What was/is required for a dealer to convert a reservation to an order?

[Turning Blue]

I placed a reservation in July, 2020. When my chosen dealer contacted me some time in early 2021, to convert to an order, I hadn't yet seen one in person, so I said I wanted to wait until I could see and possibly drive a Bronco first. I said to contact me when they get one so I can go in and take a look.

Unknown to me, my dealer converted my reservation to an order on March 19. 2021. I first learned that when I received an email from Ford in January, 2022 congratulating me on my order being confirmed. I immediately contacted the dealer and was told the order was a mistake on their part, and they switched it back to priority 99.

They did not contact me with any other updates or options, but I've since learned it was converted back to priority 19. They claim it was changed by Ford, and it could go in to production at any time. There are several problems, including the Bronco they ordered with my reservation is a 4Dr Outer Banks, without Sasquatch. But I configured a Base, 2Dr Sasquatch!

Now I've learned I need to modify the order in order to get what I really want, but by doing so, I'll lose price protection and other incentives since I didn't modify the order by March 7, 2022. Which, again they didn't notify me of, even though I was an unselected "hand raiser" and I had asked them to see if my order could be converted to a Bronco Raptor. I also can no longer switch dealers since I have an order instead of a reservation.

I'm going in on Tuesday to modify the order, etc., but would like to know if Ford did, or does require, a signature on any documents to convert reservations to orders? Not knowing how they converted it puts me at a disadvantage, so can anyone tell me if you had to sign documents to convert to, or place, an actual order? Please feel free to pm if you don't want to post your answer publicly. Thanks in advance!!!

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[mybikeisred]

I did have to sign and place a $500 deposit to convert to an order. That was from the dealership though, not a Ford requirement.

You lost your price protection by never converting your reservation anyway, so that’s on you.

I hope you can get your order squared away.

 

[Turning Blue]

Thanks for the reply. Since they converted it to an order on March 19, 2021, the price protection is still intact. They didn't convert my original configuration. They made their own order, which tells me they thought or hoped I would back out.

So I have to take it the way they ordered, or modify my order and lose price protection and incentives that Ford customer service confirmed are active on "my" order. Had they ordered my configuration I wouldn't have as much of a problem with what has happened.

You're right, I would've lost the price protection had it not been converted to an order. I just learned all this in the last two months or so. I wasn't following any Bronco forums, and they never gave me any guidance so I was uninformed.

I've recently seen this has happened to others, so I think it is a planned strategy to swipe reservations out from under us. Maybe there's a secret dealers forum where they educate each other on such tactics...lol.

 

[Drex]

I did have to sign and place a $500 deposit to convert to an order. That was from the dealership though, not a Ford requirement.

You lost your price protection by never converting your reservation anyway, so that’s on you.

I hope you can get your order squared away.

Thanks for the reply. Since they converted it to an order on March 19, 2021, the price protection is still intact. They didn't convert my original configuration. They made their own order, which tells me they thought or hoped I would back out.

So I have to take it the way they ordered, or modify my order and lose price protection and incentives that Ford customer service confirmed are active on "my" order. Had they ordered my configuration I wouldn't have as much of a problem with what has happened.

You're right, I would've lost the price protection had it not been converted to an order. I just learned all this in the last two months or so. I wasn't following any Bronco forums, and they never gave me any guidance so I was uninformed.

I've recently seen this has happened to others, so I think it is a planned strategy to swipe reservations out from under us. Maybe there's a secret dealers forum where they educate each other on such tactics...lol.

Having a reservation on or prior to 3/19/21 also granted price protection (although the mechanism is unclear as to how to calculate the amount if it was still a reservation in October of that year when they locked in the rebate amount.) While Ford did instruct dealers to convert in March of last year, they were to 99 the orders if folks wanted to wait. The perverse incentive was that they would get more allocations with a higher percent conversions, so dealers who converted a higher percentage, got more units to fill their orders. While there are no numbers to which I have access, anecdotal stories and logical inference indicate a huge number of dealers converted on 3/19 for all they had, whether or not they had been in talks with the final consumer. While it does not help you in the least, and more on that later, it shows you are not alone in this happening.


You write that you became aware that the dealer had mis-ordered your preferred trim, presumably the day or day after you realized they had ordered, but chose not to have them update the order at that time. You are also aware of the pricing and changes to order date that just passed, so some of this lands on you as far as responsibility for not correcting it in time.

You do have an option though, unfortunately it involves waiting until Ford lifts the embargo on price increase free changes. (if they do so even for next MY, I have profound doubts that Ford won't continue that policy to squeeze out as many reservationists price protection as possible. The fact that Ford has to be aware that dealers converted a lot of reservations without permission on the 3/20/21 and has nothing in place to 'fix' it, tells you all you need to know about their committment to the reservation holders.)

99 the order right now, that is not a change. You weren't getting built this year anyway most likely (they are already in May for production notifications). Change it when 2023MY's come up for order. (if Ford doesn't screw us again, which...I again believe is likely). So if you 99 it (and the dealer does it, and then actually changes the order in 2023MY ordering, and Ford doesn't continue to chip away at the promises they made to reservationists...) you should be fine. Haven't really lost anything yet.

 

[Turning Blue]

Having a reservation on or prior to 3/19/21 also granted price protection (although the mechanism is unclear as to how to calculate the amount if it was still a reservation in October of that year when they locked in the rebate amount.) While Ford did instruct dealers to convert in March of last year, they were to 99 the orders if folks wanted to wait. The perverse incentive was that they would get more allocations with a higher percent conversions, so dealers who converted a higher percentage, got more units to fill their orders. While there are no numbers to which I have access, anecdotal stories and logical inference indicate a huge number of dealers converted on 3/19 for all they had, whether or not they had been in talks with the final consumer. While it does not help you in the least, and more on that later, it shows you are not alone in this happening.


You write that you became aware that the dealer had mis-ordered your preferred trim, presumably the day or day after you realized they had ordered, but chose not to have them update the order at that time. You are also aware of the pricing and changes to order date that just passed, so some of this lands on you as far as responsibility for not correcting it in time.

You do have an option though, unfortunately it involves waiting until Ford lifts the embargo on price increase free changes. (if they do so even for next MY, I have profound doubts that Ford won't continue that policy to squeeze out as many reservationists price protection as possible. The fact that Ford has to be aware that dealers converted a lot of reservations without permission on the 3/20/21 and has nothing in place to 'fix' it, tells you all you need to know about their committment to the reservation holders.)

99 the order right now, that is not a change. You weren't getting built this year anyway most likely (they are already in May for production notifications). Change it when 2023MY's come up for order. (if Ford doesn't screw us again, which...I again believe is likely). So if you 99 it (and the dealer does it, and then actually changes the order in 2023MY ordering, and Ford doesn't continue to chip away at the promises they made to reservationists...) you should be fine. Haven't really lost anything yet.

Thanks for the advice. I have to admit some ignorance because I didn't realize the reservation was converted in March 2021 until Ford sent me an email in January, 2022, confirming my order. About two days earlier I had become a "hand raiser" (learned that term recently too) for the Bronco Raptor. So when I received the order confirmation for an Outer Banks I immediately called the dealer and was told it was a mistake on their part.

According to Ford Customer Service I currently have a $750 private offer (whatever that means) good until April 10, 2022, and $800 in price protection good through December 31, 2022. I'll be asking the dealer more about these later this morning.

Anyway, thanks for suggesting that I just have them change it to a priority 99. This could also help if they happen to do another round of hand raisers. I'll keep this as an option. Thanks!

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