[angrychair]

I recently purchased a '16 ST the day before the recall for the rear hatch body control module was released by Ford. Purchase date 9-28-16. I was told I could pick my car up the next day, the 29th and it would be full of premium fuel and detailed. Then the next day i was told I could not pick up the car after having signed all the paperwork the night before and carrying insurance on the damn thing. The dealer apologized and said they would make my first payment because it could take 2-4 weeks. Long story shot, other people have pulled cars from dealerships etc. etc. regardless I'm still really mad about it, beacuse this:

I had received a survey request from them, automated, to my email, to which I filled out and gave a Fair 3 out of 5 star review, stating the truths of what happened in the comment boxes.
Yesterday my salesmen calls me, I ask if my car is ready, instead he complains that my 3 star review reflects badly on him and the dealership and wants me to retake the survey and give them a 5 star review....I agree, just to please him. I have not received the new survey and I'm not filling it out until my car is delivered. I don't want to give them a 5 star review because I don't think they deserve one, but I also don't want to piss them off and have them hold my car for any extra time for the recall to be fixed.

Honestly I find this infuriating, misleading, and sleazy. Nothing pisses me off more than padding reviews. What is the point of them if they are not honest.

Seriously, this whole situation has me so pissed. Every time I start to cool off, someone I know sneaks a '16 ST even though there is a recall, or something, to piss me right back off.

 

[stylo]

Redo the survey again for sure ...

BUT GIVE THEM 1 STAR !

 

[VividRacing]

On one hand you have the business in the middle, on the other you have the company responsible. When the company responsible is feeding you the answers, be them false or unpleasant, it's the business in the middle that has to deliver those answers and deal with the consequences on how that makes the consumer feel. If I had a dollar for every time a vendor gave me misinformation and I got the brunt of the frustration from the paying customer, I'd be loaded.

If your review was supposed to be for the dealership and the buying experience, then it should have been graded that way. If you're mad about a recall because the factory designed a part poorly and are scrambling to make it right, that's where you should focus your less than stellar reviews.

 

[CaliJoe]

Sorry you're still having to deal with this angrychair, total BS. Yeah I'd be on the phone to corporate for that sleazy dealer survey solicitation crap. That take some balls to call and complain after what they've been putting you through, I mean who the hell does that?!

Best of luck to you, I pray you get your car soon.

 

[roswell630]

I went through the no deliver thing right when I was ready to sign. The Sales manager came by and said they have a problem, told me what was up and wouldn't deliver. I said ok and left, hoping in a day or two they would get the flash update. I called a few dealerships and also saw more posts here hearing people driving off with cars so I was pissed. I called them back and said I would sign a waiver or whatever to try and get it and told them other dealers are letting them go. The main point you have to understand is, even though cars are leaving the lot, this is not an across the board issue. It's from a specific plant where that car was manufactured. They called me a day later and I got one literally off the truck from another plant.

- BUT! they shouldn't have taken your money etc. That's a whole nother story.

Long/Long, it's really not the dealers fault in the case of not delivering your car. Hang tight and hopefully a nice shiny one will drop of the truck soon.

- Don

 

[angrychair]

As far as I was concerned I own the car and signed for it before the recall, they should have given it to me. It would be a 100% different story if they said "if you purchase this car you can't take delivery until..." They may have offered to make my first payment but that doesn't cover the BS and insurance I'm out too.
@VividRacing i totally understand where you're coming from too though. After all I did give them a 3 star review, not a 1 or a 2. 3 is 'fair' not poor, not excellent.
Also a lot of the survey questions were "how do you like the car?" "how was the delivery process?" etc.. how can i give a 5 star on a car I've never drove.

 

[AK2112]

Give em zero stars.

Seriously, I had a dealer service manager repeatedly tell me that the sunken, broken knob on my replaced hvac control module was "part of the redesign". He absolutely refused to admit that they installed a clearly broken part in my car, even after I protested and clearly explained my case.

I gave them the lowest possible survey score. I was contacted first by someone at ford customer care and then I was contacted by the dealership who had a new hvac control module rushed in to be installed in my car. When I went to have it installed, they were VERY accommodating, letting me check the part before it went in to ensure it was as it should be.

Those stupid surveys are how you let Ford know you're unhappy.

 

[AK2112]

And by the way, I'd be FURIOUS if I was in your position.

I would absolutely cancel a deal if a dealer pulled the kind of things that are going on with this hatch recall.

 

[Evitzee]

OP, it is time to face the real world, we live in a litigious society, hence you cannot have your car until Ford releases the fix and it is applied to your vehicle. And to get the fix approved Ford has to jump through hoops with the Feds, and they don't work very fast if you haven't noticed (think post office). When recalls are placed on vehicles they cannot be legally sold and turned over to the new owner, it doesn't matter if you signed the papers and took out a loan, the car is in the dealer's possession. Doesn't matter if other dealers are winking at all of this and releasing vehicles, your dealer is holding to what the law says. You have every right to give him 3, or zero, stars, that is up to you. But remember, you'll probably have to work with this dealer down the road. Think long term, not short term. The reason dealers put a lot of stock in these surveys is more and more money to them flows via these surveys, in the past they would treat you like dirt because YOUR satisfaction didn't count in how much money they made, now it does. That is to your benefit short and long term. Your dealer is being fair in offering to pay your first months payment.....that is coming out of his bottom line, most likely. Hold off on filling out the survey and tell them you will do it AFTER the car is released to you. Personally, I would never have filled out the first one without having the car in my garage. Just relax and keep in touch with the dealer, they don't want to keep your car any longer than necessary, but their hands are tied.

If you really are ticked off at all of this CANCEL the deal and go somewhere else, that is always an option.

 

[stylo]

OP, it is time to face the real world, we live in a litigious society, hence you cannot have your car until Ford releases the fix and it is applied to your vehicle. And to get the fix approved Ford has to jump through hoops with the Feds, and they don't work very fast if you haven't noticed (think post office). When recalls are placed on vehicles they cannot be legally sold and turned over to the new owner, it doesn't matter if you signed the papers and took out a loan, the car is in the dealer's possession. Doesn't matter if other dealers are winking at all of this and releasing vehicles, your dealer is holding to what the law says. You have every right to give him 3, or zero, stars, that is up to you. But remember, you'll probably have to work with this dealer down the road. Think long term, not short term. The reason dealers put a lot of stock in these surveys is more and more money to them flows via these surveys, in the past they would treat you like dirt because YOUR satisfaction didn't count in how much money they made, now it does. That is to your benefit short and long term. Your dealer is being fair in offering to pay your first months payment.....that is coming out of his bottom line, most likely. Hold off on filling out the survey and tell them you will do it AFTER the car is released to you. Personally, I would never have filled out the first one without having the car in my garage. Just relax and keep in touch with the dealer, they don't want to keep your car any longer than necessary, but their hands are tied.

If you really are ticked off at all of this CANCEL the deal and go somewhere else, that is always an option.

YOU, are being too sensible This is a forum for Christ's sake LOL

 

[LSxBrad]

I went through the no deliver thing right when I was ready to sign. The Sales manager came by and said they have a problem, told me what was up and wouldn't deliver. I said ok and left, hoping in a day or two they would get the flash update. I called a few dealerships and also saw more posts here hearing people driving off with cars so I was pissed. I called them back and said I would sign a waiver or whatever to try and get it and told them other dealers are letting them go. The main point you have to understand is, even though cars are leaving the lot, this is not an across the board issue. It's from a specific plant where that car was manufactured. They called me a day later and I got one literally off the truck from another plant.

- BUT! they shouldn't have taken your money etc. That's a whole nother story.

Long/Long, it's really not the dealers fault in the case of not delivering your car. Hang tight and hopefully a nice shiny one will drop of the truck soon.

- Don

There is only one plant that produces the Focus ST for the U.S market, and that is in Wayne (Detroit), MI. The ONLY cars without the issue are the ones that have been fixed before leaving the plant. This is why no new STs were being delivered for about a month. They were holding them back, until they could fix them on-site. They have now been fixed, and will be/have been showing up on dealer lots over the last week or so.

O.P. - Get your dealer to switch your car out for a new one coming from the plant. Just went through the same thing, and drove my ST home tonight. Ford is compensating dealers for this whole SNAFU, so there is no reason they should have your money, without you having your car. Best of luck. I know exactly how you feel. I was so fed up with the whole thing, and finally got it resolved. You can check the VINs on Fords website, to see which ones are "original" stock, and which ones are recall free.

 

[roswell630]

There is only one plant that produces the Focus ST for the U.S market, and that is in Wayne (Detroit), MI. The ONLY cars without the issue are the ones that have been fixed before leaving the plant. This is why no new STs were being delivered for about a month. They were holding them back, until they could fix them on-site. They have now been fixed, and will be/have been showing up on dealer lots over the last week or so.

O.P. - Get your dealer to switch your car out for a new one coming from the plant. Just went through the same thing, and drove my ST home tonight. Ford is compensating dealers for this whole SNAFU, so there is no reason they should have your money, without you having your car. Best of luck. I know exactly how you feel. I was so fed up with the whole thing, and finally got it resolved. You can check the VINs on Fords website, to see which ones are "original" stock, and which ones are recall free.

Wow! So I got lied too also. I was told directly that it was from a plant that had the issue. Hope it all works out!

-DMac

 

[LSxBrad]

Wow! So I got lied too also. I was told directly that it was from a plant that had the issue. Hope it all works out!

-DMac

I just think most dealerships aren't aware of what is really going on, not that it is blatant dishonesty. Believe me, I heard all kinds of things, before I did my own digging, including talking to friends of friends with connections to the plant, and to my local district manager. Ford gets an F on how they have handled this though. There needs to be more information given to the dealerships in cases like this. In reality, the dealerships should NOT be selling these affected cars, when they can't promise a delivery date. Just leads to ticked off customers. And in the dealers defense, I don't think they knew what this was going to turn into.

 

[DkpST]

Get things in return. You should get 3-5 oil change coupons at a minimum. You could even hold out for an extended warranty at cost or some other type of compensation. IMO you don't move it to five stars unless you're 100% satisfied and compensated for your problems.

 

[LockeLamora33]

OP, it is time to face the real world, we live in a litigious society, hence you cannot have your car until Ford releases the fix and it is applied to your vehicle. And to get the fix approved Ford has to jump through hoops with the Feds, and they don't work very fast if you haven't noticed (think post office). When recalls are placed on vehicles they cannot be legally sold and turned over to the new owner, it doesn't matter if you signed the papers and took out a loan, the car is in the dealer's possession. Doesn't matter if other dealers are winking at all of this and releasing vehicles, your dealer is holding to what the law says. You have every right to give him 3, or zero, stars, that is up to you. But remember, you'll probably have to work with this dealer down the road. Think long term, not short term. The reason dealers put a lot of stock in these surveys is more and more money to them flows via these surveys, in the past they would treat you like dirt because YOUR satisfaction didn't count in how much money they made, now it does. That is to your benefit short and long term. Your dealer is being fair in offering to pay your first months payment.....that is coming out of his bottom line, most likely. Hold off on filling out the survey and tell them you will do it AFTER the car is released to you. Personally, I would never have filled out the first one without having the car in my garage. Just relax and keep in touch with the dealer, they don't want to keep your car any longer than necessary, but their hands are tied.

If you really are ticked off at all of this CANCEL the deal and go somewhere else, that is always an option.

They NEVER should have taken his money. At the very most a deposit. This is B.S. and if you think it's acceptable your dealer must love you. Also, why should a CUSTOMER be thinking long term, shouldn't that be the DEALER. I have a local Ford dealer who is crap and I happily drive an extra 40 minutes for oil changes and service, bought my S.T. two states away to get a better price. Local means nothing if the dealer only wants your money, which his obviously does.

Retake the survey and give them 1 star and mention how they tried to force you into 5 starts which is why they got it.

 

[SHOdown220]

The sales person wants you to retake the survey because you took money out of his pocket for something out of his control. How would you feel if an upset customer waa able to deduct hundreds if not thousands of dollars from your paycheck because of something at your work that has nothing to do with you?

The surveys are horrible. They have been for a long time. Anything less than perfect penalizes the dealer and the dealer then takes it out on the salesman by form of a huge cut out of his check or by firing him.

The issue at hand sucks for sure. But im showing you how it is from the dealer side of things. I know because each month i lose between 800 and 1200 dollars for things out of my control.

Hell ill even give you examples. And this are honest to god real things that have cost me money.

The seats in the waiting area seem outdated and could use a refresh

The road in front of the dealer is much too busy and hard to turn left out of

The free coffee is nice but the cups should be paper instead of Styrofoam.

There are not enough yellow fish in the fish tank

The new channel on your tv does not correspond with my policital views

My service took too long, or my service was way too fast

And way more!

In conclusion the surveys are horrible and unfair. The general idea to have them is great so customers can vent their frustration and concerns. But the negative impact they have on dealers and employees is what makes them completely useless.

End rant

 

[lug]

After receiving car..2 Star stating drop due to being contacted to "up" your rating whilst waiting on car. Also state that you will reduce it another star if they contact you to change it again. Personally, I would include a statement that you believe this dealership hates kittens and puppies but that's more of a personal matter between you and the dealership.

 

[FilthierCash]

My buddy just had a dealership tell him they'd give him a discount on labor if he gave them a 5 star review. I think he ended up contacting Ford Service. This is obviously different, But they should be asking you how they can get you to make that review a 5 star.

 

[Unfitproduct]

Love how folks put out some good information on this site. Ya'll are being too sensible, and where's the internet in all this?

 

[ddfred]

The sales person wants you to retake the survey because you took money out of his pocket for something out of his control. How would you feel if an upset customer waa able to deduct hundreds if not thousands of dollars from your paycheck because of something at your work that has nothing to do with you?

The surveys are horrible. They have been for a long time. Anything less than perfect penalizes the dealer and the dealer then takes it out on the salesman by form of a huge cut out of his check or by firing him.

The issue at hand sucks for sure. But im showing you how it is from the dealer side of things. I know because each month i lose between 800 and 1200 dollars for things out of my control.

Hell ill even give you examples. And this are honest to god real things that have cost me money.

The seats in the waiting area seem outdated and could use a refresh

The road in front of the dealer is much too busy and hard to turn left out of

The free coffee is nice but the cups should be paper instead of Styrofoam.

There are not enough yellow fish in the fish tank

The new channel on your tv does not correspond with my policital views

My service took too long, or my service was way too fast

And way more!

In conclusion the surveys are horrible and unfair. The general idea to have them is great so customers can vent their frustration and concerns. But the negative impact they have on dealers and employees is what makes them completely useless.

End rant

Have to agree with the yellow fish complaint...get more...