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Dealer messed up, what to do now?

MTinPA

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I know this is my first post on Bronco6g but I thought it was important to share an experience and also get any advice on next steps. I also do not want to drag a dealership through the mud if its not warranted so I'm not revealing their name...yet. Here's my story:

Background
I originally reserved an Outerbanks manual trans in August 2020. On 3/18/21, the dealer called me to convert my reservation to an order and for good reason, this was a cutoff for Ford to honor price protections. At the time I told him to keep it on hold because I wanted the manual with Sasquatch which was coming in 2022. No problem, the order went into a hold. Fast forward to this September, Ford sent that email and its time to $h!t or get off the pot - place the order or get cancelled. So I go to the dealership and have them pull my current build. I review it and it turns out that its actually for an OBX 2.3 Auto - no SAS and Black/Black with soft top. So that evening I asked the sales manager to upgrade it to a 2.7 and add the SAS and that I was still deciding on other options. I also told them that I was going to Off Roadeo soon and would finalize my order based on how that went.

So what happened?
A week later, on my way up to the Off Roadeo in New Hampshire, I get an email from Ford that my Bronco order has been submitted. I also get an email from the dealer (attached) with a copy of the build sheet and a request to sign it, and email it back with a copy of my DL. Immediately I called the sales rep and told him that as previously discussed, I was on my way to Off Roadeo and would call him the following week with any changes. I assumed at that point that he would make sure the order was on hold pending my next call.

Imagine my surprise when five days later (last Wednesday) I get an email from Ford confirming a build week and VIN for an OBX that was definitely not the final build that I wanted. I called the sales rep and then the sales manager of the dealership and asked them why I have a VIN and that I had expressly told them not to allow this to go through because I was likely going to make changes. The sales manager hinted that they would be fine to take it as dealer inventory (that doesn't sound right) and that I could place a brand new order when the order banks open for the public later this year (this is news to me). I said, heck no, I want to cancel that build and stay linked to my original reservation/order and take advantage of any price protection and maintain the full reservation and order history as well.

When asked why an order was submitted to Ford for build when nothing was signed and no copy of a DL was ever given to anyone at the dealership, the sales manager had no response. I'm not sure if a build week and VIN being assigned is the fault of the dealership for fraudulently submitting an order as being agreed with the customer or a mistake by Ford for not verifying the customer agreement was legit.

So as of now, the sales manager is going to "look into it" and talk to his GM and Ford and see what is possible. I'm supposed to get a call tomorrow to discuss options and maybe everything will work out. If it does, then the dealership gets a great review from me for fixing their mistake rather than a bad one for acting without their customer's agreement and leaving me with no vehicle two years later.

FWIW - after the Off Roadeo event (which was awesome), for several reasons, I decided I wanted to change my series to a Wildtrak. I also wanted to change the color (they have lots of different colored Broncos so you get to see all the paint options in person), upgrade the trim package and add some options (like a hard top). All of this would have been a simple order modification prior to a VIN assignment so now I'm at the mercy of the dealership and Ford to figure something out.
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mpeugeot

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I know this is my first post on Bronco6g but I thought it was important to share an experience and also get any advice on next steps. I also do not want to drag a dealership through the mud if its not warranted so I'm not revealing their name...yet. Here's my story:

Background
I originally reserved an Outerbanks manual trans in August 2020. On 3/18/21, the dealer called me to convert my reservation to an order and for good reason, this was a cutoff for Ford to honor price protections. At the time I told him to keep it on hold because I wanted the manual with Sasquatch which was coming in 2022. No problem, the order went into a hold. Fast forward to this September, Ford sent that email and its time to $h!t or get off the pot - place the order or get cancelled. So I go to the dealership and have them pull my current build. I review it and it turns out that its actually for an OBX 2.3 Auto - no SAS and Black/Black with soft top. So that evening I asked the sales manager to upgrade it to a 2.7 and add the SAS and that I was still deciding on other options. I also told them that I was going to Off Roadeo soon and would finalize my order based on how that went.

So what happened?
A week later, on my way up to the Off Roadeo in New Hampshire, I get an email from Ford that my Bronco order has been submitted. I also get an email from the dealer (attached) with a copy of the build sheet and a request to sign it, and email it back with a copy of my DL. Immediately I called the sales rep and told him that as previously discussed, I was on my way to Off Roadeo and would call him the following week with any changes. I assumed at that point that he would make sure the order was on hold pending my next call.

Imagine my surprise when five days later (last Wednesday) I get an email from Ford confirming a build week and VIN for an OBX that was definitely not the final build that I wanted. I called the sales rep and then the sales manager of the dealership and asked them why I have a VIN and that I had expressly told them not to allow this to go through because I was likely going to make changes. The sales manager hinted that they would be fine to take it as dealer inventory (that doesn't sound right) and that I could place a brand new order when the order banks open for the public later this year (this is news to me). I said, heck no, I want to cancel that build and stay linked to my original reservation/order and take advantage of any price protection and maintain the full reservation and order history as well.

When asked why an order was submitted to Ford for build when nothing was signed and no copy of a DL was ever given to anyone at the dealership, the sales manager had no response. I'm not sure if a build week and VIN being assigned is the fault of the dealership for fraudulently submitting an order as being agreed with the customer or a mistake by Ford for not verifying the customer agreement was legit.

So as of now, the sales manager is going to "look into it" and talk to his GM and Ford and see what is possible. I'm supposed to get a call tomorrow to discuss options and maybe everything will work out. If it does, then the dealership gets a great review from me for fixing their mistake rather than a bad one for acting without their customer's agreement and leaving me with no vehicle two years later.

FWIW - after the Off Roadeo event (which was awesome), for several reasons, I decided I wanted to change my series to a Wildtrak. I also wanted to change the color (they have lots of different colored Broncos so you get to see all the paint options in person), upgrade the trim package and add some options (like a hard top). All of this would have been a simple order modification prior to a VIN assignment so now I'm at the mercy of the dealership and Ford to figure something out.
A. OBX never could have been a manual transmission build.

B. What is different from the build you want and what they ordered?

C. Some things are less of a big deal than others. Depending on the price, options, and colors. You might have something worth keeping or not.

D. Insist that a zone rep get involved immediately.
 
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MTinPA

MTinPA

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A. OBX never could have been a manual transmission build.
Maybe not something they ever actually built, but it was possible to put the reservation for one in Aug 2020.

B. What is different from the build you want and what they ordered?
They ordered black cloth OBX with soft top and mid. I ended up wanting Eruption Green WT with hard top, leather seats and lux pkg.

C. Some things are less of a big deal than others. Depending on the price, options, and colors. You might have something worth keeping or not.

D. Insist that a zone rep get involved immediately.
Thanks for the advice.
 

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BlueBronco

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I'm reluctant to put much blame on the dealer here. You went into the dealership, requested changes and the dealer made those changes. You told them you would follow up after the Rodeo with possible changes but did not. With the first round of scheduling imminent (last Thursday, not Wednesday) you should have been proactive.
 

ThisGuy611

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Definitely fishy that you never signed a new order sheet yet still got pushed to 2023 with a confirmed order. That doesn’t seem right.

That being said, changing your order to a wildtrak would cancel your price protection regardless. Changing 4x4 system, equipment package, and a few other things also cancels PP.

If you already have a vin there’s only so much you can change at this point. You might get lucky and be able to change color and add SAS or a few things here and there, but for the most part you’re locked. Take the order and either re-sell it and order a new one or enjoy it.
 
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MTinPA

MTinPA

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For those thinking no price protection - there seems to be some conflicting information out there. Specifically with videos posted by @FordVideoGuy where he mentions changes in MY23 orders are still going to receive private offers from Ford based on MSRP for the model in the year the order was originally placed. This is the main reason I want to stay attached to my original reservation.

"Changes to the 2023 Bronco"

Also, I just want to re-iterate, the dealership submitted a firmed order to Ford with no signature and no DL. That's just not how you’re supposed to do business with your customer.
 
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Arrowbear Rider

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Also, I just want to re-iterate, the dealership submitted a firmed order to Ford with no signature and no DL. That's just not how you’re supposed to do business with your customer.
Good luck with that one, you'll either go no where with that or lose your order completely. Dealer can still be a sleaze if they want. They hold the cards and can still ad ADM if you walk, or to make you walk.

Really, the COVP is Ford's policy for them to have some control over the dealers, and to verify actual buyer's orders, but it's not law, the dealer can do what they want, it's a one unit hit against their total score and probably won't effect them.

I think what happened is when they made the changes, 2.7 & SAS the system needed to have a priority code to complete and update since Ford will cancel all 99'd orders that are not updated. My understanding is the dealer has two ways to change the code and making changes in the system and printing out the order is one of the times they can change it.

Maybe the dealer thought your order wouldn't be scheduled and rolled the dice and you got pick-up, Murphy's Law. Or they just didn't think or care and was just processing another order.
 

Little Foot

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I know this is my first post on Bronco6g but I thought it was important to share an experience and also get any advice on next steps. I also do not want to drag a dealership through the mud if its not warranted so I'm not revealing their name...yet. Here's my story:

Background
I originally reserved an Outerbanks manual trans in August 2020. On 3/18/21, the dealer called me to convert my reservation to an order and for good reason, this was a cutoff for Ford to honor price protections. At the time I told him to keep it on hold because I wanted the manual with Sasquatch which was coming in 2022. No problem, the order went into a hold. Fast forward to this September, Ford sent that email and its time to $h!t or get off the pot - place the order or get cancelled. So I go to the dealership and have them pull my current build. I review it and it turns out that its actually for an OBX 2.3 Auto - no SAS and Black/Black with soft top. So that evening I asked the sales manager to upgrade it to a 2.7 and add the SAS and that I was still deciding on other options. I also told them that I was going to Off Roadeo soon and would finalize my order based on how that went.

So what happened?
A week later, on my way up to the Off Roadeo in New Hampshire, I get an email from Ford that my Bronco order has been submitted. I also get an email from the dealer (attached) with a copy of the build sheet and a request to sign it, and email it back with a copy of my DL. Immediately I called the sales rep and told him that as previously discussed, I was on my way to Off Roadeo and would call him the following week with any changes. I assumed at that point that he would make sure the order was on hold pending my next call.

Imagine my surprise when five days later (last Wednesday) I get an email from Ford confirming a build week and VIN for an OBX that was definitely not the final build that I wanted. I called the sales rep and then the sales manager of the dealership and asked them why I have a VIN and that I had expressly told them not to allow this to go through because I was likely going to make changes. The sales manager hinted that they would be fine to take it as dealer inventory (that doesn't sound right) and that I could place a brand new order when the order banks open for the public later this year (this is news to me). I said, heck no, I want to cancel that build and stay linked to my original reservation/order and take advantage of any price protection and maintain the full reservation and order history as well.

When asked why an order was submitted to Ford for build when nothing was signed and no copy of a DL was ever given to anyone at the dealership, the sales manager had no response. I'm not sure if a build week and VIN being assigned is the fault of the dealership for fraudulently submitting an order as being agreed with the customer or a mistake by Ford for not verifying the customer agreement was legit.

So as of now, the sales manager is going to "look into it" and talk to his GM and Ford and see what is possible. I'm supposed to get a call tomorrow to discuss options and maybe everything will work out. If it does, then the dealership gets a great review from me for fixing their mistake rather than a bad one for acting without their customer's agreement and leaving me with no vehicle two years later.

FWIW - after the Off Roadeo event (which was awesome), for several reasons, I decided I wanted to change my series to a Wildtrak. I also wanted to change the color (they have lots of different colored Broncos so you get to see all the paint options in person), upgrade the trim package and add some options (like a hard top). All of this would have been a simple order modification prior to a VIN assignment so now I'm at the mercy of the dealership and Ford to figure something out.
-Find out what changes you can actually make. I know you can change the color after getting a VIN, probably a few other things.

-Ask for a few upgraded accessories at cost or close to cost. Get the 2.3 Ford Performance Tune.

-Work out a deal with the dealership that if someone walks away from a Wildtrak, you get first opportunity to buy it at MSRP.

-Enjoy your Bronco 😁
 
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dingle87

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I'm reluctant to put much blame on the dealer here. You went into the dealership, requested changes and the dealer made those changes. You told them you would follow up after the Rodeo with possible changes but did not. With the first round of scheduling imminent (last Thursday, not Wednesday) you should have been proactive.
If OP asked dealers not to submit until after he reviewed (which he stated in his post), then why is the dealer submitting the order? Every other detail doesn’t matter after that. It simply shouldn’t have been submitted. If the order holder didn’t care about the first week of scheduling, then the dealer shouldn’t have been “proactive” on his/her behalf without the signed document.

100% on the dealer. They’re the only one who can submit. How is this the OP’s fault?
 

RHeinz

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If OP asked dealers not to submit until after he reviewed (which he stated in his post), then why is the dealer submitting the order? Every other detail doesn’t matter after that. It simply shouldn’t have been submitted. If the order holder didn’t care about the first week of scheduling, then the dealer shouldn’t have been “proactive” on his/her behalf without the signed document.

100% on the dealer. They’re the only one who can submit. How is this the OP’s fault?
Dealers DO make mistakes. Mine placed 2 identical orders (MY22 rollover orders) for me on the same day (10/8/2021) and delivered 2 identical Broncos about a month and a half apart, all with my name associated with them. Then last week I got an email from Ford indicating that I had never used my reservation and I needed to place my Bronco order before 11/21 or it would be canceled.
 
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MTinPA

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Quick update:

I appreciate the feedback and advice. It helped me work through some things today.

The dealer flat out said it was not possible to change series at this point. Something they said they confirmed with Zone Rep. However, they were able to make a bunch of other changes to get the build very close to what I wanted. I was able to:
  • Change to Eruption Green
  • Upgrade to Lux package
  • Add Leather interior (I went with "roast")
  • Add towing
  • Add Aux switches
  • And I got a tailgate table installed for the trouble
I was not able to:
  • Change to a hardtop
  • Get the front heavy duty bumper with bash plates

I think I'm going to miss having that hardtop in the winter but I know I'm in that boat with a lot of other Bronco owners. There will surely be easy to find third party hardtops in the very near future. Same with the off-roading protection - I'll be shopping for a steel bumper, bash plates and rock rails which means I'll have a Bronco tube step available to sell once I switch that out.

Overall a good outcome and making the best of an unfortunate situation which could have been much worse. Now looking forward to joining the rest of the owner community on this site to talk about modifications, meet ups and off-roading experiences.
 

Classic28

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Quick update:

I appreciate the feedback and advice. It helped me work through some things today.

The dealer flat out said it was not possible to change series at this point. Something they said they confirmed with Zone Rep. However, they were able to make a bunch of other changes to get the build very close to what I wanted. I was able to:
  • Change to Eruption Green
  • Upgrade to Lux package
  • Add Leather interior (I went with "roast")
  • Add towing
  • Add Aux switches
  • And I got a tailgate table installed for the trouble
I was not able to:
  • Change to a hardtop
  • Get the front heavy duty bumper with bash plates

I think I'm going to miss having that hardtop in the winter but I know I'm in that boat with a lot of other Bronco owners. There will surely be easy to find third party hardtops in the very near future. Same with the off-roading protection - I'll be shopping for a steel bumper, bash plates and rock rails which means I'll have a Bronco tube step available to sell once I switch that out.

Overall a good outcome and making the best of an unfortunate situation which could have been much worse. Now looking forward to joining the rest of the owner community on this site to talk about modifications, meet ups and off-roading experiences.
Seems like you made the best out of a tough situation.
 

mpeugeot

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Quick update:

I appreciate the feedback and advice. It helped me work through some things today.

The dealer flat out said it was not possible to change series at this point. Something they said they confirmed with Zone Rep. However, they were able to make a bunch of other changes to get the build very close to what I wanted. I was able to:
  • Change to Eruption Green
  • Upgrade to Lux package
  • Add Leather interior (I went with "roast")
  • Add towing
  • Add Aux switches
  • And I got a tailgate table installed for the trouble
I was not able to:
  • Change to a hardtop
  • Get the front heavy duty bumper with bash plates

I think I'm going to miss having that hardtop in the winter but I know I'm in that boat with a lot of other Bronco owners. There will surely be easy to find third party hardtops in the very near future. Same with the off-roading protection - I'll be shopping for a steel bumper, bash plates and rock rails which means I'll have a Bronco tube step available to sell once I switch that out.

Overall a good outcome and making the best of an unfortunate situation which could have been much worse. Now looking forward to joining the rest of the owner community on this site to talk about modifications, meet ups and off-roading experiences.
What about the Sasquatch package and 2.7 engine you were concerned about?

If you got those with the other changes noted above, then you are not going to be too far off the mark. The MIC hardtop is no gem. It has issues (I have one).
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