'07 Order Rant!!

[Bob Corning]

I called the dealer to get the final figures confirmed on my '07 Ltd. that was due to arrive next week. I am selling my current ride to a private party who is picking it up tomorrow. Imagine my surprise when instead of a simply call with the final dollar figure, I instead heard, "We may have a problem." Seems that when the salesman pulled up the order the confirmation had was a slightly different vehicle. Ford must not have liked my choice of the Dark Charcol cloth, so they replaced it with the Camel. I don't like the Camel (too light for me), that's why I ordered the color I did. So now I have to start over, or "settle" for what they are sending. Ford says it was their mistake, and they will "rush" the order, but it still will be late July/early August before it gets here. I am still negotiating with the dealer concerning what I am supooseed to drive for the next 1 1/2 months! I am really ticked off about this whole deal, but am also really looking forward to the new ST. And if I start over with a new dealer, I still will end up wating even a longer time. Dealer tried to find one close to what I wanted, but I don't want "close" when you're talking about the bucks these things cost. Sorry about the tone, and I know you guys can't do anything about it. I'm just venting.

 

[michael larkin 2]

I would make the dealer give a doner car while you are waiting fo ryours to come in. They need to basically kiss your butt.



Duece

 

[Ron N]

I agree with Duece,if the other ST is supposed to get there I would tell them to let me drive it till your order gets here or you will go to another dealer to order it. After all they did screw it up. Ron

 

[Gavin Allan]

After this, you deserve a new RIDGELINE!!!

 

[Robert Poole]

talk about the dealer giving you a loaner Taurus, and since FoMoCo screwed up, the dealership can bill Ford for the use of a loaner while your 'Trac is being built.



Have a good one



Bob

 

[Tom Schindler]

Actually, it sounds like the dealer is the one that screwed up.





Tom

 

[Mike Wilson]

In these days of "Dog Eat Dog", you shouldn't have to "settle" for what Ford sends you.

As I said before, I work at G.M., and I wouldn't "settle" for what they sent me, if it was not

what I ordered. Maybe, tell them a "little" white lie, and say that you might consider a

G.M. or Chrysler vehicle if they can't do right by you!

You're the buyer, in this buyer's market and they should respect you for that!

You might also mention the term "Conquest Sale", (If, say you told them you were

considering a G.M., Chrysler, or Heaven forbid, a Toyota!?) over that Ford that they couldn't

deliver. You might just get a little more respect! (And maybe a loaner till that Trac comes in!).

All of this from an honest U.A.W. /G.M. Employee! Go Figure!

Good Luck...

 

[Jeff C]

Go find the cost of a rental until the date of delivery, and tell them to take off double the amount (should come to a couple thousand) so that you can pay for your rental if they don't provide one, as well as having some cash off for your troubles.

 

[Bob Corning]

First of all, thanks for the support. The ideas you have provided are very similiar to the ones I posed to the dealer. Problem is, they aren't going for it. I used X-plan, and while the dealer is making some money on the deal, they aren't making a killing. If I simply walk, which I can easily do since I haven't signed anything or given a deposit, I will just need to get in line again at another dealer if I want a ST. The biggest hangup for the dealer is the insurance on any loaner or rental they supply me. They are saying that Ford will not reimburse them for those costs. (The more they talk the more I am beginning to think the dealer screwed up, not Ford.) The deal I have worked out in principle is that I will buy a used '01 Taurus from them at their cost, drive it until my ST arrives, and they will buy back the Taurus for the exact price I paid for it. It is fair from a financial viewpoint, but I am still not real happy about it.

 

[JohnnyB]

You better get the buy back on the taraus in writting.

 

[Ray McIntireJr]

That word, ridgeline, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[Bill V]

I don't know if this is even possible, or what type of time/effort/cost it would take to do it--but is there any chance your dealer an ST (any exterior color) in stock with the dark charcoal cloth? If so, then if they balk at giving you a loaner, give them the option of swapping the seats of that other ST with those in the ST you supposedly ordered.



If they won't do either of those, in my opinion it'll be worth the extra wait to take your business elsewhere.



I'd also be VERY wary of BUYING a used Taurus from them, with the promise of them buying it back. Make sure they're not able to pull the rug out from under you on that one, and leave you stuck with a used Taurus. Look into how much you'd be able to sell that Taurus for if they don't honor their end of the deal, and make sure that the resale price is MORE than you pay for it.

 

[Gill Wong]

I agree with Tom, Ford did not make the mistake here. When a Dealer places an order, all required fields (color, trim...) must be entered by the user. Otherwise, the request will not be accepted by the ordering system. My guess, the Dealer copied the order info from another ST order (with codes) and forgot to enter the correct trim code (causing the mixup). If caught early enough, an order can be cancelled and resubmitted without any big delay. Good Luck!

 

[C C]

Unless you are going to buy something REALLY different, some dealer, somewhere has your car right now! I spent about 6 hrs online with a zip code printout and did a everincreasing dealer inventory search and found one about 120 miles away, the only thing I wouldn't have ordered was the heated windshield, but it's kinda neat, eventhough it messes up my GPS....and I got a good price too....



Good luck....cc

 

[Fer Echegaray]

Is there an ST like the one you ordered in a radius of 300miles?

if so, as cc pointed out, they can work it out with the other dealer for a transfer, they did this with my ST, but the other dealer was only 32 miles away....

 

[C C]

OR....you can go to the dealer that has what you want and purchase it there, I did....I have purchased a new car every two years since 1970!...."your" dealer should offer to trade for the car you want if they are really "your" dealer....it's been my experience that they don't give a rats a_ _ about you unless they can make money off you....I told the dealer that I bought the last 4 Fords from about the car I wanted and where it was and he said that I should go and buy it then!....I will use them for warranty service and they are ok with that and the dealer I bought from knew I wouldn't be back for service and was ok with that, he didn't even introduce me to their service department, like they are supposed to, he said it would be a waste his and my time!, he was right!....cc

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Any way you look at it, the dealer made a mistake and you can either:



a) ACCEPT their mistake by taking the Trac that's not "exactly" the way you want it and seek some form of "satisfaction" for your compromise



b) NOT ACCEPT their mistake, wait for the Trac exactly the way you want it and seek some form of "satisfaction" for the delay



Regardless which you choose, ultimately your "satisfaction" from the dealer will come in the form of $$$$ whether it be in the form of the cost for a loaner, miles on a loaner, depreciation on the new "interim" ST if it is the loaner, etc.



So, crash, I suggest you pick a, or b (it's up to you), but have a PRICE in mind for your satisfaction and talk to the dealer and see if they will "deal". If not...walk away, renegotiate with another dealer, and given the delay, be sure you get the Job 2 with power rear window (the silver lining in this storm cloud).



TJR

 

[b t]

 

[b t]

If the dealer sold you this vehicle on X-Plan, his commission on the vehicle will be less than $500. Despite what people think, it can almost not be worth selling a vehicle at X-Plan for a dealer. So, he doesn't have any room to help you. He is at fault, but unless he wants to take a loss to now make the sale, he is going to probably cut you loose.



My personal opinion is that it is cheaper to make you happy and have you promoting the dealership than it is to forgo the sale and have you berating the dealership. But that is for them to decide!!



I just wanted you to know, in that I have been in a family dealership for many years, that I can tell you Ford even if the mistake was theirs is not going to assist you or the dealer, so the dealer is on his own. And in that he is making less than $500, he may feel that to help you doesn't make sense.



Again, that will have to be up to him, but I wanted you to see it from a dollars and cents perspective.



With X-Plan there is no 3% holdback or any type of perks for the dealership. There is only a direct commission from Ford. It can be as little as under $200. We just sold a new Focus on X-plan and our commission from Ford was $198. This is why dealers on brand new models often will not want to work with X-Plan customers, especially if the model is in high demand or are hard to get. They feel like the possibility of selling the vehicle to a retail customer outweighs the small immediate commission they would receive on the X-plan sale.



Again, I am not justifying a dealer doing this, I am simply explaining why it can happen, and that there is some reasoning behind the decision.



I would ask them to try to find you a comparable vehicle on dealer locator. If one does not exist, you are probably going to have to order another vehicle to get what you want. As, if they can not find one on locator, you won't be able to either. This is not to say that if you do have to order another one, that you order it from them.



Good luck with your dilemma and I hope you get the vehicle you want and enjoy it immensely!!!



Sincerely,



BT

 

[Bob Corning]

Hey tbrooks:

You have summarized my feelings better than I could. This is a large,reputable dealer with probably the best reputation in the state. They sell every brand you can name at dealers throughout the state. He has shown me all the paperwork that they submitted to Ford and Ford's confirmation. Ford screwed up - not the dealer. He has looked far and wide and cannot find the exact match to my order. He can get close, but the real missing piece is the PDBL, which I really want. The power rear windows have simply not hit the street yet around here. The general manager has given me written confirmation that he will buy back my "interium car" for full price, given me a written warranty for the car while I am waiting for the ST and guaranteed me in writing that I will not lose the $1,000 rebate. They are also having a face to face meeting with their Ford rep to "do some arm twisting" to try and push forward my new build date. Am I happy about this? Of course not. But if I dump this dealer and go to another, I will be going to the back of the longest line, will have no leaverage at all, and the price will be the same (X-plan). I really pushed the dealer hard on this, and am going to stick with them at this point. I think I see some sharply discounted parts dept. purchases in my future (at least that's my plan.) Everyone's comments and suggestions were helpful, and I think they helped me work out in my mind what I wanted to do. Everyone has to make up their own mind in the end. Thanks again.