It’s false because in ford’s own memo to dealers it states
Tim has also
We may not be direct Ford customers since we can't buy directly from Ford, but we are still Ford customers. For every person on this forum and in the USA who can't buy a Ford truck for ANY reason and decides to buy, Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai, etc., that is one less Customer for Ford, doesn't matter about the dealership. In fact, because of some dealerships, the loss is two-fold, the customer leaves the dealership (no sale) and buys a different brand (again no sale for Ford) Dealerships only matter because it's the only means to purchase new Ford vehicles after that you really don't need a dealership again unless it's for a recall reason. If there is a recall it's Ford contacting it's "customers" about the issue, not the dealerships. So, yes I do think I'm a Ford customer and they do owe me a safe, reliable truck, if they want me to buy something else in the future. The dealership owe me a honest dependable experience if they want me back. Ford does care about it's customers (and stockholders) they're just doing a really crappy job right now of showing it. A bit of communication between Ford and it's customers can certainly go a long way. @fordvideoguy is doing Ford a great service to the whole Maverick community, not just his dealership, and Ford should take notice and copy some of his ways. There's obviously many dealers out there who don't bother doing the research or effort to learn more about what's happening (or their products for that matter), they are content to go with the flow and because the market is a seller's they don't have to do anything to sell a vehicle. I think in many ways Ford has done a great job with the Maverick, but in others they failed miserable.
Still in the memo it does does not differentiate between dealer inventory vs a custom order.
Still in the memo it does does not differentiate between dealer inventory vs a custom order.
I had to look up Market Basket Formula
Pretty sure Ford relies on their dealer network for direct customer relations, if your dealer is failing by either charging an ADM, not being helpful, not responding or not providing information I urge you to find another dealer. You're trying to squeeze water from a stone by chasing after Ford. Tim Bartz has unfortunately become a Ford ambassador in a sense but that's because so many other dealerships are like a deadbeat spouse, taking taking taking and not giving anything in return. The way Tim is doing it is the way all dealers should be, unfortunately it's not and that's where the process bleeds into Ford corporate. I'm sure Tim provides HIS customer's the best and most up to date info. I'm sure there are a few others who do so under the radar as well. I have not heard a single word from my dealer since ordering and I'm okay with that, I'm reasonable enough to understand that production changes are going to happen in our current crisis but I at least have a VIN and a (changing) production date. Most people here seem to want to be pampered. If that's the case buy a Lexus instead of a 20k truck within minimal profit margins that your dealer probably doesn't care about and probably wants you to abandon so they can mark it up. STOP expecting so much from Ford, it's stupid and ridiculous. You want to threaten to go to GM? GO THEN. Show me on their product page where they have a direct competitor to the Maverick. Right, they don't. You want to go to Hyundai? Go then, good luck ordering with them and expect to pay an ADM for what's on the lot.
Ford doesn't rely on dealerships for direct customer relations, I say that because I keep receiving email from Ford.com about the Lightning and Ford PASS. So someone inside Ford certainly thinks I'm a customer! As to my dealership they haven't failed me as yet. My Internet Salesman, hasn't always been able to answer my questions when it came to allocations for the dealership or why orders were picked ahead of mine. He would often say that he doesn't understand why Ford does what it does when picking orders. Otherwise he's done the best he could in the current situation and I've told him many times I'm not mad at him because he seemed to be doing the best he could, I was however mad at Ford for not being forth coming answers to questions many of us had. For me, it's always been about why orders weren't selected by the date they were placed. Seems simple enough concept, FIFO. I do understand constraints, supply issues, trucking/rail issues, but under those issues Ford couldn't answer the simple question of why did person A who place their order in June not get selected, meanwhile person B who place the same exact order in Oct gets a build date. So is this where the dealership should be stepping in since I their "customer"? If so, then many, many dealerships have failed their customers, because a lot of folks had no idea about allocations, I know I didn't. @fordvideoguy is doing the job I would have expected Ford Corporate to do, maybe not as in-depth as Tim has done, but along the same lines as to explain how the process works, especially since this seems to be the way Ford wants go for the future. Is it being pampered to ask when I can expect my truck to get built? Is it being pampered to ask why did Person B get their truck built, before mine? Personally, I don't think these are unreasonable questions to ask and since you insist that I'm a dealership customer, which in a sense I am since I can't buy directly from Ford, I did ask those questions and received the answer of I don't understand what Ford is doing. From reading many, many post on this forum and a lot of articles this doesn't seem to a one-off only in my dealership, many other dealership are telling their customers the same thing. To me, that points out a glaring problem in Ford. Customers want answers and if the dealership can't provide them then Ford should.
They now separate the stock allocations apart from the COVP allocations since they started the new custom ordering system.
I think you're right here. I got the same line from the GM of the dealership that I ordered from. I suspect that traditionally it would have been accurate since retail orders represented a small fraction of total volume. But in this unanticipated scenario, the Approved Market Basket Allocations dramatically affect actual scheduling and delivery.
I just noticed your signature. Glad to see you got scheduled! Not sure how I missed the news. I would expect a thread dedicated to your good news.
You can believe what you want to believe but in the end, it's the dealer's job to sell the vehicle. I think you basically just want to be coddled by Ford but that's on you. I'll say it over and over, it doesn't take a genius to understand that we're in a supply constricted environment with a lot of hurdles to jump over and I don't blame Ford for their stance, they DO NOT deal directly with customers on a day to day basis, that is the job of the dealer. Do they MARKET their products? Yes, that is not customer relations. Sorry if you think it is but it's not. I'll also say again that if you can't handle the wait and uncertainty then please leave these forums and go buy something else since you're convinced that the grass is greener on the other side.
Yeah, you would think that I would do that
. I think I updated the the thead I started about writing to Ford, maybe I should if I didn't.
