Dealership Price Adjustment Games

[Old Farmer]

Order banks were closed by March of 2022. You may have submitted a pre-order in March 2022, but your actual order would not have been placed until Sept 2022, making it eligible for the 2023 private offer.
I am not sure why your dealer is saying you're not eligible, unless they had not COVP'ed your MY 2023 order or they did not ensure they followed the guidance to ensure your MY 2024 order was submitted to ensure you would get the private offer.

I confirmed the CPPV was done properly.

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[BradnChristine]

I confirmed the CPPV was done properly.

There are a few murky details. I think I have a grasp on them now.

It looks like you made a pre-order for a 2023 Maverick in March of 2022. No matter what the dealership told you, as has been stated, there were no 2022 Maverick order banks still open at that time. You could not order a 2022 Maverick.

MANY dealers, however, took 2023 Maverick pre-orders, waiting for the order banks to open. They opened in September, 2022 and promptly closed. THAT would have been the time that your dealer actually submitted your first order to Ford....for a 2023. You have no entitlement to a 2022-2023 Private Offer. You never had a 2022 order.

IF they had your proper email in September 2022, you should have received a notice directly from Ford within a short time (from an hour to a couple of days), for your order for a 2023 Maverick.

IF that order was properly COVP'd, you were fine at that point.

Then it looks like your 2023 order never got built, and so your order was pushed into becoming a 2024 order. Your dealer should have contacted you to verify if there were any changes to be made in July 2023 when the 2024 Order bank opened. Sounds like neither you nor the dealer reached out to each other.

That would still be ok, as long as your dealer rolled your INITIAL 2023 Order into a 2024 order, following Ford's guidelines to use the same name and order number from the 2023 order. Then you would be entitled to a Private Offer for a 2023-2024 rollover (no other price protection/ etc.)

IF there is nothing in Smart Vincent to see that you are the same customer, with the same order number, then you MAY get your dealer to try to get Ford to see its ordering mistake (the dealer's) and help you out, OR you may simply be out of luck as YOUR DEALER did not follow simple instructions, and YOU did not stay on top of the rollover when it happened. I'm 75, too, and I had no difficulty working the process through my dealer.

 

[randysc]

The dealership sales manager is telling me that the XLT that was originally ordered in March 22, rolled into 23, and then rolled into 24, and received in January of this year is not eligible for any price adjustment or rebate.
Ford marketing is going to send me an email detailing the negative feedback assigned to the dealership because of the manager's response.
What options are available to the customer at this point?
And is there a way to shortcut the process?
If a Ford employee at a corporate level is monitoring this site, please understand that a new Ford customer (former GM guy, 75 years old) is about to trash Ford's reputation wherever and whenever possible.
Until the dirt hits my forehead.

I am X73 XGM dealer and I had the same issue with my Ford dealer. I got a copy of the letter the dealer got June 30 saying 23 to 24 carryovers got $3400 with the codes. I emailed the dealer a copy and threatened court for their incompanent employees and within 3 days they got me a Private offer approved. I got check from Ford like 13 days later.

 

[Montana]

Man that sucks. I know what it's like to have to deal with a crappy dealer. But I agree with others, it's not a FORD thing, it's a dealer thing. FORD does what any brand at their level would do - they look at the numbers. It's hard to shake up an entire dealership if they are in the green and from FORD's perspective, overall satisfactory.

Having said that, I agree about the state of affairs from brands to the dealerships. It's not a FORD thing though, it's universal. Sad reality of the market over the past 30 years and especially over the past 5 years. There is no real accountability. Dealerships are worse than ever before. I'd honestly rather deal with some scumbag salesperson and possibly be able to get a vehicle lower than MSRP than where we currently are with this "just accept this level of inflation" from location to location. It's a scam. And now most of them are not even trying to make a sale. They sit back with their feet up waiting for the next email. They have never cared about you, but at least before all this mess there was an incentive to act like they did.

Sorry you are having to go through this. If I was you I would have started branching out after the first rollover. Anywhere within a 500 mile radius. It can all be done online now days and some dealerships would gladly consume your business hearing that another dealership is dragging their feet.

 

[Scottprinz]

What I was told from ford, Ford doesn't own the dealerships. Dealer buys from ford then they can do what they want with vechiles. Rebates etc. Come threw ford up to dealership to handle paperwork. Only one rebate per deal.

 

[Oscarcat]

The dealership sales manager is telling me that the XLT that was originally ordered in March 22, rolled into 23, and then rolled into 24, and received in January of this year is not eligible for any price adjustment or rebate.
Ford marketing is going to send me an email detailing the negative feedback assigned to the dealership because of the manager's response.
What options are available to the customer at this point?
And is there a way to shortcut the process?
If a Ford employee at a corporate level is monitoring this site, please understand that a new Ford customer (former GM guy, 75 years old) is about to trash Ford's reputation wherever and whenever possible.
Until the dirt hits my forehead.

Your experience is pretty much my experience all the way. GM forever, never owned a Ford product until the Mav. My order experience was similar in date and time to yours. It sucked.

My hybrid Mav, ordered in 2022, arrived in November 2023 as a 2024 hybrid. I watched all the videos by Long McArthur, had my order number, verified with Ford Customer Service my order was in the system and I was entitled to the price protection. Meaning when the dealer rolled over the 22 to a 23, then to a 24, the same order number was used in the Customer Order Verification Process - COVP. They did it correctly.

My dealer showed me that price protection was in the SmartVincent system because I asked them to. But when it came time to do the paperwork, the money - which goes from FoMoCo to the dealer and from the dealer to you - my dealer claimed FoMoCo shorted them $600 and didn't credit me with the full amount under the program for my build.

Right here, the difference in our situations is at least my dealer acknowledged the system showed I was entitled to some $$$.

Long story short, I paid for my Mav, then made a big stink to the point of contacting the local news consumer advocate and hiring 3 of my grandson's Lacrosse teammates for $20/hour to picket at their driveway entrance. My small dealer that depends on local business, cut me a check for the additional $600. I had to shame them but the satisfaction was as immense as the effort.

Epilogue: My 24 hybrid Lariat has 2,200 miles on it. It is a joy to drive, 44.5 mpg on the trip odo, goes 600-ish miles on a tank of gas, has some electronic quirkiness as far as the Sync 3 display and HVAC behavior. I don't miss my 2016 GMC Canyon a bit which had an electronic gremlin as well.

 

[lajlmt]

The dealership sales manager is telling me that the XLT that was originally ordered in March 22, rolled into 23, and then rolled into 24, and received in January of this year is not eligible for any price adjustment or rebate.
Ford marketing is going to send me an email detailing the negative feedback assigned to the dealership because of the manager's response.
What options are available to the customer at this point?
And is there a way to shortcut the process?
If a Ford employee at a corporate level is monitoring this site, please understand that a new Ford customer (former GM guy, 75 years old) is about to trash Ford's reputation wherever and whenever possible.
Until the dirt hits my forehead.

It’s all about the dealer, if you want the truck and the dealer is greedy, you lose. Get a price up front (if you haven’t ordered) and see where they stand, walk away and order from a reputable dealer on the list offered here.

 

[Ozarkbeard]

Dealership research before you place an order, is as important as, or more important than, research on the actual vehicle you're interested in buying/ordering.

As a general rule, avoid large chain dealerships. Most are scum of the earth and are out go get as much money as they can from you.

 

[BradnChristine]

Dealership research before you place an order, is as important as, or more important than, research on the actual vehicle you're interested in buying/ordering.

As a general rule, avoid large chain dealerships. Most are scum of the earth and are out go get as much money as they can from you.

Absolutely true. When I looked at my dealership for the first time (I had moved to a new state), I looked at the window stickers on the vehicles on their lot. THAT told me they had no BS items like $299 nitrogen; $699 window etching, $999 scotchgard, etc. Nothing but a $1000 "custom order fee" (Dealer ADM) added to a flat MSRP on each vehicle. That item was clearly negotiable.

Then I asked them if they would accept Ford's X-plan, which makes for clear pricing, drops their $599 DOC fee to $100, dumps the "Special order fee" and saves another $500-$900 off of MSRP.

When they agreed to X-Plan, I knew I had a good dealer. ANYONE can qualify for X-plan by simply joining the Mustang Club of America as a digital member for $35. The trick is to find a dealer who will accept it, as they don't have to. When you do find one, you know you have a good dealer. I was prepared to expand my dealer search as far as I had to, but my small town dealer accepted it (twice) and I am very happy with them.

 

[Donny]

I don't really get posts like this, other than that I agree you have a right to be ticked off at the dealer. It sounds like Ford is trying to help you with information, yet it is their reputation, not the dealers, that you will trash. Why?

By all means hold the dealer accountable, but make sure Ford was responsible, in part or in whole, before making them the target of your anger.

I bought a 24 XLT in Dec off the lot and asked to see msrp. I did it remote. Never saw the msrp until after papers signed. It was rusty deck ford in Wichita. Got me for at least $3000. So tired of this crap.

 

[imodest]

It sounds incredibly frustrating to be stuck in this situation. Have you considered reaching out directly to Ford's corporate customer service? They sometimes have more leeway to resolve these issues, especially when it comes to maintaining brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. It's also worth documenting all interactions with the dealership and any communications from Ford marketing for leverage. Lastly, leveraging social media or consumer advocacy groups could apply additional pressure for a more favorable resolution. Since this issue involves a significant delay and a change in terms, escalating to higher levels within Ford might expedite a solution. Interestingly, keeping an eye on the competition through automated means like Priceva can offer some insight.

 

[exsubsailor]

I just traded for a new Lariat a few days ago. I've bought a lot of new cars in my life and am a veteran of sales pitches at Raplh Williams Ford and Cal Worthington Dodge out in LA back in the roaring 1960s.

So I haggled my best deal, trading a '23 Subie Outback, and negotiated an out-the-door price of it and $7313,56 for the Mav/w MSRP $37,690. They put the Ford soft tonneau cover on for an additional $420. I was happy with the price, the dealer was fair about it, and I left happy.

So when I looked at the items in the Retail Sales Agreement a day or two later there was a $299 charge for "Silent Security" on it. I had no idea what it was so I called back. The sales guy said it was for a policy that will pay any insurance shortfall up to $5000 to replace it if it's totaled and that it's dealership policy to add it.

I got no truck with the dealer, they were great and honored their quote to the penny, but that's the first time I've ever seen an item like that in a contract. BTW it also said that I got a $750 rebate from Ford, maybe because I'm registered with them from previously owning a '19 F150. Or maybe it's just the way dealers play the numbers.

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