Lack of Communication

JRZ1

I put a deposit on a Bronco way back on July 15th of 2020. Reservation ID 10223437. I get that we're in unprecedented times with the pandemic, supply chain disruptions etc. but what I find flabbergasting is the complete lack of communication with real information about order status/production timing. Ford is seemingly trying to placate folks that have orders placed with lots of rodeo emails, nifty little calendars and other nick knacks mailed over time but what I really want is some kind of information and I'm getting ZERO from either my dealer or Ford. I also more recently put a deposit on a Lightning but I think I'm bagging that and going with a Rivian. If I were in charge I would insist on my team doing either bi-weekly or montly update emails to those with orders in, giving status update, what constraints are, options to adjust order to get an earlier production slot etc. That would be a way to build loyalty but here in the face of a > 1 yr delay, we have silence. This will make a good business school case study at some point down the road. Very frustrating to hear absolutely nothing.

Been there done that bought the t-shirt.

I would email the dealer and get this
Thank you for your inquiry, we are glad we answered your question feel free to contact us again if you have any other questions.

This was the response I would get to a question but they never answered the question! Then the jerks would send emails trying to buy my car.

It really doesn't take a lot of effort to build customer loyalty. Apparently the execs at Ford missed that chapter of the book in b-school.

JRZ1

I put a deposit on a Bronco way back on July 15th of 2020. Reservation ID 10223437. I get that we're in unprecedented times with the pandemic, supply chain disruptions etc. but what I find flabbergasting is the complete lack of communication with real information about order status/production timing. Ford is seemingly trying to placate folks that have orders placed with lots of rodeo emails, nifty little calendars and other nick knacks mailed over time but what I really want is some kind of information and I'm getting ZERO from either my dealer or Ford. I also more recently put a deposit on a Lightning but I think I'm bagging that and going with a Rivian. If I were in charge I would insist on my team doing either bi-weekly or montly update emails to those with orders in, giving status update, what constraints are, options to adjust order to get an earlier production slot etc. That would be a way to build loyalty but here in the face of a > 1 yr delay, we have silence. This will make a good business school case study at some point down the road. Very frustrating to hear absolutely nothing.

Sorry, just realized this went in wrong forum. Great first post. Mod's feel free to delete here. Will re-post in correct spot.

I agree with you. A lot of us on here are frustrated about the communication part of this ordering/building process....I jump every time I get an email that contains the word "Bronco" only to find that it's an email reminding me to sign up to the Bronco Off-Roadeo.

Hang in there! We are all on the (long) journey together.

I'm on the fence about it personally. Part of me thinks Ford should be providing at least quarterly updates. But the other part of me knows that nothing has really changed... so do I care if Ford updates me if nothing has really changed?? Probably not.

"Hi order holder, we're sorry for the delay, were dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. Hard tops and tow package are the constrained items, if you want your Bronco consider switching off those items."

Month later...

"Hi again order holder. Same story as last time, still dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. You should still consider switching off the constrained items."

Month later...

"Hello again. Same story, still supply chain issues. We'll check in next month to tell you the exact same thing."

---

At some point it would just become meaningless to send out essentially the same email. So may be best if Ford only sends out updates when something has actually changed.

RagnarKon

I'm on the fence about it personally. Part of me thinks Ford should be providing at least quarterly updates. But the other part of me knows that nothing has really changed... so do I care if Ford updates me if nothing has really changed?? Probably not.

"Hi order holder, we're sorry for the delay, were dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. Hard tops and tow package are the constrained items, if you want your Bronco consider switching off those items."

Month later...

"Hi again order holder. Same story as last time, still dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. You should still consider switching off the constrained items."

Month later...

"Hello again. Same story, still supply chain issues. We'll check in next month to tell you the exact same thing."

---

At some point it would just become meaningless to send out essentially the same email. So may be best if Ford only sends out updates when something has actually changed.

There would be ways to fill the emails with little bits of info that would probably be enough to keep us going until the next montly email. Might not be any actual info on your specific order but they could give something - production details, key issues/challenges, updated constraint list etc. Something would be better than nothing in my view.

JRZ1

There would be ways to fill the emails with little bits of info that would probably be enough to keep us going until the next montly email. Might not be any actual info on your specific order but they could give something - production details, key issues/challenges, updated constraint list etc. Something would be better than nothing in my view.

You may be right.

Ultimately everyone just wants an estimate, some sort of ETA. Unless they get an ETA they’re going to be upset by whatever updates Ford gives. But that’s the one thing Ford cannot give, because they simply don’t know, things are too unstable. Obviously they’re doing things one week at a time at the moment, because if they were able to accurately forecast dates we wouldn’t be seeing all of these delays. They can schedule a bunch of builds for February using delivery estimates they get from the electronics factory in Japan. But if something goes wrong, and that shipment gets stuck on a ship off the coast of Los Angeles (for example), suddenly all the estimates Ford released for February are completely incorrect.

So… I guess it becomes a pick your poison question

• Only get updates when something has actually changed
• Get updates on a regular cadence even though nothing has really changed
• Get an ETA knowing that ETA is wildly inaccurate and will probably change multiple times

RagnarKon

You may be right.

Ultimately everyone just wants an estimate, some sort of ETA. Unless they get an ETA they’re going to be upset by whatever updates Ford gives. But that’s the one thing Ford cannot give, because they simply don’t know, things are too unstable. Obviously they’re doing things one week at a time at the moment, because if they were able to accurately forecast dates we wouldn’t be seeing all of these delays. They can schedule a bunch of builds for February using delivery estimates they get from the electronics factory in Japan. But if something goes wrong, and that shipment gets stuck on a ship off the coast of Los Angeles (for example), suddenly all the estimates Ford released for February are completely incorrect.

So… I guess it becomes a pick your poison question

• Only get updates when something has actually changed
• Get updates on a regular cadence even though nothing has really changed
• Get an ETA knowing that ETA is wildly inaccurate and will probably change multiple times

I think you're right. If they are going to change my ETA, I want to know WHY they are changing it. It's the same thing with the updates. General statements like "due to unprecedented supply chain disruption..." don't get it done. I believe that the email should be order-specific. Something like:

"Your order for a Bronco Badlands with Mic top, LUX package, leather seats, Sasquatch, and tow package" has been delayed due to a lack of MIC tops, and tow packages available to build your Bronco. We have tried to schedule your build X times since the last email, and each time one or more of the constrained items has not been available so we used the parts to build a different order. We currently predict that we will have all of your constrained parts at the same time so that your build will be able to be built by 11/31/2022. If you would like to contact your dealer and change your order to reduce your constrained parts, please do so, and we will provide an updated production date for you.

Regards, the Ford who actually cares about the end customer, not just the dealers."

Also, they should also put that same information on the Order Tracking (Pizza order) website as well. But they should change that website so that it doesn't require a VIN to access it, just the order number. That way, as soon as my order is placed, I can log in there and look at the status and ETA of my order and not have to make phone calls to the dealer and/or Ford.

Clearly Ford has let Dealerships be responsible for the customer care experience for too long. Ford was not at all prepared for an unprecedented amount of people who have never preordered a vehicle from a dealer and have much higher expectations for transparency.
Ford needs to recognize this and get to work overhauling their entire vehicle ordering system to make it more visible and reliable. This is mission-critical for the growth of their business for the foreseeable future.

Technical, I suspect you're right especially with the desire by OEMs to move to more of a made to order model. A relatively small % of vehicles purchased have historically been ordered so there's likely not been much of a focus on the customer engagement during that process. it will need to change if they are going to push more in that direction.

JRZ1

I put a deposit on a Bronco way back on July 15th of 2020. Reservation ID 10223437. I get that we're in unprecedented times with the pandemic, supply chain disruptions etc. but what I find flabbergasting is the complete lack of communication with real information about order status/production timing. Ford is seemingly trying to placate folks that have orders placed with lots of rodeo emails, nifty little calendars and other nick knacks mailed over time but what I really want is some kind of information and I'm getting ZERO from either my dealer or Ford. I also more recently put a deposit on a Lightning but I think I'm bagging that and going with a Rivian. If I were in charge I would insist on my team doing either bi-weekly or montly update emails to those with orders in, giving status update, what constraints are, options to adjust order to get an earlier production slot etc. That would be a way to build loyalty but here in the face of a > 1 yr delay, we have silence. This will make a good business school case study at some point down the road. Very frustrating to hear absolutely nothing.

Sorry, just realized this went in wrong forum. Great first post. Mod's feel free to delete here. Will re-post in correct spot.

Could not agree more. No emails from Ford since 9/30 when they gave me a build week and tracker.

RagnarKon

I'm on the fence about it personally. Part of me thinks Ford should be providing at least quarterly updates. But the other part of me knows that nothing has really changed... so do I care if Ford updates me if nothing has really changed?? Probably not.

"Hi order holder, we're sorry for the delay, were dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. Hard tops and tow package are the constrained items, if you want your Bronco consider switching off those items."

Month later...

"Hi again order holder. Same story as last time, still dealing with unprecedented supply chain constraints. You should still consider switching off the constrained items."

Month later...

"Hello again. Same story, still supply chain issues. We'll check in next month to tell you the exact same thing."

---

At some point it would just become meaningless to send out essentially the same email. So may be best if Ford only sends out updates when something has actually changed.

How about being comprehensive and give everyone updates. Some folks have received multiple status emails, others get nothing. Some get baby pics, others nada. It is hard to understand how uneven the communications from Ford has been to us.

JRZ1

I put a deposit on a Bronco way back on July 15th of 2020. Reservation ID 10223437. I get that we're in unprecedented times with the pandemic, supply chain disruptions etc. but what I find flabbergasting is the complete lack of communication with real information about order status/production timing. Ford is seemingly trying to placate folks that have orders placed with lots of rodeo emails, nifty little calendars and other nick knacks mailed over time but what I really want is some kind of information and I'm getting ZERO from either my dealer or Ford. I also more recently put a deposit on a Lightning but I think I'm bagging that and going with a Rivian. If I were in charge I would insist on my team doing either bi-weekly or montly update emails to those with orders in, giving status update, what constraints are, options to adjust order to get an earlier production slot etc. That would be a way to build loyalty but here in the face of a > 1 yr delay, we have silence. This will make a good business school case study at some point down the road. Very frustrating to hear absolutely nothing.

Sorry, just realized this went in wrong forum. Great first post. Mod's feel free to delete here. Will re-post in correct spot.

Lots of things are out of Fords hands. But they know much more than they are disclosing. Their chip suppliers give them estimates. The hardtop supplier let’s them know production numbers. In totalthey have good estimates on what parts are available. But they don’t want to communicate that. They think being silent is the most prudent course.

Domestic US car companies are acting the same for past decades. They want to call the shots and let customers be at their mercy. Ford, apparently thinks the best strategy is creating huge demand they won’t be able to deliver against and think scarcity overcomes all. Look at the Lightning and Maverick. Sold out for months before one vehicle has been delivered.

All they need to do is be honest and forthcoming. Let Bronco customers have a sense when we can expect our orders. Sure they can’t control some things but they have solid estimates. Freely communicate with dealers and be open. I know more than my dealers does! Why is that?

Same boat. The last I heard from Ford was Sept 27 (besides the email saying my production date changed to Dec 13). The communication has been terrible. Ford likes talking about their new EVs more than communicating with Bronco customers that are waiting. They am going to expect me to pay MSRP for a MY21 that I will receive in May for 2022. Hard pill to swallow so I am starting to look at other vehicles.

At this point, I don't know if I'll take the truck. Certainly won't if dealer wants to charge > MSRP. Really shitty service. Still can't believe they're selling so many to people not on the reservation list. What was the point of that whole thing other than them being able to say they have XXX,XXXX deposits? Stupid.

My 2013 Ford Fusion Titanium will officially be my last Ford. Has a 167k miles and a good car. However, I am not going to purchase from a company that does not care about their customers. Sad, but in the end it is only a vehicle. I understand supply chain issues but great companies step up when there are crises. Communication is so simple. Look forward to seeing all the bad ass Broncos on the road. Signing off.