HELP! Unwanted dealer add-ons

[notacollege]

My 2022 Cyber Orange finally arrived, and I went to take delivery today to find out that the dealer had tried to add on over $10,000 in unwanted add-ons and accessories. I was able to get them to remove all of them but the ceramic exterior and whatever interior sealant they put on it - still $1400 more than what I had ordered it for.

I plan to call Ford first thing tomorrow and complain, but is there anything at all that they can even do at this point? The dealer kept saying "Well it's on already so I can't take it off." I don't want to give this dealer my business - this is the latest in a long line of issues, but I am screwed at this point because they'd rather that I walk away so they can sell it at a $20k-$30k markup anyhow!

For those curious, this is Frontier Ford on Stevens Creek in Santa Clara - they use disgusting tactics and I advise that NOBODY ever buy a car from them.

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[JBsabre]

If they've already applied the ceramic and interior protection there's not likely much you can do but pay them and take possession of the Bronco. In the future, be very clear with the dealer that you don't want any add-ons once the vehicle arrives. Many dealers will take advantage if you don't overcommunicate. Sucks that this happened to you.

 

[chtucker]

If they've already applied the ceramic and interior protection there's not likely much you can do but pay them and take possession of the Bronco. In the future, be very clear with the dealer that you don't want any add-ons once the vehicle arrives. Many dealers will take advantage if you don't overcommunicate. Sucks that this happened to you.

Stop blaming the victim. It's a way to extract more profit. The dealer should ask first.

 

[JBsabre]

Stop blaming the victim. It's a way to extract more profit. The dealer should ask first.

I'm not blaming the victim. We live in a capitalist society so of course they're going to try to make a profit. Contacting Ford won't get anybody anywhere. It's unfortunate that dealerships aren't held accountable in situations like this but the system works for them, not us. The only way to prevent this from happening is to try to get ahead of the game and be very clear with the dealer before they take possession of the vehicle.

 

[orion]

My 2022 Cyber Orange finally arrived, and I went to take delivery today to find out that the dealer had tried to add on over $10,000 in unwanted add-ons and accessories. I was able to get them to remove all of them but the ceramic exterior and whatever interior sealant they put on it - still $1400 more than what I had ordered it for.

I plan to call Ford first thing tomorrow and complain, but is there anything at all that they can even do at this point? The dealer kept saying "Well it's on already so I can't take it off." I don't want to give this dealer my business - this is the latest in a long line of issues, but I am screwed at this point because they'd rather that I walk away so they can sell it at a $20k-$30k markup anyhow!

For those curious, this is Frontier Ford on Stevens Creek in Santa Clara - they use disgusting tactics and I advise that NOBODY ever buy a car from them.

Ask if you can pay the extras with a credit card. Then after taking delivery, dispute the charge!!!

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Nothing Ford will do. Best you can do is leave a bad dealer review but also write your state Attorney General, allot of states are finally passing laws about superfluous dealer charges.

 

[Hdscreens]

Have them prove it’s actually on there. I’d suspect some dealers might say it’s on there and it’s been applied when the truth is they intend to put it on after papers are signed but with the hopes you will get excited about new vehicle and drive off without even knowing it hasnt even been applied.

 

[Bobby_Boulevard]

This was my experience and solution that I explained in another thread. Hope it helps!

I purchased my Bronco from their sister store in Fontana and they pulled the same thing. “No markup” but explained it was mandatory to purchase LoJack, VTP (Alarm), Etch and door edge guards if I wanted the Bronco I ordered. My girlfriend and I told them that is not how we ordered the vehicle so we did not want those options. Our salesman and our finance manager told us to take it or leave it numerous times. My girlfriend explained to our salesman that her attorney (quick google search) informed her “it is illegal in the state of California for a dealership to force a customer to purchase any alarm or such device without your consent or based on the understanding it is not optional, and we may have a claim for fraud under California’s consumer protection statutes like the Consumer Legal Remedies Act or The Unfair Competition Law.” Our salesman told us if she said that to a manager they would ask us to leave. The entire experience with Sunrise was them constantly trying to get us to give up and not buy our ordered Bronco so they could front line it with a markup. We gave in and purchased their add ons simply to buy our Bronco.

After purchasing the Bronco I did my best to find value in the add ons. the door edge guards were $199 which isn’t bad compared to the ones we paid for on an F-150 and 4Runner we purchased recently. Etch was $395 and I found out it can be canceled/refunded through the company Portfolio Etch. I actually like the idea of LoJack and being able to track your vehicle via app but after reading the details the max coverage is $10,000 and expires after 3 years, at $1,295 that’s $36 a month! Total rip off compared to throwing a Tile or AirTag in the truck somewhere hidden for 35 bucks. And what’s the point of VTP for $595 if you bought LoJack??

Well my girlfriend had other plans. She submitted a claim with information about our dealer experience to the attorney general’s office, the BBB and left a one star review to boot. She filed those claims the night we purchased the vehicle and first thing Monday morning I had a message from the Operations Director at Sunrise Ford stating he received our claim from the BBB and had a resolution to discuss at my earliest convenience. I called him back and he said they put our loan on hold with the bank and had drafted a new contract that did not include LoJack and VTP. I was shocked it actually worked and went in that afternoon for them to remove the LoJack and sign the new paperwork. The process when I returned the second time was smooth as butter, no bullshit the way it should have been from the get go.

Long story short, if you do not want the add ons then file a BBB claim immediately, apparently that’s all they cared about since they didn’t even mention the AG’s claim or the 1 star Yelp review. Contact Portfolio Etch and have them cancel/reimburse the sale. And don’t feel so bad about the door edge guards they got me too but they look good and offer protection even though they cost a whole $3.50 to produce. Good luck man!

 

[Roger123]

I'm not blaming the victim. We live in a capitalist society so of course they're going to try to make a profit. Contacting Ford won't get anybody anywhere. It's unfortunate that dealerships aren't held accountable in situations like this but the system works for them, not us. The only way to prevent this from happening is to try to get ahead of the game and be very clear with the dealer before they take possession of the vehicle.

They're not capitalists, they're assholes.

 

[JT58Bronc]

1400 is not bad after all said and done. Still bad you have to pay it but.......

I had to pay 2500- I still feel guilty about it, always will. The first and only time I ever paid an ADM in over 45 years of vehicle buying. And I have bought a lot of vehikcles.

 

[3G & 6G]

Do you have a signed agreement from when you ordered it? Are there any add-ons that agreement? If not, that is the price you should pay. Doesn’t matter if they supposedly already installed whatever magic potion they claim.

The dealer is making plenty by selling to you even if they sold at a discount to MSRP. The dealer world has gone mad with these crazy add-ons, and for whatever reason people have been paying more of them in the last couple of years. Don’t give in and pay the BS charges.

if you aren’t comfortable fighting that battle, or you just want the Bronco bad enough that you are willing to pay it, then they have played the market conditions game and have won. At that point make sure you take advantage of every benefit that magic potion offers - does the interior protection offer replacement of something that can’t be cleaned properly? What kind of measurable benefit do they claim for the ceramic coating? Ask these questions, and also read the contract to understand who decides when those add-ons have failed at their claimed benefit. Then make sure you get your money’s worth in the claimed benefit.

Most people just take the word of the dealer - “ if you get a stain that can’t be removed we will replace it with new “. The contract frequently says something different, but in the excitement of the new car process and tons of paperwork the details become TLDR for most people. It is just easier to pay and move on.

You have done really well getting most of the stuff removed. Don’t cave now! With more push back you should be able to get the magic potion price reduced if not eliminated.

 

[Bigguyry2000]

California has pretty robust consumer advocacy laws. You may want to contact the State AG's office or a lawyer to get a better idea on if there is any consumer protections that you can leverage in this situation.

 

[telenerd]

Buy vehicle. Run while you can. You will get a dealer survey after purchase that will go to Ford and the owner/management of the dealership. Rip them a new one. You might get a phone call for an apology and check for the 1400 interior spray. The survey could affect their rebates offered and allocation.

 

[SubmarineNuke]

Ask if you can pay the extras with a credit card. Then after taking delivery, dispute the charge!!!

and then the credit card will investigate and the dealer proves that they did the work and he signed off on it and the charges get reinstated...this is bad advice dude.

 

[Big Diamond]

TLDR: This happened to me also.

On my first order, I didn't know you could pick a dealer and my reservation got assigned to the closest one to me.
This is Jim Ellis Ford of Sandy Springs, Atlanta. They charge MSRP on orders, but.........Force $1500 in accessories and make you pay for tint (which I did not want).
If I didn't call them out on it, they probably would have charged me for accessories I did not want, such as Nitrogen Filled tires and other BS.
In the end, I got the ARB compressor, all weather mats, door bags, etc.
Needless to say my second order was not with them and they won't be seeing any return business.

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