AlaskaPaul

All of you who currently have their C7 sitting all warm and cozy in their garage could care less anymore. But there was a time, not so long ago, that most of you cared a great deal. And it bothered me also when I was going through it, and still does, especially thinking of all the poor souls who will have to endure it in the future.

Think back when you were waiting for your car order to be processed, and you were checking on you code status every week, and got all excited as one code changed to the next! Well, this is the thread I've wanted to write for two months..........and now I can finally because my car is here! Whoopee.

My frustration stems from Chevy apparently being stuck in the past, information wise, and I know I will take heat from some of you who might not be able to think outside the box, or still long for the day the first Corvette was built back in 1953. (My favorite year, BTW)

My gripe is about the Chevy Customer Service (CCS) sticky we have here on the forum, and the arcane process we all must endure just to simply check the status of our car order.

Granted, it is better than nothing, ...........however. And don't get me wrong, CCS was very good to me, and I appreciate the ability to get order updates periodically, as did all of you, I assume. The people were nice, understanding, helpful, and easy to work with.

They kept us in the loop as to what was going on with our cars as best they could. And I am not trying to eliminate their jobs, or put anybody out of work.........but it is my opinion that if there was ever a process which could be automated and simplified as easily as falling off a log, it's CCS's order status reporting system we all used extensively while waiting for our cars to be built.

As all of you know, every week or so we all wrote a polite little request to CCS asking for the current status of our vehicle as it was winding its way through Chevy Land!

And every week or so CCS would (usually) respond to tell us what the current code was in another polite little message, and then again many of us would thank CCS for their response in another polite little message........and then we would wait a week or so and start the whole silly process over again. Over and over until the vehicle was shipped, or whatever. All to the tune of (currently) 16,823+/- polite little messages back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, on and on!!

Folks, this is 2015......not 1951, the last time I looked!

Fifteen years ago, before I retired, when I was working for an organization equally as large as Chevrolet, I was downloading very detailed records of raw information (flat files, basically columns and rows of data) from a main frame computer and dumping it into relational databases which supplied thousands of pieces of information to my managers directly to their desktop computers with one click of a mouse button. And I was a manager, not a computer geek, at the time.

In this case we are merely talking about two lousy fields of information to be extracted from the database Chevy affectionately calls "Workbench Orders"..............Two lousy fields of data are all that is needed to be accessed.

#1:Order number
#2: Current status code

That's it! Two little columns of information.

That's all we need. The user could input the order number and the program would instantly give the current status code! It would take a real computer geek about ten minutes or less to write a simple program for customers to access. A program in which we type in our order number, and have it instantly spit out our status code. That's it! Ten minutes, maybe fifteen, with a coffee break thrown in.

It's just crazy to me........the entire process. It's like we are back using the telegraph, party line telephones, or worse yet, smoke signals!

The Workbench order is simply a database which tracks numerous fields of specific data pertaining to our individual order. All I am suggesting is that Chevy allow someone to access it and provide those two fields in a customer friendly manner.........what's the harm?

Happy customers, who could instantly check the status of their order themselves, a thousand times a day, if they want? What ever happened to Customer Service?

Now I feel much better.............I said it........it's out.........and now I can just enjoy my brand new car and have pity on the poor folks who will, in the future, have to request "order status" in a polite little message, week after week, after week in the coming model year, and beyond! Over and over and over..........and over and over .............!

Life is good! (I feel so much better!)

Alaskapaul

///ADMAN

I guess you get what you pay for online.

Sir Nuke

Paul.....I am 100% with you.....I TRIED to use the thread a few times, and it would be DAYS, it at all before I would get an answer.....then someone told me about the ChevyChat....which was a lot better, like 100% better in my book. Of course I believe they have discontinued that part of their service....FORTUNATLY for me, I have a very good friend that actually works at a big dealership and has access to the workbench and will run my numbers anytime I needed. So I ended up TELLING my dealer that my car was being delivered before they dud! LOL

JTE

I never used the forum thread. I used Chevrolet chat online. Very simple and quick.

bluemax750

I have a better question.

Why isn't there an app for this?

FORD GUY

The Customer Service Thread is WORTHLESS. Hopefully ZYMURGY is reading this. Again, WORTHLESS sticky thread!

BIG Dave

What do other manufacturers do? Do other manufacturers have a system where you can check the build status? (I don't have the answer, I'm just curious and asking the question).

dvilin

I just placed my order and the Sales Person would call me every few weeks with an update. Really had no need for anything else, I knew when I placed the order approximately how long it would take.

RUSTYNKL

iI agree with the post! I waited 4.5 mos. for my coupe. trying to get info was like pulling teeth!

Thunder22

Are you not aware of this site?

http://www.gm.com/content/gmcom/home...r%20%2Bservice


You can get your status practically any time Monday to Saturday
8 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST

Great rant though lol

jwt1603

Mine called or e-mailed me every week. I only went on that thread to see if the actual order had really been placed. By the time CCS replied my sales rep had already e-mailed me a screen shot showing the order number and he gave me the TPW. This was one business day after I placed the order.

1SG_Ret

I used the CS thread in the "sticky" section when I had my car on order. I found it to be helpful and informative. I didn't get my answers immediately, but normally within a few days. I was thrilled each time I got a status report as my car neared completion.

While many require instant gratification, I was more than happy to know someone at GM was taking the time to read our threads and then track the progress during the build and post an upbeat reply to the inquiry.

For anyone stuck at 1100, it wouldn't make a difference if you had instant messaging (or a direct phone line) on your car's status . It won't move until Chevy picks up the order to build it.

grandpawmoses

I was curious about my 2014 build date & contacted Customer Service yesterday. I had an answer within a few hours. Excellent service IMHO. As far as order status, it's probably complicated to get an answer beyond the usual "xxxx" number status.

Globeman

I agree completely with the OP.

GM probably has concerns about security; they don’t want competitors monitoring their production status but that is easily resolved. To get access to just your own order status you’d need an ID/Password. To get that you would have to supply your order #, name and dealer that placed the order. Even better than DB access, you should be able to enroll for email or text status updates. I get that for nickel/dime online purchases, UPS and FEDEX deliveries.

The current system is incredibly archaic, slow and labor intensive. I’m waiting for my new C7. I have to get status than call the dealer and tell THEM what’s going on and ask them to do something about my stalled order. Then I have to follow up with them to see if they did anything. Why should a $70,000 customer have to drive the process? You would think that GM & their dealers would have more interest in customer service.

BRCC

Back in the first days of the C7 there was a individual (GM'er) who did exactly what the OP wanted, you would provide your order # and he would put in in a spreadsheet which he updated weekly with status codes. It finally became too much to handle along with his real job and was discontinued.

The best way is to keep a good relationship with your dealer and I have never had a problem being updated, I can send a email to the Workbench Manager and get a reply or just drop in and get updated. There is no reason this information is not provided by your dealer being you are buying a $55K+ car through them, it's not Bowling Green or GMs job, it's your dealers

Corgidog1

I use Chevy Chat and you are dealing with a live person that you can ask follow up questions to. Unfortunately not all their answers are correct as I recently found out, when I asked why my car was taken offsite i.e. "all cars are pulled for a quality check which can last up to 14 days".

BRCC

As you stated sometimes they tell people that when they really don't know the problem with a order. Of course that is a untrue statement that I have heard many times on the forum. My car was manufactured 10/21 and another 10/22 both were on a truck to my dealer on the 10/24 and delivered 10/26. As I stated form a relationship with the dealer and they should keep you informed, it's their responsibility.

Globeman

Unfortunately, there are a lot of dealers who won't keep you informed when the news isn't good. They will tap dance around the issue and delay, delay, delay rather than deliver bad news. They promise a delivery lead time with the full knowledge that it's all B.S. [speaking from experience] Tesla has the right idea; sell direct and eliminate the dealer network.

GS1960

Rather than have to access a web page why not have Chevy send out a weekly email update with the code and an short description. This would require 2 maybe 3 additional fields, code description, orders identified as sold, and an email address field.

Zymurgy

I just happened to come across this. Best way to communicate with the Mods is to send a PM. However, a lot of members would not agree with you. For example:


The sticky thread is just another avenue to get status updates:

1. Your dealer. Tell your dealer that their communication to you during the entire order to delivery process will be part of your Dealer Survey. Demand a weekly email with a copy of the OrderWorkbench for your order.
2. Chevy Chat
3. CS Sticky Thread