Why no communications from Ford?

I've worked in customer service for 26 years, with about 20 of it being in Leadership of some kind. The importance of 'communication' in Customer Service cannot be overstated. People are willing to tolerate a LOT if you just communicate with them - and that's been the most glaring opportunity from Ford since July of 2020 when this whole circus started. I'm thinking Mike Levine must have some SERIOUS blackmail on Jim Farley - otherwise, I have no explanation for how that guy still has a job, because as "communication director" for Ford- he's doing an appalling job.

How it is supposed to work is Ford shares information with dealers and dealers shares information with us. We are technically not Ford customers, we are customers of our dealers, and so the dealer is supposed to handle the majority of the customer communications.

The problem with that, obviously, is some dealers are terrible at customer service, other dealers are great at customer service, and most are probably somewhere inbetween. My dealer happens to be fantastic, and there are plenty of other fantastic dealers out there... but there are also plenty of horrific dealers out there. Your buying experience is directly tied how good your dealer is.

I personally get an update from my dealer every 2-3 months, which is awesome. But I know some people who have heard from their dealer once... maybe twice in the past 2 years.

I wouldn't mind some kind of actual communication. But it seems impossible for Ford to address each and every reservation holder. There are so many variables and reasons why each and every reservation is different. It's tooooooo late, but they screwed this pooch in the beginning by taking so many orders without any chance of fulfilling them.
It is tough for me to comprehend that adding a tow package to my truck might just make it unobtainium. But still, I don't see Ford being able to tell me personally just how long they think it will be until the right chips show up to complete my Bronco.

The first absolutely right thing they've done is to pause new orders s o they can try to ship the ones they've already built.

I don't see how one dealership has 5 First Editions while so many folks are waiting for theirs. Pierre Ford's "used" Broncos for sale.

Stanseven

Most of the information available is from sources In the auto industry. Why? We are Ford customers. They are telling us nothing. Jim Farley said there’s nothing to communicate! How about starting with we are retracting from our original allocation system to honor time stamps? Then it just gets worse. Ford management seems to believe we are a bunch of unsophisticated buyers that they can confuse by not saying anything.

I’m a care guy. I’ve owned lots of high end vehicles and I‘m getting constant and clear communications from other companies. Why can’t Ford be open and honest? I was at a dealer a few days ago and the sales manager showed me a table with causes for delays by options/features. Why is this something given to dealers and not shared? Dealers don’t disclose this info if it reflects negatively on them.

Just one more reason why Telsa has it right with no dealers

It's not just Ford, I was ordering an I4 at a BMW dealer where I've purchased my wife's last 3 cars, I could feel him steering me away from electronic options with BS reasons like your wife won't like it. Germany is having the same chip problems and since they get some lithium from Russia who knows how long it will be?

EZAPAR

I don't see how one dealership has 5 First Editions while so many folks are waiting for theirs. Pierre Ford's "used" Broncos for sale.

A lot of dealers accepted First Editions as trade-ins at or slightly above MSRP because they know they can easily sell them $20,000+ above MSRP. I know a First Edition customer at my dealer who got their Bronco, ended up not liking it, and traded it in at MSRP for an F-150 Tremor instead. Dealer ended up selling his First Edition at $92,000.

The market is just madness all around right now.

RagnarKon

How it is supposed to work is Ford shares information with dealers and dealers shares information with us. We are technically not Ford customers, we are customers of our dealers, and so the dealer is supposed to handle the majority of the customer communications.

The problem with that, obviously, is some dealers are terrible at customer service, other dealers are great at customer service, and most are probably somewhere inbetween. My dealer happens to be fantastic, and there are plenty of other fantastic dealers out there... but there are also plenty of horrific dealers out there. Your buying experience is directly tied how good your dealer is.

I personally get an update from my dealer every 2-3 months, which is awesome. But I know some people who have heard from their dealer once... maybe twice in the past 2 years.

I have a couple good dealerships as well. And I trust them. It was ford, not the dealerships that put out that most recent email. You know, the one Titled: A Change to Your 2022 Bronco ________. Where, regardless of what your current status was (already shipped, in your driveway, sitting at ice mountain indefinitely waiting on modules) Ford stated the delay was due to ford taking extra care to ensure your Bronco was being assembled right. Your vehicle was delayed due to an extensive process of ensuring it was Quality Checked, Inspected, and/or tested. And there has been no effort by ford to correct the record with a follow up email. That tells me that Ford intentionally lied to us.
They seem to be adhering to the old adage…..If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit. A clear case of are you going to believe us….or your own lying eyes.
This is but a long line of failed communications over the past couple years where information distributed by ford is either mistaken, intentionally misleading, or outright false.
And what happened to accountability and The Buck Stops Here mentality? They don’t have to be accountable because there are so many Ford apologists.
I saw a letter where GM put the smack down on rogue dealerships charging excessive ADMs and other unethical practices. GM cited written contractual dealership responsibility agreements that were being violated and sullying the Chevrolet brand…..and the repercussions would be loss of rights to sell GM vehicles if it continued.
Ford on the other hand has enabled dealerships pilfering of their customers trust and wallets. If you don’t believe me or want to challenge this assertion…….I have receipts.

RagnarKon

How it is supposed to work is Ford shares information with dealers and dealers shares information with us. We are technically not Ford customers, we are customers of our dealers, and so the dealer is supposed to handle the majority of the customer communications.

The problem with that, obviously, is some dealers are terrible at customer service, other dealers are great at customer service, and most are probably somewhere inbetween. My dealer happens to be fantastic, and there are plenty of other fantastic dealers out there... but there are also plenty of horrific dealers out there. Your buying experience is directly tied how good your dealer is.

I personally get an update from my dealer every 2-3 months, which is awesome. But I know some people who have heard from their dealer once... maybe twice in the past 2 years.

It’s still all tied to Ford. For example Ford claimed orders will be filled on customer time stamps. That eliminated dealers at least initially. Then they changed the process but never communicated that to customers. If we’re not Ford customers directly, why did we make reservations to Ford at first?

Stanseven

It’s still all tied to Ford. For example Ford claimed orders will be filled on customer time stamps. That eliminated dealers at least initially. Then they changed the process but never communicated that to customers. If we’re not Ford customers directly, why did we make reservations to Ford at first?

In fairness, Ford did include allocations in their original timestamp formula along with constraints, but they called them regional factors (or something like that) which we later found out was actually dealership allocations. And we had to pick a dealership when we reserved and I believe the $100 went to the dealership we selected…not to Ford. So, in effect we weren’t Fords customers at that point either…..technically.
I hate to have to defend ford following yet another tirade ;) but unlike ford, the facts and truth matter to me.

(16) No News | Bronco Nation Forum (thebronconation.com)

Ford said "Put in your reservation and your order right away,
we'll be sure to get your Bronco built without delay"
we haven’t heard a word from them a couple years' gone by
we’ve pleaded and we’ve waited but they've left us high and dry
oooo, no news

Along the way we've learned about bad tops they can't seem to build,
they can't ship them so they stick 'em
way out on some big dirt hill
some of us get build dates that always seem to change
the rest of us are getting pretty tired of this game
ooooo, no news

They could telephone, tell us when,
tell a lie about where they've been
send an email, send a fax,
write it on a Post-it pad
we'd prefer a bad excuse
to no news

Ford's been a little vague as to their whereabouts,
the dealer says he's certain our Bronco's headed south
we still want to get the Broncos that we love
our level of anxiety is just a product of
ooooo, no news

It missed the truck, missed the train, surely this can be explained
lost the order due to hackers
it's more likely they're just slackers
why can't they keep us in the loop
their communication is just a bunch of...poop
FBI, CIA, if they've seen it, they ain't sayin'
still NO NEWS....

EBG

(16) No News | Bronco Nation Forum (thebronconation.com)

Ford said "Put in your reservation and your order right away,
we'll be sure to get your Bronco built without delay"
we haven’t heard a word from them a couple years' gone by
we’ve pleaded and we’ve waited but they've left us high and dry
oooo, no news

Along the way we've learned about bad tops they can't seem to build,
they can't ship them so they stick 'em
way out on some big dirt hill
some of us get build dates that always seem to change
the rest of us are getting pretty tired of this game
ooooo, no news

They could telephone, tell us when,
tell a lie about where they've been
send an email, send a fax,
write it on a Post-it pad
we'd prefer a bad excuse
to no news

Ford's been a little vague as to their whereabouts,
the dealer says he's certain our Bronco's headed south
we still want to get the Broncos that we love
our level of anxiety is just a product of
ooooo, no news

It missed the truck, missed the train, surely this can be explained
lost the order due to hackers
it's more likely they're just slackers
why can't they keep us in the loop
their communication is just a bunch of...poop
FBI, CIA, if they've seen it, they ain't sayin'
still NO NEWS....

Hahaha. That’s awesome…….a Lonestar Classic. Nicely done.

WyoBronc

In fairness, Ford did include allocations in their original timestamp formula along with constraints, but they called them regional factors (or something like that) which we later found out was actually dealership allocations. And we had to pick a dealership when we reserved and I believe the $100 went to the dealership we selected…not to Ford. So, in effect we weren’t Fords customers at that point either…..technically.
I hate to have to defend ford following yet another tirade ;) but unlike ford, the facts and truth matter to me.

As customer then, who do we hold responsible? Dealers say it’s out of their control. So it seems Ford is held harmless?

Stanseven

As customer then, who do we hold responsible? Dealers say it’s out of their control. So it seems Ford is held harmless?

The buck stops with Ford. Dealerships have the big blue oval on a sign outside their lots, and Ford could shut down the unseemly, unethical tactics if they wanted to. If the dealership doesn’t have language that would prevent dealerships from sullying their name then that’s an over site of Fords and they own that as well. GM, for one does not tolerate dealership shenanigans.

WyoBronc

The buck stops with Ford. Dealerships have the big blue oval on a sign outside their lots, and Ford could shut down the unseemly, unethical tactics if they wanted to. If the dealership doesn’t have language that would prevent dealerships from sullying their name then that’s an over site of Fords and they own that as well. GM, for one does not tolerate dealership shenanigans.

I agree the buck does ultimately stop with Ford.

Although the reality is that Ford's hands are tied in many ways. Many states have laws on the books that prevent Ford from forcing dealers from charging a specific price—so there is only so much Ford can do. While there is a clause in the dealer contract that prevents dealers from breaking pricing agreements with customers... in most cases buyers don't even know that they need to make a price agreement and just assume they will be paying MSRP. Some dealers will also outright refuse to sign a pricing agreement until after a VIN is generated—smart move on the dealer's part, but obviously bad for the customer.

This isn't a Ford only issue though... GM, Toyota, Subaru, etc. all have the same issue with their dealers as well. It is super unfortunate that so many dealers are terrible at customer service, because it likely will ultimately lead to the downfall of all dealers in the end once these state laws protecting dealers are repealed. And that will ultimately lead to us customers having fewer options when it comes to buying vehicles. Definitely a case of the few ruining it for the many.

RagnarKon

I agree the buck does ultimately stop with Ford.

Although the reality is that Ford's hands are tied in many ways. Many states have laws on the books that prevent Ford from forcing dealers from charging a specific price—so there is only so much Ford can do. While there is a clause in the dealer contract that prevents dealers from breaking pricing agreements with customers... in most cases buyers don't even know that they need to make a price agreement and just assume they will be paying MSRP. Some dealers will also outright refuse to sign a pricing agreement until after a VIN is generated—smart move on the dealer's part, but obviously bad for the customer.

This isn't a Ford only issue though... GM, Toyota, Subaru, etc. all have the same issue with their dealers as well. It is super unfortunate that so many dealers are terrible at customer service, because it likely will ultimately lead to the downfall of all dealers in the end once these state laws protecting dealers are repealed. And that will ultimately lead to us customers having fewer options when it comes to buying vehicles. Definitely a case of the few ruining it for the many.

I am so sick of Ford. I’m a first day reservation holder and ordered the first day I could. Nothing but silence from Ford. Because Ford has not been able to build my WT someone goes to the dealer and orders a base and I get bumped down the list. I try to stay positive and thankful that someone are getting their Broncos but at the same time I’m asking where the heck is mine.

I agree for the most part with @RagnarKon ….but what we’re talking about isn’t state laws. What I’m referring to is clear bait and switch techniques that violate the Ford/Dealership contract, and specifically ADMs that were not divulged during pricing discussions for reservation holders. These practices are clearly unethical and in violation of contractual obligations and reflect poorly upon Ford and the dealership.

Now, Mr. Vice President Andrew Fick cited the below passage when threatening dealerships for unethical tactics and helped bolster customer protections for reservation holders of the precious F150 Lightning……


Ford then cites dealer sales and service contract language that requires dealers to conduct their operations in a manner that reflects favorably on dealers, the company and its products……

"The Dealer shall avoid in every way any 'bait,' deceptive, misleading, confusing or illegal advertising or business practices," the letter said.


Although, that contract language is very broad and applicable to all vehicle sales, that same emphasis has not been enforced for the Bronco. In fact, the opposite is true. Ford has continually said if you are being mistreated at your dealership, even for converted orders, or during the forced reorder process, you can switch dealerships and Ford Customer SVC will assist with this process. This is not true. Ford has made it virtually impossible and relatively few reservation holders have been allowed to switch dealerships, and Ford does nothing to prevent unethical and misleading ADMs. Ford has in fact emboldened and enabled these practices by reducing the name match requirement from 80% to just 60%. Ford also forced customers of Grainger (and others) to wait up to 8 years for their Bronco, or get back in line and abandon their Invoice pricing. They wanted to punish Grainger, then fine…..but why punish a thousand reservation holders who did nothing more than what Ford asked them to do…..negotiate your best price. And most recently by, explicitly forbidding the reservation dealership transfer for Bronco Raptors.
Current reservation holders can accept a $20k ADM, get in the back of the line after 2 years or go buy a Jeep or Defender. It is unconscionable how Bronco enthusiasts have been thrown to the wolves by Ford.
Yeah, I know…..nobody here wants to hear any of this. Most just bury their head in the sand and pray it doesn’t happen to them. But how else can change be forced without identifying Ford’s shortcomings?

Sunlight is truly the best disinfectant.

I agree that good communication is everything. Even if it's terrible news- give it to us. Let us deal with it. Just be honest and give us a reasonable time frame to expect when this will get better. Last week, I just bought a new Toyota 4 runner. The dealership was honest and told me what some of the delay issues were but they stayed in constant contact with me for about 3 weeks until the car was on the lot and ready. I really appreciated that. Ford gives me nothing. My dealership gives me nothing. I'm often sent to a "round Robin" between instructions to "ask Ford" and then "ask your dealer." Ford has completely eroded the goodwill they created with Bronco IMO. Furthermore, it's infuriating to watch yet another Youtube video of a new Bronco owner who has detailed his timestamps of reservation to delivery, only to find out that his wait time was a hell of a lot shorter than mine for the same Bronco I have on order. WTF? And I still have no information! Hers's another thing- the longer we all have to wait, the more expensive these Broncos will be. Interest rates are rising through the roof, and we'll all be left to scramble at hitting a moving target in the finance game.

Here’s a sample letter that is supposed to go out soon to those still waiting on MY21’s. They will supposedly all be shipped by 31 March.

21MY EMAIL - 3/21/2022
Subject: We Have Exciting News About Your Bronco ™
Dear soon-to-be Bronco ™M owner,
We're thrilled to say your Bronco SUV, VIN #XX, is scheduled to finish production and be on its
way to you by March 31, 2022. We'll send another email with your estimated delivery date as
soon as your Bronco ships from the factory.
We recognize it's been a frustrating wait and truly appreciate your patience. With a beast as
tough and capable as a Bronco, every component matters and unfortunately it took longer to
complete yours than any of us wanted. In particular, we needed extra time to ensure every
aspect of your Bronco met our rigorous quality standards before we released it into the wild.
You can rest assured that your Bronco is now ready to take on the toughest terrain as soon as
you're in the driver's seat.
The Bronco Team

@WyoBronc Great news. If we haven’t received a build date or VIN message yet, this doesn’t apply to us?

Stanseven

@WyoBronc Great news. If we haven’t received a build date or VIN message yet, this doesn’t apply to us?

Right. This only refers to the MY21 remaining/already built, but waiting on chips/parts Broncos at Ice Mountain. There are still some 2021 Broncos that were built in Nov/Dec that have shamefully, yet to be shipped. That is supposed to be corrected by 31 March according to the pending email from Ford.