Ford needs to know: 2023 Bronco Raptor Ford Dealership Order Disaster

[NDM_84]

My brother and I were on the internal dealer list of interest to order a Bronco Raptor since September of 2021. I was number 4 on that list and he was number 9. We did not make it for the 2022 model year but the Ford dealership called us in today to make an actual reservations for the 2023 model year. The order banks for 2023 are not open yet but their plan was to put it in the system as a 2022 and then later we can update when the 2023 options come out. I don't know how all this works I am just going off of what they said as I know they initially closed the 2022 orders in March.

The conversation got to the point where there was going to be a 10k mark up. My brother and I walked away. I even had a letter that the dealership signed in 2021 stating there will be no mark up if you put in an order and wait; however this couldn’t be further from the truth as they completely contradicted and pulled a 180 on us. When we initially inquired about the vehicle we only spoke about the Raptor trim levels and now they are telling us that those Raptor trims are marked up.

If Ford is listening they need to know about what is going on and they need to provide more allocations if possible . I don’t have a problem with mark ups if you tell me ahead of time; however, I do have a problem with dealerships contradicting, lying, and wasting the customer’s time.

The dealership was told back in 2021 what we want to order specifically and they were also told that we are not interested in purchasing the vehicle above MSRP. If the vehicle was to be sold at MSRP we would just walk away and not even be interested in that scenario; however, the dealer said that they don't charge over MSRP for any of their vehicles if you put in an order and wait for your vehicle to be built. I asked them if they were willing to put this in writing and sign it and they said yes (this was in December of 2021). The dealership was specifically told about me not being interested in paying over MSRP and not to make me wait if that was going to be the case which why the letter was obtained in the first place; however, they still came back contradicting their own statements.

During our order yesterday they said oh by the way there is a 10k markup, when I mentioned the letter they gave me they just apologized and said there is still a mark up. Seems like the dealerships wanted to have their cake and eat it too by keeping you waiting and wasting your time and then later pulling the classic bait and switch maneuver to screw you over. What a waste of time and energy. This could have all been prevented had they told us the truth to begin with. I later sent them the letter they gave me in a text message and they told me they were going to look into it again. I guess I am keeping my fingers crossed. The letter they gave me is shown below. This bait and switch behavior needs to stop and Ford needs to be aware of what they are still doing as they never stopped.

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[T Copp]

List? There was no list in 2021. Also, no one knows how it is going to work for the 2023 model year Raptors as of now.

From what I have seen, most people who got a retail order for a Raptor had to call around to multiple dealerships once the order bank opened (which was early March) to try and find one, and almost all of these had a markup.

 

[NDM_84]

List? There was no list in 2021. Also, no one knows how it is going to work for the 2023 model year Raptors as of now.

From what I have seen, most people who got a retail order for a Raptor had to call around to multiple dealerships once the order bank opened (which was early March) to try and find one, and almost all of these had a markup.

I inquired about the Raptor before it was even officially announced since I knew the rumors. Of course at that time they told me there was nothing official but I told them to put my name down. When it did come out all of a sudden I was not on the list for 2022 despite being one of the first people to inquire about it. This is another problem I had with them. It's the constant lying that bothers me. I don't have a problem with markups but I told them earlier this year if there will be a mark up for the Raptor version I am not interested so don't waste my time. They said, there will not be a markup as long as u put in an order and u're willing to wait for the order to be built. I said, are you willing to give me a signed letter stating this and they said yes. Today they call my brother and I in since we are the first on the list for the 2023 and next thing u know they say oh there is a markup. My issue with them is wasting my time and not being honest from the get go after I specifically asked those questions and had those conversations about all of this months ago. Just a huge waste of my time.

 

[Cooldude]

Sounds like this is on you. Not their fault you waited that long.

 

[bajabronco57]

From what little information you've given I can't say the dealership did anything wrong. It sounds more like you thought something was going to happen and it didn't. To be fair before the Raptor allocations were released a lot of people didn't think the GT thing was even a possibility so I don't fault people for getting on lists, I was on a few.

Lists ended up not mattering in 99% of all MY22 allocations. I got on a list, you got on a list, it didn't really mean crap.

You aren't getting a MY22. You didn't order one, you don't have a purchase agreement. They are not sneaking in ADM on you at the time of delivery.

If you want a MY23 Raptor WHEN the order banks open up again you can place an order and the dealership can 99'd that order and wait for a Raptor allocation. There is no guarantee an allocation will ever come through.

If you want a Raptor you're probably paying ADM. There are a few reports of them at MSRP but those are few and far between and likely already have a big line if you find a dealership doing that.

 

[Cooldude]

^This is spot on

 

[NDM_84]

From what little information you've given I can't say the dealership did anything wrong. It sounds more like you thought something was going to happen and it didn't. To be fair before the Raptor allocations were released a lot of people didn't think the GT thing was even a possibility so I don't fault people for getting on lists, I was on a few.

Lists ended up not mattering in 99% of all MY22 allocations. I got on a list, you got on a list, it didn't really mean crap.

You aren't getting a MY22. You didn't order one, you don't have a purchase agreement. They are not sneaking in ADM on you at the time of delivery.

If you want a MY23 Raptor WHEN the order banks open up again you can place an order and the dealership can 99'd that order and wait for a Raptor allocation. There is no guarantee an allocation will ever come through.

If you want a Raptor you're probably paying ADM. There are a few reports of them at MSRP but those are few and far between and likely already have a big line if you find a dealership doing that.

Forget the list. They were specifically asked if there will be a mark up on the Raptor and they said no. After which I asked them are you willing to give me a signed letter stating there will be no mark up and they said yes. My issue is them lying about the markup and wasting my time. If they had told me the there would be a markup I would have said ok and walked out of there. I call this lying and contradictory dishonest behaviour. You shouldn't be able to waste my time just for the fuck of it. Had they initially said there will be a mark up and not promise shit I would have said no problem and would have walked out.

 

[bajabronco57]

Forget the list. They were specifically asked if there will be a mark up on the Raptor and they said no. After which I asked them are you willing to give me a signed letter stating there will be no mark up and they said yes. My issue is them lying about the markup and wasting my time. If they had told me the there would be a markup I would have said ok and walked out of there. I call this lying and contradictory dishonest behaviour. You shouldn't be able to waste my time just for the fuck of it. Had they initially said there will be a mark up and not promise shit I would have said no problem and would have walked out.

You're upset that it cost you nothing to get on a list and find out there was ADM well before ordering a Raptor? I'm sorry but in the grand scheme of dealership bs we've seen here that is minor borderline insignificant. I get you're frustrated because you thought you had a line on a Raptor, but this is really not a big deal compared to other things.

 

[TX_Bronco77]

Forget the list. They were specifically asked if there will be a mark up on the Raptor and they said no. After which I asked them are you willing to give me a signed letter stating there will be no mark up and they said yes. My issue is them lying about the markup and wasting my time. If they had told me the there would be a markup I would have said ok and walked out of there. I call this lying and contradictory dishonest behaviour. You shouldn't be able to waste my time just for the fuck of it. Had they initially said there will be a mark up and not promise shit I would have said no problem and would have walked out.

You got that letter?

Edited: Am I drunk on Memorial Day or wasn't there some kind of ticket system for these to be available to people who already had Bronco orders? 'cause the way I read it OP and brother went in to just get "put on a list" for a Raptor? Because this below makes me think, if you thought just popping into a dealership and "being put on a list" wasn't going to work out well for you.


"FEBRUARY 11 CUSTOMER CRM

Tomorrow, Friday, February 11th we are sending a communication to those customers that expressed interest (Hand Raisers) in receiving a 2022 Bronco Raptor. There will be two versions of the communication:
• Version 1: You’ve been selected to order a Ford Bronco® RaptorTM
• Version 2: An update on Ford Bronco® RaptorTM
o Customer was not selected for the opportunity to order a Bronco Raptor via the Hand Raiser program

To help align messaging, all dealerships will receive a list of customers that expressed interest in Bronco Raptor and whether they were selected for the opportunity to order a Bronco Raptor via the hand raiser program. Allocation will be provided to cover these orders. Please look out for the list of customers from your regional representative in the next 24 hours. Total allocation numbers will be communicated during the next wholesale period.

BRONCO RAPTOR CUSTOMER SELECTION PROCESS

Customers were selected for the opportunity to order a Bronco Raptor based on the criteria listed below:
• Reservation Timestamp within their dealership
• NOTE: To ensure Raptors go to as many customers as possible, Bronco Raptor selection is limited to 1 unit per
unique email address


NEXT STEPS FOR HAND RAISERS SELECTED FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ORDER A BRONCO RAPTOR

• Current Order Holders:
o No action is required at this time. We will send another communication when the Order Bank opens in March instructing customers to work with their dealership to change their unscheduled Bronco order to a Bronco Raptor.
o NOTE: All customers with an unscheduled order selected to order a Bronco Raptor will have their priority code moved to 99 to ensure their order does not schedule. If they no longer wish to order a Bronco Raptor, verify their build configuration is correct and remove the 99PC so the order is eligible for scheduling.
• Current Unconverted Reservation Holders:
o Please work with customers who have not placed an order yet to convert their reservation to an order.
These orders should remain on 99PC until the order bank opens in March and customers can fully configure their order to a Bronco Raptor."

 

[T Copp]

Back then they probably did not have the insight on how the market would be for these. My dealer wasn't originally going to markup their retail orders, then they did once they saw how the rest of the market was pricing these.

 

[NDM_84]

You're upset that it cost you nothing to get on a list and find out there was ADM well before ordering a Raptor? I'm sorry but in the grand scheme of dealership bs we've seen here that is minor borderline insignificant. I get you're frustrated because you thought you had a line on a Raptor, but this is really not a big deal compared to other things.

No I am upset that they lied about it because I specifically asked about this and I told them I will not entertain it if there is a markup. So I am mad about the lying and wasting my time. I understand there are issues with waiting and markups which is why I went there and asked for the letter and wanted to get that straightened out ahead of time. They wanted to pull a good ol bait and switch on me while wasting my time. So I am mad about that. I don't mind waiting and I don't if they tell me the truth based up on which I can make a decision.

 

[NDM_84]

You got that letter?

Yes, I am looking for it now.

 

[NDM_84]

Back then they probably did not have the insight on how the market would be for these. My dealer wasn't originally going to markup their retail orders, then they did once they saw how the rest of the market was pricing these.

If you don't have an insight you can say we can't be sure and not promise things.

 

[TX_Bronco77]

Yes, I am looking for it now.

It's not in your email? Surely you asked for a digital copy, not a hand written letter delivered by Pony Express....

 

[Cooldude]

When did they tell you there was no mark up, just before you came in or back when you got the letter?

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