Ordering from home (The Tesla Model)

[6speedmav]

This whole ordering fiasco with the Mav just really drives home how skipping the dealer for orders is the way to go. Why does the end user have to go to a store to watch (a generally less knowledgeable rep) to put an order in on a computer when said customer has a computer at home? And then ALSO rely on them to also complete the 2nd step ROVP process to finalize said order. Store reps have a million things to do, they have things they are dealing with inside/outside of work, they have days off, It simply doesn't make sense that the ability to order a vehicle is placed 100% on the competence of a sales person who wont see a commission on any time spent helping said customer place an order. Now multiply this by tens, hundreds of orders. And then fielding calls from angry customers asking for verification an order was not only made but finalized.

Ford has to do better. This is my first Ford. I am expecting to take delivery of my order from last November in the next few weeks. I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but this cant be the way forward.

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[commadorebob]

State laws and union contracts. It would literally be easier for Ford to start over than to do what you are asking. Tesla gets around it because they aren't selling you a car in your state. They are selling you a car in their state and delivering it to you. Plus, the bloom has lost a little bit of its luster. Tesla recalled 1,000,000 vehicles this week. At least with the dealer model, I can drive down the street to the Ford shop to get it fixed.

 

[6speedmav]

State laws and union contracts. It would literally be easier for Ford to start over than to do what you are asking. Tesla gets around it because they aren't selling you a car in your state. They are selling you a car in their state and delivering it to you. Plus, the bloom has lost a little bit of its luster. Tesla recalled 1,000,000 vehicles this week. At least with the dealer model, I can drive down the street to the Ford shop to get it fixed.

I'm not talking about getting rid of dealers. I'm simply stating...let the customers order what they want from home! Without the need of any dealer intervention. Let the customer choose their local dealer to receive delivery. This is far too complicated for no reason.

 

[commadorebob]

I'm not talking about getting rid of dealers. I'm simply stating...let the customers order what they want from home! Without the need of any dealer intervention. Let the customer choose their local dealer to receive delivery. This is far too complicated for no reason.

Even then, it would be a paradigm shift for Ford that would require the cooperation of the dealerships. I just don't think they would be able to make that happen because it takes control out of the hands of the dealerships and they won't give that up without some assurances from Ford. It's a legacy system and those either take time to change or they never do.

Ford sells more cars than Tesla, makes more money than Tesla, and from the CEO to the local dealerships, creates more jobs than Tesla. Yet their vehicles are way less expensive than Tesla. And even some of Tesla's delivery dates fall into next summer.

I just don't think the grass is always greener. At least with orders having to go through dealers, people will get a chance. If directly through Ford, scalpers own all of them.

 

[6speedmav]

What assurances? They are literally going to do "less work" for the same money. Not sure why you are taking a tangent with all things Tesla. I am simply talking about ORDERING.

 

[Crihitofer]

I think the situation will change soon and stop being so outrageous. Taking into account the current energy crisis, many car manufacturers realized that now they would be unable to make such large margins on cars and dealership centers that they have nothing to pay for. I read on https://zumroad.com/automotive that some dealership centers have already made staff reductions to minimize costs. And I hope they will soon realize what measures need to be taken so that people continue to buy cars.

 

[BuddyS]

Two sides to this coin. Why does T-Mobile have stores when it could all be done online? Because some buyers need hands-on help. They want to compare items. They need to be sold. Same deal with car dealerships. Plus remember that car dealers are a 100 year old retail model and these things can't just change overnight. 50, 20, even 5 years ago the only way to put eyes and hands on a major purchase like a car was to visit a dealership, which spent thousands of dollars to maintain an inventory so that buyers of all stripes and budgets could find the car they wanted. Sure, Tesla can sell direct but no everyone wants or understands a Tesla....my grandmother would need to be educated on an electric car, and that's going to happen in a showroom, not a webpage.

I'm sure Ford would love to sell you a car directly, but there are franchise laws in most states that prevent that right now. It may very well change in time, but right now Ford's actual customers are the dealerships -- they're the ones that buy and sell cars. You're a customer of the dealership.

 

[icegradner]

What assurances? They are literally going to do "less work" for the same money. Not sure why you are taking a tangent with all things Tesla. I am simply talking about ORDERING.

So you can be totally bind sided by the dealer when you go in to pick the vehicle up? No way, at least when you go into the dealer you can get a feel for how they do business.

Now if we could skip the dealer for the entire buying processes, I'd say sure.

 

[Edge Haley]

Last 6 vehicles i purchased I never entered a Dealers facility until the day of pickup. It was my preference since dealing with pressure sales people is so difficult. Went to 4 local Ford dealers trying to place an order for a Maverick, and at each dealer I knew more about the maverick and options than they did...just a few simple questions and could never get a consistent answer...Gave up buying a Maverick until a month later when I heard about the Ford Build/Price website....30 minutes later I had placed my order. BuildPrice websites are nothing new...been around with most European car makers for at least 15 yrs.

Porsche 911 Turbo - 15 yrs a ago - used autotrader
Land Rover - Discovery - 14 yrs ago dealer email
Mini-Cooper coupe - Build Price website 13 years ago
Porsche Cayman S (autotrader website bought thru email)
BMW Motorcycle - new Jersey Cycle Trader
Ford Maverick Hybrid - Build Price website sent to Philadelphia to avoid my 4 local Ford dealers.

I'll highly prefer dealing remotely with people or Build/Price websites that are more knowledgeable of their product. Local dealers are in a bad spot, they are sort-of forced to sale what they can get immediately to survive...no one wanted to sale me a Maverick when they got no commission for 8, 9, 10 months are more...everyone kept trying to push me in to an F-150 or Mustang, which I had ZERO interest in. I sympathize with sales people living on a STRAIGHT COMMISSION but most consumers are smarter consumers not needing a sales rep.

Very direct exposure to 3 major vehicle manufacturers, including FORD....manufacturers would love to get rid of franchised dealerships and would if they could make dealerships simply service centers...many dealerships make most of their revenue from service work. Tesla saw this and have pulled it off in many states.. One big difference tho is lack of demo rides that some consumers need.

 

[Vols44]

I've seen enough Carmax and carvana license plate holders rolling around that some people opt out of the stressful dealership purchasing process. The time and money factors drive a person's decision as much as demand and supply.

 

[Edge Haley]

Carmax and carvana and the like have one big leg up over typical franchise dealers...they have no 1, 2, 3 million dollar dealership building and real estate to payoff before any profits show up.... I've been to several Carvana prep sites and they are always in the boonies, and something close to rented shacks for doing service on trade-ins. Very sophisticated data bases of what cars to buy, or stayaway from and what will be wrong with an XYZ model, at XYZ mileage on the odometer. Many others are following Carvana model...including Carmax.

 

[Greaser46]

Personally I think everyone should enjoy the Tesla experience. I‘ve purchased two and if you live 150 miles from a service center, minor maintenance takes a full day. You cannot talk to them on the phone, if you have a question, normally takes 24 hours to get a response. I’ll stick with my dealership, at least I can look them in the eyeball and get a resolution to most any problem.

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