Bad dealer experience when picking up my new FFH

[gripdad]

Yesterday I went to my dealer to pick up my new 2013 FFH Titanium and I was very pleased with the vehicle but not with my dealer. I was very specific as to what I wanted on the vehicle so I went to the dealer armed with a Truecar Guaranteed Savings Certificate which they had emailed me, and ordered my car. They were all smiles and handshakes at this point. Two months later I get a phone call that my car was in, which surprised me because they had told me it would still be a week or two before they received it. I scrambled to transfer my old car to the new owner, get the check cleared at my bank, and ran to the dealer to get my new car.

When I arrived at the dealer the salesman came over to my wife and I and said, by the way we installed an alarm on the car and some security stickers on the body panels so if somebody strips your car the police can identify the parts. I told them the car came with a very good alarm from the factory and that the stickers could be peeled off by a two year old and that I didn't want them. They said they would have to charge me to remove the alarm and the stickers! We then went in to sign the loan docs, and surprise, the Guaranteed price was more than what was on the Truecar worksheet that I had been emailed and I was being charged $990 for the alarm and stickers.

I then had to see a series of managers to explain my disappointment and they all said they were very sorry but this is a limited production car and the Truecar pricing doesn't apply because it's a hybrid and whatever other bullsnot they could come up with. I did negotiate some price concessions after hours of battling but I ended up paying $690 more than the guaranteed pricing. I really wanted to walk out but I had waited two months for the specific car and options that I wanted, which I couldn't find anywhere else and I had already sold my old car.

There are some very good trustworthy, honest, fair dealers out there but buyer beware, the days of "bait and switch" and dealer "fluff" are still out there. I am very happy with the car and I was able to remove the alarm without to much trouble but they did use those crimp connecters that bite through the wire insulation in the harness breaking some strands in the process.

[jeff_h]

The dealer where I bought my SE Hybrid was wonderful, and I rated them accordingly when the dealer survey from Ford arrived in my email about 3 weeks after the sale. That dealer said that if there was any reason that we felt that we could not rate them with the highest marks on all areas, to please let them know as those surveys hold a lot of weight.

 

Then we got my wife's Energi at a different dealer, wanted to have my first dealer do a DX for one but they said the VINs were still too scarce and another dealer would not be willing to trade out... so I bought through a different dealer and was not at all happy with the experience (though not as hairy as the experience you noted above). The other day I got the email link for this dealer's survey, and I was not kind at all. As I went through the survey, I did a screen capture on each page and saved, so I still have exactly what I rated and what I submitted.

 

So your time to have your say by way of the dealer survey is just around the corner.

[elle]

Yep, what Jeff said. Make sure you let them know you are not happy. I'd also go on Yelp and make a stink. Too many car dealers still act like we're buying cars in a vacuum, but that is not the case any more. We have tools to let others know about our experiences, and we should use them.

[Sleddog]

I would have walked on the deal. If they did not hold to the price agreed on, they could keep it. I never by anything like aftermarket alarms or tire warranties from the dealer. Same with the ESP. I buy that from a Ford dealer in MA. Some dealers think they are the only one that sells these cars. As much as I want one, and therefore ordered it, I can always purchase, or order one, some where else. They add it on, they take it off. My order sheet gives me my price out the door.

 

I'm surprised they add an alarm with all the cautions in the owners manual about adding non-Ford aftermarket parts.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Sleddog

[rico567]

I'm not talking about you personally, but I suspect the fact that some people don't just walk away from a scam like this is the reason they try it in the first place. If the Truecar price didn't apply, you obviously should have been told about that at the beginning of the process = deal over.

 

I have walked away from a deal or two in my life when something questionable was involved, and each time at some inconvenience to myself. We had negotiated a car we really wanted to $500 difference.....this was years ago, and my offer was based on Edmund's TMV, which is hardly lowball. They then tried to Fargo us, guy said his manager wouldn't let him go that low. We walked out, and a few days later, learned of a killer lease deal on a car, and put down a deposit. Later that day, the salesman from dealership #1 called me back and said they'd meet my offer, then had the nerve to get upset when I told him we'd already agreed to lease a car elsewhere.

 

It's tough when you've waited a long time for a car you've ordered But in a case like this, with basically no legal recourse, it's the only way to keep people honest.....or at least keep them from trying to pull crap like this.

[terryb]

I got a real screwin' on the trade for my '10 from the dealer 1 mile down the hwy. and he'll never see another dime of mine. I did however put hime through the hoops when I went looking for the '13 and I'll continue to mess with him as long as he's so close and is such a twit. He told me the deal I described from my '13 dealer was just a comeon and I wouldn't get it when the car arrived. I reminded him that he was the only dealer I'd run into so sar that had screwed me that bad in a deal and waved bye bye again.

 

Live and learn.

[Aquineas]

Sorry to hear about your experience bro. While I can understand your reasons for not doing so, if it were me, I'd totally throw the dealer under the bus by revealing the name of the dealer.

[dalesky]

Yesterday I went to my dealer to pick up my new 2013 FFH Titanium and I was very pleased with the vehicle but not with my dealer. I was very specific as to what I wanted on the vehicle so I went to the dealer armed with a Truecar Guaranteed Savings Certificate which they had emailed me, and ordered my car. They were all smiles and handshakes at this point. Two months later I get a phone call that my car was in, which surprised me because they had told me it would still be a week or two before they received it. I scrambled to transfer my old car to the new owner, get the check cleared at my bank, and ran to the dealer to get my new car.

When I arrived at the dealer the salesman came over to my wife and I and said, by the way we installed an alarm on the car and some security stickers on the body panels so if somebody strips your car the police can identify the parts. I told them the car came with a very good alarm from the factory and that the stickers could be peeled off by a two year old and that I didn't want them. They said they would have to charge me to remove the alarm and the stickers! We then went in to sign the loan docs, and surprise, the Guaranteed price was more than what was on the Truecar worksheet that I had been emailed and I was being charged $990 for the alarm and stickers.

I then had to see a series of managers to explain my disappointment and they all said they were very sorry but this is a limited production car and the Truecar pricing doesn't apply because it's a hybrid and whatever other bullsnot they could come up with. I did negotiate some price concessions after hours of battling but I ended up paying $690 more than the guaranteed pricing. I really wanted to walk out but I had waited two months for the specific car and options that I wanted, which I couldn't find anywhere else and I had already sold my old car.

There are some very good trustworthy, honest, fair dealers out there but buyer beware, the days of "bait and switch" and dealer "fluff" are still out there. I am very happy with the car and I was able to remove the alarm without to much trouble but they did use those crimp connecters that bite through the wire insulation in the harness breaking some strands in the process.

Unbelievable that they added on, after you ordered. I might contact your Attorney General about their business practices, and definitely get a report to the BBB. Wow, what crap!

[dalesky]

Sorry to hear about your experience bro. While I can understand your reasons for not doing so, if it were me, I'd totally throw the dealer under the bus by revealing the name of the dealer.

Oh, absolutely, and, let Trina or Eric at Ford know, plus be sure to note it thoroughly on the survey you will get from Ford

[hybridbear]

Unbelievable that they added on, after you ordered. I might contact your Attorney General about their business practices, and definitely get a report to the BBB. Wow, what crap!

I agree with this. In addition to the BBB and Attorney General, I'd also contact Ford's 1-800 customer service number to file a complaint with Ford about that dealer. If dealerrater.com applies to your area I would also leave a negative review on there. I found dealerrater.com to be a useful tool when we were considering different dealers for our car.

 

Yesterday I went to my dealer to pick up my new 2013 FFH Titanium and I was very pleased with the vehicle but not with my dealer. I was very specific as to what I wanted on the vehicle so I went to the dealer armed with a Truecar Guaranteed Savings Certificate which they had emailed me, and ordered my car. They were all smiles and handshakes at this point. Two months later I get a phone call that my car was in, which surprised me because they had told me it would still be a week or two before they received it. I scrambled to transfer my old car to the new owner, get the check cleared at my bank, and ran to the dealer to get my new car.

When I arrived at the dealer the salesman came over to my wife and I and said, by the way we installed an alarm on the car and some security stickers on the body panels so if somebody strips your car the police can identify the parts. I told them the car came with a very good alarm from the factory and that the stickers could be peeled off by a two year old and that I didn't want them. They said they would have to charge me to remove the alarm and the stickers! We then went in to sign the loan docs, and surprise, the Guaranteed price was more than what was on the Truecar worksheet that I had been emailed and I was being charged $990 for the alarm and stickers.

I then had to see a series of managers to explain my disappointment and they all said they were very sorry but this is a limited production car and the Truecar pricing doesn't apply because it's a hybrid and whatever other bullsnot they could come up with. I did negotiate some price concessions after hours of battling but I ended up paying $690 more than the guaranteed pricing. I really wanted to walk out but I had waited two months for the specific car and options that I wanted, which I couldn't find anywhere else and I had already sold my old car.

There are some very good trustworthy, honest, fair dealers out there but buyer beware, the days of "bait and switch" and dealer "fluff" are still out there. I am very happy with the car and I was able to remove the alarm without to much trouble but they did use those crimp connecters that bite through the wire insulation in the harness breaking some strands in the process.

I'm sorry for your bad experience.

 

I can't imagine how hard it would be to make the decision in that situation of walking away from a car you've waited a long time for versus putting up with that garbage from them.

[gripdad]

The dealer was Sunrise Ford in North Hollywood, California. I will let Ford know how I was treated.