Some Ford dealers are still uninformed on Mach-E charging; hampering EV adoption

jlauro

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You're an exception to most US car buyers. Most buy from inventory (sometimes that inventory involves a swap with another dealership in the city though).

And it's usually not "settling". Someone can always choose to special order if they want to wait that long. But there's usually pretty good inventory in most cities to find what you actually want in stock.
More often it's not even the same city, or even same state. Dealers have a network to find the model closest to what you want. (At least other dealers, I assume Ford does too).

One other main reason for "settling" for something on the lot besides for timing, is often discount. Many of the discounts only apply to vehicles in inventory, and that can be thousands of dollars in savings depending on what specials are going on.
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dbsb3233

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It's not "waste". It means someone will get a good deal. While most of their customers are thrilled to drive a brand new car home that same day.

I'm at the point in my life where I can wait for delivery, and prefer to special order too. But at least acknowlede that there ARE positives about in-stock inventory that many buyers covet. If you can't even do that, well...
 

jhalkias

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Empty houses still on the real estate market. Waste. The meat the butcher puts in the case until it sells. Waste. The flat screen TV on the shelf until it sells at Best Buy. Waste.

The point is that ordering and "just in time" inventory is all but impossible in all circumstances. As pointed out above, there are buyers who WANT to order (just like they want the freshest cut of meat and will order ahead) and those who just want to walk in the supermarket and pick up a selection from the packages in the case.

Not everyone wants to comply to your same sense of order.
 

jandkw

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When I test drove the 2013 Model S in Washington DC, the sales/staff person was trained and knowledgeable and answered all the questions I asked. This is 7 years ago. I'm very disappointed with the lack of training with Ford dealership.
 

jlauro

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How well do cars sell from dealers without any vehicles on the lot? Generally they can sell fine, but they have to sell at a lower price. Same thing with Amazon vs brick and mortar stores. Generally the more expensive the item, the more customers want to see what they are getting before purchasing it. It's only a waste if you know exactly what model you want, and even then it's also not a waste if you can't wait the 2-3 months for delivery and need the vehicle same day.
 


dbsb3233

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When I test drove the 2013 Model S in Washington DC, the sales/staff person was trained and knowledgeable and answered all the questions I asked. This is 7 years ago.
I would hope so. EVs are 100% of what Tesla sells. And only a few models at that. So of course they're gonna know that product. There's nothing else for them to need to know about. It's all they do.

Conversely, the Mach-e (which they haven't even gotten to see yet) will comprise 2 or 3 internet special orders for most dealerships for the entire 2021 model year. Most of the sales staff won't even see one, let alone sell one. But they will be selling lots of F-150s, Rangers, Escapes, Edges, Explorers, Exeditions, Ecosports, Flexes, Mustangs, and Broncos.

But still, yes, there should be one designated Mach-e specialist at each dealership that's versed about it by now.
 

jlauro

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It's a waste to h
When I test drove the 2013 Model S in Washington DC, the sales/staff person was trained and knowledgeable and answered all the questions I asked. This is 7 years ago. I'm very disappointed with the lack of training with Ford dealership.
To be fair, Tesla has a lot less models, and this is "year 0" for a new BEV model from Ford that is not going to sell as well as some of their existing vehicles...
 

jparduhn70

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If this is how dealers are answering questions about the MME, Ford is in REALLY big trouble with the launch.

 

jhalkias

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Methinks you doth protest too much . . .
 

dbsb3233

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If this is how dealers are answering questions about the MME, Ford is in REALLY big trouble with the launch.
While dealership salespeople will definitely need to learn a lot more by the time MMEs are actually in stock on lots for them to sell, that's probably at least a year (maybe 2) away. In the mean time they're having no trouble finding enough interested buyers via the internet placing special orders.
 

jlauro

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Overall, the answers were not as bad as they were last year, and considering they don't even have any on the lot I wouldn't expect many people to be calling that don't already know the answers yet... How good they answer questions one month after test drive units are available is the real question.
 

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I am cutting them some slack right now. What is inexcusable though is misinformation. Don't tell a customer they can install a DCFC in their home. Don't tell them you can use a SuperCharger. Better to say "I don't know" and I will have someone get back to you. Misinformation is the WORST possible PR for Ford and its dealer network.
Yeah, I agree that misinformation or just making stuff up isn't the right thing for a dealer to do.
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