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Tracking Request

geost1

By geost1
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geost1

geost1

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Could you please check the status of my order. Here is all the information I currently have:

 

VIN: 3FAHP0KC5CR175098

 

Dealer: F44403

Order No: T117

Order Date: June 28, 2011

Date on Window Sticker (Blend Date?): September 1, 2011

ETA (Provided by Ford Customer Service): Initially 26 September and later changed to 3 October

 

Thank you in advance for checking this.

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geost1

geost1

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In Transit - Passing (Union Pacific Railroad ) GLO4, IL Oct-05-2011, 03:19 CT.

 

ETA Oct-19-2011.

Thanks for checking Cyberdman.

 

That ETA should be wrong because it was based off of the RailCar my vehicle was shipping on breaking down. According to my dealer, Ford transferred it to a truck for shipping after he complained. If it's on a truck in Illinois it shouldn't take another 2 weeks to get here, unless the driver is really old and takes a cross country tour of the US.

 

I'm really hoping it's here this week and this was the last tracking request I'll need. Either way, I'll post a photo once the car arrives... :shift:

Edited by geost1
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geost1

geost1

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I wonder where you get your info. If there was mechanical failure of the rail that normally would be in your tracking report. For your sake I hope you are right.

That's what my dealer told me, and he said that's what his Ford rep told him. Specifically he was told that my car was transferred with 5 others to a truck. They could not provide an updated ETA yet we agreed it should be here sooner than Oct 19th. He also told me that the rep wants him to call her when the car comes in, implying they have no way of tracking the truck... :idea:

 

At this point I can't see the dealer getting anything out of making up a story like this, except an even more pissed off customer that will call back next week. :rant: Further he knows that I've been tracking this car's status through him, you (online), and have been calling Ford customer service; then comparing notes. Now he is giving me a really great deal on the car, invoice - factory incentives, so I've been reluctant to bother him for updates or walk away. I could see getting some BS story to leave him alone if I were calling him every week, but out of the 3+ months I've been waiting he's only gotten about 4-5 calls from me on this. :waiting:

 

Even if Ford lied to my dealer, or he lied to me, your report says my car was passing a point in Illinois. It shouldn't take two weeks to travel 500 miles, even by train, so I'm really hoping for a call in the next few days. So here's hoping my next reply to this post is a photo of my new ride, instead of another bump a for status update. :punched:

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cyberdman

cyberdman

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Duh. Ok - here it is. You are still waiting because it won't come in until next week as I already stated. I tried to sugar coat it for you, but yes your dealer lied to you. I'm sure he didn't even look it up or hadn't looked it up in a while. He isn't listening to you and/or doesn't care if you are double checking his facts with me online. He is calling your bluff. A lot of shadier dealerships are like this. What is more than that is you nearly insulted me when you basically disputed the facts I provided. There is no, "Ford rep" they are talking to - I get my info from the same system they do if/when they bother to use it. He logs into the dealer system and gets this same info - there isn't any magic person for them to call. BTW - of course your vehicle is unloaded from the train and onto a truck - that happens on every single delivery. The train drops your car off at a Ford factory ramp, then a car hauler receives it and takes it to your dealership. Your vehicle was train hauled to the Flat Rock plant here in Michigan yesterday, where it is sitting, and right now it is tentatively scheduled to be picked up by United Road Service haulers.

 

In Transit - Received - Dt122 (United Road Service ) Ramp 5P, Flat Rock, MI Oct-12-2011, 10:16 ET.

 

ETA Oct-19-2011.

 

If you plan on continuing to dispute what I tell you - don't bother coming back.

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geost1

geost1

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Duh. Ok - here it is. You are still waiting because it won't come in until next week as I already stated. I tried to sugar coat it for you, but yes your dealer lied to you. I'm sure he didn't even look it up or hadn't looked it up in a while. He isn't listening to you and/or doesn't care if you are double checking his facts with me online. He is calling your bluff. A lot of shadier dealerships are like this. What is more than that is you nearly insulted me when you basically disputed the facts I provided. There is no, "Ford rep" they are talking to - I get my info from the same system they do if/when they bother to use it. He logs into the dealer system and gets this same info - there isn't any magic person for them to call. BTW - of course your vehicle is unloaded from the train and onto a truck - that happens on every single delivery. The train drops your car off at a Ford factory ramp, then a car hauler receives it and takes it to your dealership. Your vehicle was train hauled to the Flat Rock plant here in Michigan yesterday, where it is sitting, and right now it is tentatively scheduled to be picked up by United Road Service haulers.

 

In Transit - Received - Dt122 (United Road Service ) Ramp 5P, Flat Rock, MI Oct-12-2011, 10:16 ET.

 

ETA Oct-19-2011.

 

If you plan on continuing to dispute what I tell you - don't bother coming back.

First sorry for getting you worked up over this. I gave my dealer some small degree of credibility because of the deal he's giving me, well until now. In the grander scheme of things though there are a couple of reasons I've been running the "Prisoner's Dilemma" on him:

 

1. Some of the information he's been telling me hasn't sounded right, especially in the past few weeks; hence the reason I've been comparing notes

2. Like most salespeople this guys acts like he's my best friend. So having proof that he flat out lied is very useful in seeing past this false image

3. I've got two friends that are considering Fords, and they should know the info in #2 before talking to him or anyone else at that dealership

4. And honestly, I have been waiting quite a while for this vehicle and wanted as much info on its status as possible

 

The tracking info you've provided has been helpful, however Ford really should make it available through their website for those of us that order vehicles. The information on the integrity of this dealer will also be quite helpful. Further I probably needed the slap in the face on this :punched: , actually been expecting a call any moment thanks to the BS I was told just this week... :blah:

 

Thanks for the valuable information you've provided, more so on my dealer than on the actually location of the car. I won't ask you for any further updates, if the car isn't here next week I'll call Customer Service instead. This whole new car buying process always leave me well.. :barf:

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cyberdman

cyberdman

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I don't have a problem continuing to give you updates. Understand that I have nothing to gain from doing this and definately don't make stuff up. I have better things to do with my time. All I do is take your numbers, feed them into a website and report back what it spits out. It is an internal system - but it is the very same system the dealerships use to get and share info.

 

Also, dealerships are individually owned and operated independant of Ford (and any car company really). I know when those dealerships get very large and get big reputations and have been around awhile, depending on who the owners are their customer service can tend to falter, unfortunately, if they get too big for their britches. What each one of them does individually is not necessarily representative of how Ford views the customers of Ford products. Unfortunately for Ford, the order process can suck for people because of our dealerships.

 

Just know that if you are patient when it all is over you will be a very happy customer.

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geost1

geost1

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I don't have a problem continuing to give you updates. Understand that I have nothing to gain from doing this and definately don't make stuff up. I have better things to do with my time. All I do is take your numbers, feed them into a website and report back what it spits out. It is an internal system - but it is the very same system the dealerships use to get and share info.

 

Also, dealerships are individually owned and operated independant of Ford (and any car company really). I know when those dealerships get very large and get big reputations and have been around awhile, depending on who the owners are their customer service can tend to falter, unfortunately, if they get too big for their britches. What each one of them does individually is not necessarily representative of how Ford views the customers of Ford products. Unfortunately for Ford, the order process can suck for people because of our dealerships.

 

Just know that if you are patient when it all is over you will be a very happy customer.

Dude I appreciate the offer but hope not need it. I fully understand you have no stakes in this, and believe me that's something I've kept in mind when talking to my dealer. Again sorry if anything I've said came off as questioning your integrity, I know you are just trying to help.

 

Now having gone through this process though, I do have two real gripes with Ford:

 

1. It's awesome that you take time out of your schedule to do this, however that system really should be available to the customers. A lot of the grief I'm going through right now would be alleviated if I could check the status on my own at anytime, a lot but not all mind you.

 

2. Cars ordered for customers should get 1st priority over everything else, we're talking about pre-sold vehicles here! Anyone buying this way is telling Ford, "This is exactly what I want and I've put money down to prove it." Now if a customer changes their mind after the car comes in then they should lose their deposit, in my case that was $200. Almost a 4 month wait for a car is BS :rant2: , I consider that a Ford issue.

 

Now my car salesman is, well a car salesman; think of the old fable "The Scorpion and the Frog". OK there are some honest dealers out there, but they are rare IMO. The sad truth is, this guy is only hurting his dealership by lying to me. I got a great deal because I researched everything, knew the Invoice for the car w/options and about the 3% Holdback walking in the door. The dealer is still making that 3% of MSRP on this car selling it to me at invoice since the turnover is going to be days, at the most, rather than months. Yet when my two friends go looking for a Ford maybe they buy from the other Ford dealership, that's 15 miles away. Further, my vehicles are all dealer maintained from the day I buy them until they are sold. Something this dealer, not the salesman, better keep in mind considering there is another dealership so close. :ohsnap:

 

You fill a need that Ford has decided to neglect, the ability to track ordered vehicles through the process, and I thank you for that. I'll post a photo once the car comes in, and don't worry this car is exactly what I wanted. :shades:

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cyberdman

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You have got to think about it from our perspective. I mean really, what if we gave you the ability to track your own vehicles online. Ford would be under constant questioning for every little thing, hiccup, delay, something not understood and a lot of people would end up cancelling and not buying their orderseven when nothing is wrong with a vehicle and Ford would answer way more questions and take way more flack. Not to mention, we would have to completely restructure how the system works right now so any Joe Blow that gets in there they can't get into our internal system. A lot of duplicated effort would be involved. As much as we care about the people who buy our products, we sell to dealers, they sell to you. Really our interface between us and you should be minimal, however we already have something set up in place so you can find out where your vehicle is - the Ford customer service line. Many people on here use the 800 number and service to track their vehicles themselves.

 

As far as deposits go. That is a dealer option. Ford requires no deposits on ordered vehicles and a really good dealership won't charge you anything up front or any deposit to order a vehicle. There is something else though and even I don't completely understand it. It is called Dealer Vehicle Allocation. Dealers are only allowed a certain allocation of vehicles (and that number is different for each vehicle and each dealership region) and I think most dealers try to split that up per quarter so they make sure they always have enough vehicles throughout the year. As far as I understand it is not supposed to affect ordered vehicles, but I see it happen all the time and I think it either has to do with dealer not understanding or how exactly they enter your order into the system whether your order is affected by allocation units or not. The dealership may order a vehicle, but if they have already used up all their allocated units this quarter it may be 6 weeks (or who knows when) before the order can be scheduled by the system from that dealership because they have no units allowed yet. Again, I am not even sure how it works exactly and I think it isn't supposed to affect allocation, but I have seen it happen many times because I think of how the salesperson enters the order. Don't quote me on that.

 

In any case I do feel your pain. Even as a Ford employee, I have to order vehicles from dealerships and wait like you too. Fortunately though, I have a dealership I love and salesperson who is one of the coolest, most trustworthy people I know. I'm lucky that way.

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geost1

geost1

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You have got to think about it from our perspective. I mean really, what if we gave you the ability to track your own vehicles online. Ford would be under constant questioning for every little thing, hiccup, delay, something not understood and a lot of people would end up cancelling and not buying their orderseven when nothing is wrong with a vehicle and Ford would answer way more questions and take way more flack. Not to mention, we would have to completely restructure how the system works right now so any Joe Blow that gets in there they can't get into our internal system. A lot of duplicated effort would be involved. As much as we care about the people who buy our products, we sell to dealers, they sell to you. Really our interface between us and you should be minimal, however we already have something set up in place so you can find out where your vehicle is - the Ford customer service line. Many people on here use the 800 number and service to track their vehicles themselves.

 

As far as deposits go. That is a dealer option. Ford requires no deposits on ordered vehicles and a really good dealership won't charge you anything up front or any deposit to order a vehicle. There is something else though and even I don't completely understand it. It is called Dealer Vehicle Allocation. Dealers are only allowed a certain allocation of vehicles (and that number is different for each vehicle and each dealership region) and I think most dealers try to split that up per quarter so they make sure they always have enough vehicles throughout the year. As far as I understand it is not supposed to affect ordered vehicles, but I see it happen all the time and I think it either has to do with dealer not understanding or how exactly they enter your order into the system whether your order is affected by allocation units or not. The dealership may order a vehicle, but if they have already used up all their allocated units this quarter it may be 6 weeks (or who knows when) before the order can be scheduled by the system from that dealership because they have no units allowed yet. Again, I am not even sure how it works exactly and I think it isn't supposed to affect allocation, but I have seen it happen many times because I think of how the salesperson enters the order. Don't quote me on that.

 

In any case I do feel your pain. Even as a Ford employee, I have to order vehicles from dealerships and wait like you too. Fortunately though, I have a dealership I love and salesperson who is one of the coolest, most trustworthy people I know. I'm lucky that way.

I can definitely appreciate Ford's position on online tracking, if it's not technically feasible without major costs. The majority of new vehicle buyers take what's in the dealer's current inventory anyway. However not knowing what is going on with you vehicle, in most cases the customer service people have told me to talk to the dealer for more info, is one of the most frustrating parts. I've really had to search the net to find out several key pieces of info on my car, as my dealer obviously likes to tell fairy tales in the hopes of just keeping me happy. :blah:

 

This is the first I've heard of an allocation system, and I've been spending the past 3+ months searching the net for info on this process. To be honest with you, this sounds like a poorly thought out system. A dealer should be able to order as many, or little, vehicles as they can sell. Then again, from a "Just in Time" inventory control system standpoint I could see the reasoning behind it.

 

Incidentally there were two delays with my car that I consider understandable:

 

1. Parts shortage that delayed production of the SPORT model until the last week of July (Can't build cars if you don't have the parts)

2. Scheduled plant downtime, presumably for maintenance (Please maintain those machines that build my car)

 

Having said that, 4 months is an unreasonable amount of time to have to wait. Once my car gets here I know I'll like it. I picked the Fusion because I've had the opportunity to drive one for a week last year and really enjoyed it. Further when it comes time to replace my pickup, the winter vehicle, I'll consider a Ford if there is a competitive product available to replace it. A lot of that is going to do with what Ford does to replace the Ranger, as I'm one of those that doesn't need a full sized pickup.

 

In the end, I consider this to be a good product with an awful buying experience. I've been ranting a lot about my situation online :rant2: , but 3+ months is a lot of time to complain. The dealership has lost my trust, and that can translate into lost $$$ considering my vehicles are dealer maintained. At the first sign the service department is being dishonest with me it's off to the other dealership. :shift:

 

Thanks for listening, suppose I needed to get this all off my chest. :whew:

Edited by geost1
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cyberdman

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If you are looking for a small pickup, you are wasting your time. There is no Ranger replacement. There is redesigned Ranger that we are calling the "global" Ranger, which is funny because the same truck goes everywhere around the globe except the US. The Ranger dies here. Too bad too, that global Ranger which I have seen and there are a couple of them here - are just freaking awesome. Execs don't want it cutting into F-Series business. I don't buy that arguement and feel it is short-sided. We don't all always agree what our executive decision makers decide to do.

 

All that being said, the Fusion Sport is an awesome car! Patience.

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geost1

geost1

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If you are looking for a small pickup, you are wasting your time. There is no Ranger replacement. There is redesigned Ranger that we are calling the "global" Ranger, which is funny because the same truck goes everywhere around the globe except the US. The Ranger dies here. Too bad too, that global Ranger which I have seen and there are a couple of them here - are just freaking awesome. Execs don't want it cutting into F-Series business. I don't buy that arguement and feel it is short-sided. We don't all always agree what our executive decision makers decide to do.

 

All that being said, the Fusion Sport is an awesome car! Patience.

Well I'm not looking to buy a new truck until the Fusion is paid off, 5 years down the road. My current truck, a Tacoma, will still be running strong then and I should be able to get some $$$ out of it for a down payment. Ford is making a BIG mistake by backing out of the small-midsized truck market, as buyers like me pretty much end up going with the Japanese makes. 5 years is a long time and maybe by then the Ford execs would have learned the lesson. I've owned two F-150's and liked them, but don't really want another aircraft carrier. :titanic:

 

Oh and I agree that the Fusion is worth the wait, or I would have walked a long time ago. Just got to fight the temptation to discuss it anymore with my salesman, that wouldn't go well at this point. :finger:

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geost1

geost1

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My car came in last night and I picked it up today. As expected, I love it.

 

Went to upload a photo but I don't see an attachment link???

 

Here I posted a photo in this thread:

 

http://www.blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/46570-in-transit/page__pid__739993__st__40#entry739993

 

Thanks again for all your help.

Edited by geost1
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