Transparency?

[jc888888888]

Be patient OP .... you can glean a lot of info from this board .Your wait time is 4 to 6 month's on a hybrid APX leaning towards 6 I would imagine .My belief is they have stopped taking orders as of yesterday on the Hybrid . So they are trying to tamp the frustration down by filling hybrid orders as fast as they can. All car manufacturers are in the same boat .VW the new ID4 EV I went to order one for my wife, 4 month,s wait and here is a good one. They make three versions of the black interior and dash one version has brown trim my wife does not like it .EV specialist at VW said "you can order the black INTERIOR what version you get is POT LUCK". I drove the car very cool and a great value as far as EV,s go. But the misses said deal breaker for me I want to get what I want spending 48K. Now she is on the Mach E that is a sh#$ show. Every dealer you call wait time of 3 to 4 months, no car to see . Ford website 28 weeks + .And you have some dealers 5k to 10 k up charge ,(thieves) Ford motor company has no control over these dealers, they are independent and charge what they want .Be patient it is a new world out there.

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[Old Ranchero]

I've dealt with the same dealer for many years. They are a small town, low volume dealer, and we've done many hand-shake deals. They have always been honest & forthright with information. No complaints with them.




As I understand from my dealer, it's a bit of a moving target with Ford. Again, not all Ford's fault, as recounted ad-nauseam in previous posts.

I'm just saying they could greatly improve and clarify their processes for customer orders, given this is the business model they are pushing for. I also think they (Ford) would completely agree, that to maintain a successful customer order system, they will HAVE to improve the process, along with many dealers, or risk losing more sales to competitors. As a share holder, this concerns me. As a customer, it's annoying, but I'm retired and in no hurry.

You are assuming competitors have/are not experiencing similar growing pains as they transition to a new sales model. For sure Tesla had very public struggles working out the logistics of direct to customer auto sales, and in fact some states and localities have laws prohibiting the practice that have had to be overcome. None of us knows how other manufacturers have dealt with the new model internally, but Ford may in fact be ahead of the curve. The COVID lockdowns somewhat accelerated the direct to home model with Carvana and others and I think a rational tempered analysis of what Ford is doing and going through reveals a leadership position in breaking new ground... even if not perfect initially.

Ford was widely panned when they made the switch to Aluminum bodies on F-150 and had some sales affected at 1st, but came out the other side in a better position for it. Same with introducing Mach-E where people complained it would ruin the Mustang brand, but now it is the 2nd biggest seller behind only Tesla- who ONLY does EVs. Then they surprised everyone with F-150 Lightning and the orders flowed in. I predict 1-2 years down the line after supply issues are no longer a limiting factor Ford's efforts will be wildly successful and proven correct strategy that will leave others playing catch up.

 

[dalola]

You are assuming competitors have/are not experiencing similar growing pains as they transition to a new sales model. For sure Tesla had very public struggles working out the logistics of direct to customer auto sales, and in fact some states and localities have laws prohibiting the practice that have had to be overcome. None of us knows how other manufacturers have dealt with the new model internally, but Ford may in fact be ahead of the curve. The COVID lockdowns somewhat accelerated the direct to home model with Carvana and others and I think a rational tempered analysis of what Ford is doing and going through reveals a leadership position in breaking new ground... even if not perfect initially.

Ford was widely panned when they made the switch to Aluminum bodies on F-150 and had some sales affected at 1st, but came out the other side in a better position for it. Same with introducing Mach-E where people complained it would ruin the Mustang brand, but now it is the 2nd biggest seller behind only Tesla- who ONLY does EVs. Then they surprised everyone with F-150 Lightning and the orders flowed in. I predict 1-2 years down the line after supply issues are no longer a limiting factor Ford's efforts will be wildly successful and proven correct strategy that will leave others playing catch up.

Not at all. It's clear all the OEM's are having issues at various levels. My only point is that Ford (and it's dealers) needs to do a better job implementing it's new business model. Simple as that.

 

[olderbudwiser]

There can be more than one explanation while working a Ford the Wixom plant was building Lincolns and Thunderbirds. Somehow a shipment of transmission cooler lines were used that did not have the seal on them going into the radiator. Once discovered all the builds had to be stop shipped. It was a lengthy process to identify all the affected vehicles and make the repair.

Ford is not going to put that information out for general consumption. The dealers don't get that information. Kinda a need to know. Public does not need to know.

 

[Dangro]

This is

You are assuming competitors have/are not experiencing similar growing pains as they transition to a new sales model.

This exactly this. Tesla has had over 1,000,000 deposits for for the Cybertruck with a start of production continuing to be pushed back until at least the end of 2022. They have removed the price and specs completely on their website but will continue to take your deposit.

They are having supply issues just like everyone else of not just with chips but also with batteries and they have their own battery manufacturing capabilities.

 

[TSAINTS1115]

It’s fascinating how many people around here think that wanting some information about the $30,000+ purchase we’re about to make is a sign of entitlement. Maybe a car is a fun toy for a lot of folks but I know for me it is a very necessary tool that gets me to and from work, the grocery store, etc. Call me crazy but I don’t think it’s absurd for folks to be a little frustrated with a single email and then months of silence on a very important purchase.

Teach them a lesson and go buy a Chevy.

 

[Flat Tooth]

My issue is that in the modern world getting a tailor made car delivered to your local dealer is quite the luxury. Vehicles aren't as abundant as they usually are but you can definitely find plenty of other people willing to trade you a vehicle for $30,000 (before you mention it I know you used to always order cars back in the day but this hasn't been the norm for a long time)

People have a way of acting like they deserve supremely privileged treatment when they aren't even customers yet. Maybe you're a customer of the dealer whom you gave the deposit (or not) but either way nobody here without a Mav bought one yet.

Outside of all of that, it is even more annoying that everyone should be painfully aware of shortages, issues, etc with all industries but we just kinda put the pretend vanishing hat on when we talk about Ford.
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Yeah they should be better but is this really super different than any multi-tiered organization? My guess is that if Ford knew when your truck was coming they'd tell you. It doesn't benefit them to just make you agonize about it.

I’m very aware that plenty of people will trade me a vehicle for $30,000. I’m also very aware of shortages. It seems like you’re reacting to a lot of other people while responding to me. Wanting a “hey this is how long we think this will take” update every so often isn’t an extremely privileged position. This ain’t a mom and pop shop just trying to keep their lights on. It’s an international corporation with an entire department dedicated to communication haha. Also most of what I’ve seen is folks just wanting some communication- not a date set in stone just *something*. I get that seeing people complain isn’t always fun but it’s a public forum, my dude. That comes with the good and the bad.

 

[Arukoru]

Wanting a “hey this is how long we think this will take” update every so often isn’t an extremely privileged position.

Agreed, although I'll say it can be really complicated. Sometimes it is better to leave people in the dark to speculate than it is to be honest. You have a lot to think about and the person approving communication about production is getting info from someone who got it from someone who manages someone that got it from someone else. All that is to say, if I'm running Ford, I'm not going to announce every few weeks when I think I've solved an issue just for it to blow up in my face. The actual worst case scenario is that you're honest about delays and it hurts your ability to actually follow through (pressure from the board for example).

Despite my critical stance on people complaining I do actually think that if you ordered August or earlier and don't get your car by December then they should be giving you a free option. Not FITS accessories but like bed lights or the cab outlet. Basically something of $100-$300 value as a good faith gesture. But I get annoyed when people say they deserve these things rather than ford should do x to show they care.

You're right that I'm mostly directing my irritation elsewhere, I can't tell you how annoying it is that someone opts into a pre-release order during unprecedented manufacturing delays and then actually gets upset when it gets delayed.

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