Not a fan of my dealership

[ThrowbacK]

I’m tempted to cancel my order and go with a different dealership. I’m not expecting them to kiss my feet but I feel like I’m a bother to them. Last week I went in to add all weather mats. Another guy told me he would add it to my order since the other employee was busy… I went in today to double check that it’s on there and it wasn’t. When I asked for them to add it.. it was like pulling teeth. They gave me a print out of a price with all my options but I know they’re adding a $500 markup which is not listed there… I wish I could just order from ford and it comes to my house..

sigh, can’t wait for my Maverick

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[BMCGC]

Save a few bucks and order them from TascaParts.

 

[Rob Cactus Gray]

I got weather tech mats in my garage. Seems like great quality. I will have to wait a few months to use them.

Call Ford 800-334-4375 and see if they can transfer your order. If you made a deposit you will need to get that back from the dealer.

 

[dalola]

The pain is real, folks.

 

[Bret Maverick]

I’m tempted to cancel my order and go with a different dealership. I’m not expecting them to kiss my feet but I feel like I’m a bother to them. Last week I went in to add all weather mats. Another guy told me he would add it to my order since the other employee was busy… I went in today to double check that it’s on there and it wasn’t. When I asked for them to add it.. it was like pulling teeth. They gave me a print out of a price with all my options but I know they’re adding a $500 markup which is not listed there… I wish I could just order from ford and it comes to my house..

sigh, can’t wait for my Maverick

Where in Fl are you? Hope your dealer isn't Gary Smith Ford in FWB.

 

[Old Ranchero]

I’m tempted to cancel my order and go with a different dealership. I’m not expecting them to kiss my feet but I feel like I’m a bother to them. Last week I went in to add all weather mats. Another guy told me he would add it to my order since the other employee was busy… I went in today to double check that it’s on there and it wasn’t. When I asked for them to add it.. it was like pulling teeth. They gave me a print out of a price with all my options but I know they’re adding a $500 markup which is not listed there… I wish I could just order from ford and it comes to my house..

sigh, can’t wait for my Maverick

Amazon has really warped peoples' expectations for ordinary purchase transactions. Reality is you can't buy everything on-line and expect immediate home delivery right NOW. Stop making changes after you placed your order. Be more patient and do your homework before actually ordering a vehicle and you won't have these issues. Cars are the 2nd biggest purchase people make in their lifetimes (after a house) and needs to be seriously considered before pulling the trigger and with understanding there will most likely be speed bumps and surprises along the way.

 

[LC48]

Nope.

Bottom line the independent dealer model sucks - but it could be fixed. Hell, when we find a dealer that just makes a straight up msrp deal we feel like we are privileged and the dealer is something great - pretty pitiful.

Absolutely no reason it has to be like it is, zero.

And there is absolutely no way that the manufacturers are not aware of their dealers behavior. They allow it, so no pass for the manufacturer either.

 

[Thrillhouse]

It's kind of funny in these unusual times when demand is high and supply is low we don't expect our dealers to raise the price. When demand is low and supply is high, we expect the dealers to give us deals and paying sticker price is seen as being taken advantage of. Tesla has a direct sales approach and the prices of their vehicles change almost weekly depending on what mood Elon Musk is in. Amazon even jacks up prices of high demand and limited supply items.

 

[Rob Cactus Gray]

Amazon has really warped peoples' expectations for ordinary purchase transactions. Reality is you can't buy everything on-line and expect immediate home delivery right NOW. Stop making changes after you placed your order. Be more patient and do your homework before actually ordering a vehicle and you won't have these issues. Cars are the 2nd biggest purchase people make in their lifetimes (after a house) and needs to be seriously considered before pulling the trigger and with understanding there will most likely be speed bumps and surprises along the way.

So second biggest purchase but once you order a truck that you can 100 percent back out of stop thinking about the purchase?

 

[bgillen35]

Nope.

Bottom line the independent dealer model sucks - but it could be fixed. Hell, when we find a dealer that just makes a straight up msrp deal we feel like we are privileged and the dealer is something great - pretty pitiful.

Absolutely no reason it has to be like it is, zero.

And there is absolutely no way that the manufacturers are not aware of their dealers behavior. They allow it, so no pass for the manufacturer either.

Not saying the situation is right, but its not a big industry secret either. We are all aware of it so we shouldn't be surprised by the process. Especially considering everything else going on logistically right now. The only thing I can fault Ford for is their lack of communication. Set reasonable expectations, send frequent updates when those expectations can't be met, and we should all be happy. Disappointment only comes from unmet expectations.

 

[jbpoole]

Call them out. Do everyone a favor by naming the dealership. Maybe if enough people are aware of their issues, they will shop elsewhere and the dealer will realize that they need to improve.

I don't live in FL, but I have seen references regarding Mullinax Ford being a good place to buy from.

Keep in mind a few things:
1. Most of the dealership employees you will interact with are paid on commission. This includes the owner, general manager, sales manager, sales people, service writers, finance folks, etc. I worked at a Ford dealership where even the parts sales staff was on commission. They were paid a whopping $45.00 per day (less than minimum wage), plus commission.
2. The turnover rate in the car business is extremely high. The majority of the employees are short timers and don't care about doing business with you in the future. It all about their commission for the current week. You've heard about the sales staff getting a weekly draw. It's really a loan they receive until their sales catch up. If they don't make their quota within a certain amount of time, they owe the dealership money and then they're out the door.
3. Service writers are trying to upsell you on anything possible. My son has an older model, high mileage Lexus. He took it the local Lexus dealer for an oil change. The oil change was almost $100, but included a complementary massage (no kidding). Maybe he ate at their in-house cafe, don't know. I heard the dealer paid $16 million for the new facility. Gotta pay for it somehow. They inspected his car and recommended $4200 in repairs. All this for a $3000 car. Took it to Goodyear and got new tires and brakes, etc. They even found one or two minor things the Lexus dealer missed. Total bill, $1600 to make it a safe, reliable car.
4. Never think that anyone at a dealership are doing you any favors. Usually, you're just a number in their sales figures. If you ever work at a dealership, you will find that it's not a place to make friends. Only one thing matters, separating the customer from his or her money.

One last note, in the past 20 years or so, several small town Ford dealerships in my area have closed. The result is less competition and it makes everything more impersonal, all the better for the larger dealers.

 

[bgillen35]

Call them out. Do everyone a favor by naming the dealership. Maybe if enough people are aware of their issues, they will shop elsewhere and the dealer will realize that they need to improve.

I don't live in FL, but I have seen references regarding Mullinax Ford being a good place to buy from.

I'm interested to know which one it is too.

I ordered mine through Mullinax Kissimmee. No dealer fees or mark-ups, but like the OP, I too feel like they don't care. I'm sure that will all change once my vehicle comes in and they're ready for my money, but in the meantime, they are absolutely clueless on anything. Told me it would be a 2+ year wait when I first ordered in September, told me they would tell me when the dealer demo was in so I could come take a look (never did), told me they would lower my priority to 10 (never did, and worse more, they reiterated the 2 year wait and told me I shouldn't be in such a rush anyway), told me a second time they would drop my priority to 10 (manger told me this time, but still never did, still at 19), told me they would let me know when a stock unit is in so I could take a look (never did), and you get the point.

So despite me being a repeat customer from Mullinax and they are the best buy in the area as far as markups and no fees, I am very disappointed in their customer service this go around.

 

[Stetson]

I am an automotive enthusiast, I love cars, trucks, racing and everything about vehicles. That being said - I find the car buying process at a dealership one of the most awful things you can do.

From uninformed salespeople who say the classic ‘what can I do to get you in this new car today’ to the slimy finance manager to the waiting forever process. It’s awful.

I would happily pay a dealer mark-up to have an experience where I speak with someone informed and have a quick and pleasant buying process.

I would say ‘ I promise to over pay for this car (slightly!) to have a good experience.

A vehicle purchase should be exciting, fun and satisfying! It’s a large purchase and something you will have for a long time. Instead it’s an awful experience that I feel like I need to endure in order to drive what I want.

Stetson

 

[Edge Haley]

I’m tempted to cancel my order and go with a different dealership. I’m not expecting them to kiss my feet but I feel like I’m a bother to them. Last week I went in to add all weather mats. Another guy told me he would add it to my order since the other employee was busy… I went in today to double check that it’s on there and it wasn’t. When I asked for them to add it.. it was like pulling teeth. They gave me a print out of a price with all my options but I know they’re adding a $500 markup which is not listed there… I wish I could just order from ford and it comes to my house..
sigh, can’t wait for my Maveric.

Can totally understand the frustration....but for an $ 80 -$100 aftermarket add-on i'd have just ordered from Parts dept., Amazon, or EBay for probably less. Logging into the computer to make a change to a small item probably costs the dealer more $$ and paperwork than it was worth on the profits of a all-Weather mat.

 

[ThrowbacK]

It's Mullinax Ford in Vero Beach, FL

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