Pleasing the customer is last on the list for Ford.

[scrollworkman]

In 2008 we ordered a Smart car and was given the option of buying one that another customer was unable to purchase at MRSP .They were called orphan cars. We did buy a orphan car and when our Smart Car showed up we traded in the orphan car and received full price for the orphan car minus taxes paid on the orphan car. Ford on the other hand sells the unwanted Maverick to the highest bidder and cares less about the loyal customer that has waited patiently for nine months for the Maverick they have on order .Yes they will call you ,but the highest bidder is first to receive the orphan Maverick. Toyota still makes a compact crew cab that has the highest resale price of any truck on the market .Ford corporate may want to consider the future and customer satisfaction.

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[nick112288]

In 2008 we ordered a Smart car and was given the option of buying one that another customer was unable to purchase at MRSP .They were called orphan cars. We did buy a orphan car and when our Smart Car showed up we traded in the orphan car and received full price for the orphan car minus taxes paid on the orphan car. Ford on the other hand sells the unwanted Maverick to the highest bidder and cares less about the loyal customer that has waited patiently for nine months for the Maverick they have on order .Yes they will call you ,but the highest bidder is first to receive the orphan Maverick. Toyota still makes a compact crew cab that has the highest resale price of any truck on the market .Ford corporate may want to consider the future and customer satisfaction.

Last I checked Ford, the manufacturer, wasn't selling cars to YOU.

 

[scrollworkman]

Last I checked Ford, the manufacturer, wasn't selling cars to YOU.

Well they should .Happy customers mean more sales. Dealerships exist to give good customer service and promote customer loyalty. If that isn't happening ,maybe they should put the customer first.

 

[PlantMan]

Well this loyal Ford customer just picked up an ordered XL Maverick and Ford included a $750 loyal customer private offer. I couldn't stack my $500 Farm Bureau certificate with it, but it was a nice surprise.

 

[Clarkdonbran]

I bet that highest bidder is pleased!

 

[Cward]

Well they should .Happy customers mean more sales. Dealerships exist to give good customer service and promote customer loyalty. If that isn't happening ,maybe they should put the customer first.

Dealerships are ran by people, you have honest and dishonest ones. Research your dealership before buying. Personally, I do this for all businesses and products I'm unfamiliar with.

 

[Dechion]

Well they should .Happy customers mean more sales. Dealerships exist to give good customer service and promote customer loyalty. If that isn't happening ,maybe they should put the customer first.

Giving a good purchase experience and promoting brand loyalty can help achieve the goal of repeat customers. Making customers happy is part of that as well.

Sadly some Dealerships, or at least some sales people, don't care about that. They rely on having enough different bodies come thru the door looking to buy that they will take what they can get from each one and move on.

That particularly applies to places with a revolving door for sales people, with near constant turnover. Those reps have more to gain by being shady if they don't intend to stay with the job, especially if they are commission motivated. They simply have no reason to care if we ever come back.

Personally I went with a dealership and sales person that did right by my daughter, driving about an hour away and past 3 or 4 other ford dealerships to go there.

If Ford does find a way to get all the dealerships to sell at a fixed price and disclose all the BS additions at time of order I think it will go a long way towards solving these problems.

 

[davnau]

Giving a good purchase experience and promoting brand loyalty can help achieve the goal of repeat customers. Making customers happy is part of that as well.

Sadly some Dealerships, or at least some sales people, don't care about that. They rely on having enough different bodies come thru the door looking to buy that they will take what they can get from each one and move on.

That particularly applies to places with a revolving door for sales people, with near constant turnover. Those reps have more to gain by being shady if they don't intend to stay with the job, especially if they are commission motivated. They simply have no reason to care if we ever come back.

Personally I went with a dealership and sales person that did right by my daughter, driving about an hour away and past 3 or 4 other ford dealerships to go there.

If Ford does find a way to get all the dealerships to sell at a fixed price and disclose all the BS additions at time of order I think it will go a long way towards solving these problems.

I agree. But i’s going to take time. A lot of state dealer and franchise laws are going to need to change.

You can buy a Tesla, but only in 28 states. In Ohio, Tesla has only four “galleries”. Four!

Jim Farley talks a good game, but he’s not in control of the process. Ford has been selling through dealers since at least 1908. There’s a lot of inertia in the system. That will never change overnight. Ford does not own the dealerships. Each is an independent business operation. In reality, Ford’s control is limited. Dealers can slip in mandatory dealer options at huge prices. Don’t want that when your truck arrives. No problem, then the dealer will sell it to someone else who will pay it. That’s the reality.

And Tesla? How many CyberTrucks have you seen on the road? Or would want to see, given what it looks like? Or could even afford one?

Heck, until 1958, cars did not even have a window sticker showing MSRP. Before then, it was a guess.

Negotiation was, and even today, with a dealer, is a headache. There’s some good, honest dealers out there, but they are getting harder to find.

And Ford is not in control of that process.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Well they should .Happy customers mean more sales. Dealerships exist to give good customer service and promote customer loyalty. If that isn't happening ,maybe they should put the customer first.

WOW the good old days when all manufactured goods were sold at MSRP with no variance and the dealer or store would not be able to purchase any additional stock if he was caught selling at a discount. Yes there were class actions and there were ads in newspaper like "if you bought xyz at other than MSRP bring your invoice in and we will pay $nn.nn for the first 50. All names including those that paid MSRP can be submitted to be put on the suit". Etc . AND a large percentage of retailers were claiming they couldn't sell enough of the items at full MSRP to stay in business.

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