Deaborn, we have a problem

[darrel.e.wise]

I think is is safe to say that there is a problem with the 2013 Fusions. We all know that there are 20,000 units with a stop ship order to repair and or replace whatever. Or "undergoing additional quality assurance practices" for an unspecified problem.

 

I have no problem with that. Of course we all want our new cars to be defect free. My problem is with what you are saying. "We estimate all the cars will be enroute by the end of December." I was told by a dealer that you are fixing 1,000 a week and that figure popped up on the internet a couple of times. Let's do the math. 20,000 units divided by 1,000 per week equals 20 weeks. By my calendar that will be the end of March not December.

 

I can understand that shutting down the line is not an option. When the line is not running, you are not making money, I get that. Hopefully by now the cars coming off the line are complete and shipping north. If that is the case then the dealers are getting cars to sell while the others are being repaired. Here is my main concern. Which of the 20,000 will be fixed first? I have heard (or seen on the internet) that Ford usually does the fixes by "last in, first out." I have a real problem with that. I happen to have a special order included in those 20,000 that are waiting. So do many other people. Does it seem fair to make loyal customers who have already put down money for the cars to wait longer than a dealer who has other cars to sell? Please check the ford fusion forum and the ford fusion hybrid forum. There are plenty of people who are concerned and frustrated. Some are even canceling their orders. I am not there yet because I still believe in what the car can be and still want it. Not to mention I don't want to go through a hassle to get my "non-refundable" deposit back.

 

My car was built on October 4th, 2012. I ordered it back in June. I was told by my dealer that it would probably be late October or early November because you would build up dealer inventory first. Ford was announcing that the Fusion would become available on September 3, so I figured there would be no problem. Because I drank the kool-aid I followed the Ford Fusion Facebook site and discovered a Social Media Rep who was telling people to give her the dealer and order number and she would track the order. That's how I know it was built on October 4th. For four (yes 4) straight weeks she told me that the car was "awaiting transport, check back next week". Normal delivery, I was told, was two weeks after build. I asked if it was a quality issue and was told on October 24th, "Quality checks aren’t unusual, but as your status shows as awaiting shipment, it’s pointing to normal transportation processes. There’s no reason to worry; it hasn’t been lost or experienced issues." I then called Customer Service and was told that my car had a stop ship order on it along with 20,000 others, but he couldn't tell me why. When I responded to the Social Media rep I never received a response back. As late as November 8th this same rep was telling people "Don’t worry, guys. Quality checks and changes to the ETA are completely normal and routine, so there’s no need to be concerned." Oh really? This week the Customer Service Rep told me that he could not do anything to escalate my case until the car leaves Hermasillo. Duh, I want it escalated BECAUSE it is still sitting in Hermasillo.

 

To me, it seems logical that the special orders should go to the front of the line for repairs. Not just because one of them is mine, (OK it is because one of them is mine). The dealers have some in inventory with more on the way. Special orders have put down their money with the dealerships for the cars and can be some of your best advertising. We wouldn't have special ordered it if we didn't like it. THIS IS A CUSTOMER RELATIONS FIASCO. You are even offering $1000 off of fusions as long as they are in dealer stock. How about offering $1000 off to the poor people who ordered a car and can't get them.

 

Dearborn, we have a problem.

Edited November 13, 2012 by darrel.e.wise

[akirby]

It is not logistically feasible to find one or two or a few vehicles amidst a few thousand parked vehicles and pull those out to be fixed first. So that's not really an option.

 

What I think they should do is build a new one ASAP to replace the old one that's being repaired and offer the repaired vehicles to other dealers. That would be great customer service but I suspect there are some dealer/factory issues with doing that.

 

As someone else said - sometimes it's not good to see the inside of the sausage factory.

[darrel.e.wise]

They have computers in Mexico. They have scanners in Mexico. Every car has a VIN and that number is barcoded on the window sticker. Special Orders are a class of order by themselves, separate from dealer and fleet. I guarantee you that Ford can tell you the exact location of each special order in the lot as well as what needs to be repaired. So Logistics is not the problem. Economic feasibility may be a different situation. But since this an open letter to Ford Executives and Management, it was posted here in the hopes of having a slight chance that an executive might actually read it, I am not asking Ford to do the most economical solution. I am asking them to do the right thing for their prepaid customers even if it costs them a lilttle more.

[NickF1011]

They have computers in Mexico. They have scanners in Mexico. Every car has a VIN and that number is barcoded on the window sticker. Special Orders are a class of order by themselves, separate from dealer and fleet. I guarantee you that Ford can tell you the exact location of each special order in the lot as well as what needs to be repaired. So Logistics is not the problem. Economic feasibility may be a different situation. But since this an open letter to Ford Executives and Management, it was posted here in the hopes of having a slight chance that an executive might actually read it, I am not asking Ford to do the most economical solution. I am asking them to do the right thing for their prepaid customers even if it costs them a lilttle more.

 

Just because they know where it is doesn't mean it's any more logistically feasible to do anything with that information.

[akirby]

They have computers in Mexico. They have scanners in Mexico. Every car has a VIN and that number is barcoded on the window sticker. Special Orders are a class of order by themselves, separate from dealer and fleet. I guarantee you that Ford can tell you the exact location of each special order in the lot as well as what needs to be repaired. So Logistics is not the problem. Economic feasibility may be a different situation. But since this an open letter to Ford Executives and Management, it was posted here in the hopes of having a slight chance that an executive might actually read it, I am not asking Ford to do the most economical solution. I am asking them to do the right thing for their prepaid customers even if it costs them a lilttle more.

 

Of course they know where it is. But picture a huge parking lot with thousands of Fusions parked bumper to bumper, door to door and yours is smack dab in the middle. How the hell are they going to pull yours out of the middle of that parking lot to fix it first - even if they had the parts. That's the logistical issue and that's why they're fixed first in first out. Besides - you're not the only Ford customer out there waiting on a vehicle. Dealers need vehicles to sell to make money.

 

Ford already prioritizes retail orders over dealer stock in the ordering system but when you're talking about a batch, hold and repair situation it's simply not that easy.

 

In the meantime your dealer could have placed a new priority 10 order for you which should be built and shipped out immediately and might arrive before the original one gets fixed.

[ice-capades]

The "last in, first out" scenario is pretty much my experience at the dealership level with the 2013 Fusion situation. In an attempt to help solve the backlog of 2013 Fusions involved in the shipping delays, cars are being sent to the Flat Rock (Mustang) Assembly Plant in Michigan to be worked on. Retail orders were not scheduled until the "OK to Buy" status was reached which was about mid-September when the shipping release was originally issued. Retail orders placed prior to mid-September would have sat in the USOB (Unscheduled Order Bank) until then with a "Material Hold" notice also referencing that 2013 Fusion Retail Orders were also part of the Retail Order Verification Program that required dealers to upload a copy of the customer's driver's license along with a signed buyers order to the verification website... after which the retail orders would be scheduled above the dealer's available allocation. The delay for retail orders built since early October will probably not last all that much longer... hopefully for all concerned! As frustrating as the delays are... this is another example of Ford being pro-active with quality concerns and making sure the cars meet Ford's quality standards before being sent to dealers. Better to address any issues head on than risk the media attention, etc. involved with a recall situation!

[darrel.e.wise]

ice capades, I hope you are right. But I have pretty much lost all hope and faith in Ford. From what I can pick up, from the internet chatter and talking to dealers, they are fixing 1000 per week. It has been 7 weeks since my car was built and it is still sitting "on the ramp" in Hermasillo. It has been "on the ramp" since Oct 20th. That leaves about 13000 still to go. "We estimate all the cars will be enroute by the end of December." ( Ford VP of Marketing) That is only 5 weeks away. Customer Service can't (or won't) tell me which train it is scheduled on. He says if it is going to St. Louis it is on its way to the dealer in Kansas. If it is going to Dearborn, it is on its way to be repaired. All I am seeing is the car is just sitting there waiting, and waiting and waiting and waiting.

 

Custromer Service has offered me a "3 year" 45000 mile maintenance agreement to not cancel the order. 9 free oil changes and tire rotations are tempting but I am not sure it is enough. I see you are an advertising manager. In your opinion, is it unreasonable to ask for the $1000 off Ford is giving in my area on new Fusions (taken from dealer stock). I know mine is a special order, but if they can afford to give $1000 on all Fusions they can afford to give it to delayed special orders too. That would go a long way in soothing ruffled feathers.

[akirby]

Why hasn't your dealer simply placed a new order for you? There is no reason you have to be stuck with that specific vehicle or wait that long.

[imageneral]

As someone who has had to do the hold for quality repairs to these vehicles I can tell you that when they say they are doing 1000 a week that is just a number to throw out there to keep people happy and have something to say. It could be more or less depending on what needs to be done. As for who's car gets repaired and shipped first I have no clue how that works. But when we are sent out to do quality repair the lists of these cars just sitting out in the hold lots of thousands of cars are pages upon pages long. There is really no order we go by we just start at one end of the yard and work our way to the other. It doesn't go by name or date its whichever car is closest, and you work to the furthest away.

 

When there is a refresh on a vehicle sometimes vendor parts just don't work out like they do on paper. Some cars can have quality holds for one thing or multiple things. The problem is Ford needs to keep the line moving one way or another and they build a certain number of cars a day with said problem. There are many quality checks these vehicles go through before they can be released. That is why our quality has improved greatly over the last few years. It stinks that you have to wait a little longer for your vehicle but I'm sure when you do take delivery you will be a satisfied customer.

[akirby]

There is really no order we go by we just start at one end of the yard and work our way to the other. It doesn't go by name or date its whichever car is closest, and you work to the furthest away.

 

Now do you guys believe me?

[darrel.e.wise]

Just because I believe you doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

It still seems a shabby way to treat customers who special order a vehicle. Every vehicle comes off the line with a window sticker on it, On that window sticker it says what kind of order it is. On mind it clearly says SPECIAL ORDER. Wouldn't it seem logical to treat special orders differently if they come off the lot with defects? It doesn't seem too hard to have a large lot dedicated to dealer fixes and another smaller lot dedicated to Special Orders. That way when the parts come in, the special orders could be fixed first and the customers would be satisfied a lot quicker. Sadly, Ford doesn't really care about customer satisfaction, just the bottom line, just like most of corporate America.

[akirby]

Just because I believe you doesn't mean I have to like it.

 

It still seems a shabby way to treat customers who special order a vehicle. Every vehicle comes off the line with a window sticker on it, On that window sticker it says what kind of order it is. On mind it clearly says SPECIAL ORDER. Wouldn't it seem logical to treat special orders differently if they come off the lot with defects? It doesn't seem too hard to have a large lot dedicated to dealer fixes and another smaller lot dedicated to Special Orders. That way when the parts come in, the special orders could be fixed first and the customers would be satisfied a lot quicker. Sadly, Ford doesn't really care about customer satisfaction, just the bottom line, just like most of corporate America.

 

Under normal circumstances - yes. But all normal processes go out the window when you have 30K vehicles to fix.

 

This is why Ford doesn't start building customer orders until the OK to buy has been given. To avoid having customer vehicles held for repair. Unfortunately this happened after the OK to buy.

 

Remember - every vehicle is a few hundred to a few thousand dollars in profit to some dealer somewhere. And every vehicle is a potential Ford customer - not just yours.

 

Ford already goes out of their way to make retail orders high priority. But in some cases the logistics are simply too overwhelming.

[darrel.e.wise]

I totally understand that this is argument for the sake of argument because nothing I say can have any effect on what is going on, but what the heck, I can't resist.

 

And every vehicle is a potential Ford customer - not just yours. POTENTIAL is the key word here. Every special order IS A FORD CUSTOMER. The cars are already sold. And they are a GUARANTEE of a few hundred or a few thousand to that dealership. There is no risk of it sitting on the lot and having to pay interest on the inventory because it doesn't go into the inventory. Also the special orders are normally loaded with all the bells and whistles not a base model. You can get those at any dealership. I am also pretty sure that the high priced options on a car make it much more profitable that a base model. Case in point: my local dealer has only two Fusions on his lot. Both are base models, heck, one even has steel wheels and hubcaps. Hubcaps, I didn't know they still existed???? And both were made back in August and were one of the first vehicles the dealership got. Why are they still there? Because they are base models, they don't have all the expensive bells and whistles. He has paid interest on those vehicles for three or 4 months. They are a POTENTIAL sale, but not likely, since there is a shortage of Fusions and they are still there. Their only use is to be available for a test drive, but both have the standard engine, so people can't test the eco boost, but I guess now that is a good thing.

 

Don't worry Ford lovers, I am not going to cancel my order. It is exactly all those bells and whistles that sold me on the car. No where else can I get so much equipment on a car at the price. My 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with 175,000 miles on it still looks great and runs great, so I am not desperate for a new car, I just don't like the way this fiasco was handled by Ford. Three weeks ago after Ford told the dealers to reorder the special orders, my dealer placed an identical order to the factory. Supposedly with a priority but I am not so sure about that since the build date is December 10. (4 weeks from order to build, on a priority?) Anyway the race is on..... The original order is on a train in Michigan awaiting unloading at Flat Rock for "Final Inspection" and the second order will be built Dec 10th. I admit, I am impatiently waiting to see which one will get here first.

Edited December 4, 2012 by darrel.e.wise

[akirby]

This is the problem. You don't think Ford is doing everything they can reasonably do and we believe that given the circumstances and logistics they are doing everything they can reasonably do to get retail orders to customers.

 

The fact that they give priority to retail orders over dealer stock and they don't count retail orders against dealer allocations (for now) and they don't start building retail orders until after the OK to buy is given says that Ford goes out of their way to prioritize retail orders. Thus a reasonable person would conclude that if they are not giving priority to retail orders in the repair process that is simply isn't possible given the logistics involved.

 

If they didn't do anything to prioritize retail orders then your position would be more defensible.

[carguy]

I think is is safe to say that there is a problem with the 2013 Fusions. We all know that there are 20,000 units with a stop ship order to repair and or replace whatever. Or "undergoing additional quality assurance practices" for an unspecified problem.

 

I have no problem with that. Of course we all want our new cars to be defect free. My problem is with what you are saying. "We estimate all the cars will be enroute by the end of December." I was told by a dealer that you are fixing 1,000 a week and that figure popped up on the internet a couple of times. Let's do the math. 20,000 units divided by 1,000 per week equals 20 weeks. By my calendar that will be the end of March not December.

 

I can understand that shutting down the line is not an option. When the line is not running, you are not making money, I get that. Hopefully by now the cars coming off the line are complete and shipping north. If that is the case then the dealers are getting cars to sell while the others are being repaired. Here is my main concern. Which of the 20,000 will be fixed first? I have heard (or seen on the internet) that Ford usually does the fixes by "last in, first out." I have a real problem with that. I happen to have a special order included in those 20,000 that are waiting. So do many other people. Does it seem fair to make loyal customers who have already put down money for the cars to wait longer than a dealer who has other cars to sell? Please check the ford fusion forum and the ford fusion hybrid forum. There are plenty of people who are concerned and frustrated. Some are even canceling their orders. I am not there yet because I still believe in what the car can be and still want it. Not to mention I don't want to go through a hassle to get my "non-refundable" deposit back.

 

My car was built on October 4th, 2012. I ordered it back in June. I was told by my dealer that it would probably be late October or early November because you would build up dealer inventory first. Ford was announcing that the Fusion would become available on September 3, so I figured there would be no problem. Because I drank the kool-aid I followed the Ford Fusion Facebook site and discovered a Social Media Rep who was telling people to give her the dealer and order number and she would track the order. That's how I know it was built on October 4th. For four (yes 4) straight weeks she told me that the car was "awaiting transport, check back next week". Normal delivery, I was told, was two weeks after build. I asked if it was a quality issue and was told on October 24th, "Quality checks aren’t unusual, but as your status shows as awaiting shipment, it’s pointing to normal transportation processes. There’s no reason to worry; it hasn’t been lost or experienced issues." I then called Customer Service and was told that my car had a stop ship order on it along with 20,000 others, but he couldn't tell me why. When I responded to the Social Media rep I never received a response back. As late as November 8th this same rep was telling people "Don’t worry, guys. Quality checks and changes to the ETA are completely normal and routine, so there’s no need to be concerned." Oh really? This week the Customer Service Rep told me that he could not do anything to escalate my case until the car leaves Hermasillo. Duh, I want it escalated BECAUSE it is still sitting in Hermasillo.

 

To me, it seems logical that the special orders should go to the front of the line for repairs. Not just because one of them is mine, (OK it is because one of them is mine). The dealers have some in inventory with more on the way. Special orders have put down their money with the dealerships for the cars and can be some of your best advertising. We wouldn't have special ordered it if we didn't like it. THIS IS A CUSTOMER RELATIONS FIASCO. You are even offering $1000 off of fusions as long as they are in dealer stock. How about offering $1000 off to the poor people who ordered a car and can't get them.

 

Dearborn, we have a problem.

The dealerships have already paid in full for all of their cars, including the one you ordered.

[newjrsy12]

My Fusion was built 10/26 as a special order. Here it is 12/14 and still no word on where it is.It is in TBD land

[darrel.e.wise]

Mine was ordered a long time ago, (before they started building them) and was built on 10/04/12. It obviously was one with the bad headlights and had to be repaired. On Monday, a Ford CSR finally told me that it was on a train in Missouri (hopefully headed for the dealership but he couldn't say for sure where it was going -- REALLY?). My dealer told me when I asked him about it the same day, that they had a 12/26 eta. 2 weeks and 2 days to go from somewhere in Missouri to a dealership located on the state line of Missouri and Kansas? Amazing. I was told to expect the car around the middle of October when I placed the order. I have been waiting over 2 1/2 months. What burns me the most is that Ford would not admit they had a problem. The Ford social media folks, kept telling me nothing was wrong it was just awaiting shipment when it had a stop ship order on it. The Ford CSR's kept telling me it was on the ramp to be loaded on a train for a month. I only found out about the bad headlights through the internet (these forums), Ford would never acknowledge that they had a problem, other than my car was experiencing "quality assurance procedures". I wish Ford understood that a little information will go a long way in satisfying their customrs.

[hermans]

The Ford Social Media folks are trained to put a happy spin on everything. They can't give you the whys - they have the same info that Cyberdman has to look at.

[ice-capades]

The dealerships have already paid in full for all of their cars, including the one you ordered.

 

Ford is NOT paid for any vehicles, regardless of order type (Stock, Demo, Retail, Fleet, etc.) until the vehicles are actually delivered to the dealership!

[darrel.e.wise]

This is totally unbelievable or totally believable, depending on how you look at it. I emailed my dealer to tell him since the car was scheduled to arrive on 12/26, for property tax reasons, I would pick it up on January 2. He had no problems with that and told me that my car was in Voltz, Missouri. I checked and there is no Voltz, Missouri. There is however, a Voltz Rail Yard located in Kansas City MO operated by Norfolk Southern Railways. Funny thing is.... that rail yard is only about one hour by truck to the dealership in Louisburg, KS. The eta is still 12/26. An hour away and it will take 13 days to get there???? I now am in no rush however, since by picking it up on Jan 2, I will save about $500 in property taxes. Missouri Property Tax is based on vehicles you own on January 1. So I won't have to pay property taxes on it until 2014. I have waited 2 1/2 months, what is another couple of weeks in the grand scheme of things.

[newjrsy12]

_{Another wee, Fusion SE built mid October, and as of today - still sitting in Mexico marked TBD. Don't get it}

[jkirkman]

Mine was built early November and still sitting in Mexico, 3 months later...

[Pers69]

Bail on that car - order another or look elsewhere.