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My Last Sleepless Night

clippedwings

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Not that it hasn’t been fun distracting myself by talking with you guys on this forum, but my patience has finally come to an end and I’m tired of waking up at 3 AM, wondering if I bought a vehicle or not. All I’ve gotten from my dealer is promises and assurances that my order has been placed. No VIN. No acknowledgement of any kind from Ford. No paperwork from the dealer. The dealer is 75 miles away. I called the first of September and made an offer over the phone, which was accepted. They eventually asked for a $500 deposit and a photo of my license. Since then my contact has largely been via texting, with a couple phone calls along the way. I have been texted with photos of my order sheet (NOT an invoice). I think this is where I screwed up. Since this order was so quick and simple (I did drop a couple add-ons that were supposedly holding back builds early-on), I assumed it would be feasible to do this all over the phone. I no longer think so. We’re not there yet for making a vehicle purchase. I should have made the effort of actually going to the dealer.

Today I am going to drive to there, meet my salesperson face-to-face - er…..mask-to-mask…..thank her for her service, and say, I’m going to leave here today with at least one of the following." At which point I present her with the following list:

A signed copy of a retail order

A copy of the DORA for my order

A VIN number for my order

A refund of my $500 (and an order cancellation)

I am not much of a diplomat, so I thought I would run my plan by you guys and see if you had any thoughts or suggestions before I head out. Sometimes you have to be willing to cut and run in order to get results. I’m finally there.
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bgillen35

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You do not get a VIN until your vehicle is scheduled for production, so that may be an impossible request. At this point, your only options are a copy of the DORA or a refund of your deposit.

You could always call Ford directly as well and they can confirm your order status. Need your 4 digit order number and the dealer's sale code. I agree that the lack of communication is frustrating, but there really is nothing we can do other than waiting it out.
 

FirstFord

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I’m tired of waking up at 3 AM, wondering if I bought a vehicle or not.
Well, you haven't bought a vehicle. At most you've ordered one with indeterminate sales terms.

If you need it to quell your anxiety, tell the sales manager that you want to negotiate a price and leave with a signed copy of that and your DORA. You still won't know when you'll see your truck, but you'll know what it will look like and what you'll pay for it.

If they won't do that, it's reasonable to ask for your deposit back.
 
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clippedwings

clippedwings

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Thanks guys. I didn’t want to demand anything I couldn’t reasonably expect. My offer of $500 over invoice was immediately accepted by the dealer, and I assumed when they asked for my license and took my deposit, that we legally had a deal. But I don’t have anything in hand, in terms of documentation, that supports my end. I don’t even have the earliest photos of the build sheet with the agreed-upon price because I forgot that text messages are only stored for 30 days on the server, so I no longer have the earlier photos they sent back in September. So it sounds like what I can reasonably expect to leave with is some form of contract signed by myself and the dealer, and a copy of my DORA. Does this mean that because they keep insisting my order was placed, that they should have a DORA? And if they can’t produce one they have not actually placed, or received conformation of my order?
 

Dandylion

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Sorry if this is a stupid question: What does the acronym "DORA" stand for?
 

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FirstFord

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Does this mean that because they keep insisting my order was placed, that they should have a DORA? And if they can’t produce one they have not actually placed, or received conformation of my order?
Yes, it they are truthful that they've placed your order, then the sales manager can pull it up and print it off. It should have a priority number between 10 and 19 (unless it's been pulled for review and has a lower number).

If they can't produce a DORA, they've been gaslighting you.
 

FirstFord

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Sorry if this is a stupid question: What does the acronym "DORA" stand for?
Dealer Order Retail Acknowledgement...or something like that.
It's Ford's acknowledgement that they've received and entered a retail order from the dealership. It specifies the build and all options on the order with a received date and an order number.
 

Dandylion

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Dealer Order Retail Acknowledgement...or something like that.
It's Ford's acknowledgement that they've received and entered a retail order from the dealership. It specifies the build and all options on the order with a received date and an order number.
OK thank you! I gathered that it was synonymous to an "order sheet" but was not sure. Thanks for educating me!
Dealer Order Retail Acknowledgement...or something like that.
It's Ford's acknowledgement that they've received and entered a retail order from the dealership. It specifies the build and all options on the order with a received date and an order number.
OK thank you! I gathered that it was synonymous to an "order sheet" but was not sure. Thanks for educating me!
 

boe757

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your actions seem reasonable to me ---even if you enjoy those things with a fan on the front
 

NewBernWolf

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Thanks guys. I didn’t want to demand anything I couldn’t reasonably expect. My offer of $500 over invoice was immediately accepted by the dealer, and I assumed when they asked for my license and took my deposit, that we legally had a deal. But I don’t have anything in hand, in terms of documentation, that supports my end. I don’t even have the earliest photos of the build sheet with the agreed-upon price because I forgot that text messages are only stored for 30 days on the server, so I no longer have the earlier photos they sent back in September. So it sounds like what I can reasonably expect to leave with is some form of contract signed by myself and the dealer, and a copy of my DORA. Does this mean that because they keep insisting my order was placed, that they should have a DORA? And if they can’t produce one they have not actually placed, or received conformation of my order?
It sounds like you might actually have a legit order, but I do think it's worthwhile to go in and request a copy of your signed order that includes an exact description of what you ordered, the price, your order number, and your priority code. Your sales person should make sure that your email address is/was submitted to Ford with your order. If the dealership waffles on any of that, then that might be a great time to insist on speaking to the general manager and requesting your deposit be refunded.

An early September order probably hasn't been scheduled for review yet, but for certain you're entitled to have a copy of everything relating to the dealership's efforts to get you the truck you want.

Have fun. Sleep well.
 
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altomav

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Sorry if this is a stupid question: What does the acronym "DORA" stand for?
D-dealer
O-order
R-receipt
A-acknowledgement

Retail Order Verification Program (ROVP) which is to assure that the vehicle ordered matches the person/recipient on file.
 
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clippedwings

clippedwings

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OK, I know you guys are itching to find out what happens when you go storming into your dealership with a string of unreasonable demands. Well, I took the good advice I got here and changed my approach. I just said I would like to have a printout of my agreed-upon deal, and that I would really feel better about the whole thing if they could give me a copy of my DORA - not really expecting them to have one. I did this with a friendly and undemanding demeanor, and with a smile on my face, which was wasted behind my mask. I came home with a copy of my preview order, showing my build, and the final agreed-upon price ($500 over invoice), a printed receipt for my $500 deposit, and a printout of my DORA. Yes, there was one! Code 19 was still on the DORA. There is a short string of figures after the VIN section, but I don’t think it’s a VIN because it’s too short. All-in-all it was worth the trip just to get that DORA. At least I now know that I have been accepted into the system - even if I am not yet scheduled. And I can stop wondering if the dealer has just been yanking my chain. Of course, this begs the question of why didn’t the sales rep send me a copy to sooth my anxieties if she had a DORA all along? Bottom line is that I can now put this all into the back of my mind, knowing that, someday my prince will come, and I will no longer dwell on whether I had been screwed or not. I also told her that if a Lariat configuration that matched my build showed up in stock, but not in my preferred color, I would look at it. I am presuming it would be mine for the agreed-upon amount of my build, but I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it. So yes, the 150 mile drive was well worth the effort. Thanks for your suggestions.
 

FirstFord

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Good on ya'!

Glad that worked out for you.

Agreed that this should/could all have happened without you dragging your ass over there. But it didn't. Now you have what you need.
 

ArizonaLouie

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Awesome. Glad it worked out for you! I never got anything in writing for my XL order from my dealership, no deposit either. However I did get an email from Ford confirming my order within a day of my order. I felt better when I go the email . Best of luck!
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