Ford's communication around this is unbelievably bad

[L8apex]

It was Ford's choice to secretly violate the informal reservation agreement with their customers.

A business that is trustworthy doesn't have to worry about the exposure of secret unscrupulous dealings. Plus, they had to know that this would come out and just didn't care that it would alienate a portion of their customers. Probably because they already expect a lot of grief due to commodity issues. To me personally, the commodity and covid related issues are excusable, but dishonesty is not.

What has been dishonest? Some people learned their build dates are mid-June.

In a couple weeks I'm sure you'll have people with early reservations learning their build dates are late May / early June.

You're assuming the people that got build dates are going to be the first builds and that's not correct.

Sponsored

 

[Karl_in_Chicago]

We really need a "Whingeing" sub-forum to properly place all of these threads popping up recently.

 

[Efthreeoh]

I think we're on the same page. I didn't understand OP's gripe other than the already-beaten-to-death gripes about the priority orders.

Yeah, I understood that. I just used your post to throw some rationale out for people to consider what it takes to have a vehicle built, then shipped to one's dealership. All of the logistics process from raw materials to parts to assembly to shipment to delivery to the customer is very complex. Then throw a global pandemic in the mix. Talk about throwing a wrench into the gearset!

The people at Ford are doing the best they can. It may not seem like it. The problem is now everyone expects instant communication and accuracy. Those two are mutually exclusive.

 

[HotdogThud]

I can’t wait to show you low riders(less ground clearance than subaru) the build
Sheet for my forester.

Pics or it didn't happen, broooooo

 

[WyoBronc]

You make an assumption here that I don't agree with.

This is probably where the heart of our disagreements in this thread come from.

Some of us feel like Ford has violated something, and the others don't.

If I was a member of the former, I would absolutely feel upset.

I however do not believe we have enough data to come to that conclusion. Everything that I've witnessed this past week seems consistent within the possibilities of what Ford has said thus far.

My opinion very well may change as we gather more data.

I am calm and wanting to argue, just trying to understand. With all due respect Sir, What assumptions did I make that are disagreeable to you.? What did I get wrong?

If your circumstances were as I have described in my post above, would you not feel as I do? And would you not feel justified in forgoing a thank you may I have another attitude ......at least for a day?

 

[AcesandEights]

There have been so many missteps, it's overwhelming, which I think is the saving grace. Ford has continued to disappoint, so the disappointments seem like this is just the norm. The new normal is to have a general level of frustration, get thrown a bone, that turns out to be another disappointment and then we get all giddy again at the promise of another bone.

It's like after being locked in a trunk for an hour, which one is happy to see you, your girlfriend or your dog. Your girlfriend is pissed, your dog couldn't be happier.

 

[Efthreeoh]

I can’t wait to show you low riders(less ground clearance than subaru) the build
Sheet for my forester.

Does it include valve springs?

 

[Bronco2021RV]

Looking better by the minute...

You are correct they do look great. Now if they just didn’t break down so much oh yeah and cost so much I would get one of those.

 

[Its Brawnco]

8 pages of TLDR posts lol

 

[Butzy]

 

[ZackDanger]

I am calm and wanting to argue, just trying to understand. With all due respect Sir, What assumptions did I make that are disagreeable to you.? What did I get wrong?

If your circumstances were as I have described in my post above, would you not feel as I do? And would you not feel justified in forgoing a thank you may I have another attitude ......at least for a day?

I actually edited my post from "assumption" to "conclusion" because I felt the first was too aggressive.

What I disagree with is the conclusion that what we've seen this past week is evidence that Ford did not follow the process as they have outlined for months now. They could never fulfill orders in strict timestamp order, and never promised to. They've been abundantly clear that generally speaking, earlier timestamps would be built before later ones... but I never read or heard them say that we shouldn't expect later reservations to be built before earlier ones.

We're literally in the very first batch of orders, and just because a "late" reservation at some dealer (even a very late one) got scheduled ahead of an "early" reservation at another dealer, I don't believe is a sign that anything untoward is happening.

Now, once we get a few weeks in, and we get enough data to plot a more valid statistical distribution, I personally will feel much more confident in concluding whether Ford is keeping to their word or not.

 

[Cheshire]

What happened yesterday should cost several people their jobs, what a cluster. None of us know what is going on, the dealers don't know what is going on, and nothing is communicated. I've seen several dealers, including mine, that didn't have anything schedule yesterday. Also what a joke that they made such a huge deal out of your reservation timestamp only to piss all over that on day 1 of scheduling. I've seen several people with my exact build post build dates and their reservations are days and even weeks behind mine. If their goal is to piss people off, they are on a great track.

TOTALLY DISAGREE!

Ford has said all along that people who converted to orders would get their preliminary build time estimates in May. That's what I was expecting all along. The fact that Ford has started scheduling production and is letting early builds know about it, is a good thing and an acceleration in the timing of notifications. Chill and stop whining. We should all be happy with the progress and Ford's communication.

 

[broadicustomworks]

I feel sometimes I weigh in on things I have no business weighing in on, or that it really isn't needed. But I do it anyway and sometimes regret it later. But one thing about me is i will ALWAYS be honest, blunt, and try and be logical/objective.
Here, as in most things, I see both sides.
The perception of this is that Ford communicated a certain method of determining who got what that was mostly based on res timestamp. But with a few of these to cover the "what if's" : ****

And those asterisks leave a lot of wiggle room and interpretation that frankly we will never fully understand and Ford doesn't need us to.
Yes, lacking clear communication has been an issue.
Yes, unforeseen demand, commodities, global shortages have happened that change the game.
Yes, it is reasonably unfair for a timestamp of Nov to be built before a Day 1 with the same config.
Yes, it is also reasonable that people will feel miffed, cheated, played that are in that situation.
Yes, people want to be heard and have their opinions/feeling at least accepted, maybe not agreed-upon.
However:
Ford, in the end, sells us a product. Anyone who has had to do any production scheduling or management on any scale can appreciate the colossal clusterfk that all of the variables in this equation throw into the mix. Honestly I'd hate my job if I were in their shoes. Because with every single VIN assigned there are going to be thousands of other people who are bypassed. And if any of those thousands are aware, it will be mutiny on the HMS Bounty.
The entire global chain of every single thing is affected by what started with Covid. Everything, everywhere. In every sector. This is the absolute worst time ever, barring some global war, that Ford could have picked to try and roll something of this magnitude out.
Not a fanboy, but my hat is off to them for continuing the fight and even being able to get anything at all out in a reasonable amount of time.
Sometimes, even if you feel like you have been done dirty, it helps a helluva lot to stop for a minute and take walk in the other person's shoes. After being totally logical and true to the perspective, then pass your judgment.

In the end I do not think it is fair to the day 1 guy who has the same build as the Nov guy. But maybe it was the situation with having to pick a build that made more logistical sense for Ford and that dealer vs. just screwing some random Day 1 guy because they could.
For whatever reason, it's done. No amount of complaining is gonna change it.
We either accept it (not necessarily like or agree with it), or we jump ship and stick it to them by not buying it.
That's pretty much your choices.
I think they are doing the best they can to do what they can, when they can, in the best way that makes sense from their perspective.
I want mine now.
I am happy for those that are getting them now even though I am not.
I am reasonable enough to realize thigs above my understanding happen and reasonable enough to realize that when my time comes, it will come. And I will be overjoyed when I do get that email. Even more so when I open that door for the first time and hit that Start button.
It might be good to take a mental or emotional break from the forum for a bit while this shakes out for a lot of you.
I respect most of you heavily, and understand we are all humans with human reactions. But sometimes you just have to realize you are pissing upwind and step back. And putting yourself through the mental anguish is doing more harm than good.

I'll talk with anyone, anytime who needs an ear or a shoulder.
I'll be respectful and honest as long as you do the same, if you ask my opinion.
But putting out here in the open is just asking to be point-counterpoint arguing and hurt feelings all day, every day.
All the love,
-Dave.

 

[Cheshire]

You are correct they do look great. Now if they just didn’t break down so much oh yeah and cost so much I would get one of those.

As someone who bought a 94 and 95 Defender 90s new from the dealer, I can say the new Defenders are a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! I waiting for YEARS for the new Defender and would have bought one if they were cool. They are not. They are yet another ON-ROAD mall crawler barely distinguishable from the Range Rover, etc.

I sat in the rear of a yellow D90 with the top off during the Boston auto show in 93 and was blown away. What a rugged beast it was. I could not wait to get my hands on one. The new one, yuck imo. I've never owned a Bronco before, but when I saw this release it was everything I hoped the Defender would be and MORE. Ford knocked it out of the park and LR dropped the ball. Sales will show.

 

[broadicustomworks]

8 pages of TLDR posts lol

Lol, mine is bad. so go ahead and TLDR that puppy.

Boils down to:
Yall play purty.
Calm down, Beavis.
Errybody love errybody.

Sponsored