Keith,

This stinks. The dealership is feeling the heat and seems to have made an offer to make it right. Up to you if it's good enough. Now the really sad part is that it took all this bad word of mouth to get them to do anything. When oh when will they understand that it is the customer that makes or brakes their business and we never forget!

 

So in review, the dealership deprived this soldier by putting 60 (probably hard) miles on his brand new, prepaid 2005 Mustang GT. And to compensate, they provide him with goods and services which, in total, cost the dealership $30. Pathetic. [/b][/quote]
Brad's right.

This is a SYSTEMIC problem on the part of a great many Ford (and I dare say other) dealerships. Look at how the guy with the defective engine was treated according to that post over on Stangnet.

Offering a tank of gas, a detail and an extended warranty (ONLY because enough people began complaining) is simply closing the barn door after the pony - as it were - has left. And it costs them almost nothing, i.e. extended warranties are pure profit for the dealer.

Ford Corporate needs to do what Lexus does if they're series about customer service, and that is revamp and retool their dealership practices to offer consumers a buying experience SECOND TO NONE, as opposed to second to last!! That's an important and easy way to gain and retain customers.

If they keep this sort of bulls**t up, there'll be no Ford Motor Co. in 10 years, cause the company is in TROUBLE financially. Defective products and poor service = corporate death, especially with soooo much global competition now, and imports severely cutting into domestic sales.

 

I was talking to the salespeople at Beach Ford here in Virginia and told them about this incident, they couldn't believe it. Oh, I finally saw a Redfire GT today there, sooooooooo nice!!

 

I've had all my work done at Walker Ford and I am LIVID at how they treated you! If the owner is the one that did this to you and your beloved car then he's a scumbag! What a jerk! That wasn't his car to drive around in! It was your car! Who the heck does he think he is? He needs a good old-fashioned butt whippin if you ask me! You should have free oil changes and car washes for as long as you own the car! Cat hair? That scum stinker left cat hair in your brand new mustang? No way should that guy even own a dealership!
They better handle you with kid gloves or they have lost my business forever!

ps If you want someone to go down there with you I'm volunteering for anything! Anytime! Just let me know! :angry:

 

I think action was taken even though it wasn't enough in my opinion. I'm waiting to here from afcop13.

 

I think they should order you a brand new car and let you drive the current one until your new one comes in. Then you can give the one with feline-upholstered seats to the owner since he just had to have it! HEY YOU THAT TOOK THIS MAN'S BOUGHT AND PAID FOR CAR OUT JOYRIDING WITH MORRIS RIDING SHOTGUN- YOU MAKE ME SICK!

 

That is what I am talking about. When you seriously want to show them something, you vote with DOLLARS. If the dealership treats customers badly, then you take business elsewhere, and let as many people know as possible.

I'm quite sure there are many nice people working at this dealership, but a dis-service like this is just not excuseable.

 

Hey John Beach Ford is a real good dealership, that is were I bought my GT from. From Order to delivery A+.

 

 

Sorry guys these cat comments crack me up

 

Keith, that's an awful tale! I've heard nothing but bad things about Walker Ford down the years and this just confirms it.

I had a a very good experience at Bill Currie Ford in Tampa. A total of 13.3 miles on the clock and .8 on the trip was at BCF.

If you decide to talk to the media, Call Stacie Schaible at WFLA-TV in Tampa. She's extremely persistent!

Good luck!

[/b][/quote]
My last 2 Mustangs came from Bill Currie. A few of my friends who bought Mustangs bought them from Brandon Ford. No problems at all from either. Walker Ford just dropped the ball big time.

 

:bang: That story makes me sick ugh. But i have to say that the dealer compensation sounds pretty good to me though, it's definitley better than nothing, and that extended warranty will come in handy i'm sure.

 

I have it in mind to go to Walker and take that dang plastic "Walker" license plate off my Explorer and give it to the owner and let him know that I will not only tell everyone I know (or don't know) this story, but will never purchase from them again. This is a real shame, and what they've offered to you is still not enough-in my book. This is just ridiculous. I know this will offend some of you, but I hate cats and am allergic to cats. I would have just flipped if I found cat hairs in my brand new, prepaid Mustang. This is just not right.

 

I would take that one off from Walker Ford and replace it with one from another dealership and make sure he notices the difference when you hand him his back.

I'm allergic to cats too. Cat hair tears me up. (we need a sneezy smilie).

 

I "never" keep dealer plates or frames on my cars.

 

OK. I filed complaints with Walker Ford, BBB, and ENCS (Enlisted New Car Sales) also known as Overseas Military Car Sales.

I typed up very well thought out letters, detailing my bad experience without using any slang or profanity. Walker Ford responded with a phone call at 8 am Monday Morning - offering what they listed in a previous email above. (Isn't it great that they have employees who read this site?) I want this to be over with, and dropped my car off for the tinting and detailing about an hour ago.

I took the car over to Melbourne, I have an old friend who is a mechanic at a GM dealership and had him put it up on the lift and run through everything with a fine tooth comb. There was no damage to anything that he could find. I doubt the car was driven too hard due to the surrounding area and such, kinda hard to do 100 on US 19 through Clearwater.

I've put about 700 miles on the car, because I also took it up to Jacksonville this past weekend. It runs awesome - no problems of any sort, no rattles, no whines, etc.

I'm still not going to praise Walker Ford, however I did meet one person there I liked today - the aftermarket guy (Cary) seems really cool and anxious to do some good stuff for their aftermarket programs.

I doubt that I'll ever visit Walker again, Brandon Ford is closer to me, and I stopped in and talked to them last week after my Walker experience and really wish that the Military Car Sales people would go through them instead, as they seemed much more knowledgeable about the car. So for any service I'll probably go there.

Thanks a TON to everyone on this site - Brad, I doubt you had any idea what you were creating when this site first started.......it is truly the mecca for Mustang owners, lovers, etc. Thanks again and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.

Keith

 

I have been watching this thread with interest.

Glad it is over and done with Keith

J

 

How is Walker Ford reconcile the lies and run-around they did?

Their remedy is chump change only offered as a result of multiple agencies pressuring them, bad PR here and perhaps the media next.

 

Sounds like Keith is happy, and maybe that's what is most important in this. Also, listers in the area of Walker Ford are now a little more wiser.

 

It seems that Keith is satisfied enough at the resolution.

Hopefully this thread and word-of mouth will cost this dealer many hundreds of thaosands of dollars in lost sales. That is a good punishment in my mind. I hope the owner that was arrogant enough to take someone else's car on a joyride and have the sense to justify it reads this thread and sees how much potential sales the dealer must have lost as a result of this.

The best advertising is word of mouth, it works both ways, both positive and negative.