So I got on the FCR website and tried to do that Ask Kate thing.
I asked how can I find out about my order and of course it comes back with:
Call you dealer.

Then there's this link where you can fill out a form and submit a question to a real person. The URL had "escalate" in it so I was pretty hopeful.

Here's what I wrote and below is the email they sent back (after only about 5 hours)
I'm cutting/pasting so forgive any formatting problems.

I wrote:


Hi. I am writing to inquire about the
status of an order I placed with my dealer. I am aware that I can
contact my dealer about my order status so please, PLEASE don't tell me
to do that. I have contacted you by phone several times and the first
few times were very pleasant experiences. I gave the rep my order # and
they very helpfully gave me an update to my order and that was it. I
received the receipt date and the serialized date. The next two times I
called, the gentlemen (although speaking as kindly as they could)
basically told me that they don't have access to order information and
that I should ask my dealer. The problem is my dealer must not have
access to that information either because they have neither the receipt
date nor the serialized date. If you can provide any information
regarding my order I would appreciate it. I would also ask that you
instruct your phone reps to not just "get rid" of callers inquiring
about orders. I know of many other people trying to get information from
you that we know you have. There is no reason to just not give it to us.
We're spending a great deal of money on these cars and deserve as much a
level of service as you can provide. Looking forward to your reply.

<and I included my order info>


They reply back with:


Dear Brian,

Thank you for your message of 10/30/04 regarding your 2005 Ford Mustang.
We appreciate the time you have taken to inquire about the order status
of your vehicle.

We regret the circumstances that have prompted you to contact us.
Please accept our apology for any frustration or inconvenience you may
have experienced as a result of your contact with the Customer
Relationship Center.

Brian, based on the information you provided, we have consulted with the
Vehicle Order Bank and can advise that as of 10/26/04 your vehicle is
tentatively scheduled to be built between 11/15/04 and 11/22/04.

We hope the information that we have provided you with is useful to you.
We would like to thank you for your interest in Ford Motor Company and
it's products.

At Ford Motor Company, we consider the satisfaction of our customers as
one of our most important objectives. If you have any other inquiries
or concerns, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to
address them.

Thank you for contacting Ford Motor Company.

Sincerely,
Maisha
Ford Motor Company
Customer Relationship Center

 

Serialized dated and no # :scratch:

 

Doesn't say that there isn't a vin, they just didn't give it to you.

 

Correct. VIN is probably something I need to get from the dealer.
But I bet I get the VIN when my dealer reads it off the dash.

 

Vin# will show up on your dealers daily vehicle status report, with no vin#, no build date can be set. Check back with dealer mid week, they should have one for you.

 

When they say "Serialized" that is the Vin # they are talking about. I've run into that before.

 

Hrm, hey Brian, when did you place your order? I'm just trying to get an idear of where mine stands without having to go through all of that mess

 

Ordered 10/5.
Receipt Date: 10/14.
Serialized Date: 10/21.

Two big factors will be how many the dealer you're using is allocated
and your order priority (10 being the highest priority).
According to my dealer, he gets 3 for 2004. That must either mean "3 he can order" or "3 GT's" though 'cause he's already got 3 V6's on the lot.

I had a priority 10 so mine went through relatively quickly.
I was getting really frustrated though 'cause my dealer was either unwilling or unable to give me any updates whatsoever. I'm giving him
the benefit of the doubt though.

I'm content for another 3 weeks now.