DD Versions, Trial, and Upgrades

[Amster]

With all the posts in the last two days, it seems like in some cases there was definitely not enough questions asked when ordering the car, or the sales people weren't explicit enough about the terms of the trial. While it's never fun to lose what you have, I knew from the day I purchased it, both the initial cost and what it would cost if I wanted to keep SSPro after the trial. That decision was mine to make. And there's just no point in complaining later if you've made the wrong choice.

 

[mpkillio]

I Made at least 3 inquiries to ask about Dream Drive Pro, Surreal Sound Pro and the 3D camera system. One was when Lucid sent me a survey to talk about the process and experiences of buying my Lucid. Another time was when I sent in a note through the customer Contact Us on Lucid's web site. Another time I phoned the customer support center somewhere between May 1 and May 15 to discuss the same issues.

My questions basically stated that I appreciated the 90 day trial period I wanted to know how I could make an informed decision on whether or not to purchase DDP and SSP if I could not experience a vehicle without those already installed. I suggested that Lucid shut off DDP and SSP for a few day so I could have an ability to see the difference between having and not having those 2 options. I also suggested grace period that when the 90 days run out turn off the DDP and SSP but allow the customer 1 week in which to contact Lucid if they wanted either of both of those options.

Neither of those suggestions were ever acted on nor did anyone contact me to discuss any type of solution that would enable me to test the vehicle without DDP and SSP.

One 6/28/23 I receive an email from Lucid stating they would be turning off DDP and SSP If I did not purchase them within that week. After phoning and having 2 conversations with Adam at customer support he stated that I was correct about being able to purchase those options within the 90 trial period at the same price they were when the vehicle was purchased. He went on to say that because the 90 days had elapsed I was no longer able to purchase those options at the original price and there was now an up charge.

I made at least 3 attempts to find a solution from Lucid on the ability to test the vehicle without those options and no customer service rep or customer support ever responded. To top it off there was no notification prior to the 90 days elapsing. Instead Lucid decided to email me 19 days after the 90 grace period telling me my trial was ending and they were turning off my options in a week. Does that seem right to you? Would you expect to be notified before or after a trial period ends? How do you feel about no contact or follow up from anyone from Lucid with at least 3 attempts by me to find a solution? Does this seem like good customer service or a company that really doesn’t care about the customer experience?

My request is simple. I am most interested in the DDP premium with the 3d visualization. The price quoted to me is $2,500 where new customers can add it to their car for $2,000. In my view honoring the $2,000 price a new customer would pay is at best a small compensation for a customer who tried to find a solution within the 90 day trial period but was ignored. Would you "Lucid" rather have a customer that will sing the praises for the Lucid Motor Company to perspective buyers and public forums or a customer disgruntled by Lucid’s lack of follow through the unfair method of handling the customer?

 

[elusive7]

Lot of interesting anecdotes here, but my SA explicitly told me that my DDPro and SSPro were discounted upfront and that if I bought them after the trial periods ended, the cost was going to be higher. I wonder if all this confusion could have happened due to less knowledgeable SAs NOT telling customers that, or if the customers didn't ask all the right questions. Either way, I don't really think Lucid did anything wrong here

 

[nbuubu]

Lot of interesting anecdotes here, but my SA explicitly told me that my DDPro and SSPro were discounted upfront and that if I bought them after the trial periods ended, the cost was going to be higher. I wonder if all this confusion could have happened due to less knowledgeable SAs NOT telling customers that, or if the customers didn't ask all the right questions. Either way, I don't really think Lucid did anything wrong here

I kept asking as my SA was clear the prices would rise, but he couldn't say by how much or even when. He did say they were considering something like DD Premium, but again, no mention of actual prices. That's very difficult to expect customers to make a decision especially when no one can A-B the sound quality difference between SS and SS Pro, and features like Highway Assist I was told was part of base SS by my SA and was mentioned in their press release now is not.

It's just some poor communication, because I asked repeatedly and did have trouble contacting my SA. Should have heeded that as a warning sign.

I expected DDPro to jump up from 9K (pre-order) to 10K (regular price), but I didn't expect an additional 20% bump to 12K. I asked repeatedly and never got an answer, so absent proper information I passed.

Similar with the SS Pro. I was quoted 2.9K (pre-order) and told it would be higher if I waited, and that it'd be probably around the regular price of 4K but they couldn't say for sure. That too sees a bump up to 4.5K.

If DDPremium were available I would have jumped on that at the time. But it wasn't, and now I'm expected to pay the extra $500 a new buyer wouldn't. It all feels arbitrary and "told you so" which isn't a great feeling.

All I'm saying is that it's disappointing and I'm going to pass on these upgrades on principle. It's not about the actual cost that they are within their rights to charge, it's about the feeling I'm being nickel and dimed after repeatedly asking for clarity that wasn't forthcoming.

 

[hydbob]

I kept asking as my SA was clear the prices would rise, but he couldn't say by how much or even when. He did say they were considering something like DD Premium, but again, no mention of actual prices. That's very difficult to expect customers to make a decision especially when no one can A-B the sound quality difference between SS and SS Pro, and features like Highway Assist I was told was part of base SS by my SA and was mentioned in their press release now is not.

It's just some poor communication, because I asked repeatedly and did have trouble contacting my SA. Should have heeded that as a warning sign.

I expected DDPro to jump up from 9K (pre-order) to 10K (regular price), but I didn't expect an additional 20% bump to 12K. I asked repeatedly and never got an answer, so absent proper information I passed.

Similar with the SS Pro. I was quoted 2.9K (pre-order) and told it would be higher if I waited, and that it'd be probably around the regular price of 4K but they couldn't say for sure. That too sees a bump up to 4.5K.

If DDPremium were available I would have jumped on that at the time. But it wasn't, and now I'm expected to pay the extra $500 a new buyer wouldn't. It all feels arbitrary and "told you so" which isn't a great feeling.

All I'm saying is that it's disappointing and I'm going to pass on these upgrades on principle. It's not about the actual cost that they are within their rights to charge, it's about the feeling I'm being nickel and dimed after repeatedly asking for clarity that wasn't forthcoming.

From this most recent post, it sounds like they gave you the most information they could at the time, which, based upon what you've said, you knew the price would roughly be where it is today, yet you still decided to pass before because they didn't have a firm price set? I'm having a really hard time understanding how you were nickel and dimed, because you decided to pass on an option which you knew would have been cheaper if you had bought it. Unless I'm misunderstanding something here?

 

[JeremyWei]

I gave customer service a call today and they mentioned that they were also confused by the announcement. The customer support was under the impression that Highway assist should come with standard DreamDrive. They did some investigation and called back in the afternoon to confirm Highway Assist doesn’t belong to standard package anymore.

I’m okay with Lucid to increase the price, as this is typical for any car company nowadays. But I am not okay that Lucid to take something they promised out of the standard package. I would have made a different buying decision if I was aware of this information at the beginning.

 

[joec]

I gave customer service a call today and they mentioned that they were also confused by the announcement. The customer support was under the impression that Highway assist should come with standard DreamDrive. They did some investigation and called back in the afternoon to confirm Highway Assist doesn’t belong to standard package anymore.

I’m okay with Lucid to increase the price, as this is typical for any car company nowadays. But I am not okay that Lucid to take something they promised out of the standard package. I would have made a different buying decision if I was aware of this information at the beginning.

They made this change before I got my car back in December. I'm not sure where people are still getting the idea HA is part of Dream Drive six months later.

Yes, there was a press release back in 2021 that said it was part of Dream Drive. But that was 2021. I specifically remember people arguing with me in December that a press release from two years ago was somehow never allowed to contain information that would later become outdated. That happens daily for companies around the world.

 

[joec]

Sure, your request is simple. You want to enjoy the same benefits and lower price as someone who was more wiling to take a risk than you.

The world doesn't work that way.

Let's say you really wanted to buy Apple stock back in 2000 when it was $3. But everyone said the company was beleaguered back then and wouldn't make it another year. So you held off. So now you think you should be able to buy that stock at the same $3, even though it's now at $186 four splits later? After all, doesn't Apple want you to be happy?

 

[mpkillio]

Why should I have to take a risk? Doesn’t the manufacturer have a responsibility to make available a sample of all options they are offering in the sale of their vehicle. I don’t take risks when making purchases I however do extensive research to make an informed decision. Would you purchase a home without ever seeing it? Perhaps you would just take a risk and buy the home sight unseen?

 

[Rogue]

This is thread is mostly bemoaning regrets at this point.

If you liked the feature as is during drive tests (legacy pricing) or 90 day trial (discount/standard w/o increase), then why would you penny pinch? The first offering is a known risk/value proposition. The future offering is an unknown risk, except to be higher priced, with a known value proposition.

There is no moral high ground for not purchasing "based on principle". The company rolled the dice as well with supplying your vehicles, free of charge, with the hardware and a trial. Early adopters before these pricing mechanisms took on the burden of risk with limited access to test drives and reviews of the systems to purchase the same options. The opportunity to sample without committing both worlds should and does come at a higher cost like most things in life.

Entitlement and narcissism. If you weren't going to buy the options to begin with, the least in return would be appreciation for the opportunity, free of charge, to experience the systems.

 

[GMan]

They made this change before I got my car back in December. I'm not sure where people are still getting the idea HA is part of Dream Drive six months later.

Yes, there was a press release back in 2021 that said it was part of Dream Drive. But that was 2021. I specifically remember people arguing with me in December that a press release from two years ago was somehow never allowed to contain information that would later become outdated. That happens daily for companies around the world.

Agreed, I took delivery in Dec, 2022 and I have a screenshot showing that HA is included in DDP not DD.

Pls see attached - clearly stated.

 

[MorganB]

Here's the most logical answer to what has happened.

Late 2022 Lucid is running their assembly line and has not worked out the nuances to manufacture the Airs without DDP and SSP for whatever reason. Parts , production line testing etc. So rather than DELAY delivery and shut down the line they continued to produce Airs with DDP and SSP.

Lucid Motor Execs to production line managers " we need to meet our delivery goals for our quarterly earnings call. No delay is acceptable."
Production line managers "Impossible without delays"
Execs to software team - " we are going to deliver Airs with DDP and SSP hardware, can you disable the features via software"
Software team " Well I suppose its possible but we don't have it in the code"
Execs "Write it and figure it out"
Execs to Marketing : "We are delivering Airs with DDP and SSP hardware that we can't disable but will in the future. Handle the client side messaging"
Marketing to Software: " Hey programmer, how long will it be before you can disable DDP and SSP"
Programmer : "Uh I mean I'm not sure, I guess we could do it in 3 months but if there are bugs in beta it could take longer"
Marketing release " We are excited to offer DDP and SSP with a free 90 day trial to our customers that wish to take delivery now with the option to purchase DDP and SSP at later date"
Programmer marketing on Day 89 : " there is no way this code will be done any time soon"
Marketing: "No big deal, customers will be happy to have extra time with the trial"

So really they COULDN'T turn it off for ANYONE because they didn't have the capability to turn it off. That's all speculation but I would be willing to put money on it.

I had to purchase my car without having tried DDP or SSP and I had not even seen the paint color in person.

 

[Bobby]

I am so exhausted by this discussion. The price is the price. Buy it if you want it, don’t if you don’t.

 

[GMan]

I want to go on the record here by saying I'm HAPPY about the offer for DD Premiere, and I have no issue whatsoever in paying the fee.

When I bought my Touring (Dec, 2022) there was no option to purchase DDPrem. I hadn't even heard of it until I received the email, today.

Had it been an option at the time of my purchase, I gladly would have paid the $2K. Lucid installed at least that amount of equipment in my car free of any charge to me. I had the luxury of a 6 month trial of DDP and UNDERSTANDING that if I wanted it later I would pay the MARKET price. I took the time to ask and was provided a very clear answer from my DA it would be market pricing. While for me personally, DDP is not worth the $12K, DDPrem most certainly is worth the small cost (~2% of the price of your car)

Paying the DDPrem fee, to me is:

• Reimbursing Lucid for the equipment they installed
• Reimbursing them for the 6 months of goodwill use of DDP
• Paying for the right to use the equipment on a go-forward basis

 

[thong1999]

I too got the invitation to continue DDP at 12K + tax. HA by itself is not worth the money to me. I find it really annoying that HA's lane keeping functionality cannot be standard on a luxury car that costs over 110K. And is available in cars costing less than half that price. I love driving the car and HA made my commute to work even more pleasant. I am really going to miss it.

 

[openball]

The early SAs where not very knowledgeable which is 'understandable' being a new company. I was well informed that DDPro and SSpro would come latter at the non legacy price, although this is 20% more than expected.
I had a ***** loaner for three weeks with their own version of basic 'HA' and realized that HA is lacking. If this new pricing came after an improved HA I would pay for it, but like most have said it is not worth it at this point. DDPrem is nice but when HA is improved would there be a discount for those that already paid for Prem? Since Lucid is not very good at passing along information it can only leave me to my imagination.
Another thing is that this pricing will lose them a lot of DD sales coming at this time. T and GT already have the hardware so they technically put a percentage of 9k in the cars, losing subscribers is a loss for them, as I imagine a very small percent will pay this pricing. My two cents

 

[hydbob]

Why should I have to take a risk? Doesn’t the manufacturer have a responsibility to make available a sample of all options they are offering in the sale of their vehicle. I don’t take risks when making purchases I however do extensive research to make an informed decision. Would you purchase a home without ever seeing it? Perhaps you would just take a risk and buy the home sight unseen?

But there is no risk. You had 90 days to decide to purchase it. You chose not to. Now it's past 90 days and you want the old pricing. They may be able to get you that option, but you also had 90 days to decide! Trial periods are trial periods for a reason and there are plenty of instances where pricing during trials are lower than after. This is not new.

 

[joec]

Here's the most logical answer to what has happened.

Late 2022 Lucid is running their assembly line and has not worked out the nuances to manufacture the Airs without DDP and SSP for whatever reason. Parts , production line testing etc. So rather than DELAY delivery and shut down the line they continued to produce Airs with DDP and SSP.

Lucid Motor Execs to production line managers " we need to meet our delivery goals for our quarterly earnings call. No delay is acceptable."
Production line managers "Impossible without delays"
Execs to software team - " we are going to deliver Airs with DDP and SSP hardware, can you disable the features via software"
Software team " Well I suppose its possible but we don't have it in the code"
Execs "Write it and figure it out"
Execs to Marketing : "We are delivering Airs with DDP and SSP hardware that we can't disable but will in the future. Handle the client side messaging"
Marketing to Software: " Hey programmer, how long will it be before you can disable DDP and SSP"
Programmer : "Uh I mean I'm not sure, I guess we could do it in 3 months but if there are bugs in beta it could take longer"
Marketing release " We are excited to offer DDP and SSP with a free 90 day trial to our customers that wish to take delivery now with the option to purchase DDP and SSP at later date"
Programmer marketing on Day 89 : " there is no way this code will be done any time soon"
Marketing: "No big deal, customers will be happy to have extra time with the trial"

So really they COULDN'T turn it off for ANYONE because they didn't have the capability to turn it off. That's all speculation but I would be willing to put money on it.

I had to purchase my car without having tried DDP or SSP and I had not even seen the paint color in person.

I am certain this is pretty much what happened.

I remember when the first people posted on this forum that their trials should have ended but didn't, I suggested 1) that they definitely eventually would, so set your expectations accordingly; and 2) Lucid was bound to hear some grumbles from owners who didn't set their expectations accordingly.

Sometimes I hate being right.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I too got the invitation to continue DDP at 12K + tax. HA by itself is not worth the money to me. I find it really annoying that HA's lane keeping functionality cannot be standard on a luxury car that costs over 110K. And is available in cars costing less than half that price. I love driving the car and HA made my commute to work even more pleasant. I am really going to miss it.

View attachment 13266

If it was standard then all boxes would be checked for all things except 360 camera and eventual LiDAR functionality, creating almost no incentive to upgrade. By contrast, Lucid provides auto park and also front and rear cross traffic protection as standard, which most automakers don’t. It balances out, and strategically making features only available on higher trims or as an upgrade is nothing new in the auto industry in general.

 

[Pittsburgher]

Apologies in advance for being a little lazy - because I should be able to answer these 2 questions with a quick test drive - but I am not in a position to do so at the moment.

1) If I forgo purchasing DDPro or DDpremium - I lose the driver display camera view that comes up when signaling. I never paid close enough attention - but do the mirrors also include a small "blind spot warning light" that lights up (regardless of signal on or not) whenever there is a vehicle or object in the blindspot of said mirror ? I assume the answer is yes, and that is the Blind Spot Warning mentioned at the bottom of the chart ?
2) By forgoing the DDPro or Premium - do I also forgo the front (D) and rear (R) camera views that come up on the right side of the drivers screen when starting out and up to 5 mph or so ?