Deanh

They make it insanely difficult for sure...for instance...I myself was eligble for a $925 rebate...however we sold the house we were in and I then had a different adress from what was on the initial order...the process to apply for said rebate was mind blowingly annoying, convoluted and infuriating...I literally gave up. Im now 100% certain it is made that difficult in the hopes dealerships give up...as a dealer we havent marked vehicles up over MSRP, when the subject comes up we dont change the selling price but do notify the individuals if any money gets re-imbursed to us regarding their order it will be sent to them. I personally got $2600 back on my Bronco, although I did give up on the mentioned rebate ( the price had gone up 4.5 k from when I ordered it ) and Ive had some Transits where customers have had upwards of 4k. Its effecting companies more than individuals...although individuals that order under a nickname also cause nightmares ( god forbid Ford has sent them actual e-mails regarding THEIR order ! )

therein youve missed a valid point...Im NOT anti EV...I just think an awful lot of their perceived benefits are exactly that...perceived, and their effect on "cleaning up" the environment subsequently grossly inflated... Im actually not even 100% convinced their time will come...by the time they take to potentiually "clean their act up"...there may be a more viable alternative...Porsche is working on a Petroleum replacement that can be utilized by common everyday ICE engines that produces negligable emissions for instance. We'll see is my mantra...not anti, just not completely convinced for the reasons Ive outlined.

its a consequence of the subject...and a cult like beleif mindset.

with minerals strip mined ( no environmental consequences there ) from foreign countries (dependence on foreign countries ) and transported here in "clean " tankers to be processed with toxic chemicals...not to mention ultimate disposal. I think people need to keep in mind, with every "answer" comes its own set of consequences...something the "green" crowd seenm to ignore somewhat. ICE has its issues but is a proven and through the years has become significantly refined, Electric is in its gestation , still a huge learning curve IMO. Well see, seems the powers thgat be, that ultimately make our decisions for us, are pretty much sold...lets re-visit in 10 years or so...my guess is it wont exactly be as rosy as it is being made out to be. My fingers are crossed for an answer to the 900 pound Gorilla in the room...battery technology, something that doesnt have the downside that current Battery tech requires.

you got cancelled......cheers buddy. Update regarding price protection...its a bloody nightmare...we have been fighting with Ford for close to a year on some solely due to how the customers nmae was entered in COVP....specifically Companies as their names become abbreviated...ie Trans Continental Inc..becomes T Inc...and that gets denied because it doesnt correl;ate with the initial order, funnily enough Ford sends e-mails to the e-mail adress one the Verification, but when it comes to price protection, thats not good enough..at least initially without a huge fight...its so bad our Owner has gotten involved...its NOT chump change. So, no, process is NOT easy at all sometimes.

irony is givenCalifornias constant "drought" situation, they are literally dismantling Dams...no joke....AND NOW due to a budget deficit, Newsome is "cutting back" on billions that were pencilled in for "climate change" issues, and yes, that blankets areas pertaining to "electrification"...

incorrect...theres 20 within a 5 mile radius...plenty of options...

300000 people without power due to inclement weather in So Cal....fast forward to 2035....everyone stuck at home becasue they cant charge their cars?....

correct to a point...I PERSONALLY could not be moved forward...Ford does in fact set priorities NOW because of commodity issues, perhaps not so much in the past but times have changed and theres different circumstances ...we literally get told to delete certain options if they want to move forward or have their priority changed...so yes...they can and do set order priority...Ive had 10s go to 12s and 19s and then cancelled...changes NOT instigated here at the Dealer level, we can jimmy here and there but that's based on allocation ( and that's something else controlled NOT by the Dealer ) . VVR...ok, you really want to go down that road? Its wholly inaccurate and the info doesn't come from the Dealer in any way or form, we can only relay what we can look up and 99% of the time it makes us look like bloody idiots, so Ill raise my hand and state Im literally hesitant...I could give you a run down of the VVR on my Bronco Sport for proof if you wish...total JOKE. Or, let be more current, the truck I had arrive today that on VVR shows is still in Kansas on a rail car? as for conveying bad info or just being too lazy to look it up , that's another issue, but flip is you CAN realy the provided info and then look like a friggen dumb ass. I do get your points akirby, but theres a LOT of comments posted that reflect a customer "victim" mentality that borders on intolerable....and its ALWAYS the Dealers fault, and granted sometimes that is the issue, just not 100%. The ONLY thing youll ever read on forums and the likes are people complaining basically, so yeah, I avoid them, they complain specifically thinking it will make some sort of difference, majority of the time it doesnt. I personally hate that whiney bullshit, especially when the individual relays its because they cant get catered to in specific manners they expect as THEIR time is incredibly valuable and they don't want it wasted, or if they have to make any effort at all, OR if it takes longer than they thought it would..... funny how that relates to some Customers AND some Dealers, like I stated...two sides to the coin.... patience and manners are dying habits on both sides...maybe next time youre in the market you should head down here...lol...seriously I don't have the time or patience for all the BS you've outlined, let alone experienced first hand..

at least at our place you pretty much described the process. We get what is called Mannequins which are avail as rentals for those that come into service...weve had Bronco Sports/ Broncos and we have an incoming Lightning...The ordering process you described is spot on and after signatures we download onto Ford with copies of the order and Drivers lic. Its a shame as described by akirby for instance SOME dealers deviate based on nothing more than their own greed...and we know for a fact they basically just don't care what anyone, including what Ford thinks. And as Ive mentioned...don't think Ford is innocent here and completely in the Consumers corner...they aren't, and habitually cant organize there way out of a plain paper bag.

not managing priorities on retail orders , Not telling customers where they are in the order queue...based on first hand experience with both my Bronco Sport and full-size...the answer to those two queries land fully at FORDs front doorstep...I could share several stories and the Zones reps complete inability to answer both queries and literally giving up, we as a Dealer had absolutely ZERO control over scheduling or prioritizing..and that's being a Dealer....status's were manually changed several times by Ford themselves , commodity issues I believe and chip shortages. And FYI...there IS some irony here....everything you mentioned is exactly what I try to avoid for my own customers...and YES doing that works in terms of repeat business and referrals...I wouldn't have been doing this as long as I have without a loyal customer base. So, NO...Im not missing anything...

all valid points, but theres two sides to every coin, some we like some we dont...lets analyse...one can calculate rough OTD prices rather easily if you know your selling price and tax rate...or am I missing something?. Trades...understand that completely...but low balling aside how do you value a car now given a 6 month wait between order date and delivery...and theres also CARMAX if you want a bid date. Clueless sales people and managers...no excuse barring what I stated about job longevity, and that will continue to decline given Income declining due to ever decreasing profit margins. Not a career I would recommend in the slightest. Not managing priorities on retail orders?...lost me there, but not sure how someone can or should be moved up the line over someone else that potentially ordered earlier or doesn't have any commodity issues. VVR...FORD manages Vin Verification not the Dealers, and thgey screw it up regularly ...Price Protection...with you 100%, I think some dealers are gobbling it up...I know we are actually scared of Fords promise it will turn up in the statement in 3 or so months as we have had to fight tooth and nail to be re-imbursed SEVERAL times only to be turned down....if we pass that on and don't get re-imbursed...who eats it?...yep...the Dealer...so that's an ongoing issue, and I have one Transit where the difference is $3900...so what do we do?...that's HUGE!. Not telling customers where they are in the cue????? get back to me on Broncos etc that are pulled at FORDs whim and prayer...we have ZERO idea, especially now with all the supplier issues. Pushing marked up ESPs...totally agree...but they are avail online. Forcing customers to wait several hours?...yep...lets just kick out whos in Finance if its a busy day because youre here...understand people don't want to wait, thius my comments regarding lack of patience...but sometimes that happens...especially on busy days..personally I try and have everything ready before clients arrive...but occasionally I get buried and that doesnt happen...Hey, I here where you are coming from...just realize not everything is perfect and revolves around you. I just went through selling a house and it was a bloody nightmare, but realized, and more importantly ACCEPTED that there would be speed bumps and patience tried..lets not mention some of the erroneous charges...sometimes we need to grow a set and deal. And come on Kirby...DONT use Tesla as the ideal model...you should hear some of the horror stories, its most definitely NOT all roses

you need to re read ...Ive stated , pretty much every time that Im fully aware of SOME dealers that do exactly what akirby states...both him and slvrsvt have had personal experiences, and not ONCE have I excused said practices, you are more than welcome to copy/ paste and make me eat crow, but youll be hard pressed as I know I do not excuse that behavior at all. ...and yes...and my point is , you can avoid the issue through pulling finger and making an effort , y'know...old school...right now, given these scrupulous dealers effort is necessary...sorry bout that.

Well stated...yep...the supply issue has had some dealers show their hand as such. But don't feel for a second that Ford has your back and is in no way partly responsible ....some of the Dealers utilizing these practices are also "Heavy Hitters"...yet Ford hasn't cut back on their allocation as rumored at all, and they are still at or right at the top of the Sales charts......there in lies a BIG issue in my opinion and is exceptionally two faced on Ford s behalf....you cant bemoan questionable business practices and announce youre clamping down, and punishing, only to continually reward said Dealers with larger allocations....IMO part of this online process being thrown around is the result of these ludicrous Addendums and questionable practices some are embracing... on the surface it sounds like a good concept but will come with its own set of issues, human nature is to look for the soft underbelly...someone somewhere will find it if the Business model changes...ugh.

Personel make the difference Harley...NOT the final product if in fact said product is precisely the same between stores ( well Im a Filet of Fish addict and there is one McD's in particular that's just better ) ...and yes, its easy for me to say as I have clients that go back 25 plus years.....I think a BIG issue is you wont find many representatives that have been at the same store for any extended period, cant build up a long term relationship with a guy that leaves after 6 months...so, riddle me this....why is that lack of experience becoming so common place?.....