Cowboy Ron
Member
- First Name
- Ron
- Joined
- May 6, 2022
- Threads
- 0
- Messages
- 19
- Reaction score
- 51
- Location
- Detroit, MI
- Vehicles
- 22 Premium AWD ER order10.30.21 Delivered 7.29.22
- Occupation
- Hotel Rat
I too want to extend my thanks to this forum. I would have never got my $2,000 price protection back from the dealer today when my daughter picked up my car for me (out of town for several weeks). I was first told it did not apply to the MME and I told them they were incorrect as they only need to check the Vehicle Order Processing Center and I referenced the Dec 3, 2021 memo from FMC to dealers specifically saying MMEs were covered. All of a sudden $2k was taken off the price. To the dealer's credit they did honor my A/Z plan pricing. They did ding me for $100 or so for installing lockable lug nuts "that they do for all new cars" was not wroth the fight and probably a good idea. I did not know anything about price protection and this forum gave me all the tools to get it before picking up the car today. The dealer "lost" my $500 deposit until I showed them proof that I paid it back in October of 2021. They forgot to place the MME floor mats in until I told my daughter to be sure they where in the car. My daughter is good friends with a Ford Engineer and she brought her along to do the pre-buy inspection and she found a small blemish on the B pillar that was fixed by the body shop right away. So, the dealer had to be managed along the entire process but they did end up doing everything right. Thank you all for helping me and so many others.I picked up my 2022 Mach-e GT on Friday and it was a stress filled, horrible, 2-hour experience at the dealership.
But because of the knowledge I gained from this forum I was armed with all the right information to make sure I got exactly what I was supposed to, and it all worked out in the end.
Read on if you would like the details. LOL
I am writing this with the hopes that it might help someone else that finds themselves in a similar situation.
I am going to withhold the Dealership name because in the end, they did do the right thing.
A week before my scheduled delivery window, I contacted my specific Dealer at the Dealership by email asking for the Ford Options and Ford Credit finance rate that was locked in at the time the order was confirmed on 3/3/22. He only answered my first question about my car's last known location. He ignored everything else I asked about financing.
He texts me a week later and says, "good news your car arrived last night, when do you want to pick it up?" We set an appointment for this past Friday 7/29/22. I ask him again, via text this time, for the financing rate for Ford Options on the 3 and 4 year, as well as what the balloon payment will be at the end of those terms. I even mention to him that his Finance Department can look it up in something called "Smart Vincent." He says, "OK I will look into that for you."
A day later I ask if he got any info from the Finance Department and if there is anything I can fill out paperwork wise ahead of time, so it doesn't take so long, or so I am not missing some information that they need. He says, "I am off today, but don't worry it will only take an hour to do all that tomorrow." So again, no info for me
Someone else from the Dealership calls me late that afternoon and tells me my car is there, when do I want to pick it up? I informed her I have an appointment for 12:30 tomorrow with her colleague. She says, "oh ok great!" I told her I had been asking her co-worker for the financing info, but I haven't received anything. She says she will check on that. A little later I see an email she sent with a link to pre-fill out all the personal info they would need to get financing started. Good thing she sent it because there were a number of items, they wanted, which required me to login to accounts that I only have the passwords saved on my home computer.
Cut to pickup day, I sit down with my Dealer. I Immediately ask him for a printout from Smart Vincent that shows the locked in rate at the time of order confirmation, price protection and the final payment. He goes and comes back with a convoluted sheet that had multiple rates on it and it was hard to figure out if any of them were Ford Options or not. I had seen that sheet posted on this forum before, so it seemed it WAS from Smart Vincent, but it was lacking information about the balloon payment and none of the terms or rates were matching up with the 1.4% I knew the rate was at in March for the GTs. So, I point to the 2.9% rate for 48 months and said, "this must be what it is currently, but it should be 1.4% from the date of order." I then look over the other paperwork and see a $199 charge for "etch." I asked him what that was, he says "it's a security device." I was like, what device? The car already has a security system. When pressed further, he reveals that the Dealership etched the VIN into the glass on the car. I reminded him when we texted the day the car arrived, I didn't want anything extra done to the car, including the dealership logo on the paint, and to not install the front license plate bracket (since we don't have front plates in GA. It goes without saying, but I wasn't taking the chance that they would drill holes in my front bumper). I said but I show up today, and there's a logo on the paint and an extra charge for a service I didn't ask for nor want. He says, "oh that's no problem, I'll take it around back and have the logo removed." I said, and you can also remove that etch charge from the bill too. "Well, I don't know if we can do that."
He goes to check and then comes back and says "they are working on the paperwork, while we are waiting, here are the key fobs, let's go activate your car, ford pass, pair your phone, etc."
We get done with all that and the Finance guy is ready for me. I sit down in his office, and he starts passing papers my way for me to sign, and I say, what is the rate and the final balloon payment. He says, "the rate is 2.9%, but what do you mean about a balloon payment?" I said, the rate should be 1.4% and you should see that in Smart Vincent. The Ford Options plan has a balloon payment at the end of the 4 years... They had drawn up paperwork for dealership financing based on me pointing at the 2.9% and asking my Dealer to go find out what the locked rate was!! He goes and gets my Dealer who immediately comes in the office upset and angerly asking me "what is all this about a balloon payment, you never mentioned anything about a balloon payment?!" I said go back to your emails from last week, and your texts from this week, as well as when we first sat down today. I have been asking you all along for a printout showing me the Ford Options locked in rate from the date of order in Smart Vincent and what the final payment is on the 3 vs 4 year terms for either 10k or 12k miles a year. I said, so don't you come in here yelling at me! You clearly just don't understand what Ford Options is because I have been asking for this information all along.
I got up and said to the finance guy, "I am going to go sit out here in the waiting area (the service department waiting area / cafe is just outside his office) and you're going to call your Ford Credit Rep, I know every dealership has one assigned to them (again, knowledge gained through this forum) to figure out how to pull up the Smart Vincent report to give me the rate and price lock from the date of order." "I am not signing anything until I see that printout, which I have been asking for, for over a week now!" (as I gave the evil eye to the Dealer who just yelled at me).
The finance guy came out about 20 minutes later and humbly said "you were right, it is 1.4%." He finally showed me the printout with the balloon payment, and mileage amounts, for 3 or 4 year terms. He claimed he didn't know what I was talking about with Smart Vincent (but he sure acted like he did at the time). I knew when he said it didn't go back that far, he wasn't looking at the right system. He also told me he was able to remove the "etch" charge, "so I hooked you up." "Just do me a solid when you get that Ford Survey." The Dealer also made it a point to let me know how much the Ford Survey means to their personal wallets and the dealership. "He said if you can't answer 5's on everything, then don't even bother answering it."
I'm thinking about just giving them all 5s or just not answering it, because in the end it all worked out, but only because I was armed with the info you all shared! It shouldn't have been this stressful or draining though. This is why people hate dealerships and the car buying process. It's great that Ford seems to be moving away from the traditional dealership model. Ford either needs to educate and communicate with their Dealers better or they need to do this 100% online.
Side note: I will not be returning to this dealer for service either. Their service department is a train wreck of disorganization too. My buddy dropped off his 21 Mach-e Premium for all the software updates, glass roof issue and other recalls while he was going to be out of town for 2.5 weeks. He put me down as the person to pick it up, since he would need it when he returned (he was returning on a Saturday night). Two weeks go by, we haven't heard a thing. I call, they inform me they were unable to do ANY of the recalls or software updates. I let them know that I will be there in 45 minutes to pick it up, and I need it to be waiting for me, because I had to get straight to work (nearby). I show up, they can't find the keys, the advisor assigned to the car was nowhere to be found, the ticket wasn't closed out. Another advisor had to search for the paperwork on that guy's desk, close it, then locate the keys, and get someone to pull it around. They bring two grey mach-e premiums around at the same time. The one guy (that I thought was handed my buddy's key fob) points to me and the car he just pulled up. I throw my bag in the car and jump in. I think to myself "this is a lot dirtier inside than I recall." I look around and notice a car seat in the back, and I was like "nope this is not Dan's car!" LOL. I get out and grab my bag as the owner walks up and gives me an evil eye. I walk to the other grey MME and confirm that is the correct one. I try to drive it away, but it says, "Frunk Ajar, please stop safety." I open and slam it closed a few times, but the message won't clear. Turn the car off and on, still won't clear. Drive it back around to the service department, they start taking the plastic frunk liner out. It's look like it will not be a simple fix. I had to call the person that dropped me off 30 minutes ago (because they didn't have the car ready like I asked) to come back and get me, to take me to work, which meant he also had to drive back up to get me after work. They determine the sensor went bad for the frunk, but it is latching and drivable. So, I arrange a day later to get driven back up there to pick it up and once again I give them at least a 45 minute notice to have the car pulled around. I arrive, no car waiting, and once again they can't find the keys. Turns out the key fob had the old ticket on it, but the paperwork for the frunk issue had the new number on it. The service advisor says, "man this is such a stressful job!" I said, maybe if you guys were more organized it would be a lot less stressful! My buddy just dropped his car off at a different dealership to hopefully have all this work done. We'll see how it goes at that dealership.
If you read this far, thanks once again for arming me with all the tips and knowledge. So far, I am loving the car more and more each day!
Sponsored