Ford needs to get its act together

[SigSauer]

Question? Ford is taking 9 and 10 months to build a MME. How much interest have they made just on the down payments of $500 to 1,000 dollars. How much ADMs, add-on money, has Ford made or extra money when customers get fed-up and cancel their orders. Just wondering.

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[Bigfeets]

Question? Ford is taking 9 and 10 months to build a MME. How much interest have they made just on the down payments of $500 to 1,000 dollars. How much ADMs, add-on money, has Ford made or extra money when customers get fed-up and cancel their orders. Just wondering.

Good questions, but no answers here. The amount a dealer charges varies all over the place. I asked my dealer what I got from them to justify the $1500 deposit? and could I order two for that amount (since it was 3x what nearby dealers required? and could I swap orders between dealers in same network? and could I change model of my order and still get the pre-price rise price? answers: nothing but a promise to honor price guarantee and to return deposit if I didn't buy from them; No; No; No. They assigned my priority 19 and said they couldn't change it. Someone elsewhere would make it better with the passage of time. News coverage suggests that ADM price gouging is rewarding dealers with billions that don't go to the manufacturer, I think.
My only weapon is to wait.... and look for options acceptable to me.
btw, your lead-in statement should be: "Ford is taking 9-10 months to deliver an MME." They claim to have built >6,000 2022MY in January, only ~2,700 for US market, and unknown proportion of total (perhaps thousands) have not yet been delivered due to "chip shortage". All in all, IMHO Ford is not making money on the situation. They're investing big in BEV development, chips and batteries, which hasn't begun to pay off for them, I think. Perhaps they're also losing sales/$$$ and further damaging their reputation, despite having begun to build and market a very popular BEV.
I'm hanging on to my MME order until I can work out something I like better. Then I might...

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Question? Ford is taking 9 and 10 months to build a MME. How much interest have they made just on the down payments of $500 to 1,000 dollars. How much ADMs, add-on money, has Ford made or extra money when customers get fed-up and cancel their orders. Just wondering.

Ford doesn’t get a penny of any adm, that all goes to the dealer. The same is true of the order deposit.

Ford, and every other “legacy” car manufacturer, is hamstrung by archaic protective and anti consumer laws prtotecting dealerships.

 

[dkmatter]

I ordered Mache e on 5/17/21, build week 1/10/22, build started on 1/18/22, ETA 3/7/22, then ETA was pushed back 3 months to ETA 6/5/22, Then I started reading the rave reviews of the BMW I4 M50, I ordered one immediately, after options its almost exactly the same price as the GTPE I have on order, has a year longer warranty, same range AND is faster. we'll see what happens

 

[macchiaz-o]

Question? Ford is taking 9 and 10 months to build a MME. How much interest have they made just on the down payments of $500 to 1,000 dollars. How much ADMs, add-on money, has Ford made or extra money when customers get fed-up and cancel their orders. Just wondering.

Your order deposit goes to your selected dealer, not to Ford. The "D" in ADM is dealer. Your dealer gets ADMs, not the manufacturer.

That said, Ford is the party directly paying for the web site, account management, credit card processing fees, customer service agents, and other things for which you and your dealer both benefit.

But that's okay. You, or the eventual buyer of the vehicle, ultimately (and indirectly) pay for all this stuff, as it's more or less built in to the purchase price.

 

[yngwenli]

All I came away with is that they haven't hit their allotment limit, but if I want my car I'd have better luck if I didn't live in Minnesota. My response was "so you've hit your allotment for the Mach E". Their response was, no, but other geo-locations have higher priority.

Yes, some states have higher EV allocations due to some emmission laws where if they don't sell enough, I believe they get penalized in that state.

Other countries have this too and this was why back in August, I think it was of last year, Ford shipped probably ALL Mach-Es to Europe to hit those quotas. It was mentioned by Darren Palmer (Ford) in that interview of cars having to be diverted to Europe.

Regarding your other thoughts, I actually almost always start my car research/buying on dealers first. The car is a carbon copy of each other so 1 GT at one dealer is the exact same as another GT at another dealer. There is no need to research the car, only the dealership after you decide to buy.

I did this for pretty much every car I've purchased in the past 30+ years?

Before even placing my order, I got all my research done (bought Ford stock, MCA, X-plan approval in writing, no add-ons, no ADM, etc) and then I placed the order (it's almost like going into mental battle for me, but I don't buy cars often).

You're in Minnesota so your options are limited there, but if you want, you can ship the car possibly or drive it home cross country. I think all EVs are in the same boat since they all have that state emmissions thing.

 

[aricrider]

Ford's communication sucks. 289 days and counting. Stuck in KC for a month.

 

[The Black Horse]

Some of you guys must be real Ford Fanboys. Why defend a multi-million dollar company this hard. Makes no sense.

I like the product I was given. I love my Mach-E. That being said if somebody is willing to pay 50 grand for a product they would want to be treated in a certain manner. I've walked out of stores because I believed the staff wasn't treating me properly or with the service they say they will treat me with.

When I'm at the mall shopping at the Gap I expect nothing. When I'm at the tailor getting a bespoke suit I expect ALOT.

I just think some people are okay being treated poorly. just roll over and accept it. I'm not letting a company screw me over while I smile about it. The frustrations people are having with Ford are extremely valid.

 

[Gunrunner]

I agree with others that your dealership is not being honest with you. I ordered January 8, 2022 and contacted Ford via chat and they confirmed my order was in with the Dealer Code/Sales order number provided by my dealer. I now need to wait for the VIN to be generated at which time I can follow my order through the process.

I too am looking at 2021 Premiums that show up on lots and may still take one if I can get it for MSRP vs. waiting until August for my 2022. Doubt I will move fast enough to snag one though. I am still considering an ID4 or Tesla but I chose a Mach E for a reason. I am ok to wait and drive my 2017 Chevy Volt which is an awesome car and a terrific electric hybrid.

One thing that is bothering me greatly is the ADM over MSRP. I am taking the time to write a letter (real one on paper) to Ford asking them to stop sending Mach E's to these dealerships and, instead, boost the allocations going to the ethical, non-goudging dealerships which should help give Ford a better image. One reason people buy Tesla is they don't have to deal with car dealerships which is almost always unpleasant and a terrible buying experience.

Anybody else think that is a good idea??

 

[RickMachE]

I agree with others that your dealership is not being honest with you. I ordered January 8, 2022 and contacted Ford via chat and they confirmed my order was in with the Dealer Code/Sales order number provided by my dealer. I now need to wait for the VIN to be generated at which time I can follow my order through the process.

I too am looking at 2021 Premiums that show up on lots and may still take one if I can get it for MSRP vs. waiting until August for my 2022. Doubt I will move fast enough to snag one though. I am still considering an ID4 or Tesla but I chose a Mach E for a reason. I am ok to wait and drive my 2017 Chevy Volt which is an awesome car and a terrific electric hybrid.

One thing that is bothering me greatly is the ADM over MSRP. I am taking the time to write a letter (real one on paper) to Ford asking them to stop sending Mach E's to these dealerships and, instead, boost the allocations going to the ethical, non-goudging dealerships which should help give Ford a better image. One reason people buy Tesla is they don't have to deal with car dealerships which is almost always unpleasant and a terrible buying experience.

Anybody else think that is a good idea??

It's a waste of your time, a waste of paper, a waste of postage, and a burden on the US Postal Service to deliver the letter.

Ford knows exactly what is happening, and your letter will have ZERO impact.

After we bought our 2018 Fusion Energi, and had some issues with the technology, I wrote a letter to the then CEO, Jim Hackett, and clearly explained the lack of support provided by Ford's Support area on these issues. I explained how my car is the topic of their weekly team meeting, and they still provide no useful feedback. I offered to drive my car to Dearborn (30 minutes) and let the engineers have at it. And I told him that Ford's failures would lead to me not buying in the future. I didn't even get a form letter response.

 

[Jimrpa]

As people have repeatedly said, Ford unfortunately doesn’t control the entire “customer experience” and apparently has less leverage over dealers than other brand owners that rely on 3rd parties to deliver a customer experience. I’m thinking about Marriott for example, where they seem to have a lot more ability to hold their franchisees to “brand standards”. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t extend to pricing, but it does extend to all other parts of the customer experience, and they do a pretty good job of enforcing it consistently. So, in the end, unfortunately as consumers, about the best choice we have is to vote with our feet. If one Ford dealer isn’t delivering the experience we want, and we definitely want a Ford product, then we have to find another Ford dealer (unless the model changes to an Apple type model where Ford can directly own the entire customer experience).

 

[generaltso]

I told him that Ford's failures would lead to me not buying in the future. I didn't even get a form letter response.

I guess he knew you were lying. ?

 

[FLmac]

Some of you guys must be real Ford Fanboys. Why defend a multi-million dollar company this hard. Makes no sense.

I like the product I was given. I love my Mach-E. That being said if somebody is willing to pay 50 grand for a product they would want to be treated in a certain manner. I've walked out of stores because I believed the staff wasn't treating me properly or with the service they say they will treat me with.

When I'm at the mall shopping at the Gap I expect nothing. When I'm at the tailor getting a bespoke suit I expect ALOT.

I just think some people are okay being treated poorly. just roll over and accept it. I'm not letting a company screw me over while I smile about it. The frustrations people are having with Ford are extremely valid.

I’m not a Fanboy (or a boy for that matter) and I never even considered buying a Ford before now.

I think there’s a ton of things Ford could have done better on with dealerships and customers, but I also think they kinda got caught with their pants down. They weren’t expecting this level of interest, supply issues and I’m sure a million other things that I don’t even understand. I’m willing to cut them some slack.

-There’s good and bad dealerships with every brand.
-ADM exists because of supply and demand and isn’t Ford specific
-Software and car issues are expected with any new car line
-I‘m sure the communication issues are the same with other companies
-Supply chain issues aren‘t Ford specific

I completely understand people‘s frustrations, understand if they want to go elsewhere and hope whatever they decide makes them happy. I just don’t see how it’s Ford’s fault.

 

[1969Mach1Mike]

I ordered on July 21st and still don't have a build date. Call my dealer and they are completely useless, say they'll look into why I haven't gotten a build date and then get a call back saying they don't know anything.

There are things that Ford can't control and I understand that. What I can't understand is how people who ordered months after me are getting build dates and their cars while I've heard nothing. This has taken all of the fun out of the car buying process. Even if I get a build date this week it will be about a year since my order date to me actually getting my car. Again, if everyone was waiting a year then thats what it is. But thats not the case. Why should I even want a car from a company that can't simply prioritize the oldest orders first? The lack of contact or any updates at all is just maddening.

I'm going test driving cars this weekend and most likely going to cancel my order. Primarily because I'm just sick of waiting on a car that they seem to have no interest is selling to me. Fortunately I'm at the point in my life where I can just go get the car I want and pay for it up front. If Ford doesn't want my money thats fine with me. The F-150 I was planning on getting next year is being converted to a Ram or Toyota as well because I tend to hold grudges.

Cars being test driven this weekend

Genesis GV70
VW ID.4
Maybe the Kia/Hyundai electric

Any other suggestions?

The BMW i4 (standard not the sport version)Looks really interesting! One thing you can be sure of is it will drive well and feel like a nice touring sedan. Its much more of a car than a hatchback/SUV.

 

[Mach-Lee]

@fictitious_owner Call your dealer and ask what your priority code is. Back in Oct/Nov timeframe when orders were changed from 2021 to 2022 MY all orders got assigned a priority code of 99 and dealers had to contact customers to reconfirm and change priority the priority code back to 10-19. A code of 99 means the order will not be built. It's possible your dealer forgot to change the priority code so your order would be in indefinite hold. Since you've been waiting so long, you should ask they change your code to 10 (highest priority). Maybe you did all this already last year but wanted to let you know in case.

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