$15000 mark up..help!!!

[Cm12]

I agree it is shady but the buyer has a responsibility to understand what they are buying.

Ford corporate is very unlikely to do anything because there is no signed purchase agreement. In the past they have gotten involved when there is an agreement. But in this case, there is nothing. So what is Ford going to do?

A dealer can add all kinds of things on top of MSRP. All dealers add paperwork processing fees. All dealers collect taxes. There might be some sort of paint protection or extended warranty. If there is no agreement regarding what those things are, there is nothing the buyer can do.

This is a painful learning experience for sure, but the buyer has to take personal responsibility for the outcome IMO.

@2nd Ford , she definitely should be able to get her deposit back. Don't back off on that one..

I understand and respect your opinion. I think it’ll hurt Ford in the long run, but who knows. I wouldn’t run my business that way, and the practices of Ford dealers in particular have really soured my opinion of the brand. I highly doubt I’ll ever buy another Ford due to tactics like this - I cancelled my Lightning reservation in large part due to all these pricing shenanigans.

I’m a bit confused as to why the OP would be legally entitled to the deposit back if he/she isn’t completing the purchase. The dealer may voluntarily give it back knowing that it’s going to make a huge profit on ADM, but the deposit paperwork prepared by the dealership surely states that it is non-refundable. I did the paperwork (including a purchase order) at the dealership rather than online through Ford’s website - does the Ford corporate website say it’s refundable if made through that medium?

I’m hoping I’m missing something since I’m sure we’d all hope OP at least gets the deposit back.

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[EELinneman]

my sister-in-law ordered 2022 mach e grey select basic.,ordered in November and delivered yesterday .Arriving at the dealership to pick the car up or to do the paperwork The dealer was putting on a $15000 mark up top of the MSRP.we need help!!! She wants the car but not the mark up.. My dealer is in another city hopefully I will not run into the same problems.
Any one else have similar storie.

She needs to tweet this to Mike Levine and get him involved. Details are very easy to find.

 

[Hdscreens]

When you click on line E24 or E20 it expands further info and you can try to argue ADM was never shown on those line items so in no way should you all be expected to pay any ADM.

 

[JohnnySD]

my sister-in-law ordered 2022 mach e grey select basic.,ordered in November and delivered yesterday .Arriving at the dealership to pick the car up or to do the paperwork The dealer was putting on a $15000 mark up top of the MSRP.we need help!!! She wants the car but not the mark up.. My dealer is in another city hopefully I will not run into the same problems.
Any one else have similar storie.

Yeah, I'd go full ape-s___ on this. This is absolutely bait and switch. Your SIL likely placed her order with this dealership while being told in the order form that there was no markup over MSRP (or minimal markup). Now that the car's arrived, they want to change their mind. If she knew they were going to do this, she would have selected another dealer, obviously. First of all, please tell us all here which dealership this is so they can be shamed. Second, threaten to leave a bad review on every site you can think of. Third, tell them that they should expect to be contacted by the local press (there must be a consumer watchdog type in her neighborhood I hope). Fourth, I'd tell them if I pay more over MSRP than shown in the order, I'll be seeing them in small claims court. It would be worth doing just to see them send a pathetic manager try to argue their position, even if for some reason the judge was sympathetic to their sure-to-be-lame argument that they didn't 'sign' anything showing they would agree to sell it to her at MSRP or close.

 

[ChasingCoral]

@Ford Motor Company here should step in. On Twitter reach out to @mrlevine. Ask him for help. If dealer wanted to charge ADM it should have been in that “difference from MSRP” in the order. This is bait and switch.

 

[Logal727]

@Ford Motor Company here should step in. On Twitter reach out to @mrlevine. Ask him for help. If dealer wanted to charge ADM it should have been in that “difference from MSRP” in the order. This is bait and switch.

This is probably the worst one I’ve heard if true.

 

[jlauro]

It's also good to get a lawyer to put a hold on the car so they can't sell it to anyone else until this is resolved, otherwise the dealer may "accidentally" sell the car to someone else.

 

[msulliv3]

This is a horrible story but I had a bad experience with a ford dealership over trying to purchase a MME and made complaints to Ford, Yelp, BBB, Trustpiolet and https://www.dealerrater.com. Here was my complaint:

Went here to negotiate on a new Mustang Mach E EV car and they are adding well over $10,000 to the MSRP (48,000.00) and saying that this what the market will bare due to low supply and high demand. I am reporting this to Ford Motor Company on Monday. They also told me that they will add this even if I buy one from the factory since you need to list a dealer for destination etc. to build one with Ford. Ford has a great product but can not control the corrupt dealer network. They also own Fiesta Ford and informed me that they will do the same even though they said they would not. I asked why they would lie to me and the salesperson said so they can control where you shop and buy but when car arrives they will jack up the price so we are just more transparent about our intentions. I am appalled by their tactics and need to alert potential customers about them. A news story needs to be published about this but since they are big advertisers might not ever happen

After this I researched another Dealer 75 miles away who promised me all I woould pay is MSRP and have an email stating this. My car being built 8/1/22 so we will see.

 

[Mach-Tony]

When you click on line E24 or E20 it expands further info and you can try to argue ADM was never shown on those line items so in no way should you all be expected to pay any ADM.

This doesn't mean anything. Ford allows them to change this, months after your order and after it is in production. I called Ford because my dealer did this once my Lightning was in production and they said there isn't anything they can do. We are literally screwed when it comes to this... Get it signed beforehand but even that doesn't guarantee anything.

 

[jaklou]

I keep hearing about an agreement. I ordered directly from Ford and gave them my local dealers name. I have a breakdown of the cost and the dealer agreed to it, and I additionally gave a $500 deposit. But Ford has fine print that says the final price is up to the dealer and this is not a sale, so I’m not sure what everyone is referencing when asking if the OP has a signed agreement.

My dealer’s GM and Sales Mgr verbally assured me that they never charge markups on orders made directly with Ford, but will do so if the buyer backs out of the deal

 

[yngwenli]

I keep hearing about an agreement. I ordered directly from Ford and gave them my local dealers name. I have a breakdown of the cost and the dealer agreed to it, and I additionally gave a $500 deposit. But Ford has fine print that says the final price is up to the dealer and this is not a sale, so I’m not sure what everyone is referencing when asking if the OP has a signed agreement.

My dealer’s GM and Sales Mgr verbally assured me that they never charge markups on orders made directly with Ford, but will do so if the buyer backs out of the deal

Some folks after placing the order physically went to the dealership and had them print out the order sheet and reference X/A/etc-plan pricing or MSRP on a printed sales order and had the manager sign it. A verbal anything isn't worth much sadly.

That's usually what folks are referencing when asking about a "signed" agreement.

I didn't have a paper one, but had voicemail, email, screen shots of them confirming/reconfirming x-plan pricing, etc...

It's really dealer dependent and my suggestion many months ago and now is if you haven't talked to your dealer and clearly ask what price you will pay, you can be in for a bad surprise 9-10 months later.

This wouldn't be so bad if these were old times where you can call another dealer and get the car, but any car issues now will be a headache for anyone since you're now looking at another 6+ months for anything probably. Tesla has a long wait, i4 delayed till 2023 model now, good luck with Rivian, etc...

 

[benzapa]

my sister-in-law ordered 2022 mach e grey select basic.,ordered in November and delivered yesterday .Arriving at the dealership to pick the car up or to do the paperwork The dealer was putting on a $15000 mark up top of the MSRP.we need help!!! She wants the car but not the mark up.. My dealer is in another city hopefully I will not run into the same problems.
Any one else have similar storie.

I recommend you tell the dealer that if they don't sell it to you for MSRP you will do some or all of the following:

1. Contact Elena Ford, VP of customer experience, and tell her what the dealer is doing. Remind them that Jim Farley has said that dealers who charge a markup on customer-ordered Mach-Es might lose the ability to sell them entirely. Then tell them you'll launch a campaign to ensure just that. (To find Elena Ford's contact info, search this forum.)
2. Contact the media and tell them what this dealer is doing. One of LA's TV stations must have a consumer affairs / protection desk.
3. Shame the dealer in this forum and warn everybody here that they should never order a car or do business with them. Also shame them on Social Media, and tag Jim Farley, Elena Ford, and others when you do it.
4. Contact Attorney General Rob Bonta's office. Urge them to investigate this dealer for predatory pricing practices.
5. Contact the Better Business Bureau, the Chamber of Commerce, etc., etc., and file a complaint with each and every such entity you can.
6. Contact the offices of your State Assemblymember, State Senator, County Supervisor, and City Councilmember. Ask them to get involved and to contact the dealer on your behalf. For the state representatives, ask them to urge the relevant legislative committees to investigate predatory dealer markups generally and this dealer specifically.

When you do this, don't be loud or angry or threatening. Just calmly explain that you believe you have a right to purchase this vehicle for MSRP and that you will do everything in your power to ensure that right is honored.

 

[Mach 5e]

my sister-in-law ordered 2022 mach e grey select basic.,ordered in November and delivered yesterday .Arriving at the dealership to pick the car up or to do the paperwork The dealer was putting on a $15000 mark up top of the MSRP.we need help!!! She wants the car but not the mark up.. My dealer is in another city hopefully I will not run into the same problems.
Any one else have similar storie.

I've posted this before but Publicly traded corporation owned dealers like Lithia DO NOT typically screw the consumer like individually owned dealers. Fortunately there was a Lithia Ford dealer close to my home but ALL the individually owned Ford dealers around me were greedy pigs. A few actually took the $7,500 tax deduction and resold cars as USED at the MSRP.

 

[VN210]

I keep hearing about an agreement. I ordered directly from Ford and gave them my local dealers name. I have a breakdown of the cost and the dealer agreed to it, and I additionally gave a $500 deposit. But Ford has fine print that says the final price is up to the dealer and this is not a sale, so I’m not sure what everyone is referencing when asking if the OP has a signed agreement.

My dealer’s GM and Sales Mgr verbally assured me that they never charge markups on orders made directly with Ford, but will do so if the buyer backs out of the deal

Hello sir,

my bro placed an order for premium on ford website. After reading this forum I told him about the buyers agreement. He went to the dealership Dana Ford at Staten Island, NY requesting for it and they told him no they don’t have it. They assured him they won’t mark up and will be sold at MSRP.
After he insist and gone back and forth with them they finally give him one but only after adding a dealership “mandatory option” for around 600 dollars.

I believe had he demanded the agreement prior to placing the order there won’t be any dealership “mandatory option”. do yourself a favor and get the buyers agreement.

 

[mkhuffman]

I keep hearing about an agreement. I ordered directly from Ford and gave them my local dealers name. I have a breakdown of the cost and the dealer agreed to it, and I additionally gave a $500 deposit. But Ford has fine print that says the final price is up to the dealer and this is not a sale, so I’m not sure what everyone is referencing when asking if the OP has a signed agreement.

My dealer’s GM and Sales Mgr verbally assured me that they never charge markups on orders made directly with Ford, but will do so if the buyer backs out of the deal

A verbal assurance is not sufficient if you really want to protect yourself.

Many people think when they place the order request on the Ford web site that it is an actual order with Ford. It is not. Ford does not sell cars directly to consumers. All auto manufacturers who utilize a dealership model are the same way. You are buying the car from the dealer, not Ford. Ford is just facilitating the *start* of the process.

Ford cannot hold any dealership legally responsible for selling a product to you. You have to negotiate directly with the seller, not Ford. It is irrelevant what Ford says you will pay. All that is relevant is what the dealership agrees to sell it to you for. So if you don't have any agreement with the dealership, you are not protected from them doing something like adding ADM.

If the dealership will not give you a signed purchase agreement, then find another dealership. That is a huge red flag.

I’m a bit confused as to why the OP would be legally entitled to the deposit back if he/she isn’t completing the purchase.

I’m hoping I’m missing something since I’m sure we’d all hope OP at least gets the deposit back.

In my opinion, since the dealer does not have a signed purchase agreement with the buyer, they cannot keep the deposit. They have nothing in writing from the buyer that says the buyer agrees to purchase the car from them. It is a two way street: both buyer and seller are protected with a purchase agreement, and since there is none, the dealer cannot keep the deposit IMO.

When you click on line E24 or E20 it expands further info and you can try to argue ADM was never shown on those line items so in no way should you all be expected to pay any ADM.

You are showing screenshots from the Ford web site. That is not an agreement from any dealer to sell you a car for any price. The screenshots do not include title, taxes and dealer processing fees. They do not include paint protection, interior fabric protection, extended warranty, etc. Even if you could make the case that is an agreement with a dealer, which it is not, it is not complete. You *must* negotiate directly with the dealer to get the "out the door" price. Until you have that, you have nothing.

A signed purchase agreement is a legal document. The Ford web site is not. Whether or not the legal document is enforceable is debatable, but I think it is. You have all the necessary requirements for a contract to exist: offer, acceptance and consideration. Consideration is the deposit, and the signed agreement is the offer and acceptance. Again, without it, you do no have anything that is enforceable.

That is why Ford has helped people who have signed agreements, but cannot help those who do not.

Don't shoot the messenger. ;-)

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