Shady dealer tactics still going strong

[Stevezilla]

I waited a year and a half for my maverick. It came in last month, dealer honored the price on window sticker. No markup. Your dealership is shady.

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[lajlmt]

Sorry to say but "lawyer up" is not going to do any good as you don't have a legal signed contract.

Yeah, Lawyer up won’t help. Should have gotten a purchase guarentee/agreement.

 

[lajlmt]

You need to find out if the form you have signed from the dealership is an actual buyers order. The dealership probably gave you a preview order form. A preview order form could contain all of the information you mentioned above but it is not a legally binding contract. I’m not a lawyer but if you actually have a signed buyer’s order than I believe you do have legal recourse to go after these guys.

Trust me Honolulu Ford will not provide that….

 

[lajlmt]

I waited a year and a half for my maverick. It came in last month, dealer honored the price on window sticker. No markup. Your dealership is shady.

Appears all the Ford dealerships on Oahu are doing the bait and switch, also the fact that the salesman lied about telling the buyer about the markup. Appears the salesperson also got a little huffy, very unprofessional but hey, car salesmen…

 

[Stevezilla]

Appears all the Ford dealerships on Oahu are doing the bait and switch, also the fact that the salesman lied about telling the buyer about the markup. Appears the salesperson also got a little huffy, very unprofessional but hey, car salesmen…

I don't know how those jerks sleep at night. I shouldnt feel lucky that my dealership treated me fairly. That should be standard practice.

 

[lajlmt]

Ford has no legal recourse because each state has franchise laws saying the dealer has the right to set price. You ordered the cars from the dealer not Ford. The dealer bought them from Ford. So quit blaming Ford. They are trying to go to non-negotiated pricing but are getting sued by dealers and some in Congress say they will investigate them if they try that.

You say you have a signed order with the original price, is it signed by an authorized representative of the dealer? If so, does Hawaii allow that as a binding contract? If so you can sue but it will cost you more than the $12,000.

Did you know this dealer had a bad reputation before you ordered?

Now I am reading complaints on Reddit and here…specifically Mavericks that were ordered on the FORD site, mine was ordered at the FORD site and assigned the transfer to the dealer.

 

[RonFLA]

Ford’s legacy, dealership model sucks! Signed whatever isn’t going to stop a shady dealership. They simply control the entire buying experience and although they used you to get the vehicle(s) to their lot, in the end, they are the dealership’s vehicles to do what they want with. I wouldn’t beat yourself up about it.

I don’t like to make financial decisions based on principles because you often cloud hard numbers with emotion to prove a point or to justify your intentions; However, in your case, If you want the truck(s), continue to negotiate. Try to beat them at their own game! If you can’t, find others to help. Continue to work with the Sales Manager via email and not with the sales person. Make it know, in writing, that you want the vehicles; Hopefully, to prevent them from selling them out from underneath you. It’s a waiting game of back and forth to likely settle on some level of ADM. If you look at the 2024 pricing, a little ADM on a 2023 isn’t as bad as many would naturally object, based on principle.

 

[huunvubu]

A salesman signature is worthless. It needs to be signed and dated by you and the General/Sales Manager of the dealership. Anything else is a worthless piece of paper.

Do you have a source for that?

Source is from many posters here and from @fordvideoguy video's. It has been stated that only the General/Sales Manager at the dealership have the power to sign a binding contract.

You have to ask yourself "what power does a salesman have at a dealership".

As an example pre-pandemic: you negotiate a price with a salesman to purchase of a used vehicle then that salesman says I have to check with the General/Sales Manager if it can be accepted.

The salesman doesn't have the power to sign legal binding contracts the General/Sales Manager does.

What is a buyer’s order or purchase order?
A buyer’s order (also known as a purchase order) is a legally binding document between two parties (the buyer and the seller).

Note in the above "the seller". The Seller is the Dealership not the Salesman.

Buyer’s Order vs. Bill of Sale: understanding the difference

GoodToKnow: Buyer’s Orders Can Be Tricky. Don’t Worry, We’ve Got Your Back!

 

[huunvubu]

ThatGuy92 said:

You need to find out if the form you have signed from the dealership is an actual buyers order. The dealership probably gave you a preview order form. A preview order form could contain all of the information you mentioned above but it is not a legally binding contract. I’m not a lawyer but if you actually have a signed buyer’s order than I believe you do have legal recourse to go after these guys.

Trust me Honolulu Ford will not provide that….

And that is a big red flag at time of ordering.

Any dealer that refuses to do a binding purchase order at time of order is going to screw you when your order is delivered.

 

[Radman73]

I sure wish the @Administrator would have put up a sticky that I requested about having a Buyer's Order done when placing an order.

The Buyer's Order will state the final out-the-door price and list all dealer/state fees. It needs to be signed and dated by you and the General/Sales Manager of the dealership.

That would have protected you.

And if the dealer wouldn't do a Buyer's Order that is a red flag that they will hose you.

Here is a copy of my Buyer's Order with the personal info cropped off:

I made sure to get the same thing.

 

[Radman73]

We have one like that, plus it has an order number, sales code, all charges (including destination charge, etc) included, plus the salesman signed it. He also said "show this, no questions asked for this price at pickup. You'll be right in and out."

To be honest, I'm most fired up about the condescension. I'm very indigenous native looking, and I had just come at the last minute from working in my backyard, so I didn't look the most presentable. Right off the bat they were wondering if I could afford this, how naive I was about the car industry, how absolutely nobody at any brand or dealer actually pays MSRP and I was crazy to think so, maybe I need to go buy a used car somewhere, and then berating me that if I had owned a business, then I would understand how businesses operate. When I stated that I actually did own a business, they were incredulous and grilled me what it was, did I REALLY own a business, etc etc. Their attitude started out condescending and basically laughing in the beginning, then it got heated and personal when they realized I wasn't leaving. THAT pisses me right off.

They repeatedly stated that I should be thankful only paying 6K markup, that they should be charging me much more.

Wait until it's crowded in there. Walk in and start yelling demanding to see the GM. Make clear when you're yelling that people know they aren't honoring an agreed upon price. Leave a bad review in every place possible right now detailing what they did to you. See if any local media is interested in picking up the story how you have a signed SO and they aren't honoring. If in fact the salesman signed knowing his signature was worthless than he purposefully misled you. That makes it a scam. If you don't get the trucks, at least go down fighting.

 

[ejgroth2620]

We ordered 2 XLTs almost a year ago, and they finally came in yesterday. Went into the dealer today - Honolulu Ford - and got hit with 6k markup each, so 12k total. Salesman swore up and down he disclosed the markup from the beginning, which is absolutely false. We’ve had numerous calls, texts, and emails over the last 11 months and there was nothing about 6K markup. We even have a signed order sheet without the 6K. Then he got heated when I was calling him out on never disclosing the markup and told us to try go buy a used one for this price, or go out on the lot and see how much it costs to buy one now. No shit, man. That’s why we put in an order and waited patiently for a year. Beyond infuriated. Called Ford and was basically told that they can do nothing. I thought this markup fiasco was supposed to be over.

I get the vibe the salesman is trying to be purposefully combative and abrasive just so I’ll walk away and he can actually sell them for the 41k sticker price. They are practically begging us to just walk away. He was also going off on heated tangents about if I ran a business, I would understand about profit and margins, blah blah blah. I actually do own a business, even though that's none of his business. He was also adamant that there are zero dealers out there actually selling any vehicles at MSRP, and he acted shocked that I was gullible enough to think so. Well, we bought a new Chevy straight off the lot last year at MSRP so we had something to run around in while waiting for our Maverick. More lies.

Greed sucks, and this is so shortsighted on Ford’s part. They have a sweet moment in the sun with this truck and the Bronco, and they’re killing themselves long term by bullying and shitting on customers who put in orders and were willing to wait 1 year for a chance to drive a Mav. If this is how they are going to run things, then this is basically the last time I walk into a Ford dealership.

Edited: Just wanted to add that I've already tried contacting Ford via twitter and Mike Levine as well. I'm not agreeing to go away, so I'm hoping they can't just sell the trucks anyhow?

Edit #2: I should mention since this has been brought up a few times. I said I'd buy all the extended warranties, rust proofing, tinting, undercoating, etc. He said "no, that's just you paying for stuff you benefit from." I shit you not.

Don't deal with the salesman any longer, only speak to the sales manager or the general manager. Have your lawyer send the dealership a letter informing them that oral agreements are binding in the eyes of the courts. Suggest a lawsuit is forthcoming if they don't fulfill their original agreement. If your local TV station has one of those consumer advocates, see if they'll intervene on your behalf. Take it to social media, FB, Twitter, etc., and warn people about their sleazy business practices. Tell your TV station you'll be wearing a sandwich board and picketing outside the dealership at a specific time and see if they'll send a camera crew to hear your story. Write to your state consumer protection department for help. Call the BBB and report them. Car dealers have a horrible reputation, so most will not want the negative publicity.

 

[Don806]

I bought someone's ordered vehicle that someone else had backed out on, and the dealership wouldn't budge off MSRP, but seemed salesman was thrilled to sell at sticker price (only time I've ever paid sticker for a new vehicle) showed me their invoice to let me know they weren't making much . When my ordered truck came in this month, (different dealership) they wouldn't honor the deal made that I had paperwork on, and the docs they wanted me to sign said that I couldn't sell the vehicle for one year after the date on the title, so I told them to keep it. It wasn't a drastic markup near what the OP is dealing with, but still rubbed me the wrong way.

 

[TomD]

You are blaming Ford for the dealer's tactics. Blame the dealership's owners and ensure you avoid any dealership they own without regard to the marque or manufacturer.

For example, I have seen several warnings coming from different parts of the US stating that a certain US national chain has a policy change resulting in individual dealerships having to find creative ways to add required services or accessories to improve profitability. Thus, there is a general recommendation that buyers should beware before selecting a dealership owned by this US national chain. You can figure it out by going to the list of recommended dealers' thread and looking at the Google spreadsheet I maintain.

Please report this dealership and the salesperson using the Google Form so we can send other customers elsewhere.

Google Form: https://forms.gle/k1SuLHps6FL1ATPM7

Ford announced that they were going to rein in the aforementioned practices. So yes they have some ownership of the problem.
Ford could help the author if they chose to. All it would take is a phone call.
if I were in the authors shoes I would contact the state attorney general. All states have a consumer affairs division.
They might be able to get something done. If there is a local tv station that has the investigative group that goes after shady business dealings. I guarantee that the dealer and sales person does not want their dirty dealings paraded on the 6:00 news.
When Mazda originally brought out the Miata these types of business practices were going on. It took a couple years to put the fire out.
it’s too bad that a lawyer and their fees would exceed what the dealership is marking up the truck.
If there is a purchase agreement I don’t see how the dealer can get away with the price changes.

 

[Mav_RICK]

I just got back from Honolulu for vacation. Seems like for working people it would be a dog eat dog world. Great place to visit but wouldn’t want to live there.

I guess what I’m saying is if you buy in a market where people are struggling for existence, don’t be surprised they act that way in business dealings. Nothing is cheap there.

I would say that if you are able to negotiate then see what you can do. I wouldn’t expect to find a dealership there that would treat you any better in MY 24. You are not in small town USA.

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