Ford stated I bashed my dealer on this site. Did they even read the post?

[Deleted member 16048]

I think it's fine that they read this. Sometimes it is what is needed to get the dealer to pay attention like they should. You have every right to bash a dealer if it's warranted. Nothing wrong about it, and the fact the dealer brought it up shows how petty THEY are not Ford. Honestly I could see ford telling them as a way to get them to shape up as their reputation is getting tarnished and they should do everything to fix the situation.

Though I know I view things with positive intent until it's shown poor intent. Dealers do need to understand their position in this market, the middleman. They need to protect the manufactures name just as much as theirs since if they don't, it will hurt their bottom line at some point. Their job is customer service 100% of the time.

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[Xadion]

Do not let ford know the chans and twitter exist

 

[Mach1E]

My concern is that we are all on the same page and no one is bashing anyone really. Why would Ford feel the need to tell a dealer I am giving them a bad rap on a forum? What is the point of that to try and make the dealer not fix the issues? Why is that even needed? Why would words be coming out of someones mouth that I didn't even say? It does make me nervous it's just posturing in order for them to say screw it, not fixing it, wipe our hands of it, when I view it quite opposite. I hope that makes sense.

So…….. just want to be sure I understand your concern.

You aired your “dirty laundry” on a public forum.

Ford let your dealer know.

Now you’re doing it again by posting that Ford tattled on you and mentioned the dealer by name again.

If you want to be anonymous, you may want to try harder.

FWIW, totally fine to complain about Ford, the car, the dealer, etc here. Just don’t complain when they find out about it.

Were your complaints taken out of context? Probably.

But basically Ford and your dealer are aware that one of “their customers” is unhappy and complaining online.

Doesn’t matter if you say “the dealer is great, Ford sucks.”

In the eyes of Ford and the dealer, it looks bad if the dealer has an “unhappy customer.”

Neither want to be a part of that situation. Make sense?

 

[Ride_the_lightning]

So…….. just want to be sure I understand your concern.

You aired your “dirty laundry” on a public forum.

Ford let your dealer know.

Now you’re doing it again by posting that Ford tattled on you and mentioned the dealer by name again.

If you want to be anonymous, you may want to try harder.

FWIW, totally fine to complain about Ford, the car, the dealer, etc here. Just don’t complain when they find out about it.

Were your complaints taken out of context? Probably.

But basically Ford and your dealer are aware that one of “their customers” is unhappy and complaining online.

Doesn’t matter if you say “the dealer is great, Ford sucks.”

In the eyes of Ford and the dealer, it looks bad if the dealer has an “unhappy customer.”

Neither want to be a part of that situation. Make sense?

If Ford doesn’t care to differentiate between a dealer complaint and a product complaint, I don’t hold out much hope for my overall Ford experience going forward. Yes, an unhappy customer is an unhappy customer, but internally they should be better and understanding WHY a customer is unhappy. Just dinging dealers for every online complaint is ridiculous. Dealers aren’t why our HVJBs are failing. Dealers aren’t why parts took forever to get. There may be many things to complain about with the dealer experience, but product quality isn’t one of them. That’s on Ford. And if they are misconstruing online complaints about product quality as “dealer bashing” that is unacceptable, and I would be pissed if I owned a dealership and Ford lied to me about what a customer was saying.

 

[one5460]

If I go to a dealer and they claimed I'm bashing them (especially when I wasn't), that's when the real bashing starts. I'll be sure to visit multiple forums, reddit, youtube.. They'll be famous.

 

[Mach1E]

If Ford doesn’t care to differentiate between a dealer complaint and a product complaint, I don’t hold out much hope for my overall Ford experience going forward. Yes, an unhappy customer is an unhappy customer, but internally they should be better and understanding WHY a customer is unhappy. Just dinging dealers for every online complaint is ridiculous. Dealers aren’t why our HVJBs are failing. Dealers aren’t why parts took forever to get. There may be many things to complain about with the dealer experience, but product quality isn’t one of them. That’s on Ford. And if they are misconstruing online complaints about product quality as “dealer bashing” that is unacceptable, and I would be pissed if I owned a dealership and Ford lied to me about what a customer was saying.

I think we are just guessing at this point on what was said and what the intentions are.

But either way when unhappy customers post bad things on social media, who is Ford going to go to to “fix the problem?”

The dealership.

All we know is that Ford let that dealer know their customer was unhappy and posting things online.

The dealer took that as “bashing.” I doubt the dealer read all the comments (who has that time? ?) based on their response. Did Ford actually tell the dealership those exact words (bashing)? Dunno.

Ever played the game “telephone” as a kid? Pretty easy to get things mixed up the more people involved.

My only point? Ford SHOULD let the dealer know if they have an unhappy customer.

But that’s just one of the bad things about written text: people read emotions into things that aren’t necessarily there.

 

[ThatGuyLando]

I'm confused. If you didn't bash them, then tell them and show them the post. WTF is this middle school?

Oh and if you did, well unless the dealer is owned by a 7 year old, I'm sure they can handle some negative feedback.

 

[Reign of Ravens]

Strikes me as being unprofessional on the part of the dealership. Ford isn't wrong to point out that someone is unhappy, although they don't need to give any specifics on how they know it. If the dealership knows that the customer is complaining, they should try a bit harder and possibly even ask things like "this must be really frustrating for you, is there anything specific that we can do to make it less so?" Coming out and saying "we heard you're talkin' sh*t" is more intimidating than helpful.

 

[mkhuffman]

If I go to a dealer and they claimed I'm bashing them (especially when I wasn't), that's when the real bashing starts. I'll be sure to visit multiple forums, reddit, youtube.. They'll be famous.

Personally I don't find it helpful to bash a company I am doing business with on social media, even if they screw up. I think it is better to find ways to work with them using the processes available for that purpose, instead of trying to punish them by posting something negative on social media.

I have found treating people with respect and trying to find a solution together provides much more positive results. But that's just me.

 

[kdonnel]

I have found treating people with respect and trying to find a solution together provides much more positive results. But that's just me.

Sadly auto sales is a part of life where the customer is often NOT treated with respect.

There are so many corrupt dealerships both new and used that as a customer you have to use all the tools available to ensure proper treatment.

 

[mkhuffman]

Sadly auto sales is a part of life where the customer is often NOT treated with respect.

There are so many corrupt dealerships both new and used that as a customer you have to use all the tools available to ensure proper treatment.

I don't consider bashing a dealership after a bad experience is the right approach. I understand the desire to get revenge, to get even, but I have never had the need to do that personally. I have always been able to work it out with the other party, even when my wife was taken advantage of by a plumber. I was so pissed but we worked it out and I didn't bash them on social media.

 

[kdonnel]

I don't consider bashing a dealership after a bad experience is the right approach. I understand the desire to get revenge, to get even, but I have never had the need to do that personally. I have always been able to work it out with the other party, even when my wife was taken advantage of by a plumber. I was so pissed but we worked it out and I didn't bash them on social media.

Thinking back I have bought cars from 5 different dealerships.

I feel like I was treated with respect and honesty from just one of those five.

The other four lied to me, attempted to cheat me, and in no way treated me with respect.

The only way I got any sort of response or resolution to my complaints was when I used review sites(a form of social media) to my advantage. Word of mouth advertising is being replaced with internet reviews. At the moment it appears to be the main way a customer can exert any leverage.

I am not saying a customer should resort to the same lying that the dealerships seem to thrive on, but I see nothing wrong with an honest and factual telling of the sales process on various review sites.

Future customers need to know how they are going to be treated so they can be prepared.

 

[mkhuffman]

Thinking back I have bought cars from 5 different dealerships.

I feel like I was treated with respect and honesty from just one of those five.

The other four lied to me, attempted to cheat me, and in no way treated me with respect.

The only way I got any sort of response or resolution to my complaints was when I used review sites(a form of social media) to my advantage. Word of mouth advertising is being replaced with internet reviews. At the moment it appears to be the main way a customer can exert any leverage.

I am not saying a customer should resort to the same lying that the dealerships seem to thrive on, but I see nothing wrong with an honest and factual telling of the sales process on various review sites.

Future customers need to know how they are going to be treated so they can be prepared.

In concept I agree, and certainly a review helps future customers. But I am usually skeptical of on-line reviews, especially ones that are bashing. There are always two sides to an issue, and the basher is only presenting their side. I think often the basher is angry and likely to leave out key details that explain why they were treated that way.

I have lost track of how many cars I have purchased over the years and number of dealerships I have used. I have never had an experience that made me want to leave a bad review, and I have never been cheated. Ever. So I wonder why that is the case? Could it be I have a different attitude and different approach from those who claim they have been cheated?

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