Yet another price protection fight

[justinvoelker]

Quick back story--my father-in-law works at a Ford dealership and put me in touch with their sales manager to order my Rapid Red Premium AWD ER with interior protection package. I order July 7, 2021, was part of the conversion to a 2022 in October, and had the price increase in December. While currently built, I'm still waiting for the car to arrive later this month.

I'm trying to nail down final pricing with the dealer but keep hitting walls. The first invoice I got (below, left) shows current sticker price, D-plan discount, and the $750 rebate. When pressed about the $2000 price protection, I was first told that that wasn’t a thing but they’d check with their rep. Their rep wasn’t sure and wanted to check with Ford's "EV team" to get final word. They came back with a new invoice with a larger discount, but still not what I expected (below, right). The claim was that it doesn't include all $2000 because that price protection is to "get you back to MSRP" but because I'm already getting D-plan, I'm not getting the full amount (or something like that).

Here's what I'm expecting:

Current MSRP       59,635
Discount         -  2,000   Price protection
Discount         -  1,956   D-plan*
Rebate           -    750   2021 to 2022 conversion offer
Adjusted price   = 54,929

*I'm basing the D-plan number on their own initial invoice calculation but understand it would change by ~$100 depending on if they calculate it before or after the other discounts/rebates.

Can I please ask for no speculative answers? I'm specifically looking for A) any dealers that want to chime in about what I should be getting or B) anyone that has completed their purchase of a 2021 order (that was converted then price increased) that is willing to show their invoice breakdown that includes price protection, plan pricing, and the rebate.

I need to take more detail to my dealer because I have shown them price protection memos, told them to check DORA or Smart Vincent, and provided other documentation and information from this forum and I'm told either that it doesn't apply or that it doesn't apply in the way I think. I need something more concrete that I can show in black and white (or to be corrected here if I am misunderstanding the discounts/rebates).

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[RickMachE]

DORA from converted order back in October shows price. Less $750. Done.

Dealer gets $2,000.

Notice posted on the forum shows them what department to contact to verify they will get $2,000 45 days later.

 

[minjaep]

Let them email “AXZD & F-Plan Program Headquarters” to ask details about price protection in your situation.

 

[justinvoelker]

Thanks @RickMachE and @minjaep for the help. I'll try again, but when I present my dealer with "facts" from this forum, I'm dismissed as "someone who reads too much." I don't know what else to do because telling him to call his rep, the EV team, VOPC, AXZD & F-Plan Program Headquarters, to pull the DORA, whatever, is just met with resistance because "that's not how it works."

It seems like I either need someone at Ford to call him and tell him how to do this properly or some hard evidence from someone in a similar situation and what they got so I can show him what I should be getting.

 

[Dancefreak]

Thanks @RickMachE and @minjaep for the help. I'll try again, but when I present my dealer with "facts" from this forum, I'm dismissed as "someone who reads too much." I don't know what else to do because telling him to call his rep, the EV team, VOPC, AXZD & F-Plan Program Headquarters, to pull the DORA, whatever, is just met with resistance because "that's not how it works."

It seems like I either need someone at Ford to call him and tell him how to do this properly or some hard evidence from someone in a similar situation and what they got so I can show him what I should be getting.

Your dealer knows exactly how it works and is just waiting for you to relent so that they can keep that 2K as profit. Horrible system we’re forced to deal with.

 

[Logal727]

I’d just be happy to get it under MSRP, what are you gonna do, not take the car? That’s probably what they want anyways.

 

[kdonnel]

Thanks @RickMachE and @minjaep for the help. I'll try again, but when I present my dealer with "facts" from this forum, I'm dismissed as "someone who reads too much." I don't know what else to do because telling him to call his rep, the EV team, VOPC, AXZD & F-Plan Program Headquarters, to pull the DORA, whatever, is just met with resistance because "that's not how it works."

It seems like I either need someone at Ford to call him and tell him how to do this properly or some hard evidence from someone in a similar situation and what they got so I can show him what I should be getting.

That is exactly how I was treated. It was not until the third manager that I got anyone to call the number listed on the price protection memo. I was repeatedly told that if it is not on the vincent it does not exist.

I have filed a complaint with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Division. I don't know if anything will come of the complaint but perhaps if everyone complains, there will be some action.

While I ultimately got the correct price, my salesman mentioned how the dealership had sold dozens of cars that apparently should have received price protection based on the memo. When I asked if he thought the dealership would refund the money now that they understood how it worked and realized that Ford had sent the dealership money on top of the extra paid by the customers, he refused to answer.

 

[RickMachE]

That is exactly how I was treated. It was not until the third manager that I got anyone to call the number listed on the price protection memo. I was repeatedly told that if it is not on the vincent it does not exist.

I have filed a complaint with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Division. I don't know if anything will come of the complaint but perhaps if everyone complains, there will be some action.

While I ultimately got the correct price, my salesman mentioned how the dealership had sold dozens of cars that apparently should have received price protection based on the memo. When I asked if he thought the dealership would refund the money now that they understood how it worked and realized that Ford had sent the dealership money on top of the extra paid by the customers, he refused to answer.

Good job filing that complaint. Give them a crap survey too.

 

[minjaep]

Good job filing that complaint. Give them a crap survey too.

I heard the survey is a thing. My cousin helped me to get a manual price adjustment while they couldn't figure out how it works, and it was based on the agreement upon the perfect survey. Which seems very important for dealers to be used for negotiation. (I would give the perfect survey not to harm my cousin's reputation, but I really don't want to.) Maybe one can try to negotiate with this, too.

 

[AKgrampy]

That is exactly how I was treated. It was not until the third manager that I got anyone to call the number listed on the price protection memo. I was repeatedly told that if it is not on the vincent it does not exist.

I have filed a complaint with the Georgia Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Division. I don't know if anything will come of the complaint but perhaps if everyone complains, there will be some action.

While I ultimately got the correct price, my salesman mentioned how the dealership had sold dozens of cars that apparently should have received price protection based on the memo. When I asked if he thought the dealership would refund the money now that they understood how it worked and realized that Ford had sent the dealership money on top of the extra paid by the customers, he refused to answer.

Not saying It is wrong but I find it hard to believe any dealer has sold dozens of Machs since the price increase. They would also have to specifically apply for the rebate. It is automatic but they need to submit proof of who bought the car before receiving. Also only ordered cars are price protected and not dealer inventory.

 

[kdonnel]

Not saying It is wrong but I find it hard to believe any dealer has sold dozens of Machs since the price increase. They would also have to specifically apply for the rebate. It is automatic but they need to submit proof of who bought the car before receiving. Also only ordered cars are price protected and not dealer inventory.

The same memo that price protects the MME also protects the Bronco Sport, EcoSport, Escape, Edge, Explorer and Super Duty. According to the salesman, the dealership has sold or will soon be selling a couple dozen cars, all orders, that meet that criteria.

The dealership does NOT have to apply for the price protection money. The process is automatic as long as the car is titled in the same name as the person with the firm order. That was part of the problem as the dealership was unwilling to trust that $2000 was coming their way in my case just based on Fords word.

There have also been other price protection memos for various models in earlier months during all the covid induced slow down in order delivery across all models due to supply constraint issues.

The salesman mentioned that the majority of their sales across all models for the past three years are customer orders that have taken months to deliver and have experienced price increases that should have been price protected by Ford.

 

[Dancefreak]

The same memo that price protects the MME also protects the Bronco Sport, EcoSport, Escape, Edge, Explorer and Super Duty. According to the salesman, the dealership has sold or will soon be selling a couple dozen cars, all orders, that meet that criteria.

The dealership does NOT have to apply for the price protection money. The process is automatic as long as the car is titled in the same name as the person with the firm order. That was part of the problem as the dealership was unwilling to trust that $2000 was coming their way in my case just based on Fords word.

There have also been other price protection memos for various models in earlier months during all the covid induced slow down in order delivery across all models due to supply constraint issues.

The salesman mentioned that the majority of their sales across all models for the past three years are customer orders that have taken months to deliver and have experienced price increases that should have been price protected by Ford.

The “salesman” is the most likely person at the dealership to be entirely clueless. Also it’s absurd to suggest that the dealership isn’t confident they’d be reimbursed by Ford. I PROMISE you they’d make sure that money is coming even if they don’t offer the lower price to the buyer and it ends up being pure profit.

 

[WNKent]

Good job filing that complaint. Give them a crap survey too.

YES!!! What RickMachE says.

My guy is telling me that price protection is what the folks got because their orders were moved from 2021 to 2022?! And refused to even mention the $2000 WTF. ?‍ This PP procedure was just discussed in the March Wholesale Meeting that they all attended. Seems like our guys were not paying attention in class.

 

[WNKent]

Quick back story--my father-in-law works at a Ford dealership and put me in touch with their sales manager to order my Rapid Red Premium AWD ER with interior protection package. I order July 7, 2021, was part of the conversion to a 2022 in October, and had the price increase in December. While currently built, I'm still waiting for the car to arrive later this month.

I'm trying to nail down final pricing with the dealer but keep hitting walls. The first invoice I got (below, left) shows current sticker price, D-plan discount, and the $750 rebate. When pressed about the $2000 price protection, I was first told that that wasn’t a thing but they’d check with their rep. Their rep wasn’t sure and wanted to check with Ford's "EV team" to get final word. They came back with a new invoice with a larger discount, but still not what I expected (below, right). The claim was that it doesn't include all $2000 because that price protection is to "get you back to MSRP" but because I'm already getting D-plan, I'm not getting the full amount (or something like that).

Here's what I'm expecting:

Current MSRP       59,635
Discount         -  2,000   Price protection
Discount         -  1,956   D-plan*
Rebate           -    750   2021 to 2022 conversion offer
Adjusted price   = 54,929

*I'm basing the D-plan number on their own initial invoice calculation but understand it would change by ~$100 depending on if they calculate it before or after the other discounts/rebates.

Can I please ask for no speculative answers? I'm specifically looking for A) any dealers that want to chime in about what I should be getting or B) anyone that has completed their purchase of a 2021 order (that was converted then price increased) that is willing to show their invoice breakdown that includes price protection, plan pricing, and the rebate.

I need to take more detail to my dealer because I have shown them price protection memos, told them to check DORA or Smart Vincent, and provided other documentation and information from this forum and I'm told either that it doesn't apply or that it doesn't apply in the way I think. I need something more concrete that I can show in black and white (or to be corrected here if I am misunderstanding the discounts/rebates).

What is "D-Plan"?

 

[WNKent]

Thanks @RickMachE and @minjaep for the help. I'll try again, but when I present my dealer with "facts" from this forum, I'm dismissed as "someone who reads too much." I don't know what else to do because telling him to call his rep, the EV team, VOPC, AXZD & F-Plan Program Headquarters, to pull the DORA, whatever, is just met with resistance because "that's not how it works."

It seems like I either need someone at Ford to call him and tell him how to do this properly or some hard evidence from someone in a similar situation and what they got so I can show him what I should be getting.

I would also do some research on the dealership. Is it locally owned or part of a national chain, like mine is. I called the Berkshire-Hathaway Automotive and they seemed to know about the PP. They asked me to keep them in the loop.

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