Ford's CEO needs to go.

[MaverickDragon]

I had the same update done at the dealer because my OTA bandwidth sucks in my home location .
I guess that's Farley's fault as well. (but it isn't)
I don't get a cell signal without a repeater.

I've had a couple of software updates that needed dealer attention for the same poor reception reason, and strangely, the common factors were it was easy to schedule an appointment, there were no problems, it took less time than was quoted to complete the work and I had a good time reading an interesting book and chatting with other owners during the wait.

Just because there was A problem at A dealership doesn't mean the CEO of a company should be replaced, or a CEO's tenure would not last a week.

If a given dealership gives you grief, find a different dealership.
They are not all the same.

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[Surly Old Bill]

I don't think dealerships employ many actual mechanics anymore, they just hire and train parts replacers. Ford doesn't hire the employees at the dealership disservice centers, the private dealership does. And they are laser focused on profits, not service. You can't blame Ford for that, unless Ford encourages this. I believe there are a few criminal dealerships that Ford withdrew from doing business with, however.

For those scratching their heads in confusion; Ford does not own the stores that sell or service Ford cars. Doritos does not own 7/11. They have a contract with a middleman that sells the vehicles, and provides service under warranty, and provides service for double or triple the independent rate after warranty expires. In closing: Ford Dealership are Not Ford Motor Company.

It would be nice if you could purchase directly from the mfg without the middleman taking a cut, and take it to any repair shop certified by the mfg for warranty work.

 

[wax87]

This seems to be the best fit for this little rant. As we all know, Ford's CEO does NOT respect his mechanics and as a result, the dealerships are hurting for them. Why am I ranting about this? Great question. Thank you for asking.

I need the latest recall on my Maverick. You know, the towing module that randomly forgets when a trailer is connected and prevents the lights from working. Just a software update. My local Ford dealer (about a block away as the crow flies) is scheduling months out. A local competing dealership offered to send a mobile mechanic out but only in a very loose time frame. I work so... I decided to wait for the call from work.

I canceled lunch plans just in case they call. I kept a close watch on my phone so that I could meet them where we planed to meet. It was a difference of 10 minutes and the tech declined to wait. He had not arrived at our planned location yet but he can't wait. Okay. I wasn't at our planned location fair enough. However, making me wait hours is okay and making them wait minutes is not. Noon - 5 and they called at 3:30 (1530 for our military friends.) He won't be there for 10 minutes and me for 20. One or both of us may be off on that timing but the conversation was about 10 minutes and that was too much. I declined to reschedule because again, they are not MY local dealer and they called me.

I'm tired of Ford "service". Now keep in mind that I hold nothing against the employees that I interacted with. This other dealership contacted me out of the blue. They are not the dealership that I bought from, they just saw that my Maverick needed the recall and that I live near enough to them. I normally don't take cold calls like that and.... this turned into another reason I won't answer other cold calls. Not the "WORST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME! I need to speak to a manager!" It's not like that but if you're looking for my business and actively recruiting me, give me some latitude.

To tie this in with the title, if Ford's CEO didn't think so little of his techs, they would have enough techs to service the fleet of vehicles that they've sold.

The real problem is nobody wants to be a tech any more, they all want to be a YouTuber, influencer or gamer. Kids do not take an edger motor and make a go cart out of it, they don't build ramps and jump with their bikes. They all want to go to college and have an 'easy life' get it now and go into debt.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Internet influencers aren't just on one platform they may be on Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok...etc.
They all pay if monetized.
Being a YouTube influencer can pay quite well. I really doubt that Ryan is in debt.

If you can live off of posting videos. Why get your hands dirty?

Take somebody like Michael McWhorter aka Tizzent.
He now has close to 10 million subscribers. He now has a show on the Discovery Channel.

 

[Random881]

The real problem is nobody wants to be a tech any more, they all want to be a YouTuber, influencer or gamer. Kids do not take an edger motor and make a go cart out of it, they don't build ramps and jump with their bikes. They all want to go to college and have an 'easy life' get it now and go into debt.

If you can live off of posting videos. Why get your hands dirty?

If you go onto www.twitch.tv there are guys on there streaming themselves playing video games for thousands of people to watch. They'll do this for a few hours all while people donate to them just to have them read out their online username or read a message they paid to have shown up on the guy's screen.

A good few of them are making an easy seven figures every year just from playing video games and chatting with people all day. Look up a guy named Jerma985 and you'll get the idea.

At the end of the day, it's the entertainment industry. I'm sure a good few decades ago there were kids who wanted nothing more than to be movie stars or singers who were seen as wanting the "easy life". That same focus has just shifted to a different form for more or less the same type of audience.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

If you go onto www.twitch.tv there are guys on there streaming themselves playing video games for thousands of people to watch. They'll do this for a few hours all while people donate to them just to have them read out their online username or read a message they paid to have shown up on the guy's screen.

A good few of them are making an easy seven figures every year just from playing video games and chatting with people all day. Look up a guy named Jerma985 and you'll get the idea.

At the end of the day, it's the entertainment industry. I'm sure a good few decades ago there were kids who wanted nothing more than to be movie stars or singers who were seen as wanting the "easy life". That same focus has just shifted to a different form for more or less the same type of audience.

I have to laugh at the comment section of YouTube
When somebody tells the poster why don't you get a real job.
What makes something a "real job"?

 

[RideSolo]

I do. However, the pricing structure from the manufacturer has priced out mechanics for Ford dealerships.

I would buy that except that when I had to purchase and have programmed a second key for my Mav when I bought it one dealership wanted over $400 and another one nearby wanted $120. AND of those two the first wanted $99 for an oil change and the other wanted $65. Both are authorized Ford dealers, one just in a much larger community where they can get away w/ soaking the customer.

 

[Blue_Max]

If you go onto www.twitch.tv there are guys on there streaming themselves playing video games for thousands of people to watch. They'll do this for a few hours all while people donate to them just to have them read out their online username or read a message they paid to have shown up on the guy's screen.

A good few of them are making an easy seven figures every year just from playing video games and chatting with people all day. Look up a guy named Jerma985 and you'll get the idea.

Yeah, that's a great gig. The ones I wonder about are the thousands of people who sit and watch, and pay to do so.

 

[MaverickDragon]

The real problem is nobody wants to be a tech any more, they all want to be a YouTuber, influencer or gamer. Kids do not take an edger motor and make a go cart out of it, they don't build ramps and jump with their bikes. They all want to go to college and have an 'easy life' get it now and go into debt.

Sad (for all of those who rely on service people) but also unfortunately true in too many cases.
Based on income, I think the multi-million influencers make the other potential skills training look pretty tame by comparison.
For all those few making millions, there are likely millions making very little.

OTOH, my nephew is a trained mechanic who works at a Ford dealership in Vegas.

 

[Dave O]

He’s having fun and getting paid well too, the holders of Ford stock not so much he will make a great politician candidate…

 

[Hootbro]

If Farley didn't lose it over the Lightning. He ain't going anywhere.

Farley had no choice. Ford, GM and Stellantis all lost billions during the same time frame for the same reasons as the political and regulatory electrification push demanded it. They had no crystal ball to tell them that regulations would be throttled back or eliminated.

 

[Surly Old Bill]

Farley had no choice. Ford, GM and Stellantis all lost billions during the same time frame for the same reasons as the political and regulatory electrification push demanded it. They had no crystal ball that regulations would be throttled back or eliminated.

Car mfg's have an almost unique peril to navigate. The regulations can come and go out of nowhere, yet it takes YEARS to design, test, and certify with DOT a new vehicle or some equipment changes. I'm sure they hire lobbyists to pressure legislators to NOT CHANGE ANYTHING without a year or more "head's up". And also to pressure legislators to enact things that will hurt their competition but not them...

The Fathom is the first mass-production vehicle to use a skateboard platform; a chassis and drivetrain that can have many different body styles bolted on top of it. I bet the next to use this skateboard will be an SUV body.
Say, I wonder if this format will start up the kit car industry again? You could get a base Fathom and an aftermarket kit body that looks like a Ferrari or Unimog or something to put on it.

 

[AirborneRATT]

Does only Ford do this?

You keep asking this question. The short answer is "no". Ford is not the only company to do this but... and this is where it falls apart for Ford at this time... they have set rates that are too difficult for the techs to make a living and they have left Ford in droves OR not taken jobs with Ford (dealerships). Making the argument that other companies set time rates too moot. Ford has done so in a way that hurts techs, dealerships and... ultimately... customers like myself. Ford's CEO has gone on record saying things that show that he does not care about the techs and the techs have responded by not working for Ford. Is Ford the only company that sets rates? That is the wrong question. Does Ford set rates that techs can make a living doing quality work? That's a better question.

Edit: The Ford CEO himself admits that they have about 6,000 open tech slots overall in the USA. He has been sited to say that there are a lot of societal reasons but techs are reporting the Ford motor company itself.

 

[MavStangVa]

You keep asking this question. The short answer is "no". Ford is not the only company to do this but... and this is where it falls apart for Ford at this time... they have set rates that are too difficult for the techs to make a living and they have left Ford in droves OR not taken jobs with Ford (dealerships). Making the argument that other companies set time rates too but Ford has done so in a way that hurts techs, dealerships and... ultimately... customers like myself. Ford's CEO has gone on record saying things that show that he does not care about the techs and the techs have responded by not working for Ford. Is Ford the only company that sets rates? That is the wrong question. Does Ford set rates that techs can make a living doing quality work? That's a better question.

Edit: The Ford CEO himself admits that they have about 6,000 open tech slots overall in the USA. He has been sited to say that there are a lot of societal reasons but techs are reporting the Ford motor company itself.

The only rate Ford sets is the warranty compensation rate. All other labor rates at your dealer is set by that dealer.

 

[AirborneRATT]

Okay guys. We can disagree and argue on the cause and effects here but the bottom line is that Ford has 6,000 open tech slots and Ford techs are complaining. I still need a recall done and the two dealerships in my area have not been able to meet my needs, hence the reason I started this thread. It was a rant and got far more attention than I anticipated. If you got great service in your area I'm truly happy for you but my experience is different.

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