Can someone (really) explain allocations?

[BradnChristine]

Which if correct what the dealer told you Ford NEW way ahead of time how many orders the dealer should have been allowed to place. NOT one above that amount. Then a customer could be told that and the customer could look elsewhere. No duplicate ordering needed. .NO I wonder if my truck gets built BS. that we have now . No complaints on this board, no ford sucks needed. More pleasant experience all the way around. BUT no No one knows how many allocations or if the dealer you placed an order at will have enough for orders placed. Does Amazon work like that. NO they say SOLD OUT on an item so you look for something else or other location .

Yup. The fix isn't hard. When you go to the store and they are sold out, they tell you (or you see it). You go to another store if you still want the product. The Ford process is to never tell you that they were sold out, so you are now screwed unless you keep shopping (and creating false demand as you are counted more than once).

But I'm not seeing any fix in the works, and I still have no idea after 30 posts whether my little local dealer will actually be able to get me a 2024 Maverick when the orders open.

Sponsored

 

[Redneck Garage]

They seem to sell few Escapes, Bronco Sports and the other "passenger cars". I think F-150s and larger form the basis of most of their sales.

I knew when I ordered that it was a risk, but since there were NO Ford dealers with prior year Maverick sales before the 2022 ordering, I knew they really couldn't have a set allocation. But now that they've had 2 years of ordering, at 6 total and 1 total...I'm concerned that they may have a struggle with 2024 allocations.

Brad, Brad, Brad, - most dealers dont charge a deposit so go ahead in 2024 order from 12 different dealers ...... While that may seem ridiculous, the way Ford has this ordering system set up you could actually do that.

Without Ford Corporate requiring an actual deposit this happens more than we would like to think. Only makes the dealers more greedy mark up money when trucks are refused. Ford's ordering/allocation system is a dumpster fire.

 

[aitch-2-oh]

[Regretting the missed video opportunity]

Timeline January 2022, Chicago Auto Show, attended specifically to visit the Ford Booth.

Waited, patiently, for the ‘most senior’ Ford Rep to become available, informed him I had placed an order for a Hybrid Lariat in September of ‘21 and asked him “can you tell me how Ford’s Allocation Process works?”.

There was a brief pause before he replied , without emotion, “No Chance”, turned and walked away.

So, ‘No chance’ still works as an answer to your question!

 

[BradnChristine]

Brad, Brad, Brad, - most dealers dont charge a deposit so go ahead in 2024 order from 12 different dealers ...... While that may seem ridiculous, the way Ford has this ordering system set up you could actually do that.

Without Ford Corporate requiring an actual deposit this happens more than we would like to think. Only makes the dealers more greedy mark up money when trucks are refused. Ford's ordering/allocation system is a dumpster fire.

I'm afraid that is my conclusion as well.

There wasn't a record for my small dealer (or any dealer) for year 1 Maverick sales, so they started out ok with 6 sales.

With only 1 sale (me) in 2023, minimal sales of anything less than the F-series trucks, and the $1,000 deposit, it seems a poor choice to order from for a 2024.

If I can get them to waive the large deposit (they sold me one vehicle and I have 3 Fords getting serviced there, so they might), then I'll give them an order and make at LEAST one other order. You are right, it is all a ridiculous process.

 

[Art Vandelay]

The deposit was made in 11/21, before anyone knew the struggles of getting a Maverick. Now I would expect a dealer to be thrilled to get a Maverick order and hope the customer changed their mind...since they can't order stock.

I guess if they were doing that before they knew of the car shortage and large amount of unfilled orders than it's more acceptable but still shady IMO. Also if they were still taking unrefundable deposits in September 2022 for 2023 orders then it's 100% scammy.

Honestly, I would not give an order to a dealer who didn't accept at least a $500 deposit changing hands. We've all seen the BS that has been going on in some places, along with orders sold out from under folks.

I can kind of see your point but at the same time a $500 deposit isn't going to really stop a dealership from doing that any more than a $100 deposit would.

 

[AltEophile]

No - they suck. They just want to use your money for a year - then to say "nonrefundable" ??? There are plenty of dealers that dont charge any deposit hoping you DO turn down the truck so the can get their greasy, filthy, stealership hands on it for a tidy 5K, 7K or even 10K markup.

yes ! And this is my fear. I definitely do NOT want to turn down my truck, but I am afraid that since their is no price lock from my online quote last year (no deposit) they will try to charge me thousands more than the quote in the hopes I will then walk away and they can make an even bigger profit selling it to someone else. Do you think these fears are justified ?

 

[BradnChristine]

yes ! And this is my fear. I definitely do NOT want to turn down my truck, but I am afraid that since their is no price lock from my online quote last year (no deposit) they will try to charge me thousands more than the quote in the hopes I will then walk away and they can make an even bigger profit selling it to someone else. Do you think these fears are justified ?

I think most dealers have been honest, but all anyone really cares about is, "Is my dealer going to be honest?" No guarantees. I went with a small local dealer who agreed to sell via X-Plan to avoid the BS I was seeing online. I believe my dealer is honest, and they handled my 2023 X-Plan purchase without any BS. They may have done that without X-Plan, but I had no experience with them and wasn't sure. X-Plan saved me a total of about $1300 without haggling.

THIS year, I ordered a 2024 and since I was now an established customer, they did not require a deposit from me, and again, they accepted X-Plan and the price is clearly documented on my order sheet.

ANYONE can qualify for X-Plan for $50 or less, the issue is to make sure your dealer agrees in the beginning to sell via X-Plan. My small-town dealer had no problem accepting it. Ford has much more control over X-Plan pricing. I will use it again if I need a future order.

There are two caveats about X-Plan that I noted:
1. You are agreeing to use Ford's arbitration process for some issues
2. You are agreeing to RETAIN ownership of the vehicle for 6 months after purchase. Not that they can really do anything to YOU if you sell it early, but they monitor the program and whoever enabled you to get X-Plan is where Ford will direct its ire...be that Mustang Club; EAA, VeteransAdvantage, or a friend who qualified you by Friends & Family.

Don't screw it up for those who follow you. Ford USED to allow X-Plan for stockholders who held 100 shares of F for 6 months, but they discontinued that in 2022. I don't know why, but have my suspicions.

Sponsored