dogknat
Full Access Member
Now it is time to tell my ordering story. I ordered a 2014 Raptor in August, August 23th to be specific. I chose Columbine Ford of Rifle Colorado because the staff have always been good to my friends and family. Keep in mind that I live in Arkansas I do not have to do business with a dealer in Colorado, I did this because I still feel some western slope loyalty and loyalty to those that have helped my circle. In August I ordered this truck we negotiated a fair price and I felt that this deal was done and I was happy. October first I get the VIN number for MY TRUCK, I call the salesman and set a date for pickup and sale we make an agreement and I buy a plane ticket 1 way to Grand Junction. I begin the tracking process and see that this truck now has a build date of November 6th with a delivery estimate of last week of November, HOORAY right?
Wrong.
This is where things take a sideways turn. December 2nd I see a clone of my truck for sale on their website... OK no big deal must have ordered 2, wait a second the VIN is an EXACT MATCH, OK no problem must be a mistake. I call Columbine and talk to my friendly salesman, he hangs up on me saying he is with a customer, getting madder, I chat with a random salesman online he informs me that they sold that very truck just this day, head pounding vision starting to blur, I call the salesman again to no avail. I'm at work and have not the time to deal with this shit so I call a dealer local family member to get some snooping done. She calls the dealer and gets some random salesman not mine but some new kid who tries to sell her MY TRUCK for about 5k more than my agreed price which is 3k above MSRP, she gets mad nearly strokes out, Sales manager returns call to her (Keep in mind It's my truck not hers so not very happy that he couldn't call me) Swears up and down he was forced by management to sell the truck and he promises a replacement by the time I arrive. End day one too mad to call them for fear of having actual stroke.
I call the Sales manager at Columbine Ford on the 3rd of December he gives me the same song and dance about not being able to keep it on the lot until our agreed January 14th pickup date and then promises me he will have my exact truck when I get there, I feel that someone never told this guy they were in demand. Well we speak a bit more and finally he agrees to send me a written guarantee, seeing as his word is shot to hell, that he will have my truck as ordered including bed liner/wheel well spray at Rifle truck and trailer and back to the dealership showroom by my arrival. I call ford to confirm in fact that he can come through on this promise. An anonymous helper tells me "not a chance they have 3 on order 1 like yours and it won't be there till February, call customer service see if they can get your dealer a priority rating so this truck will be there." I call Customer service, rep says "OK ill see what we can do", rep calls back tells me that the dealer promises the truck no problem. 2 seconds later I get a call from Sales Manager at the dealer, the following is the exact conversation:
Sales Manager: "OK this is going to work one of two ways you can either do this my way and trust that your truck will be here or you can fight your order through customer service and it will not. The fact of the matter is it is my truck and I can choose who I sell it to and when. I have gotten 3 calls from corporate my boss got called my boss called me. If you are going to keep causing problems for me, my boss, and Ford Motor Company then the truck will not be here."
Keep in mind the previous rant was screaming at me over the phone and I could hardly get a word in edgewise.
As of today I have ended my agreement with Columbine. They called the other day and informed me they do not have my truck on the lot. In fact they called everyone I know that recommended them to me perhaps a bit of damage control. Today they are willing to trade another dealer for one almost like mine but not exactly like it and sell it to me at the same price. My comment on this was what is the point of ordering it if you have to compromise? Looks like I'm out the 170 in airfare and a bit of hurt pride.
So the Too long didn't read section wrap up:
Dogknat orders truck
Dogknat Puts down deposit
Dogknat Buys plane ticket
Dealer receives truck
Dealer marks up truck and sells it (above sticker and way above my agreed price i might add)
Dealer gets caught with hand in cookie jar
Dogknat calls customer service
Dealer screams at Dogknat
Dogknat still doesn't have truck
How can a business treat a customer like this? How can a customer special order a truck NOT dealer stock and the dealer still sell it as stock? What happened to that small town dealer in Rifle? The one that everyone likes to do business with? Looks like with new owners comes new customer service mentality or lack thereof.
Update
Working on a deal with a local Dealer they know the story and they are going to sell me a truck at 4k under MSRP with no fees like proc&doc the only on top I pay is sales tax, 1k below what I was going to pay and not driving 1000 miles to go get it. These guys here are bending over backwards to try and make sure I get the truck how I wanted it.
So ignore most of the signature below as it was from this specific order.
Wrong.
This is where things take a sideways turn. December 2nd I see a clone of my truck for sale on their website... OK no big deal must have ordered 2, wait a second the VIN is an EXACT MATCH, OK no problem must be a mistake. I call Columbine and talk to my friendly salesman, he hangs up on me saying he is with a customer, getting madder, I chat with a random salesman online he informs me that they sold that very truck just this day, head pounding vision starting to blur, I call the salesman again to no avail. I'm at work and have not the time to deal with this shit so I call a dealer local family member to get some snooping done. She calls the dealer and gets some random salesman not mine but some new kid who tries to sell her MY TRUCK for about 5k more than my agreed price which is 3k above MSRP, she gets mad nearly strokes out, Sales manager returns call to her (Keep in mind It's my truck not hers so not very happy that he couldn't call me) Swears up and down he was forced by management to sell the truck and he promises a replacement by the time I arrive. End day one too mad to call them for fear of having actual stroke.
I call the Sales manager at Columbine Ford on the 3rd of December he gives me the same song and dance about not being able to keep it on the lot until our agreed January 14th pickup date and then promises me he will have my exact truck when I get there, I feel that someone never told this guy they were in demand. Well we speak a bit more and finally he agrees to send me a written guarantee, seeing as his word is shot to hell, that he will have my truck as ordered including bed liner/wheel well spray at Rifle truck and trailer and back to the dealership showroom by my arrival. I call ford to confirm in fact that he can come through on this promise. An anonymous helper tells me "not a chance they have 3 on order 1 like yours and it won't be there till February, call customer service see if they can get your dealer a priority rating so this truck will be there." I call Customer service, rep says "OK ill see what we can do", rep calls back tells me that the dealer promises the truck no problem. 2 seconds later I get a call from Sales Manager at the dealer, the following is the exact conversation:
Sales Manager: "OK this is going to work one of two ways you can either do this my way and trust that your truck will be here or you can fight your order through customer service and it will not. The fact of the matter is it is my truck and I can choose who I sell it to and when. I have gotten 3 calls from corporate my boss got called my boss called me. If you are going to keep causing problems for me, my boss, and Ford Motor Company then the truck will not be here."
Keep in mind the previous rant was screaming at me over the phone and I could hardly get a word in edgewise.
As of today I have ended my agreement with Columbine. They called the other day and informed me they do not have my truck on the lot. In fact they called everyone I know that recommended them to me perhaps a bit of damage control. Today they are willing to trade another dealer for one almost like mine but not exactly like it and sell it to me at the same price. My comment on this was what is the point of ordering it if you have to compromise? Looks like I'm out the 170 in airfare and a bit of hurt pride.
So the Too long didn't read section wrap up:
Dogknat orders truck
Dogknat Puts down deposit
Dogknat Buys plane ticket
Dealer receives truck
Dealer marks up truck and sells it (above sticker and way above my agreed price i might add)
Dealer gets caught with hand in cookie jar
Dogknat calls customer service
Dealer screams at Dogknat
Dogknat still doesn't have truck
How can a business treat a customer like this? How can a customer special order a truck NOT dealer stock and the dealer still sell it as stock? What happened to that small town dealer in Rifle? The one that everyone likes to do business with? Looks like with new owners comes new customer service mentality or lack thereof.
Update
Working on a deal with a local Dealer they know the story and they are going to sell me a truck at 4k under MSRP with no fees like proc&doc the only on top I pay is sales tax, 1k below what I was going to pay and not driving 1000 miles to go get it. These guys here are bending over backwards to try and make sure I get the truck how I wanted it.
So ignore most of the signature below as it was from this specific order.
