Ford Not Honoring Dealer Markup Pledge

[Maverick2023]

Well my ‘fantasy land’ consists of 2 vehicle purchases this year, a $100k msrp TRX and my Maverick. I have dual-signed agreements on both to the penny when ordering.

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Again you can’t assume that all dealerships will do this. This my work for that particular dealer but not others in a different city or state

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[paneubert]

No such thing exists. Dealer won't give you one. What are you gonna do? You are living in fantasy land.

I got one. Didn't even have to ask for it. Dealer said it was the right thing to do.

 

[Impetus19]

LOL, I'm not bickering. Without some sort of a signed purchase agreement at time of order stating the net price (or discount off of final MSRP) and other terms, the net price at the time of vehicle delivery is hearsay and that's how some unscrupulous dealers unfortunately operate. It seems we unfortunately see that every week here.....

take care


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Which makes it even more rediculous that anyone goes through this process… you are placing an order for a vehicle with no confirmed price or build date. So what are orders anyway? A vague document without any real obligation. Good luck with that.

 

[OXHB619]

Which makes it even more ridiculous that anyone goes through this process… you are placing an order for a vehicle with no confirmed price or build date. So what are orders anyway? A vague document without any real obligation. Good luck with that.

Summed up correctly.

Right now, orders are a way for a dealer to increase their inventory worst case, and maybe you get what you want, at the price you agreed to.

Tons of people dropped features they wanted like CP360, spray in liner, etc etc. How about the deleted temp gauges on the HVAC, or the removed Hotspot, that was credited what $40 ? Tons of people getting ADM or "market adjustment" or shorted on the price protection. Ordering with Ford is a certified cluster, even for those with a great dealer they still may not get what they want, or when they were promised it.

 

[Lowglow]

Someone ordering a vehicle without a dual-signed purchase agreement from the Dealer stating the net price, dealer fees and applicable taxes deserve exactly what they get.

The dealer I ordered from states on their website they won’t charge above sticker, but won’t sign any paperwork or take a deposit until Ford issues a VIN, so my fear is what will happen when a VIN is issued…only gave me the order sheet with the price.

 

[UberGadgetFreak]

My question is:
How is Ford tracking dealerships charging ADM/"Market Adjustment" add-ons? Are they actually surveying customers, or relying on reports they see and messages they get on social media? That could leave out a lot of dealerships from getting scrutinized.

I have been more than lucky dodging them on my Bronco and my Maverick so far, but they want to add them now, and not small change, either. Mine is trying to add 15% ADM on Mavericks. The next closest dealership is adding a 20% ADM on every new vehicle, period. Doesn't matter what model, 20% across the board. This is the same dealer that tried to swindle me years ago and still run by the same goons, so I am not surprised.

I wish I was in a situation to own my own dealership. Yeah, new vehicles would suck right now, but I'd be all on-board with just-in-time orders, no ADMs, no doc fees, no unexpected anything, properly training salespeople so they were knowledgeable, and put a huge focus on what my current employer does summed up by this slogan: "High customer satisfaction drives high customer loyalty", too. But, I gotta win the Powerball first.

 

[Espeer]

My dealer gave me a signed by both of us out-the-door price three weeks ago for a truck they told me won't show up until late spring. They don't do markups on retail orders. Period. Depending on the stock order, they might. But it doesn't matter what happens to the price between now and delivery, I have the price I am going to pay and based on everyone I have talked to who has purchased from that dealership, they do exactly that.

Part of shopping around is shopping dealers. Ford can only do so much when state laws and contracts govern their relationships with dealers. Stop buying from crappy dealers and the market will take care of itself.

This should be the rule, not the exception. The blame falls squarely on the crooked dealers.

Now, if we want to refraim the discussion (this isn't meant to be a reply to you), to how to avoid bad dealers, that's fine, but people here saying it's a customer's fault when a dealer steals from them? That's way too much "look what she was wearing" to me.

 

[olderbudwiser]

NCFU just asked for the VIN and cut me a check to whatever I wanted, a ballpark of the price. They didn't care about seeing anything until the deal was done, but obviously had a limit of what they would cut a check for. Funny enough, it was $19 short at the dealer, I paid out of pocket, and a month later got a $19 check from that dealer.

Pretty much has been my experience. You just said it better.

 

[martyi48]

I ordered my Maverick in June 2021, 16 ridiculous months ago. I only got the sheet with price, fees, tax, etc. This was Covid time and Ford wanted people to build on the website and they would send the order to a dealer (unless you selected a specific one to deal with). My dealer said they would deliver the truck even to my home for me. The less contact the better was the theme at that time so although all the documents were sent to me online, nothing was signed. I imagine this happens all the time when people buy from dealers out of state. Anyway, because of this, the dealer will not honor the agreement when the truck finally arrives. But I don't care too much as I bought a Ridgeline last winter and don't want the Maverick other than as a possible flip.

 

[huunvubu]

And here we go again.

How many times do people have to hit over the head until they get a clue.

There are bad dealers/dealerships out there. They lie/cheat/steal with impunity because they can.
Dealerships are protected entities because of State laws. They are not extensions of brands like Ford, GM and others. The only thing Ford can do about bad dealers is withhold allocations.

Numerous people on this forum and elsewhere have found out that their order placed at what they thought was at MSRP turned out not to be so when they went to pick up their vehicle at time of delivery.

The reasons the bad dealers say go something like this:

MSRP was when order was placed now the market for it is much higher
or we always add on dealer options to all vehicles on our lot including customer ordered ones

If when you place an order with a dealer and the only hope you have is a verbal agreement or a customer only signed piece of paper then you may find out on delivery that the price you pay can be higher than you thought.

If you think a signed DORA will protect you then you ignored the "this is not an invoice" clearly stated on the bottom of it.

A Dealership Purchase Order signed and dated by both you and the Sales/General Manager with all costs listed with a total out-the-door cost will give you piece of mind that your dealer is one of the good ones as having one means that the dealer will sell it for the agreed upon price.

Getting a Purchase Order done takes all of 5 minutes.

For all of those who spew "I didn't have one and the dealer honored MSRP" or "My dealer is a good one and I paid MSRP even though it was only a verbal agreement" etc remember those statements only work if the dealers stay honest and a lot can change in the year while you wait for your vehicle to be built and delivered.

I for one use "trust but verify" and get a Purchase Order done when ordered.

Remember if a dealer refuses to do one when asked it is a red flag that they may not honor the price you think you will pay on delivery.

Below is a cropped copy of my MY23 Purchase Order with the signatures and dates cropped off:

 

[jibbersmav]

but people here saying it's a customer's fault when a dealer steals from them? That's way too much "look what she was wearing" to me.

1. The dealer is not “stealing” from a customer.
2. If someone goes to the casino and loses their money on craps and blackjack, if I say it is their fault, is that too much “look what she was wearing” to you?

 

[Aman]

No such thing exists. Dealer won't give you one. What are you gonna do? You are living in fantasy land.

You can tell them to put order number on vin number, since we don’t have vin number and both parties can sign on out the door price agreement.

 

[Captain]

So you are suggesting you have nothing from your dealer that states the net price, applicable taxes, dealer fees etc. that both you and the dealer signs?

I have them for every one of the ~ 100 vehicles I’ve purchased in 50 years...

A lender won’t lend $ against a vehicle w/o a ratified, signed contract


.

Bullshit…. You can call your bank from the dealers office and they will lend you the money you need. I’ve done it numerous times. As for signing paperwork for the purchase, 99% of that occurs in the Finance Office…. Most Dealers Are scumbags, and if you find a good one, you keep using them. I’ve bought 13 new Toyotas in the last 20 years, same salesman, 2 different dealers.

 

[rjvandoel]

This is an insane position. I do not care for the viewpoint that customers are just asking for it if they don’t get x, y and z. That’s just insane. If my 23 order ends up being marked up I’ll simply walk away. Leave a negative review and buy a Tacoma trd pro from my trusted dealer instead.

I went to two Ford dealers in my area. The first one had no idea how to order a new Mav 23 and felt super uneasy. Went to another dealership one town over and felt more confident that: a. It would be ordered and b. I wouldn’t be fed over on price gouging. If they end up pulling a fast one I’m not buying a 34k truck for 40k when I could get a stock from Toyota that has more capability. I’ll take not getting fucked over getting exactly what I wanted any day.

 

[Maverick2023]

You can tell them to put order number on vin number, since we don’t have vin number and both parties can sign on out the door price agreement.

Signing a DORA is not the same an actual buyer order when you take the delivery of a vehicle. Most of us including myself signed for a DORA which often means nothing. That isn't a contract and is not enforceable. It even says so on the DORA itself. I'm refuting to OP saying that he actually signs for a buyer contract just to order a vehicle which I don't think exist. At least where I'm at. But there will be 'experts' on here disputing otherwise.

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