Mike Levine on Twitter

[nomnom]

Anyone on here with experience in running product communications for a company as large as Ford that can help us forum dwellers understand the complexities he’s dealing with? Think you can do better?

some dealers are shitty yes, it is wrong for them to mark up a special order vehicle. Customers have many options in fighting this, some resort to forum posts resulting in attacks via online ratings/negative news. Glad to see the customer got a fair price on his new bronco, sad it had to come to this, shame on dealerships that think they can do this crap.

Mike Levin did what he could, y’all gotta keep in mind how crazy inflated the car market is in general, how every new and used car now has an ADM, and that broncos are not the only car ford is selling.

I don’t think he’s a bad person, he just has a lot of other shit going on. Poor dealership behavior is not his fault.

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[Corsair]

If Ford would be proactive then this would be a non-issue.

 

[contented]

Added dealer markups are/were a thing w/ C8 Corvettes, Toyota Supras, etc and now includes Broncos. As I watched Corvettes and Supras from a distance, it was apparent that GM and Toyota were hesitant to do much to force dealers to honor msrp. Ford seems the same. Why that is, we mere mortals can only speculate. Free market laws of supply and demand? But what I do know? Ford makes the rules, can change the rules as they see fit for any reason at any time. And don't forget they're selling these things as fast as they can make them. It is what it is. It's their game. Don't like the rules? Find another game I guess. If one loves the fight, have at it. But remember it's their game and their rules. I'm not certain attacking those who make the rules is productive.

I get the disappointment, but some folks seem so angry. I've said this before, I won't fight, argue, or try to force someone to take my money - even if I really want what they're selling. The bad taste will be there every time I push the start button. Life's just too short and at my age, getting shorter by the day.

My dealer told me it would be a year. I may even wait fifteen months. But after that, I'll probably move on. Maybe a Jeep. Maybe I'll have lost interest in off roading by then. Who knows.

Life is just too short. Contented

 

[Steelbama]

Added dealer markups are/were a thing w/ C8 Corvettes, Toyota Supras, etc and now includes Broncos. As I watched Corvettes and Supras from a distance, it was apparent that GM and Toyota were hesitant to do much to force dealers to honor msrp. Ford seems the same. Why that is, we mere mortals can only speculate. Free market laws of supply and demand? But what I do know? Ford makes the rules, can change the rules as they see fit for any reason at any time. And don't forget they're selling these things as fast as they can make them. It is what it is. It's their game. Don't like the rules? Find another game I guess. If one loves the fight, have at it. But remember it's their game and their rules. I'm not certain attacking those who make the rules is productive.

I get the disappointment, but some folks seem so angry. I've said this before, I won't fight, argue, or try to force someone to take my money - even if I really want what they're selling. The bad taste will be there every time I push the start button. Life's just too short and at my age, getting shorter by the day.

My dealer told me it would be a year. I may even wait fifteen months. But after that, I'll probably move on. Maybe a Jeep. Maybe I'll have lost interest in off roading by then. Who knows.

Life is just too short. Contented

You have an infantile understanding of power. Again, if dealers do shity shit then I am all for people using methods to counter. Ford and Dealers have power and the work of people on the internet should leverage all power available to counter.

 

[Lothbrok]

Yeah, he was also throwing shade at Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders today as well ... he should worry about getting Ford reservation holders their Broncos ... the guy is a joke and I cannot believe he is allowed to say some of the things he does on public forums

 

[TheeBullhead]

Yeah, he was also throwing shade at Tesla Cybertruck reservation holders today as well ... he should worry about getting Ford reservation holders their Broncos ... the guy is a joke and I cannot believe he is allowed to say some of the things he does on public forums

I tried throwing a little shade back but with my 0 followers, it does little more than make my petty self feel better.

 

[Koz44]

I’m brand new to this forum and don’t want to be slammed so I will start by saying I’m 1000% on the side of buyers expecting msrp (or lower) who are hit by last minute ADM charges.

That being said, Mike Levine has absolutely no power, no say, no influence in any of these transactions. When I first started here I saw his name in many treads and thought he was someone super high up at Ford. He’s just a guy (Director Level) in the communications department at Ford with a lot of followers on Twitter. How did we (as a forum) decide that he was the person to complain to?

If anything is happening with these deals it’s because he’s passing them along (to his boss, a VP, also on Twitter) and someone higher up is stepping in. The Director of Communications in a company this size is not influencing anything except what is posted online (or advertising elsewhere).

 

[BenderSquatch]

Meh. He has a point. He can’t do much if there’s no contract. Just the earth we live on.

Alternatively, if the dealership wanted to ensure a smooth transaction experience and avoid bad reviews, they should have ensured they signed a binding document with the customer during ordering and deposit gobbling, thereby enshrining their ADM prerogative. That way, the customer wouldn't have any basis for complaining.

Otherwise, they deserve all the poor reviews and bad publicity.

 

[ab_slack]

He can’t do anything? I know one thing ford could do. Have a 100% name match on orders. If someone cancels the order it goes back to ford and they run an offer for all order holders, the earliest time stamp that wants it, gets it.

Yes this. Or better, require dealer to show a signed sales contract before even building it. Then the reservation holders have some leverage even if not much. As it is the deodars are rewarded when a reservation holder walks away from a Bronco.

 

[Steelbama]

I’m brand new to this forum and don’t want to be slammed so I will start by saying I’m 1000% on the side of buyers expecting msrp (or lower) who are hit by last minute ADM charges.

That being said, Mike Levine has absolutely no power, no say, no influence in any of these transactions. When I first started here I saw his name in many treads and thought he was someone super high up at Ford. He’s just a guy (Director Level) in the communications department at Ford with a lot of followers on Twitter. How did we (as a forum) decide that he was the person to complain to?

If anything is happening with these deals it’s because he’s passing them along (to his boss, a VP, also on Twitter) and someone higher up is stepping in. The Director of Communications in a company this size is not influencing anything except what is posted online (or advertising elsewhere).

You are missing the point, he is trying to be an authority when he is not. He was stating that people raising concerns should shut up, because for some reason, he sees that as a problem.

 

[Koz44]

Let’s be specific to Mike Levine when we say he can or can’t do anything. He’s not Ford. There are 4,800 people with “communications” in their title at Ford. 681 of them are Director level. How did the forum decide he was in charge of something?

And to be clear, I don’t know him, I’m in NY and no where near him, I have no reason to defend him. I got my Bronco Christmas Eve, found this forum over the weekend and then got covid this week and have done nothing but sit on my couch on this forum all week so I come to this as an objective outside observer - one who spent many, many years in Sales at a company as large as Ford and knows that Dir of Communications is not a position of influence.

 

[Koz44]

You are missing the point, he is trying to be an authority when he is not. He was stating that people raising concerns should shut up, because for some reason, he sees that as a problem.
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Having only been here since last weekend I can’t speak to him trying to be an authority. If he has, then from the outside I would say immediately that he is not. It’s possible that I’m missing something. He has a ton of Twitter followers and a blue check mark so maybe? But if so I believe he’d have a different title.

I have a title in real life. I will connect with him and see what I can find out.

 

[RagnarKon]

Let’s be specific to Mike Levine when we say he can or can’t do anything. He’s not Ford. There are 4,800 people with “communications” in their title at Ford. 681 of them are Director level. How did the forum decide he was in charge of something?

To answer your question... it is because he is the only one that has regularly responded and attempted to help future Bronco owners when issues have popped up.

I have mixed feelings about it. He obviously cares about Ford, otherwise he wouldn't even bother helping us. And the fact that he even willing to attempt to help should be commended. But at the same time, some of the stuff he says comes off as dismissive. I'm not surprised honestly... he is dealing with crap dealers and customers who are furious, so I'm not surprised he gets a little... snippy?... from time to time. Truthfully I'm shocked he hasn't just closed the door from helping customers altogether, because helping us is certainly not part of his job description.

BUT... Ford's customer service lines are... unfortunately... worthless, so in many cases we have no choice. They are completely overwhelmed with phone calls related to not only the Bronco, but also the F-150 Lightning and the Maverick. It is obvious Ford was not prepared to handle the load. I'm not surprised... usually the dealers themselves interact with us the customer and not anyone in Ford corporate. But with the reservation system Ford created, we NEED to interact with Ford to get anything done.

And just to complicate things you have a bunch of vehicle buyers who have never ordered a brand-new vehicle before in a market as limited as the current market. Usually people just go a dealership and pick out a vehicle. If the dealership quotes them a bad price... no problem... just drive down the road to the next dealer. But you can't do that with the Bronco. So unless people know how to protect themselves from predatory dealers, they get screwed. And unfortunately the only tools we have to resolve the situation is either to complain to Mike Levine on Twitter, or post on Bronco6G so we can bombard the dealership with negative reviews.

 

[GiveItaTri]

I would think one of the highest prioritized skills for the Director of Communications would be ‘People Skills’. Just behind that would be ‘Ability to Communicate’. Those are not Levine’s strengths.

I’d hire him as a marketing intern.

 

[Koz44]

I appreciate the background. I will see if he connects on LinkedIn and then ask him some questions and report back. My sense is that his radar will be high and he won’t respond.

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