t4rest

Well, after getting a VIN # and a build week, thank you for the information, we decide by accident to purchase an Explorer from a dealership in Dallas. As it turned out, the interior color, Light Stone, was NOT at all what my wife thought it looked like. We have never seen the color and the brochure didn't quite show it clearly. Since we were at another dealership looking at Explorers, we found one that had everything we wanted and more so we purchased it right there. Charcoal black interior this time. I did call my salesman, and told him in-person, the next day, that I had purchased one elsewhere. That is not something I'm proud of but because of my situation on delivery date, I had no choice. Also because my ordered Explorer was still a month away from delivery I didn't think another dealership would trade. I've had the Explorer for about a week now and “LOVE IT”. :happy feet:

Thanks, I have a better understanding of how the systems works. Yes, I'm upset at my dealership but I'll talk with them this afternoon so see what they have to say. I like the dealership here and want to do business with them but I still need an Explorer soon, a simple apology will go along way. Even if I do look elsewhere for the Explorer all the work, maintance, will be done here. I still want to keep my dollars in my town. Thanks

Marginal Economist, Now that I have proved that I am a blithering idiot, I need your insight and from the information you have given I known that you are not just a regular member of this forum, you have access and knowledge far beyond then norm. Based off the order that my dealership inputted as a priority 19, what is the lowest the dealership can input a priority? I thought I read somewhere that the lowest they can set a priority is 11. I also read that the priority only applies to the dealerships order sequence, in which order the vehicles are ordered from Ford? Question 2, if an order such as mine was 10 days before the second shouldn't mine have been scheduled Thursday before the second was inputted? Or do allotments play a factor or did my dealership mislead me again(lie to me)? Thank you for your professionalism

Again, Thank you very much. I'll talk to my dealership tomorrow and see what they have to say. I'll also look into the one at Five Star. I have seen one at that Dealership awhile back. The one I saw didn't have the tow package but I'll double check. Thanks for the lead. I have been told by my personal boss(Wife) to RELAX again. I'll do it this time. I'm done ranting.

Communications is where Ford fails miserably. I have contacted Ford directly(call), sent Private Messages to a Ford Customer Service (Forum) person and my dealership every Thursday afternoon for four week now. NOT ONE said there was a material hold or any hold of any kind on my order. Everyone also said that my order is accurate and inputted correctly and I have the confirmations for the original date 4/11/2011 and the amendment 4/19/2011. So stating that my Dealership was in error is not correct or that Ford Customer Services representatives either don't know how to look-up an order or don't understand it or simply lie to me, doesn't make sense either. The Ford Customers Service person I have PMed from the Forum has been very helpful with many people so it isn't them. I believe that the allotment system is the SOLE fault. One cheap computer program or Ford has incompetent programmers. Now Ford is to cheap to correct the program instead we all pay.

As a customer I believe Ford has the whole concept to getting vehicles to customers all wrong. The allotment concept has its advantages but sticking to it when there are special orders is totally inadequate and ridiculous. Working in a field where I have the same sort of problem lends me to believe that Ford has carried out the allotment concept to far. Here we have the planned items coming in on schedule and several months in advance with exits dates set. There are always emergency items that come in several times a month that MUST be returned ASAP and take precedence over the scheduled items. We manage to handle both with minimal impart to the scheduled items and return the emergency items remarkably quickly. There is a built in emergency opening once a week that does not affect the normal scheduled items. If more the one emergency shows up then the scheduled items are delayed NOT the emergency item. Because the scheduled items are scheduled well in advance we are able to make-up the time lost by the emergency items. Our customers rarely have a delayed item, but if delayed it is only one to two days. Our customers know that their scheduled item may be delayed because of an emergency item. The next emergency item may be theirs and they want it immediately so they understand and believe we are doing the best for everyone. Now, if Ford assumed that there would be special orders(emergencies) and scheduled them in as so, then I believe that everyone would be happy. The allotments would be scheduled as normal and the special orders sliding in at an interval of every forth or so. Dealerships would get their allotment in a timely manner and the special orders would also get a quick turn-around. No dealership big or small would be able to affect the special orders, the orders would be slid in as to the date ordered with the buyers name and drivers license attached, this would prevent dealers from cheating the system. SIMPLE In my case, I will have lost 6-7 weeks waiting for my dealership to have an allotment, assuming "Marginal Economist" is correct. If a person in were to order a vehicle from my dealership today their order would be scheduled the same week as mine. The wait time is DAYS for their order to be scheduled. That is CRAZY! All because of allotments I have to wait. Totally unacceptable. Ordering from a small dealership even acerbates the lunacy. Now, because of the lost 6-7 weeks, our family vacation is in jeopardy. Add 4 weeks to build a ship and that puts it arriving around July 4, (12 weeks). I hope a 600 mile nonstop trip for two straight days is a good break-in for the vehicle. Should it delayed more that a day, it'll be two more weeks before I can take delivery and 3400 miles added to my present vehicle. 12 weeks for a guarantied sale, LUDICROUS!! Another of my biggest concern as a customer is "COMMICATIONS". Tell me upfront, with two day, when the build week will accrue. I'm willing to wait if I know what to expect. If I don't then I start looking elsewhere for a new vehicle. This would eliminate all the rumors and speculation and Ford would

Marginal Economist, I can only hope your right. Thanks anyway. Like my wife keeps telling me: "RELAX!, we don't need the car today." But it is killing me to wait.

akirby, Thanks on the priority info. My salesman did say that he had done everything he could to move the order along quickly, and it looks like he was correct. I'll be checking in with him after work Thursday. I'll hoping that this week is the week it gets scheduled. It would be GREAT it there was a "retail order verification" to speed things along but, the powers-to-be decided elsewise. How it would be great if I got a Fathers Day present, A NEW CAR.

Pete You were the one that got me started on this letter. I don't want to wait only to find out that I am slao out of luck and looking for a GMC Acadia. The two week difference isn't much. akirby Yes, because I orderd a Limited I believe that that may a possibility. Most Explorer's that I have seen lately are XLT's but there has been a few Limited too. My order was/is listed as X-plan, I don't see anything else one the order that states "retail/stock" There was only one other Explorer that was ordered from my Dealer and it was special order too. My order had a priority of 19. The Salesman I deal with is very honest, straight forward and has been there for the last 12 years. It's also not the first car I've bought from him. I've also PM'ed a Ford Customer Service Rep on another forum for information. All I get is that is is acurate and is in the system waiting to be scheduled. NO help there.

I ordered a 2011 Explorer Limited back on April 11. On April 19 I amended the order to add Tow to it. Everything is fine with the order, have a DORA. The date of ordering may have been late but the Dealership here in small-town-Texas only had one(1) Explorer XLT, even to this day there was only one “ONE” at the Dealership. I waited until the Dallas Auto Show, April 7-10, to even get inside one. I also compared it to it's competitors and decided on the Explorer. Monday, April 11 we tried to purchase one from our Dealership but because the Dealership had no Explorers and none to trade we had to order one under the X-plan. Driving to Dallas is a planned trip, so just driving there and purchasing an Explorer isn't really an option. Now, a month later, I have nothing to show nor does the Dealership. Yes, I know the Explorer is an in-demand car, but please be realistic. This allotment type of arrangement is LUDICROUS. Why are stock, UNSOLD, Explorers and ONLY at large Dallas Dealerships arriving ahead of a SOLD car at a small Dealership? Why can't I give my Dealership (F52471) in my town my business? Why is a guaranteed sale (#1132), at a small Dealership, treated as a second class citizen? Is there a conspiracy to put small Dealerships out of business? Should I have ordered the exact same Explorer from every Dealership in the area including Dallas and wait to see who gets it first then cancel all the other order? Rather a STUPID way to get a car, but, it looks like that's the only way to getting one in a reasonable amount of time. I feel sorry for the Dealerships that would spent their time and effort to please a customer, only to find out that their Dealership really isn't all that important to Ford. I know I'm going to get an ear full from everyone but at least I'm saying something about how a real customers feels from outside the large cities. Unfortunately, Ford knows that my only two options are wait or plan a whole day trying to purchase an Explorer in Dallas. Great Customer Focus, NOT!