Your Local Dealer

[Jakko13]

If you want to compete with Granger, come up with a no BS purchasing policy.
Granger's sweet deal is not what keeps them on the top of my list, as that will be eaten up by transportation costs and slight hassle of working through the purchase remotely. It is their transparency and actions to help us through this process. Their actions on this board give me the impression of integrity. So, while I know what I'm getting into where they've told us, it's the unknown steps where I feel I will be sure to receive the same fair treatment.
Honestly, I'd pay a little extra for this treatment...

Were a small dealer, we offer the mom and pop store feel. A lot of my previous customers will stop in and have coffee or lunch with me while they are in for service. Our dealer is committed to providing fair pricing, including accepting plan pricing, no adm, adding ancillary products etc. At the end of the day our customers come back because we treat them fair and honestly. We have discussed set pricing but without actually know true prices it's hard to do that.

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[pan-y-cerveza]

Not saying that. I'm saying if you have an established relationship it can make it easier.

We've moved a lot. I wouldn't be too inclined to start a new relationship with a shop or dealer if I get bumped down the list because three people came in after me with vehicles that they bought through you because they've lived there for years and I haven't had the opportunity to establish a relationship.

How are you suppose to establish that relationship if you give preference to those who have already bought through you?

I've worked in sales too. In a bike shop. We always took in repairs in order. The relationship with returning customers was that we knew you by name, knew what you were looking for, etc. We wouldn't bump a new customer. We always treated the new customer like they had been shopping with us for years.

I know you're meaning well but bumping new customers for old doesn't exactly entice the new customers to come back.

Just the way I see things. Others may see it differently.

 

[GotWake]

I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but...

Some of our opinions are based on past experiences. Here are a few of my own:

1) As a woman who worked in high tech sales for years, my BS meter is pretty sharp and when I walk into a car dealership, it's usually pegged. Over the years, I've learned that many salespeople assume they can take advantage of women because they think we don't know what we're doing or are too afraid to speak up when we know we're getting screwed. It's the same when I take my car in for service.

2) If I take a guy friend with me, the whole tone is different. Respectful, not pandering. The salespeople talk to him like he's an equal. They assume they can't bullshit him. They assume I'm a target for whatever they can get away with. By the way, I HATE resorting to borrowing a man to bring with me for major purchases.

3) The last time I bought a new car, I went to pick it up and they put me in a room with a guy who was so strung out on cocaine his eyes were bugging out of his head. He closed the door and the pressure was on for me to add everything extra this guy had to sell: clear coat, extended maintenance agreements, you name it. And he wouldn't take no for an answer. I stood my ground and didn't buy anything from him, but it took me an hour to get out of his office. I couldn't just walk because he had the final paperwork and the keys to my new car.

4) The dealership gave me a year of free oil changes. The first time I brought it in, as I was driving home, the tire light came on signaling that the air was low. I called the dealer and talked to the guy at the service desk and he said it was "just because it was hot out." The next day, it was still on so I took it to a tire place down the street that I had worked with in the past. They looked at it and said an expensive electronic part was burned out. I told them the car was just three months old, and they said the part that controls that light was much older than three months. That light is still on, because I did not want to pay a couple hundred bucks for a replacement part that apparently my dealership service guy swapped out during the oil change.

5) Because I'm a glutton for punishment, I brought the car back three months later for another oil change. This time, I got it back with a scrape on the roof. When I asked about it, they denied any knowledge. I would have noticed the scrape: I see the top of my car every time I get in it. So no more free oil changes from that place...I don't trust them with my car.

6) Soooo...another place for oil changes. They broke the housing on my GPS. I asked them about it immediately when I picked up the car and they said they didn't know anything about it. I emailed the company and they never responded. I called the manager and he said it wasn't them. Well, obviously, someone took the car out for a spin and didn't realize you just have to press down on the GPS to get it to pop up. They must have pried it open and snapped the clasp.

My car still has that tire light on, the scrape on the roof, and the busted GPS. I have found a new place to take my car for service that hasn't tried to rip me off and hasn't done any damage yet, so I keep going back to them. If they sold Broncos, I'd buy from them in a minute. But they don't, so I'll continue to shop around until I find a place I can trust that does.

It always pisses me off when guys try to screw girls over. I had this friend in college that I loved taking to gun shops. The guys would think she didn’t know anything and she would immediately school them on a particular firearm. I would always sit back and laugh.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I'm all for supporting the local dealer. Until they pull a stunt like telling me there will be no ADM on broncos prior to reservation. And after I've made my reservation with them then telling me that there is no ADM AT THIS TIME but they can't be sure about ADM until ordering time. It's widespread practices like this by people's local dealers that are pushing them away.

This is one of the reasons why I have selected @Granger Ford for my purchase. They have put forward an outstanding offer saving me a lot of money, even when I factor in travel from Georgia to get it. They have been upfront and honest about everything and will always answer questions for all whom inquire on this forum. I have no doubt that come November that I am not going to get a notice from them that the deal has changed and I am stuck with whatever new deal they are offering.

In the greater Atlanta area most of the dealers are not even return inquiries from those of us who have reservations or have reached out. It has been proven that they are making up lies about other dealers with their fine offers in order to plant seeds of doubt.

I applaud you for coming on here and making a strong case for the local family owned dealers. Many are great and will look out for their customers but many don't. Glad to hear that your dealer provides that level of customer service.

It disappoints me that I won't be able to take advantage of the lifetime power train warranty that Granger offers due to the rules that have been set up from underwriting that helps give that relationship with the selling dealer a nudge. I wish that those rules would change to support authorized Ford repair shops to keep the warranty valid.

The reality is that I am going to have to pick a local dealer to do the service on my new ride and hope to be able to establish a good relationship and get great service. That fear has been some of the reasons I have seen some share about going elsewhere to purchase their vehicle. Hope I can find a great place for service.

 

[GetBucked]

So far, I have kept my reservation with my local dealer here in Michigan. My sales person has so far been very transparent and answered all of my questions as honest as he could. I have never purchased a vehicle from this dealership but i did take my car there for a warranty repair after the second or third time being jerked around by the dealership that i did actually buy the car from. They were super courteous and took care of me with no questions asked and whenever i wanted to bring the vehicle in (i was the guy that had 35,980 and try to get in before 36,000). For this reason, I chose them and will hopefully stick with them throughout the whole process and in the future.

 

[Jakko13]

So far, I have kept my reservation with my local dealer here in Michigan. My sales person has so far been very transparent and answered all of my questions as honest as he could. I have never purchased a vehicle from this dealership but i did take my car there for a warranty repair after the second or third time being jerked around by the dealership that i did actually buy the car from. They were super courteous and took care of me with no questions asked and whenever i wanted to bring the vehicle in (i was the guy that had 35,980 and try to get in before 36,000). For this reason, I chose them and will hopefully stick with them throughout the whole process and in the future.

That's the type of store we try to be like.

 

[BlueBronco]

To give just the smallest peak behind the curtain of volume buy negotiations I will say this; the ignorance and arrogance of some dealerships is astounding. And I am talking general managers and sales managers, not the typical floor guy. Yes, there are a few good guys/gals, but in my most recent experiences they are far and few between.

 

[Catmandu]

Let me preface this by saying I am currently a Sales Consultant at Vanderhyde Ford in Cedar Springs, Michigan. I've been following this forum and Bronco Facebook groups since the announcement of the Bronco. One theme that I see consistently come up is that people have serious concerns about finding a 'good' dealership to work with. I thought I would post my two cents for whatever it is worth.

I have worked for 2 separate family owned Ford Dealers for the last 6-7 years. Prior to this I worked at a private repair facility. My thoughts about dealerships were likely similar to many of you, meaning that you expected to be taken advantage of. In my 10 or so years in the automotive world I have been both in service and in sales so here are my two cents about choosing a dealership.

- A lot of dealers are owned and operated by a local single family/owner
- Most of the sales and service people live in possibly even the same neighborhood as you
- When you bring your vehicle in for service, if you are a customer that purchased from them you likely will receive better/quicker service because of that fact
- Relationship matters; if something does happen to your vehicle you can call/text/email someone that has some stake in the game

What I want to get across is that we all understand that price matters. We know there are dealers that will Mark Up these vehicles and take advantage of people. There are a lot of dealerships that won't. There are a lot of salespeople excited about this vehicle not because they feel like it will be an opportunity to make money, but because they are genuinely excited about the product. There are dealers that will explain Plan pricing structures etc... This is the type of dealership I work for and that is the type of dealership I hope that you can all find. A place where you don't become a number but you can walk into the sales or service department and the staff knows you by name. I would love for everyone to come buy their Bronco from me, but I recommend you build relationship with someone at your local dealership that cares not just about the sale but about the relationship.

Given the state of the nation right now, I felt it was my responsibility to the community to place my reservation with the local dealer. I did this even though my service experience with them has been less than stellar. I reached out the the dealer after I received my canned email and the response has been short and borderline rude. Regardless of what is going on, it is still the responsibility of the dealer to earn the business. I don't need to be pandered to, but come on....a bit of neighborhood friendliness would have gone a long way. I will more than likely move my reservation to dealer that wants my business. If I have to make a road trip out of it, so be it.

 

[quattroa4m]

So far, no deals in the Nashville area.

Paying MSRP (and possibly more) to your local dealer when you don't have to, just isn't logical. If you're wanting to support your city, town, etc., then put the cash you saved into a local charity, Habitat-for-Humanity, etc. It will go a lot further.

The idea that a dealer will give you better service if you've bought from them is total BS. High scores on service surveys are the holy grail for most service departments. Making distinctions between purchasing and non-purchasing service customers will result in lower scores every time. As well as ensure you'll never turn a "non-purchasing" customer into a future "purchasing" customer.

 

[Jakko13]

Given the state of the nation right now, I felt it was my responsibility to the community to place my reservation with the local dealer. I did this even though my service experience with them has been less than stellar. I reached out the the dealer after I received my canned email and the response has been short and borderline rude. Regardless of what is going on, it is still the responsibility of the dealer to earn the business. I don't need to be pandered to, but come on....a bit of neighborhood friendliness would have gone a long way. I will more than likely move my reservation to dealer that wants my business. If I have to make a road trip out of it, so be it.

I absolutely understand if you have not had a good experience I wouldn't want to give them any part of my 30k+ on a sale. Regardless of the price.

 

[GetBucked]

That's the type of store we try to be like.

It is definitely a very good quality in a dealer and sales/service rep. However, if I do feel that they are not treating myself or other customers right, I'll be easily persuaded to another dealership. Say... one in Cedar Springs . You're about a 2 hour drive from me so it's not too bad.

 

[ZackDanger]

Cool story bro:

This one time I had an emergency repair that needed to be done to get an ambulance back in service, and the dealer told me it was going to have to wait (possibly until the following morning) because an octogenarian "established customer" had just arrived for an unscheduled oil change in his gold Crown Victoria.

I know this is an extreme example of service staff exhibiting a critical lack of judgment... but it's what eventually happens when you rank relationships using the wrong metric(s).

 

[Jakko13]

Pretty easy to see under those circumstances that's a backwards way of thinking. My customers that live close by I drop off and pick up their vehicles those are the kind of things that a relationship with someone at your local dealership can get you.

Cool story bro:

This one time I had an emergency repair that needed to be done to get an ambulance back in service, and the dealer told me it was going to have to wait because an octogenarian "established customer" had just arrived for an unscheduled oil change in his gold Crown Victoria.

I know this is an extreme example of service staff exhibiting a critical lack of judgment... but it's what happens when you rank relationships by the wrong metric.

 

[RedRiverRev]

Ugh, don't get me started on why I loathe car dealers (yes, I've dealt with corporate-owned and "mom and pop" ones). You would think the corona virus would have humbled them, but nope...went car shopping in May/June and 90% were up to their old ways. The guys I see who have "good relationships" with their dealers are ones that drop $60k on a new F150 every two or three years. They like being pampered by dealers because they know they're wanted. Average working Joe like me walks into a dealership? I get a hello and shown where the water fountain is. I ended up getting a Toyota because their service was outstanding. I think a large part is that they still have value models like the Camry and Corolla that brings in new, younger customers, but I digress.

Your comment about the service experience confirmed that. I've made an appointment, clearly detailing everything I needed (even diagnosed the wheel bearing issue for them), over a week in advance and when I get there...shop is full of retired guys with their high end F150s getting oil changes. And yes, this was a "mom and pop" dealership. I waited two hours in the dealership before someone even came to talk to me (to explain why my vehicle hadn't even been looked at yet!). I asked for a courtesy shuttle to get a ride home since it was our only vehicle. Because I lived 25 miles from the dealership, they told me to hit the bricks because their courtesy shuttle only went 15 miles. This was the second Ford dealer in the area to do that.

I've spent probably $10k in repairs and maintenance on my Flex and not once has a dealership tried to form a relationship with me. It was a $50k car brand new and I keep things a long time. But see, I'm not the cash cow that they're looking for. I keep my vehicles for a long time before I replace them. But hey, Ford keeps making money hand-over-fist from those F150 guys, I guess they don't need people like me.

Management doesn't seem to care that their salespeople aren't knowledgeable, that they charge sticker or play pricing games in the age of the internet, or that their service department treats people like garbage. I'm sure there's some gems out there though and good luck to anyone who finds them.

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