It is great to see both the change in Fisker's testing regimen and the new CEO's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. I am looking forward to the availability of the 6.15 release to see the results of this.DHarris said:
Fiskers Commitment to Quality
Attached is the text of a note from Tom LaSorda, CEO of Fisker Automotive.
Fisker’s Commitment to quality – an Open letter from Tom LaSorda
Quality and customer satisfaction are the top priority for Fisker Automotive.
With any new technology there will be a need for initial updates and refinements and we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis. In addition, Fisker’s 24 hour VIP contact centers, retail network with a proven customer service track record and our comprehensive vehicle warranty are all designed to give you, our customers, complete peace of mind.
It is important to understand that despite widespread publicity of a service issue with a car belonging to Consumer Reports last week, Karma performed exactly as it was designed to. The on-board diagnostics detected a fault and entered a protection mode that shut the car down to protect other components. We are sorry for the inconvenience this caused the customer, but we focused on getting the car back to them as swiftly as possible.
All identified parts have been returned to Fisker for a full engineering analysis.
I have put in place a “SWAT Team” with over 50 dedicated engineers and other consulting professionals to help identify this and other unique customer issues with the Karma. New software has been developed and installed in a large fleet of vehicles and they are being driven round the clock for testing and validation. As soon as this procedure is complete we will send updated software out.
I am personally involved in all these initiatives and am committed to delivering complete customer satisfaction and peace of mind.
Sincerely
Tom LaSorda
Fisker’s Commitment to quality – an Open letter from Tom LaSorda
Quality and customer satisfaction are the top priority for Fisker Automotive.
With any new technology there will be a need for initial updates and refinements and we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis. In addition, Fisker’s 24 hour VIP contact centers, retail network with a proven customer service track record and our comprehensive vehicle warranty are all designed to give you, our customers, complete peace of mind.
It is important to understand that despite widespread publicity of a service issue with a car belonging to Consumer Reports last week, Karma performed exactly as it was designed to. The on-board diagnostics detected a fault and entered a protection mode that shut the car down to protect other components. We are sorry for the inconvenience this caused the customer, but we focused on getting the car back to them as swiftly as possible.
All identified parts have been returned to Fisker for a full engineering analysis.
I have put in place a “SWAT Team” with over 50 dedicated engineers and other consulting professionals to help identify this and other unique customer issues with the Karma. New software has been developed and installed in a large fleet of vehicles and they are being driven round the clock for testing and validation. As soon as this procedure is complete we will send updated software out.
I am personally involved in all these initiatives and am committed to delivering complete customer satisfaction and peace of mind.
Sincerely
Tom LaSorda
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dennis said:Yay team La Sorda...a thank you to early adopters and a real 615 update / expectation will be proof positive. ....I bought so am still buying....matched expectations, real deliverables and Commincations are key.DHarris said:I have put in place a “SWAT Team” with over 50 dedicated engineers and other consulting professionals to help identify this and other unique customer issues with the Karma. New software has been developed and installed in a large fleet of vehicles and they are being driven round the clock for testing and validation. As soon as this procedure is complete we will send updated software out.
I am personally involved in all these initiatives and am committed to delivering complete customer satisfaction and peace of mind.
Sincerely
Tom LaSorda
It is great to see both the change in Fisker's testing regimen and the new CEO's commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. I am looking forward to the availability of the 6.15 release to see the results of this.
:thumbup: :thumbup:DHarris said:Attached is the text of a note from Tom LaSorda, CEO of Fisker Automotive.
Fisker’s Commitment to quality – an Open letter from Tom LaSorda
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Sounds great. Can't wait to see if they can really execute the plan with the current hardware. I have my doubts about the hardware being able to handle the tasks.
Besides being able to use the car without the bugs, they need to address getting the functionality up to par with other $100+ sedans.
This is a good step in the right direction.
Besides being able to use the car without the bugs, they need to address getting the functionality up to par with other $100+ sedans.
This is a good step in the right direction.
I applaud the CEO's proactive stance in (finally!) reaching out to this community.
That said, there are a couple points that could have been improved in his letter:
1) "we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis"
It does not seem that the significant fraction of the serious problems discussed in this forum have been quickly resolved. Of course quickly is a subjective term, but haven't some fairly serious bugs like the PRND fault and the vanishing speedometer been present for several months? Likewise, the partial or complete lack of certain functionality *still* being used to sell the Karma, like the solar panel and the cabin pre-conditioning, is also a long-term unresolved problem.
2) "It is important to understand that despite widespread publicity of a service issue with a car belonging to Consumer Reports last week, Karma performed exactly as it was designed to."
I cringed when I read this line. It's Jay Leno- or Jon Stewart-worthy. "Get this... Mr. Tom LaSorda, the CEO behind the $100,000 Fisker Karma, said their car tested by Consumer Reports-- the first to ever strand their test driver-- behaved 'exactly as it was designed to.' The Daily Show tried to interview Mr. LaSorda but he was unable to make it to our studios in time for this show because his car was performing as designed."
All joking aside, I'm hoping that this new and hopefully very real collaboration between our community and Fisker will finally let their amazing product shine.
-David
That said, there are a couple points that could have been improved in his letter:
1) "we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis"
It does not seem that the significant fraction of the serious problems discussed in this forum have been quickly resolved. Of course quickly is a subjective term, but haven't some fairly serious bugs like the PRND fault and the vanishing speedometer been present for several months? Likewise, the partial or complete lack of certain functionality *still* being used to sell the Karma, like the solar panel and the cabin pre-conditioning, is also a long-term unresolved problem.
2) "It is important to understand that despite widespread publicity of a service issue with a car belonging to Consumer Reports last week, Karma performed exactly as it was designed to."
I cringed when I read this line. It's Jay Leno- or Jon Stewart-worthy. "Get this... Mr. Tom LaSorda, the CEO behind the $100,000 Fisker Karma, said their car tested by Consumer Reports-- the first to ever strand their test driver-- behaved 'exactly as it was designed to.' The Daily Show tried to interview Mr. LaSorda but he was unable to make it to our studios in time for this show because his car was performing as designed."
All joking aside, I'm hoping that this new and hopefully very real collaboration between our community and Fisker will finally let their amazing product shine.
-David
David,drliu said:I cringed when I read this line. It's Jay Leno- or Jon Stewart-worthy.
I'm not sure how you did it since this forum only allows for basic text formatting, but when I read your joke it was in Jay Leno's voice in my head
Like most jokes, what made it funny is that it's sadly true.
Brent
Well, at the very least, it seems a wise decision was made in bringing in mr lasorda. Drliu, perhaps going forward issues like that WILL be properly resolved?
I tell ya this, if 6.15 fixes all the known issues, my wife will definitely start leaning on me about the white one we saw @ the dealer in DE.
I tell ya this, if 6.15 fixes all the known issues, my wife will definitely start leaning on me about the white one we saw @ the dealer in DE.
I think LaSorda is referring to hardware issues when he talks about promptly addressing problems.
And let's not forget that there have been other problems that are in the realm of basic car-making, such as pinched vent lines and water hoses, my problem with bad connector silicon, etc. that could have been caught with methods that would be familiar to Mr. LaSorda from his 3 decades in car business. I hope he is taking a comprehensive view of quality, not just focusing on the software.siliconkiwi said:I think LaSorda is referring to hardware issues when he talks about promptly addressing problems.
I spoke to David Harris a few weeks ago and discussed my concerns about the hardware not being able to handle the software tasks. He said Fisker would do what was necessary to fix the issues, even if that meant replacing some hardware. I'm not sure if he was just trying to make me feel better, but he sounded sincere. Hopefully the hardware is up to the tasks, and software alone will resolve the bugs and slow response times.ffcars said:Sounds great. Can't wait to see if they can really execute the plan with the current hardware. I have my doubts about the hardware being able to handle the tasks.
1) "we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis"
It does not seem that the significant fraction of the serious problems discussed in this forum have been quickly resolved. Of course quickly is a subjective term, but haven't some fairly serious bugs like the PRND fault and the vanishing speedometer been present for several months? Likewise, the partial or complete lack of certain functionality *still* being used to sell the Karma, like the solar panel and the cabin pre-conditioning, is also a long-term unresolved problem.
I talked with Mr. LaSorda yesterday at an investor meeting in Marin. While the letter does not communicate the ungency that he views the situation, the verbal communication certainly did...it is definitely on his radar. He has only been in his position as CEO for about two weeks, it takes a little time to get the culture changed, which he acknowleged. So, I'm optimistic...enough so to go through with picking up the car tomorrow!!
Love your comment about Leno...
It does not seem that the significant fraction of the serious problems discussed in this forum have been quickly resolved. Of course quickly is a subjective term, but haven't some fairly serious bugs like the PRND fault and the vanishing speedometer been present for several months? Likewise, the partial or complete lack of certain functionality *still* being used to sell the Karma, like the solar panel and the cabin pre-conditioning, is also a long-term unresolved problem.
I talked with Mr. LaSorda yesterday at an investor meeting in Marin. While the letter does not communicate the ungency that he views the situation, the verbal communication certainly did...it is definitely on his radar. He has only been in his position as CEO for about two weeks, it takes a little time to get the culture changed, which he acknowleged. So, I'm optimistic...enough so to go through with picking up the car tomorrow!!
Love your comment about Leno...
As Former President Clinton may have said, that also depends on what your definition of "resolve" is. If resolving the problem consists of identifying the problem and adding it to the master bug list and assigning it to an engineer to solve, Fisker has probably been quick in "resolving" problems. But if resolve means fixing the problem to the customers' satisfaction, probably not so much. [hr]lektrikboy said:1) "we have demonstrated the ability to quickly resolve them on a case-by-case basis"
It does not seem that the significant fraction of the serious problems discussed in this forum have been quickly resolved. Of course quickly is a subjective term, but haven't some fairly serious bugs like the PRND fault and the vanishing speedometer been present for several months? Likewise, the partial or complete lack of certain functionality *still* being used to sell the Karma, like the solar panel and the cabin pre-conditioning, is also a long-term unresolved problem.
Is it just me, or does the image of a bunch of bleary-eyed Fisker engineers driving around LA day and night seem amusing? Like the tormented ghost of Hamlet's father, these guys must haunt the freeways until they have atoned for their sins by finding and fixing all the bugs.DHarris said:I have put in place a “SWAT Team” with over 50 dedicated engineers and other consulting professionals to help identify this and other unique customer issues with the Karma. New software has been developed and installed in a large fleet of vehicles and they are being driven round the clock for testing and validation. As soon as this procedure is complete we will send updated software out.
18 hours/day...Fabulist said:Is it just me, or does the image of a bunch of bleary-eyed Fisker engineers driving around LA day and night seem amusing? Like the tormented ghost of Hamlet's father, these guys must haunt the freeways until they have atoned for their sins by finding and fixing all the bugs.
Stay the course, we're all counting on you! :thumbup:konig said:18 hours/day...Fabulist said:Is it just me, or does the image of a bunch of bleary-eyed Fisker engineers driving around LA day and night seem amusing? Like the tormented ghost of Hamlet's father, these guys must haunt the freeways until they have atoned for their sins by finding and fixing all the bugs.
Sleep deprivation is not good for fine motor skills and cognitive thinking. So, I am not sure this is the right way. I am hoping that they are on reasonable shifts.
I received two communications from Fisker Corporate today. First I received the "Open Letter from Tom Lasorda" by email, sent to me by Josh Batie, Director of Customer Services
I also got a call from Natalie Goudarzian, who is apparently a customer service representative for the southeast US. She was calling to check in with me, to see how things were going and to ask if I had any questions or anything I wish to discuss. She was aware that I've had some issues as I've reported to my dealer (CEL, various SW gremlins, etc) and reiterated Fisker's commitment to customer satisfaction. I don't recall her exact words, but she referenced Mr. Lasorda and made it clear that Fisker is more focused than ever on the customer experience. She didn't have anything truly new to tell me (as FiskerBuzzers we're as in the loop as possible) and while she told me that 6.15 was undergoing rigorous testing, she didn't have a release date or a list of what it addresses. I believe her; I expect Fisker is managing expectations very carefully now and aren't going to announce something they aren't 100% sure they can deliver. In other words, the release notes will come out when the software does. Personally, I'm fine with this by the way, and I'd much rather have Quality software than Timely software. (I want both, of course).
While we were on the phone I emailed her my list of current issues (I maintain a spreadsheet) that I've been using with my dealer to track my experiences. She said that she was going add all of that "to my ticket" and committed to escalating it to management for further review.
She did say one thing I thought was very interesting. More or less out of the blue she asked me if there was anything Fisker could do to improve my experience or compensate me for my troubles. I told her that they could fix the car. I also mentioned I wouldn't mind some Fisker schwag, like a hat or a jacket. She then asked me if I had a level 2 charger already. When I said I did, she said, "oh, ok." She didn't directly come out and offer it, but the sense I got was that offering me a free L2 charger for my trouble is something that is in their power to do. So in response I asked if it's possible to compensate me with an additional convenience charger, and she said she'd look into it, and also see what she could do about getting me some Fisker merchandise. She even confirmed my shipping address, and as I'm writing this post she just sent me an email follow-up thanking me for my time and recapping our conversation.
I have to say, since Tom Lasorda's appointment Fisker is stepping up their Customer Service game in both talk and action. I don't know if it's a function of the new CEO bringing a new culture, a critical mass of owner issues, the public relations catastrophe at Consumer Reports, or all of the above but I'm happy for it, and my confidence in Fisker is increased.
Brent
I also got a call from Natalie Goudarzian, who is apparently a customer service representative for the southeast US. She was calling to check in with me, to see how things were going and to ask if I had any questions or anything I wish to discuss. She was aware that I've had some issues as I've reported to my dealer (CEL, various SW gremlins, etc) and reiterated Fisker's commitment to customer satisfaction. I don't recall her exact words, but she referenced Mr. Lasorda and made it clear that Fisker is more focused than ever on the customer experience. She didn't have anything truly new to tell me (as FiskerBuzzers we're as in the loop as possible) and while she told me that 6.15 was undergoing rigorous testing, she didn't have a release date or a list of what it addresses. I believe her; I expect Fisker is managing expectations very carefully now and aren't going to announce something they aren't 100% sure they can deliver. In other words, the release notes will come out when the software does. Personally, I'm fine with this by the way, and I'd much rather have Quality software than Timely software. (I want both, of course).
While we were on the phone I emailed her my list of current issues (I maintain a spreadsheet) that I've been using with my dealer to track my experiences. She said that she was going add all of that "to my ticket" and committed to escalating it to management for further review.
She did say one thing I thought was very interesting. More or less out of the blue she asked me if there was anything Fisker could do to improve my experience or compensate me for my troubles. I told her that they could fix the car. I also mentioned I wouldn't mind some Fisker schwag, like a hat or a jacket. She then asked me if I had a level 2 charger already. When I said I did, she said, "oh, ok." She didn't directly come out and offer it, but the sense I got was that offering me a free L2 charger for my trouble is something that is in their power to do. So in response I asked if it's possible to compensate me with an additional convenience charger, and she said she'd look into it, and also see what she could do about getting me some Fisker merchandise. She even confirmed my shipping address, and as I'm writing this post she just sent me an email follow-up thanking me for my time and recapping our conversation.
I have to say, since Tom Lasorda's appointment Fisker is stepping up their Customer Service game in both talk and action. I don't know if it's a function of the new CEO bringing a new culture, a critical mass of owner issues, the public relations catastrophe at Consumer Reports, or all of the above but I'm happy for it, and my confidence in Fisker is increased.
Brent
Offering SWAG to placate disgruntled customers is an old trick and, frankly, a bit cheesy (Mmmmm ... Cheese!). The second convenience charger is a good idea though. I should remember that if they call me.
To be fair, she didn't offer swag. She asked if there's anything they could do to compensate me, and I asked for it. I like cheese.Fabulist said:Offering SWAG to placate disgruntled customers is an old trick and, frankly, a bit cheesy (Mmmmm ... Cheese!). The second convenience charger is a good idea though. I should remember that if they call me.
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