ice-capades Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Just a few random thoughts to share about this message thread in particular about all the enthusiasts that have joined BON over the years and contribute so much in the questions asked and information provided. I've managed the new vehicle inventory for 26 of the 27 years I've been here after spending a number of years in the entertainment business. I'm sometimes amused yet often frustrated when I read of the problems so many Ford enthusiasts have in getting even basic, or correct, information from their local dealers about the status of their factory retail orders. Among the general comments... My Dealer never calls me with updated information on my factory order When I call my Sales Representative, he doesn't know anything about my order status The Sales Manager doesn't know where you're getting your information when you seem to know more than he/she does. That's after you contacted the Sales Manager because you couldn't get answers from the Sales Representative that sold you the car! No one at the Dealership is familiar with what you're calling the "Vehicle Visibility" report The above experiences are just the first of many that frustrate me to no end as it's so different from the way my Dealership operates as I'll outline below. Our Dealership has a daily, morning managers meeting where all department managers are assembled to review every sale including financing status, vehicle status, additional work that the vehicle requires, delivery destination and transportation arrangements if appropriate, etc. Each manager gets a copy of the daily "Morning Sheet" that shows every vehicle sold but not delivered with the following information... Deal Date Customer Name Stock Number Vehicle Description Deposit Amount Status/Comments Section The same "Morning" sheet has a section including a list of all the retail and fleet factory orders and their most recent status that is updated on average twice a week. More important is the "Vehicle Visibility" report for all retail and fleet orders that I run every morning, 6 days a week, that is distributed to our General Manager, Sales Manager, Fleet Manager, Finance Manager & Executive Sales Assistant. In addition, I try to talk to the Sales Representatives directly to update them on the status of their customers' retail orders so that they can update their customers accordingly. At our Dealership, we try to "over communicate" so that everyone is on the same page. We don't always succeed and we're constantly looking for ways to do better. Over the past 5 years several of our direct competitors have gone out of business including one that closed after 75 years. Our service and parts business is about triple what it was a few years ago and our fleet business is probably 10 times what it was a few years ago. Our reward has been winning Ford's President's Award twice in the past 5 years. We're working extra hard this year to get the President's Award back! Sorry this has been long but wanted to share this information on how my Dealership operates in regard to customer retail orders, etc. I hope that this helps. Thanks! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neod192 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 Our reward has been winning Ford's President's Award twice in the past 5 years. We're working extra hard this year to get the President's Award back! Congrats on willing the President's Award! It sounds like you work for one of the better dealers out there Is there any way to find out what awards a specific dealership won, if any (other than going to the dealer and asking them)? Thanks for all the great into you're providing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Expedition owner Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 OK - Just received more information: RUBY RED METALLIC is in limited supplier status and vehicles won't be able to be built until 4/1/2013. Another setback in what has been a long journey. Sorry to hear the news about the Ruby Reds. When I first read your report of a delay in schedule, I thought it may have to do with sunroofs on the commodity reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neod192 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 All 2013 MY Fusions produced on January 7, 2013 and later are Job #2 vehicles. Attached is a copy of the 2013 Fusion Pricing & Packaging Information which should help answer all the related questions! This document (from November 26th, 2012) shows that production for the Hybrid Titanium was supposed to start on January 7th, 2013. This confirms the delays we've had, even if Ford "only said Early 2013". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckokie36 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) Just a few random thoughts to share about this message thread in particular about all the enthusiasts that have joined BON over the years and contribute so much in the questions asked and information provided. I've managed the new vehicle inventory for 26 of the 27 years I've been here after spending a number of years in the entertainment business. I'm sometimes amused yet often frustrated when I read of the problems so many Ford enthusiasts have in getting even basic, or correct, information from their local dealers about the status of their factory retail orders. Among the general comments... My Dealer never calls me with updated information on my factory order When I call my Sales Representative, he doesn't know anything about my order status The Sales Manager doesn't know where you're getting your information when you seem to know more than he/she does. That's after you contacted the Sales Manager because you couldn't get answers from the Sales Representative that sold you the car! No one at the Dealership is familiar with what you're calling the "Vehicle Visibility" report The above experiences are just the first of many that frustrate me to no end as it's so different from the way my Dealership operates as I'll outline below. Our Dealership has a daily, morning managers meeting where all department managers are assembled to review every sale including financing status, vehicle status, additional work that the vehicle requires, delivery destination and transportation arrangements if appropriate, etc. Each manager gets a copy of the daily "Morning Sheet" that shows every vehicle sold but not delivered with the following information... Deal Date Customer Name Stock Number Vehicle Description Deposit Amount Status/Comments Section The same "Morning" sheet has a section including a list of all the retail and fleet factory orders and their most recent status that is updated on average twice a week. More important is the "Vehicle Visibility" report for all retail and fleet orders that I run every morning, 6 days a week, that is distributed to our General Manager, Sales Manager, Fleet Manager, Finance Manager & Executive Sales Assistant. In addition, I try to talk to the Sales Representatives directly to update them on the status of their customers' retail orders so that they can update their customers accordingly. At our Dealership, we try to "over communicate" so that everyone is on the same page. We don't always succeed and we're constantly looking for ways to do better. Over the past 5 years several of our direct competitors have gone out of business including one that closed after 75 years. Our service and parts business is about triple what it was a few years ago and our fleet business is probably 10 times what it was a few years ago. Our reward has been winning Ford's President's Award twice in the past 5 years. We're working extra hard this year to get the President's Award back! Sorry this has been long but wanted to share this information on how my Dealership operates in regard to customer retail orders, etc. I hope that this helps. Thanks! I do not understand why all dealers or at least most of them don't adhere to the type of communication structure and training you give to your managers!! You are to be congratulated, wish I had such a responsive dealer nearby ! As a side note I have a local small Ford dealer within 5 miles from were I now live, I previously lived in the Dallas-Ft worth area and was used to folks who are familiar with Hybrids ( I now have 2, an Accord and a Prius) Went to local dealer to drive a 2012 Fusion Hybrid, the Sales Manager said we don't stock them, they do not work with our type of driving (medium size town). Ok so I found a dealer 35 miles away who stocked the Hybrid and drove one, Came back to my local dealer and tried to order a 2013 Fusion Hybrid Titanium. They got my trade in info and said they would call the next day when salesman x was in---no call, I ordered from another other dealer. By the way the local Toyota and Hyundai dealers do a bang up Hybrid business!! Ford really needs to take these small dealers to task, They are missing a lot of sales. Edited March 12, 2013 by chuckokie36 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdn Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 ice-capades - thanks for sharing. I've found a dealer just North of Dallas that seems to have that kind of customer focus as well and it is a breath of fresh air. I'm curious though - how many of your sales are customers which custom order a car vs buy off the lot? While what you do is great and really is what I expect from someone where I custom order a car, isn't it probably fact the number of custom orders is a very small percentage of the total number of sales in a given year? I'm with everyone else here - I want up to the minute updates, but I'm wondering does the old 80/20 rule apply. You are spending 80% of your time trying to satisfy a smaller than 20% number of your customers - the ones that custom order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
47Minutes Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 ice-capades - thanks for sharing. I've found a dealer just North of Dallas that seems to have that kind of customer focus as well and it is a breath of fresh air. I'm curious though - how many of your sales are customers which custom order a car vs buy off the lot? While what you do is great and really is what I expect from someone where I custom order a car, isn't it probably fact the number of custom orders is a very small percentage of the total number of sales in a given year? I'm with everyone else here - I want up to the minute updates, but I'm wondering does the old 80/20 rule apply. You are spending 80% of your time trying to satisfy a smaller than 20% number of your customers - the ones that custom order. gdn - I'm unable to reply to your message as I haven't accumulated enough posts yet for that privilege. To answer your question, I have been working with Prestige Ford in Garland. I've not really had any issues other than my HyTi order still being "unscheduled clean" while everyone else seems to be getting build weeks and VINs. I guess I can attribute that to an allocation issue for this dealer. Just today I have contacted their sister dealership, Park Cities Ford, and am talking to them about possibly changing to an Energi Ti that they expect to have on lot any time now. I hope to work it out soon and possibly be in my new Fusion this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdn Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 gdn - I'm unable to reply to your message as I haven't accumulated enough posts yet for that privilege. To answer your question, I have been working with Prestige Ford in Garland. I've not really had any issues other than my HyTi order still being "unscheduled clean" while everyone else seems to be getting build weeks and VINs. I guess I can attribute that to an allocation issue for this dealer. Just today I have contacted their sister dealership, Park Cities Ford, and am talking to them about possibly changing to an Energi Ti that they expect to have on lot any time now. I hope to work it out soon and possibly be in my new Fusion this month. Thanks for the update. I went through 2 bad dealerships before being directed to Bob Tomes in McKinney. Didn't want to drive the 15 miles up there with 2 others literally within a couple of miles, but it has been very well worth it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcg1005 Posted March 12, 2013 Share Posted March 12, 2013 I do not understand why all dealers or at least most of them don't adhere to the type of communication structure and training you give to your managers!! You are to be congratulated, wish I had such a responsive dealer nearby ! As a side note I have a local small Ford dealer within 5 miles from were I now live, I previously lived in the Dallas-Ft worth area and was used to folks who are familiar with Hybrids ( I now have 2, an Accord and a Prius) Went to local dealer to drive a 2012 Fusion Hybrid, the Sales Manager said we don't stock them, they do not work with our type of driving (medium size town). Ok so I found a dealer 35 miles away who stocked the Hybrid and drove one, Came back to my local dealer and tried to order a 2013 Fusion Hybrid Titanium. They got my trade in info and said they would call the next day when salesman x was in---no call, I ordered from another other dealer. By the way the local Toyota and Hyundai dealers do a bang up Hybrid business!! Ford really needs to take these small dealers to task, They are missing a lot of sales. This is sad to read. My dealer, who is small in facility but cranks out a lot of sales, is simply outstanding. Because they don't have a tone of space for stock, they love to have you order. They haven't even made me, even the first car I bought, put down a deposit. We (family) are on our fourth car from them in the past three years with this latest order, and three of the four have been ordered. It is too bad you didn't get a good response from that small dealer. When the are run properly, they are really shining stars because you don't get lost in the shuffle of the mega-dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I've managed the new vehicle inventory for 26 of the 27 years I've been here after spending a number of years in the entertainment business. I'm sometimes amused yet often frustrated when I read of the problems so many Ford enthusiasts have in getting even basic, or correct, information from their local dealers about the status of their factory retail orders. Among the general comments... So, ice-capades (or anyone else that Manages at a Ford dealership), do you have any suggestions as to how I can go about getting my car on a rail car from Hermosillo to Tucson? My car was produced on 2/7/13 and, as far as I know, there are no quality issues with it. But it still sits and waits...and has for 5 weeks now. My salesman has been extremely helpful and has absolutely no problems giving me updates a couple of times a week but seems helpless, in this circumstance, and can only thank me for my patience. And Ford Service directed me to another dealer to buy a different car. Do you, or anyone else, know anyone at Ford who has the clout to move a car off of Mexican soil and onto a rail car headed north? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joveri Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hello I'm new to this forum and my Hybrid Titanium order will be placed tomorrow morning. Just looking over some posts and it worries me to see all the delays. My dealer gave me an estimated 8-10 weeks, but it doesn't seem likely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylorjd Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hello I'm new to this forum and my Hybrid Titanium order will be placed tomorrow morning. Just looking over some posts and it worries me to see all the delays. My dealer gave me an estimated 8-10 weeks, but it doesn't seem likely Welcome to the Forum, it is a great bunch. At this point, I think 8-10 weeks is a fair guess, but those watching the HyTis may have a better sense then me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joveri Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks, hope to hear any good news from other HyTi buyers out there. I will post any news on my order as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pers69 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Donlen fleet site reports: 2013 Ford Fusion / Fusion Hybrid 10-12 week lead time 1.6L Engine may increase lead time by 4 weeks or more Array 204B may increase lead time by 2-4 weeks Fusion Hybrid orders may increase lead time by 4 weeks or more Ginger Ale paint has been discontinued and is no longer available to order Power Seats (205B, 400A) may increase lead time by 2-4 week 18" Wheels (98Y) with Summer Tires (T7L) will have late availability starting 4/29/13 Looks like 8-10 is optimistic for a HyTi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcg1005 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Once production ramps up and an quality holds, etc. are clear, the time should be closer to 8 weeks. From what everyone is saying/reading/posting, it looks like production is really ramping up next week. I big tell will be if those of you on here with 3-18 and 3-25 build starts get stickers produced soon. From my previous two orders, my experience is that the sticker going live is just a couple of days before your car begins being built. 12 weeks for me puts me to the end of May. I also agree that a realistic delivery of an ordered MY14 is more like early September than late August. That being said, I am OK with my wait so far. If something happens and it falls apart time wise, I will suck it up and go with 14. To me, it is all just more time to put pennies in my cookie jar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaHyTi Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I just checked a few VINs from the spreadsheet with March 18 build dates and the stickers are available, example below http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=3FA6P0RU4DR278648 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcg1005 Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Very nice! Hopefully production will ramp up to full speed. I am also interested to hear what little tweaks these cars show up with from Job 2 work. I.e. no more sport pedals, different buttons, as well as build quality, that I am sure has been addressed from the very early Fusions. There were a lot of reviews whining about poor door/trunk alignment, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylorjd Posted March 13, 2013 Author Share Posted March 13, 2013 I just checked a few VINs from the spreadsheet with March 18 build dates and the stickers are available, example below http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=3FA6P0RU4DR278648 I see that one and 3FA6P0RUXDR277388. I updated the table. Anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Islander Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I see that one and 3FA6P0RUXDR277388. I updated the table. Anymore? Taylorjd, Still have not rec'd mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluggedin Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Donlen fleet site reports: Looks like 8-10 is optimistic for a HyTi. Pers69, I could not answer your PM, I only have 36 posts and need 40. I appreciate your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fastronaut Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 You guys are killing me with all these 3/18 VINs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delnatha Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 I have a window sticker now as well for a HyTi build date of 3/18 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Former Expedition owner Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 (edited) I see that one and http://www.inventory.ford.com/services/inventory/WindowSticker.pdf?vin=3FA6P0RUXDR277388"]3FA6P0RUXDR277388[/url]. I updated the table. Anymore? Still no window sticker for my 3/18 build VIN, either. The two HyTi's that have window stickers do not have sunroofs? Is this related to the sunroof being listed as a commodity problem? Edited March 13, 2013 by Former Expedition owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captinkirk Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 Hello I'm new to this forum and my Hybrid Titanium order will be placed tomorrow morning. Just looking over some posts and it worries me to see all the delays. My dealer gave me an estimated 8-10 weeks, but it doesn't seem likely It is possible.. MIne seems to be the only one sticking to schedule. (knock on wood) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captinkirk Posted March 13, 2013 Share Posted March 13, 2013 (edited) Still no window sticker for my 3/18 build VIN, either. The two HyTi's that have window stickers do not have sunroofs? Is this related to the sunroof being listed as a commodity problem? The ones that i have pulled up from the list DO have sunroofs / moonroofs. Edit one of them does. There are a total of 3 so far that have stickers. Edited March 13, 2013 by captinkirk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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