think that we will let this go without any consequences? I was prepared to slap 40K down (and wait for the rebate ) to get the car in December 10 or early 11. I will not buy a car from a company that insults me and my state/ area. I will now wait until another electric car become availble and also will spread the word that no body in the non tier 1 state should buy any Nissan car or product. You do not need Maryland but Maryland does not need you!!!!!!!

 

[relytgerg]

take a look at the new registration page on the leaf website
http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/login/auth
"beginning May 1, Nissan will reopen reservations to selected US customers who were registered before April 20, 2011 in states currently selling the Nissan LEAF™ (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington)."

following this early-reservation period, reservations then will open to the general public in those launch states.

not only will Nissan take a new reservation from persons currently registered starting May 1st

they will begin shortly after that taking new reservations from the general public.
as long as you are in a roll-out state

so someone who never thought of a Leaf or cared til next week, gets to: reserve a Leaf and likely order before I get to order sometime when ("late summer 2011" has turned to fall 2011 according to chat) even though I have been in line since day one.


I am not complaining here.

For me, one of those in "the rest of the country," summer 2011 has become 2012, without any reference to a month or quarter. From the press release (highlighting is mine):
More markets will follow, with market availability in the southeastern United States (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia) this fall, and nationwide ordering in 2012.

 

[tps]

One of those original 20,000 LEAFs was supposed to be mine. It had my name on it in their system and my money in Nissan's accounts.

That's problably the biggest point of misunderstanding. Yes the reservation web site does show "My 2011 Nissan Leaf", but I'm sure that's not exactly the message Nissan intended to send. One part of Nissan likely thought they were saying that you had a reservation for A Leaf, not a particular Leaf, even though another part of Nissan sent the message that you had a reservation for a specific car. My guess is that those of us in the forgotten 36 will be getting a MY 2012 Leaf, even though the web site promises a 2011 Leaf. Not exactly sure what Nissan will do to the web site as this conclusion becomes more inescapable. Maybe they'll revamp it when they re-open reservations.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

Call me naïve, but I have never felt comfortable about being less than honest with Nissan.

Baahhaahahaa.. If I knew then what I knew now, I could have lied six ways a day to Nissan and booked as many reservations as I could. And I'd STILL feel like I was the more honest party in this contract.

Nissan has jerked us around like a espresso-fed border collie on a leash. For you to feel 'ethically compromised' by using your out-of-state address, well, that's just quaint.

When it comes to Big Business.. if you aren't looking out for yourself, nobody is.

 

[redLEAF]

Another pick up on the story from AutoWeek:

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110421/GREEN/110429968


They don't mention anything about the non-launch states but again as others have read between the lines ... whatever amount of cars was 'reserved' for those in the non-launch states last April could be picked up by 'new' customers that would be allowed to purchase within the launch states after May 1st. Why Nissan just didn't simply do what say a BMW is doing with only leasing it's next gen EV to selected states (barring all others) would have been better than this. At this point unless something more clear comes from Nissan, it probably doesn't make any sense for the non-launch state people to have Nissan holding a reservation with a LEAF that may not show up until close to two years or more from the original sign up date? Perhaps that's another hope on their part that these people (including myself) will simply cancel and get a refund so these cars can be sold within the areas they've deemed worthy -- didn't someone post a pre-reserve list (I'm sure it's quite old) that showed a snap shot of the pre-reserved LEAF's ? Coudl have been just a general article and no stat's -- for now it's only $99 so I'll wait a bit to see if more news comes from Nissan but hope others within the non-launch states will share what they plan to do