- First Name
- Matt
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2022
- Threads
- 2
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 29
- Location
- Southeast PA
- Vehicle(s)
- BMW 335i
- Your Bronco Model
- Outer Banks
- Thread starter
- #1
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.
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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