Dealership attempted markup and then sold my reserved MachE to someone else in under 48 hours

[bigredx86]

Omg! I made a mistake of ordering my Mach E through the same dealership! just checked with the sales director , this is the response I got:

He said there will be 5-10% ADM! guess I have to figure out how to get my deposit back now.

Call Ford Customer Care and have this order moved, don't leave it here, seems like fokes have posted decent dealers in the area, sure they'll be happy to take an allocation from another dealer, lol.

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[mateo]

But you know what you don’t see in any of the examples you posted above?

The consumer getting $$ or a car.

Dealer gets a fine and is told “not to do it again.”

That doesn’t help the OP get a car.

Agreed, since there is no inventory of cars available (hence the problem).

But the behavior is potentially illegal either by the dealership or Ford if it falls under fraudulent acts. And the only way to help others in the future is to spread the word and cause these dealers to lose out in future sales or get fined into submission. But sounds like you agree on that too... So we are saying the same things. ?

 

[mache_matt]

Thats a horrible situation for OP.
I worry about this situation when my car eventually arrives, although no inidication of something like this happening.
Try tweeting @Ford. Social media can be powerful .. and you have nothing to lose.
Share your tweet here and hopefully we can start getting it some attention

 

[Keeperofthe7keys]

This seems like something you should be able to sue them for but US law is so stacked in favor of business and dealership protection laws so much that even huge automakers can't do much about it. It boils my blood that they even think they can let alone do get away with this kind of shit.

 

[jay1122]

This is just sad. I bought off dealer lot MSRP so can't really relate to the ordering process. Did you discuss with the dealer about honoring MSRP? Usually the greedy dealer will show their true nature upfront.

I think the Ford online order system is a joke. Ford tries to mimic tesla experience but does not have the tesla price protection. I would order with a reputable dealer directly and discuss honoring MSRP price. Put in writing.

If I have to wait 9 months and got this crap pulled. I would just say bye bye to ford entirely. I don't think the corporate will do anything for you regarding this issue. Time to move on to a competitor.

 

[entenna]

Frontier Ford sucks... They wanted to sell me a GT with $10k markup and all possible service/maintenance options. Heck no... Then, I made a reservation for a recall on their website and they sent me home sooner they don't do recalls on Saturday (why have that option on the site then?)

 

[Blackpony]

Interesting that legal fees seems to be the reason that a lot of the posters state that they would be reluctant to seek legal help here. In Massachusetts what happened in this case would likely be considered an unfair and deceptive trade practice which if proven damages include your legal fees. Calf may have some form of this protection but exactly what it is varies by state. You might want to talk to a lawyer about this. That initial consultation should be free and if the lawyer takes the case it would be on a contingency fee basis--you pay nothing unless you win (get a settlement or a judgment) in which case the attorney gets a percentage of that recovery--usually 1/3. If the dealership has done this to others the attorney might be able to sue for them as well. Some states also allow an award of 2 or 3 times the plaintiff's actual damages for this kind of thing to help make it worth while . Just my 2 cents.

 

[stlippert]

You're in the best state to fight this. Share details with the attorney general of the state. Also, pound on social media. Finally reach out to TV station for story. Negative media is likely your strongest card to play.

 

[MrMache]

When I found out my 2023 order could possibly get here by New Years, I emailed my salesman asking flat out if there would be any fees or ADM. I expected a phone call back (so he could lie about it later), but he actually emailed me back that there would not be any mark-up. I was pleasantly surprised.

Essential Ford in Stuart, Florida

 

[mache_matt]

Interesting that legal fees seems to be the reason that a lot of the posters state that they would be reluctant to seek legal help here. In Massachusetts what happened in this case would likely be considered an unfair and deceptive trade practice which if proven damages include your legal fees. Calf may have some form of this protection but exactly what it is varies by state. You might want to talk to a lawyer about this. That initial consultation should be free and if the lawyer takes the case it would be on a contingency fee basis--you pay nothing unless you win (get a settlement or a judgment) in which case the attorney gets a percentage of that recovery--usually 1/3. If the dealership has done this to others the attorney might be able to sue for them as well. Some states also allow an award of 2 or 3 times the plaintiff's actual damages for this kind of thing to help make it worth while . Just my 2 cents.

Better call Saul
He'll turn this into a class action in no time

 

[bbulkow]

Omg! I made a mistake of ordering my Mach E through the same dealership! just checked with the sales director , this is the response I got:

He said there will be 5-10% ADM! guess I have to figure out how to get my deposit back now.

also being in the bay area, it seems Serramonte and Morgan Hill have positive reputations.

 

[bbulkow]

False advertising, even without a contract, is still grounds for lawsuits. But typically I think that sort of thing would come from state attorneys on behalf of consumers. (I'm not a lawyer.)

Basically, if Ford advertises a price as MSRP and says the dealer markup is $0, but in fact it is $10,000, that is false and misleading. In the least, Ford itself (not the dealer) could be sued for that part. Whether or not you could win is another story.

this. there is a federal statute against misleading business practices. i would go after Ford, because you went to a ford website and were given a quote and a delivery date. the fact that ford has structured its business operations with a separate corp and will not honor a year long price is a deceptive process, even with all the legalese on the website. there is no way to order a car at the price on the web site and get it, and that is deceptive, and ford is the one engaging in the deception by having a website, allowing 'orders', sending a price. Hyundai, for example, doesn't do this in America because of dealers, Ford tries to deceive us into thinking we have placed an order at a price.

while this strategy is kinda weak, it pressures the only one who can give you satisfaction - Ford. Suing the dealer won't get you much.

my condolences as well.

 

[Mrcon728]

Beware of shady dealers, especially Frontier Ford in Santa Clara, CA. They added a $10K markup, and then sold my reserved car to someone else without telling me (and blamed me for it), all in less than 48 hours. I imagine @Ford Motor Company may be interested in this.

Details:

1. I place my online Mach E order in December 2021.
2. Dealership informs me my car arrived on Friday, 9/30.
3. I go in on Sat 10/1 and I learn of the $10K markup (more than 17%). I ask to speak to the GM.
4. They tell me the GM and sales manager are out of office that day until Wednesday, so they agree to have leadership call me first thing Monday to "see what they can do."
5. I agree and leave, and I email the salesperson as soon as I get home on Saturday to recap our conversation and say, in writing, "I look forward to speaking with your senior leadership on Monday to work this issue out when they call me. As mentioned please do not release the hold on my reservation until I speak with them.”
6. They sell my car the next day, Sun 10/2, without contacting me at all, after I waited nine months for it.
7. I email leadership (GM and sales manager) on Monday, under the impression it's still my car, and find out they sold it, and they blame me for it, saying "You said you didn't want it!"
8. After more useless back and forth, I ask the sales manager how it feels to be engaging in price gouging knowing that Ford is trying to clamp down on dealerships that do it. He replies, "I don't care. We are not Ford."

I have documentation and "receipts", including emails and voicemails, refuting every defense and changing story they have tried to give so far. I also reached out to the local news and Ford executive leadership. I wanted to spread the word to everyone in this community to be wary of this kind of thing. Be very careful which dealership you choose for your Mach E. Get everything in writing, and signed. And if nothing else, choose any dealership other than Frontier Ford in Santa Clara, CA.

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/frontier-f...opup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)

Google Reviews: http://google.com/search?q=frontier+ford+santa+clara

Sorry to hear that, I hope Ford Corporate penalizes them somehow. This price gouging and supply shortage crap has to stop. Who wants to pay $10,000 ADM on a vehicle, you will just be that much more in the hole if you want to sell it later.

 

[MurphyDog]

I purchased my FE from Frontier Ford back in March of 2021 (I ordered it in Nov 2019). It was a horrible experience. They tried to increase the price of the car with some added dealer prep bullshit that was over $2k. Then they said the Ford options plan was 5.5% (it was really 2.5) and didn’t have a $2500 rebate (it did). It took nearly 3 hours to finally get the keys at the agreed price.

The next day in the light I could see they did a horrible job with cleaning the car and it was covered in swirls and small scratches. I ended up giving them 1 star on the customer feedback form which set off a chain of events. Their gm called me and asked me to come down to the shop and explain what happened and show him the car. We talked for a while and he agreed to pay to have the car detailed if I changed the score to 5 stars. He also said what happened to me was unacceptable and he was make the experience better (I see that didn’t happen).

Most recently I took my car in for its first service. I scheduled the appointment for the glass recalls, a clunking sound when turning and to have the software updated to enable Bluecruise. When I got there they said they don’t any glass work. They ended up having the car for 5 days because the software update was taking so long “because I didn’t keep it updated”. WTF? My car had every update Ford was willing to send me. Now I have my car back and Bluecruise still doesn’t work and Ford is looking into it.

I will never go back to Frontier Ford. Fuck them and their shitty ass dealership.

 

[EVcurious]

Thank you all for encouraging words.

I had couple of calls with Ford customer care and they said they can't change my dealership once VIN number is assigned. They can only take 'feedback' and cannot help further. I have to place new order with new dealer with no markup.

I am done with this crap, ford lost a customer before they even had one. Mach E seems a good car but I will be going with someone else with better service.

Great I stumbled on this forum and which helped not wait any further. I wont be buying anything from Ford anytime soon.

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