My Ford "Dear John" Letter

[OldGrayMare]

What was the purpose of the letter?

To some, the bronco is not just a vehicle to get them from point A to B. It’s a memory, a promise, an adventure. Ford is in the business of making cars to make money. People have different reasons for buying cars and it felt important to me to tell Ford why I was excited about owning a bronco. For me, it is bookends as you excellently put it. Our ‘66 is where my husband I started our relationship. The first classic car we got to work on together. We have been everywhere in that stupid truck. Met lots of cool people too. A 2021MY makes the 55 years our Bronco has been on the road seem worthwhile. At least to me anyway.

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[Solodriver19]

Thought I would share a letter I mailed (yes, in an envelope with a stamp) to Ford last month. I waited this long to post it to give Ford a chance to respond so I could show you guys they actually do care about us. It never happened. I didn't even get the cool poster, letter, and sticker. I'm sure I'm on the naughty list now. Honestly, I didn't expect anything in return. Just wanted to feel like I was doing something to help nudge them along in being more responsive. I hope my sad letter brings you guys joy...or at least a chuckle!

Well done!

 

[tmandz]

Well said. I feel the same way. I'm sure thousands of others do as well.

Ford's public facing sentiment seems to say "it's fine, we're working on it, everything will be OK" while privately I'm sure it is "what on earth are we going to, this is a disaster"

I wasn't a part of the 2020 explorer launch, but when I reserved this vehicle (first Ford even though I work with them every day) I thought there was no way it could be worse than that release. They wouldn't let it. Heads would roll. Yet here we are. I'm not sure since I'm so deep in the rabbit hole but it certainly appears to be worse and it's barely begun.

I know this seems like the end of the world since its a product we're all deeply emotionally attached to, but until they start redirecting Broncos from MAP to Flat Rock to fix major quality issues before delivery, this is nowhere near the level of the 20MY Explorer launch. That fiasco is the direct reason F stock hit its lowest price since the Great Recession.

 

[stupidrookie]

I'm pretty sure no matter what your letter says, your reply will be along the lines of:

Dear Valued Customer:​

Thank you for being a loyal Bronco (TM) fan. We have taken the time to carefully review your correspondence. Rest assured, we value your opinions. We will be in touch with you every step of the way, until your Bronco (TM) is in your driveway.​

If you get any response, the letter will not address any specific concerns and will not answer any specific questions.

 

[De Brus]

Day 2 reservation and you felt entitled to writing this letter!?



I'm just teasing. Actually I honestly think you get an earlier delivery because of it but just don't know it yet

 

[Mikesmallcrawler21]

Very well written!!
I honestly believe you will get a response, maybe not a Bronco 21, but something nice from FoMoCo!!

 

[WyoBronc]

I'm not seeing any actionable items in that letter. Likely you'll not receive any action in response.

I don’t believe he was banking on an action……I think that impassioned letter was more about expression and letting Ford know of the human toll being taken on their biggest, long-standing supporters.

It’s good for Ford to see people being impacted, and sometimes it’s just good to get some things off your chest.

 

[Roadeyes]

Our ‘66 is where my husband I started our relationship.

Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! There are kids around here!

 

[OldGrayMare]

Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! There are kids around here!

Okay…bad wording. I usually catch that kinda stuff. My dirty mind was asleep during that post.

 

[OldGrayMare]

I don’t believe he was banking on an action……I think that impassioned letter was more about expression and letting Ford know of the human toll being taken on their biggest, long-standing supporters.

It’s good for Ford to see people being impacted, and sometimes it’s just good to get some things off your chest.

Thanks for understanding my thinking. I can’t always explain my brain!

 

[WyoBronc]

Hey! Whoa, whoa, whoa! There are kids around here!

Okay…bad wording. I usually catch that kinda stuff. My dirty mind was asleep during that post.

yeah, it sounds as if you and the husband would have benefited from some MGV and washout interior back in 66. Haha.

 

[stratego]

I work for a competing automaker, and with that context, I am very sympathetic to Ford. They are trying to do right by their customers and introduce a highly sought-after model during a pandemic that has globally disrupted supply chains. Cars can have upwards of 40k+ individual parts that all need to be sourced from around the globe and arrive "just-in-time" to be put in your vehicle.

I know that there's a lot of frustration with the reservation system, but imagine if they HADN'T done reservations and dealers were allowed to do whatever they wanted with markup with no penalties. I think the reservation system will get better and better as supply chains normalize and the reservation scheduling process becomes an oiled machine.

 

[ArrickSports]

Thought I would share a letter I mailed (yes, in an envelope with a stamp) to Ford last month. I waited this long to post it to give Ford a chance to respond so I could show you guys they actually do care about us. It never happened. I didn't even get the cool poster, letter, and sticker. I'm sure I'm on the naughty list now. Honestly, I didn't expect anything in return. Just wanted to feel like I was doing something to help nudge them along in being more responsive. I hope my sad letter brings you guys joy...or at least a chuckle!

Would be interesting to post a link to that PDF on Twitter and tag Mike Levine . . . . .

 

[KnoxGnater]

Stay pumped! Don’t forget to register for an Offrodeo event!

 

[DEC]

I'm hoping you don't receive this in return . "Here is a nice set of Bronco Die Casts for your troubles."

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