I called the Ford Dealership Issues guy again and got him. He was unbelievably brusque, asking me where I got his number. He told me someone would call. So far, I'm not being made to feel better and better . . .

A great lawyer friend of mine has volunteered to help with this. The first thing I suspect I'll get is a letter from the dealer to cancel the purchase agreement. Now ponder the logic of this. They consider the line that says MSRP to be binding, but not the box where they fill in how much deposit they can keep.

~~ Paul

 

What dealership was it?

 

this story is getting me more p'od by the post!

i cant believe everyone is f'ing you over

i hope you get your moneys back, and a really good kick in the guys ding ding!

 

This story does keeps getting worse & worse. Good Luck to you Paul.

 

What area of Tennessee? I can recommend a dealer in the Memphis area, but they are clueless on availability of the car. I had a + experience with them, since I can get X plan, but don't know how they react otherwise. They didn't once ? the X plan deal.

 

Get your deposit back and then....kick him in the ding ding

 

Or better yet: Kick the Ford Dealership Issues guy in the ding-ding, then the dealer, get your deposit back, then kick him in the ding-ding again just for G.P.

 

o.k.
that is enough talk about ding ding's. no more ding ding talk. we have over used ding ding on this thread.

or maybe its just me, my dad collects clocks, and they go ding ding like every 10 minutes. theres 30 clocks, none of them with the right time
sorry

please keep us up to date with what happens Paul

 

Paul, you might check out the Attorney General's office for the State of Tennesse and see if they, like Arkansas, have a consumer protection division. Here, the office is very, very helpful--I hope the same is true of Tennessee

 

Dude, here's the Tennesse Website, check it out and give someone a call--it's free and you might end up with the power of the state behind you.

http://www.attorneygeneral.state.tn.us/cpro/cpro.htm

 

DING-DING!

 

Somehow y'all seem to think I live in Tennessee. I live in Massachusetts.

The dealer is Acton Ford in Acton, MA.

The Ford Customer Relationship Center is not interested in pursuing the matter. It's a sales issue, so it's between me and the dealer. I told them precisely what I thought this does for Ford's image.

Off to the Better Business Bureau.

By the way, I have not received a letter from the dealer asking me to cancel the agreement.

~~ Paul

 

tell us what happens at the BBB

i hope that darned dealership gets what they deserve

 

Wow - freaking unbelievable that customers get treated like that.

How about some big neon yellow posterboard signs that say "This dealer screwed me over the is not refunding my deposit" Stand out front with whistles, etc., call the local news station and their "Action" team that normally pursues stories like this and let them in on it.

The potential for lost business due to you being there will get your $1k back.

 

The General Manager called me from home a little while ago and offered me $250 more for my trade-in. I was so amazed that someone was acting like something other than a stone wall that I accepted. Assuming, of course, that the car actually has the features I ordered.

It's built and awaiting shipment. I may yet be the first kid on my block to be tooling about in an '05 Mustang.

~~ Paul

 

What does that mean? Are you getting it for MSRP - $250?

 

Paul,
Let me get this straight:
1. You ordered a car where the only written price was "MSRP"
2. You were happy enough with an unknown MSRP to give him $1000 deposit
3. You latter found a better deal at another dealership
4. The dealer wants to stand by the original price that you agreed with
5. You call the dealer a clown for not returning your deposit

I'm sorry but I don't see where he went wrong. Let's put the shoe on the other foot. Suppose he found out he could sell your car for MSRP + a big markup so he cancelled the contract with you and gave you your deposit back? Would you be happy with him? I have a contract with a $500 deposit for X-Plan cost. I would be very unhappy if he gives me my deposit back just because he can sell the car at MSRP.

What's the purpose of a deposit? If a customer can back out of a contract at any time and get his deposit back, why would a dealer order any car specifically for a customer?

The Boss Hog
(If it isn't in writting, it don't exist)

 

I'm paying the dealer MSRP for the car, but getting $1,150 more for my trade-in than the other dealers offered me. So he's almost matching the bottom line of the best offer I had. That's fine with me.

This had turned into an argument on principle, which I usually try to avoid. The fact that he budged at all settles the argument.

Now let's see if the car that comes is the one I ordered.

~~ Paul

 

The only written price was "MSRP" and it was written on the Price of Unit line, not on the Total Payment line. If you ignore the verbal agreement, then I agreed to pay MSRP for the car, but I did not agree on rebates, accessories, total price, trade-in allowance, sales tax, extended warranty, or total payment. I was not happy with an unknown MSRP, which is why we had a verbal agreement that the MSRP had to be reasonable. Indeed, as you say, that wasn't worth crap. Furthermore, the deposit penalty statement is neither filled in nor initialed, so the dealer has no right to keep any of my deposit should I refuse delivery.

That's why I had the verbal agreement that the MSRP had to be reasonable. He can sell the car for any price he pleases. Just give me my deposit back if I don't like that price.

Normally, he wouldn't. But the prices weren't published yet. If he didn't want the deal to be flexible, he shouldn't have signed an agreement in the first place. But he signed an agreement with infinite flexibility in the form of no Total Payment specified.

And so, in the interest of fair play, I agreed to pay MSRP. I just didn't like the trade-in allowance. Now I do.

~~ Paul

 

Paul, if you are happy with the deal, then I am happy right along with you. Enjoy your Mustang! :drive:

No ding-dings were harmed in the posting of this message.