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Ford do you care?


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I am so sick and tired of Ford and the Ford dealer I am working with. I have waited 17 1/2 weeks for my dream car, a Mustang GT. It has been built for a month and is now somewhere in Minnesota waiting for a transport to Iowa. Two ETAs have come and gone and all the dealer can or will say is hopefully they receive it in a few days. Based upon past experience I can guarantee this car will not show up within three days. This is the worst major purchase experience I have been through. I think what really makes me mad is Ford could care less.

 

I have asked FCS for a way to escalate my frustration up the chain of command within Ford and received no response. I have called FCS twice. The second time I was told I would receive a call in two days. Did I receive the call? NO

 

I have wanted a Mustang for twenty years. Like most people I have researched them to death, dreamed about what my first mods would be, and was excited beyond belief the day I placed the order. Since then it has been one big disappointment. The Mustang dream has turned into a nightmare. The excitement was gone long ago. I told my dealer I was very disatisfied with their lack of communication to me even when I asked for weekly updates. I also told them I was very unhappy with Ford. I was told Ford would not do anything to make me happy. It appears the dealer will not either. All in all I do no think anyone from Ford or the dealer really cares.

 

I am honestly on the fence now about buying this car when it comes in. Part of me wants to tell the dealer where to stick it based upon principal. The other part of me says to grin and bear it. Honestly though I do not feel like parting with $40,000 hard earned dollars on a product built by a manufacturer that does not care no matter how long I have wanted it. I bet Dodge or Chevy would like my $40,000.

 

Ford you had a chance to earn a new customer but instead you have made me a new customer for your competition. But do I think you will care? NO

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The other part of me says to grin and bear it.

 

Ford you had a chance to earn a new customer but instead you have made me a new customer for your competition. But do I think you will care? NO

 

Suck it up kid....you are experiencing transporter dilemmas....sadly, the days of manufacturers owning their own transport trucks went by the way side...all those feelings will fall away when you hit the key in your Mustang for the first time....

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I also waited about the same period of time for my 2012 Ford Focus, but I understood that the car was not yet in production, had to be built, and shipped. If you order a car instead of buying it off of a dealer lot, you have to wait....their is nothing that anyone can do to speed things up. This is even more the case as of late with Ford, because they are committed to building quality vehicles! The wait also drove me crazy, but it was well worth it as their is no better car on the road!!! You will be very happy with your Mustang GT dream car!!!

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I am so sick and tired of Ford and the Ford dealer I am working with. I have waited 17 1/2 weeks for my dream car, a Mustang GT. It has been built for a month and is now somewhere in Minnesota waiting for a transport to Iowa. Two ETAs have come and gone and all the dealer can or will say is hopefully they receive it in a few days. Based upon past experience I can guarantee this car will not show up within three days. This is the worst major purchase experience I have been through. I think what really makes me mad is Ford could care less.

 

I have asked FCS for a way to escalate my frustration up the chain of command within Ford and received no response. I have called FCS twice. The second time I was told I would receive a call in two days. Did I receive the call? NO

 

I have wanted a Mustang for twenty years. Like most people I have researched them to death, dreamed about what my first mods would be, and was excited beyond belief the day I placed the order. Since then it has been one big disappointment. The Mustang dream has turned into a nightmare. The excitement was gone long ago. I told my dealer I was very disatisfied with their lack of communication to me even when I asked for weekly updates. I also told them I was very unhappy with Ford. I was told Ford would not do anything to make me happy. It appears the dealer will not either. All in all I do no think anyone from Ford or the dealer really cares.

 

I am honestly on the fence now about buying this car when it comes in. Part of me wants to tell the dealer where to stick it based upon principal. The other part of me says to grin and bear it. Honestly though I do not feel like parting with $40,000 hard earned dollars on a product built by a manufacturer that does not care no matter how long I have wanted it. I bet Dodge or Chevy would like my $40,000.

 

Ford you had a chance to earn a new customer but instead you have made me a new customer for your competition. But do I think you will care? NO

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I am so sick and tired of Ford and the Ford dealer I am working with. I have waited 17 1/2 weeks for my dream car, a Mustang GT. It has been built for a month and is now somewhere in Minnesota waiting for a transport to Iowa. Two ETAs have come and gone and all the dealer can or will say is hopefully they receive it in a few days. Based upon past experience I can guarantee this car will not show up within three days. This is the worst major purchase experience I have been through. I think what really makes me mad is Ford could care less.

 

I have asked FCS for a way to escalate my frustration up the chain of command within Ford and received no response. I have called FCS twice. The second time I was told I would receive a call in two days. Did I receive the call? NO

 

I have wanted a Mustang for twenty years. Like most people I have researched them to death, dreamed about what my first mods would be, and was excited beyond belief the day I placed the order. Since then it has been one big disappointment. The Mustang dream has turned into a nightmare. The excitement was gone long ago. I told my dealer I was very disatisfied with their lack of communication to me even when I asked for weekly updates. I also told them I was very unhappy with Ford. I was told Ford would not do anything to make me happy. It appears the dealer will not either. All in all I do no think anyone from Ford or the dealer really cares.

 

I am honestly on the fence now about buying this car when it comes in. Part of me wants to tell the dealer where to stick it based upon principal. The other part of me says to grin and bear it. Honestly though I do not feel like parting with $40,000 hard earned dollars on a product built by a manufacturer that does not care no matter how long I have wanted it. I bet Dodge or Chevy would like my $40,000.

 

Ford you had a chance to earn a new customer but instead you have made me a new customer for your competition. But do I think you will care? NO

 

do u really think it will hurt ford or the dealer if you dont take this car ! you need to think long and hard yes the long wait is hard, but well worth it ! talking about dodge or chevy I would really think twice before i did that.

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This spring has been a perfect storm of delayed new vehicle intros (part of the normal quality assurance process to get it right before they start shipping), parts problems and shipping delays.

 

This happens all the time but Ford vehicles have never been this popular with such high demand/short supply.

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I feel your pain. I waited over 5 months for my ordered 2012 Focus with the same thing......terrible communication that the dealer could do nothing about. They really need to fix this, they are pissing off good customers. Once you get their vehicles, they are great, but the order experience is one of the most frustrating things I have gone through in a long time. We did start a topic about it earlier in this forum. Hang in there!

Edited by svtenthusiast
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17 week wait, it will be well worth the wait.

 

That is nothing we have been waiting for nearly 50 years in the UK for a Stang.

 

Good thinks come to those that wait, you are very lucky that you have the Mustang as an option to buy Stateside we have had bugger all in Europe worth buying since the Capri back in 1987 from Ford.

 

Gotta say l would be more than happy to wait a whole year for a RHD version Stang like yours you have order, some folk just don't realize just how lucky they are Moehawk.

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Ford's CEO has been a real advocate of addressing vehicle quality issues and doesn't want any vehicles arriving at dealerships unless they pass all quality tests. This has been a particular point with Mustang the past few years. Our store has 2 retail Mustang orders that were buit about 6 weeks ago, shipped and arrived at the final rail destination for delivery to the dealership and then sent back to the plant for additional quality inspection. My Ford Zone Manager tells me if they find anything, regardless of how minor, on a vehicle... they'll re-inspect all the vehicles that went through the line that may be suspect even if it means sending them back to the plant before delivery to the dealership. The result shows in Ford vehicles being rated so highly in the quality surveys the past few years.

 

Could Ford's communication with its customers and dealers be better? Absolutely! As others have written in this thread, the wait will be well worth it in the long run. I drive a Mustang every day as my company car and its an absolute delight to drive!

 

Thank you for buying a Ford!

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Shop around friend. There are hundreds of Ford dealers out there, I'm sure 1 of them has a Mustang sitting around. I would pass on that dealer thats screwing you around. BTW which dealer is it?

yup, I'm 100 % sure the fact the car is stuck somewhere is the DEALERS fault...think about that statement....

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Did you take delivery yet? It appears it was delivered to your dealership yesterday, May 26. I hope you are out enjoying the car. The torque is amazing. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

:happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet: .......realize also that there has been dramatic effects on shipping due to the crazy weather parts of the country have been experiencing....it may get worse to, but NOT from a shipping standpoint...any parts in anyones ordered cars that may be sourced from Japan?....Nav anyone?.....ARRRRRRRG!

Edited by Deanh
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Did you take delivery yet? It appears it was delivered to your dealership yesterday, May 26. I hope you are out enjoying the car. The torque is amazing. Have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

 

 

I took delivery on Friday, May 27th. First off, the car is amazing. It is everything I thought it would be and more. It just pulls no matter what gear you are in. I have given so many rides I have lost count. My goal on each ride is to make the passengers scream and grin from ear to ear. Mission accomplished so far.

 

When I picked the car up I found out it had a faulty traction control module. Not a good way to start but the part is on order. One of the sales managers at the dealership had told me last week that he did not want to lose me as a customer and would think about what the dealership could do to make things right. Nothing more was said about this when I picked up the car. The sales person did make a point of going through a customer satisfaction survey example that I would receive. He said they wanted to be rated as excellent in every category. That's not going to happen.

 

At this point I am happy to have the car I have wanted for years. Do I think Ford cares about the long delivery time and lack of communication? No. Do I think the dealer cares about communication and telling me the truth? No. Will my next purchase be a Ford. No.

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I took delivery on Friday, May 27th. First off, the car is amazing. It is everything I thought it would be and more. It just pulls no matter what gear you are in. I have given so many rides I have lost count. My goal on each ride is to make the passengers scream and grin from ear to ear. Mission accomplished so far.

 

When I picked the car up I found out it had a faulty traction control module. Not a good way to start but the part is on order. One of the sales managers at the dealership had told me last week that he did not want to lose me as a customer and would think about what the dealership could do to make things right. Nothing more was said about this when I picked up the car. The sales person did make a point of going through a customer satisfaction survey example that I would receive. He said they wanted to be rated as excellent in every category. That's not going to happen.

 

At this point I am happy to have the car I have wanted for years. Do I think Ford cares about the long delivery time and lack of communication? No. Do I think the dealer cares about communication and telling me the truth? No. Will my next purchase be a Ford. No.

 

Glad to hear you got the Mustang. Not good about the TCM.

 

What would you have had Ford Motor Company do differently in regards to the long delivery time and lack of communication? What was your initial expectation on time frame? Did learning about different ETA's make you less or more upset? If the dealer had started with 16 weeks for customer orders, would you have felt less frustrated?

 

Hopefully the Ford products in the pipeline and the Mustang will help change your mind before your next purchase.

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Glad to hear you got the Mustang. Not good about the TCM.

 

What would you have had Ford Motor Company do differently in regards to the long delivery time and lack of communication? What was your initial expectation on time frame? Did learning about different ETA's make you less or more upset? If the dealer had started with 16 weeks for customer orders, would you have felt less frustrated?

 

Hopefully the Ford products in the pipeline and the Mustang will help change your mind before your next purchase.

 

I would like Ford to work with their dealers to update the customer. How hard would it be to offer me the option of being updated on my order once a week, every two weeks, or as the order status changes? The dealer took my email address when I placed the order. I applaud Ford for having customer service reps monitor the mustang web sites. If it wasn't for Deysha I would have had even less information as I went through the process. Maybe I got a clueless dealer but they've won all kinds of Ford customer service awards so someone thinks they are doing something correctly.

 

When I ordered the car on Feb 1 the dealer said I should receive it in 6-8 weeks. I did not expect this to happen but I did think by 10 weeks I would at least have a VIN assigned. The fact the dealer said they had abosolutely no idea of when the car would be built at that point did not help. Now is that a Ford issue because they are not providing the dealer any estimates or did the dealer not have allocation like they said they did in February? I learned more about the status of my car's build and shipping process by posting questions on mustang forums than I did from the dealer. I called Ford customer service two times. The first time they said they did not have any new information to share other than when the car was built. The second time I called they said my call would be escalated and I would receive a call back from Ford in two days. I never received the call and ended up calling FCS again myself. Finally at the end the sales manager contacted their Ford zone rep to have my car escalated for shipment. This would not have happened if I had not been all over the dealer.

 

Learning about the different ETAs did not make me more or less upset. I understood they are just that, estimates. What did make me upset was not finding out what was going on. Having my salesman tell me they (the dealer) had no way to track the order once it shipped only to find out the sales manager could update me each day on where it was on the train and when the car was loaded on a transport did not help. This only solidified my feeling of either a) the dealer is lying to me, or B) they are poorly trained and really do not know what is going on.

 

If the dealer had been upfront with me in February and said they would not have allocation until April I would have found another dealer that did have allocation in February. If the dealer had said it would take 16 weeks for delivery I would have said wow that is a long time but accepted it and waited. Much of the frustration I experienced would have been avoided.

 

Up until this experience I had been a big fan of Ford's turn around. The fact that they did not take a government bailout was part of the reason why I wanted to buy a Ford. The fact that Ford brought back the 5.0 sealed the deal. My other two cars are Toyota products. I've never had issues with the cars or the dealer. I had thought that a Fusion would make a nice replacement for my Camry. That is all on hold now.

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I would like Ford to work with their dealers to update the customer. How hard would it be to offer me the option of being updated on my order once a week, every two weeks, or as the order status changes? The dealer took my email address when I placed the order. I applaud Ford for having customer service reps monitor the mustang web sites. If it wasn't for Deysha I would have had even less information as I went through the process. Maybe I got a clueless dealer but they've won all kinds of Ford customer service awards so someone thinks they are doing something correctly.

 

When I ordered the car on Feb 1 the dealer said I should receive it in 6-8 weeks. I did not expect this to happen but I did think by 10 weeks I would at least have a VIN assigned. The fact the dealer said they had abosolutely no idea of when the car would be built at that point did not help. Now is that a Ford issue because they are not providing the dealer any estimates or did the dealer not have allocation like they said they did in February? I learned more about the status of my car's build and shipping process by posting questions on mustang forums than I did from the dealer. I called Ford customer service two times. The first time they said they did not have any new information to share other than when the car was built. The second time I called they said my call would be escalated and I would receive a call back from Ford in two days. I never received the call and ended up calling FCS again myself. Finally at the end the sales manager contacted their Ford zone rep to have my car escalated for shipment. This would not have happened if I had not been all over the dealer.

 

Learning about the different ETAs did not make me more or less upset. I understood they are just that, estimates. What did make me upset was not finding out what was going on. Having my salesman tell me they (the dealer) had no way to track the order once it shipped only to find out the sales manager could update me each day on where it was on the train and when the car was loaded on a transport did not help. This only solidified my feeling of either a) the dealer is lying to me, or B) they are poorly trained and really do not know what is going on.

 

If the dealer had been upfront with me in February and said they would not have allocation until April I would have found another dealer that did have allocation in February. If the dealer had said it would take 16 weeks for delivery I would have said wow that is a long time but accepted it and waited. Much of the frustration I experienced would have been avoided.

 

Up until this experience I had been a big fan of Ford's turn around. The fact that they did not take a government bailout was part of the reason why I wanted to buy a Ford. The fact that Ford brought back the 5.0 sealed the deal. My other two cars are Toyota products. I've never had issues with the cars or the dealer. I had thought that a Fusion would make a nice replacement for my Camry. That is all on hold now.

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain your thoughts. I think there are areas for improvement for Ford and the dealership. There have been parts shortages that have limited production and created issues that Ford and the dealers are not used to. 2 years ago, dealers were turning down product on every line except Fusion. Now they are desperate for everything.

 

If the dealer had been up front on allocation this would have been a better experience. Almost no one in the dealership pays attention to their allocation. An inventory manager may now what they have left in a month and what will schedule that week, but the GM or a sales manager likely will not know, nor the salesman. If they had been on top of it, they may have been able to get the ZM to move up the allocation week so the VIN would have assigned in March with an earlier build in April.

 

The delivery time is out of the dealerships control. Whether it was the rail car issue or a quality hold, I'm not sure. These things happen - had the dealership given you more regular status updates early on, you may have had more patience for the shipping delay.

 

As for the Fusion, I'd drive it and the Camry. See which vehicle you like better. Retail orders are about 10-15% of Ford orders. Hopefully there is one near you that would meet your needs nearby. If not, I think you have a much better idea of questions to ask before you'd order again.

 

Enjoy the Mustang and hopefully the experience will help dull the sting of the ordering fiasco for you.

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  • 1 month later...

I'm spending less money than you did and having the same problems. I found a wonderful Sales guy here in Cleveland but the manual transmission Fiesta SE I wanted was hard to find. Nearest dealer was Akron and it was already on order, through customs and on a train in Michigan, yes, ONE STATE AWAY. Akron wouldn't trade it with my Cleveland dealer so I had to work with the Akron dealer. What a disaster. This guy has NEVER contacted me. The rep in Cleveland has called me at least weekly and I'm not buying from him. The Akron guy told me last week he's been calling every day to see where my car is... I'm wondering who he's calling since the tracking system is computerized. I'd be happy with an email or a text message - ANY communication since I have a check and am making payments now for a car that was already on it's way and was supposed to be delivered a week ago. Seriously, my Dad always bought Fords but this is my first one. This whole experience has me wishing I had walked away.

A large percentage of owner satisfaction is the BUYING EXPERIENCE. I didn't miss the fact there was a tsunami but that does not exempt anyone from good customer service.

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This all shows how far behind the times Ford is when it comes to providing tracking information to customers.

 

Given the weekly tracking updates that cyberdman has so graciously supplied, I have been able to do some detailed tracking myself. I was able to track the train my Fiesta was placed on from the production plant to a port in Veracruz. From there I was able to track the ship it was on as it traveled up the coast to Maryland. The last update from cyberdman was that Bavarian Motor Transport had it, and that marks the first time I haven't been able to track it. If I can gather daily information starting with weekly updates and a little bit of effort, Ford should easily be able to automate it for the customer. After all, if cyberdman can get the information, the information is out there and could be provided in a form similar to UPS or FedEx tracking.

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This all shows how far behind the times Ford is when it comes to providing tracking information to customers.

 

Given the weekly tracking updates that cyberdman has so graciously supplied, I have been able to do some detailed tracking myself. I was able to track the train my Fiesta was placed on from the production plant to a port in Veracruz. From there I was able to track the ship it was on as it traveled up the coast to Maryland. The last update from cyberdman was that Bavarian Motor Transport had it, and that marks the first time I haven't been able to track it. If I can gather daily information starting with weekly updates and a little bit of effort, Ford should easily be able to automate it for the customer. After all, if cyberdman can get the information, the information is out there and could be provided in a form similar to UPS or FedEx tracking.

 

You're missing the point here. The dealer can do the exact same tracking that cyberdman is doing, so why aren't they providing the information to the customer? If Ford provides the info to the dealer then how is it Ford's fault that the customer isn't being updated?

 

Repeal the state franchise laws so you can order directly from Ford and maybe they can setup the type of tracking system being asked for. But until then find a dealer who's willing to give you the service you're paying them for.

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This all shows how far behind the times Ford is when it comes to providing tracking information to customers.

 

Given the weekly tracking updates that cyberdman has so graciously supplied, I have been able to do some detailed tracking myself. I was able to track the train my Fiesta was placed on from the production plant to a port in Veracruz. From there I was able to track the ship it was on as it traveled up the coast to Maryland. The last update from cyberdman was that Bavarian Motor Transport had it, and that marks the first time I haven't been able to track it. If I can gather daily information starting with weekly updates and a little bit of effort, Ford should easily be able to automate it for the customer. After all, if cyberdman can get the information, the information is out there and could be provided in a form similar to UPS or FedEx tracking.

 

Let's ask this though:

 

Everyone is demanding that Ford create this tracking system for the customer. Do any other automakers offer such a service?

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Does it even matter? Innovation is a good thing. In fact if Ford did it first it would make it more impressive.

 

Absolutely it matters. As has already been said: dealerships exist for this reason. Ford isn't in the business to do the work its dealers are already supposed to be doing.

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Consider this:

 

 

There is no factory ordering with Hyundai. They make what they make and ship to dealers. A dealer can/does make swaps with other dealers for colors/trims etc., and usually will search a multi-state area to find what you want. Be aware that this year especially it's gonna be hard to get choosy: Hyundai US was projecting sales increase of 16% in 2011 and Hyundai cut them back to 8% due to "supply shortages". Other manufacturers are experiencing the same thing.

 

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?p=65816

 

 

With Ford you can custom order a car to your specifications. Other imports are like Hyundai.......you get what you can find. Custom orders are not the priority. Vehicle assembly lines are ramped up for a steady stream with an emphasis on consistent quality. Throwing odd mixes in doesn't help. Some options are "late availability" sometimes these options don't materialize at all!

 

It used to be an early custom order got you the first car in town. Nowadays you'll wait and wait. The dealership should have given more feedback. If they told you how long it would really take (if they had a crystal ball) would you have bought from dealer stock?

 

Part of the problem is your expectations, something you want, but can't get from imports......yet blame Ford and are giving them a black mark on the evaluation!

At this point I am happy to have the car I have wanted for years. Do I think Ford cares about the long delivery time and lack of communication? No. Do I think the dealer cares about communication and telling me the truth? No. Will my next purchase be a Ford. No.

 

After 10 weeks the salesman should have asked about moving you into stock that was available, theirs or dealer trade. What options/color/model made yours unique?

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My sales rep still hasn't called (shocking that I'll have to call him). Is that because Ford doesn't provide him with information? or because Ford contracts our delivery from the train to the dealers? WHO CARES!!! It amounts to TERRIBLE SERVICE PERIOD. If you build them and drop them in your factory lot, call them sold on your books because you lobbied to do it, then you've taken NO responsibility for the actual sale to the customer - ME - US. I don't really care if that is the way other car manufacterers do it, I've never had this problem before. I've ordered cars before that have arrived on time. What happen to being better than everyone else? I'm not asking for access to tracking - just a little service, taking responsibility for the END CUSTOMER. The person who is going to drive the car. The person who actually forks over the money. Just because you book it as sold when it rolls off the line (ordered or not) - THE JOB IS NOT DONE!

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Everyone is demanding that Ford create this tracking system for the customer. Do any other automakers offer such a service?

BMW/Mini USA does; when one of my family members ordered an F01 7-series last year he was able to track order-to-delivery progress via a web based application.

 

Ford already offers an order tracking function for FIN customers at http://www.fleet.ford.com, within the Ordering Center menu.

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