Planet Ford in Houston, Texas
Dealership is full of nothing but liars and crooks. The only person that I could trust was fired for -get this- going above and beyond the call of duty to assist customers. He actually worked for us to help us and they fired him!
These guys are a volume dealer, and care only about selling as many vehicles as they can to make money. It disgusts me that they can carry the "Blue Oval" insignia.
Just my 2 BOS.

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2001 SCrew Lariat
AZ Beige/DW Blue
5.4L, AirRaid Intake, K&N Filter, Ravin Z-33 Exhaust SI/DO, Power Moon Roof, Westin Stainless Nerf Bars, Vent Visors And Bug Deflector, Custom Tinted Windows, Upgraded Audio System, Custom Hitch-Haul Receiver System

Coming!!
HyperTech Power Programmer (when available)
PowerAid Spacer
Rims & Tires
Air Dam Replacement W/ Driving Lights

 

Without question Apple Valley Ford is awful.

Listen to this:

1) Lease manager lied to us about the price of the vehicle. I called them on it and posted warnings about the dealership all over the internet.

2) To retaliate the leasing manager called my employer and tried to have me terminated. (Seriously! I eventually got a letter from Apple Valley Ford apologizing for what happened.)

3) Because of what happened the dealership manager said they would drop the price on the vehicle to near nothing. Because my family and friends have purchased or leased 10+ vehicles from them I decided to take them up on the offer. Besides--they had the truck I wanted.

4) Turned in 1999 Ford Ranger from previous lease. Signed lease for 2001 F-150 4X4 and drove away.

5) Call from work from Financing manager. Said they made a mistake on vehicle--that my payments would go up. No thanks, deal is a deal.

6) Call from dealership manager. Price won't go up but need to sign new contract because old one was invalid. No thanks, a deal is a deal.

7) More abusive calls from dealership manager. Sign the papers or else. I agreed to look at a copy if he mails them to me. Won't mail--sends employee with contract.

8) Employee shows up in my office lobby with contract. Won't let me keep it. Must sign now. Also produces "recission" agreement. I talk him into making partial copies and he leaves--I sign nothing. Rescind an invalid contract? Hmm.. can you say..red flag?

9) Paperwork looks fishy. Leave VM for dealership manager for questions on figures. Seems as though $1000 in rebates is missing.

10) VM received from dealership manager. They don't need me to sign a new contract. Sarcastic 'thanks' and hangs up.

11) Call later in the day from dealership manager. Must sign new contract or he will repossess vehicle. Declines to elaborate on the paperwork. Later sends me an email stating the same thing. (Seriously!)

12) I email a nice guy at Ford Credit. My letter was 102 words long. He requests a copy of my orignal contract and requires nothing else. I solved the entire problem in 102 words. The guy even sends me 3 certificates for oil changes. He didn't do anything wrong. I send them back.

13) Plates never show up. Call Ford Credit. Advise I intend to charge Apple Valley Ford per day unless they obtain. I pickup the plates on the last legal day of the temporary permit.

14) Shoveling snow. Friend asks why I have a vehicle 2 months old with expired plates? Yep, you guessed it. The same rocket scientists responsible for this mess got the wrong plates.

15) I send email to Apple Valley Ford. Blast them for the poor treatment. Advise I've been driving the vehicle illegally longer than legally. Intend to charge them until I get the right plates.

16) Email from Apple Valley Ford. Says it's not their fault. (Why did I pay them to get the plates for me in the orignal paperwork then?) Hmm..

17) 4 days pass. Still no plates. I drive to local DMV and get new tabs. Made sure and told the people behind the counter to..

NEVER EVEN THINK OF BUYING A VEHICLE AT APPLE VALLEY FORD IN APPLE VALLEY MINNESOTA!

They've never seen this mistake made before.

What did Apple Valley Ford do for me? 0.

The only problem I have left is getting the stupid Apple Valley Ford sticker off of my nice truck.

I would appreciate emails to the dealership to show your appreciation.

 

In eastern Massachusetts there are a huge number of Ford dealers, but here's some of the scoop....

The GOOD: Thomas Ford - Beverly, MA
The BAD: 128 Ford - Reading, MA
The UGLY: Quirk (the SLIME) Ford - Quincy, MA

 

Family Ford in Florence Alabama is not the best also. Here are some red flags I should have noticed!!

1) I should have realized something was up when the salesman said he was leaving after the sale to me.

2) The never had anyone just pay for a vehicle with a check before.

3) Print three different bills of sale and when I get home still have one that is not correct.

4) After having the truck for nearly a year never hear a thing from the dealer.

5) Took my new LS in for service(different branch but owner is same) and was convinced to bring truck there for warranty work.

6) Kept truck two weeks and still not fixed. Found correction to problem on here and fixed myself. Was also told that their Ford truck dealership(where I bought) had customers brings vehicles there for service.
I am not impressed!!

7) Took truck in for wrong radiator issue. Got a hateful, butthole of a service writer(Rhonda). Sorry you have one that will do just as good. I am currently talking with my attorney.

Try at your own risk.

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2000 SuperCab 4x4 XLT
Trailer Towing Pkg.
Off-Road Pkg.
Skid Plates
Red/Gold
Westin Nerf Bars
5.4 The Ole' Slapper
All Pwr Options Ever Invented!!

 

Any dealership in Middle Georgia owned and/or managed by Eddie Wiggins!

------------------
Paul...
99 White F-150 XLT SC Sport, 4.6L, Auto, Captain Chairs, Class III Towing Package, 3.55 LS, Sliding Rear Window, 4X2, CD, Soft Factory Tonneau Cover, K&N Filter, WMS Velocity Tube, Line-X Spray on Bed Liner, Gibson Side Swept Cat Back System, Superchips Flip Chip, and the Original F150online Decal...

What more is there!

ptarnuzzer@home.com

 

Sound Ford in Washington State. Game playing, high pressure sales, quickly forget what you want- poor reputation in general. Wouldn't even trade a truck to another dealer so we could buy it elsewhere!
Our personal opinion - avoid Sound Ford!

 

Ordered a 2001 F-150 last December from Ewald Ford in Milwaukee. Told me 3 months to get it. I thought that was a long wait, but said ok. I called them last week to get a VIN number for a loan application. They gave me the VIN and said they expected the truck within the next two weeks. Called me today and said they had a problem....The truck came in last week and they sold it to someone else......but they could order me another one just like it for the same price..... WOW..same truck for the same price.

Oh man, I'm in pain. Where's that bottle of Jack Daniels?

Dave-K

 

Dave-K:

I'm glad you posted your message on the "Dealers to Stay Away from Thread"

You got SLIMED......Time to SLIME back....

 

Stay as far away as possable from Greenway Ford, Orlando Fl...

 

Just to echo adamski's opinion on PlanetFord. This place is bottom of the barrel. My wife and I went into this place knowing the EXACT truck that I wanted color/interior/exterior/options etc... Our "salesperson" asked if a 2000 was an option as opposed to 2001... I said, "Sure, if you have the exact truck I want and the price is right"... well needless to say they didn't have the truck... AND they were priced the same as 2001 models!! I politely said, "Looks like we will have to order it... let's talk price". Then the huge rigamaroll about how "It was Saturday and he couldn't do a search for me" blah blah blah... needless to say we were of the opinion that "if it isn't on the lot... we won't help you". Customer service was a -1000 on a scale of 1 to 10.


Next hit on the list is TOMBALL FORD. I ended up BUYING my new truck there that same day as the Planet Ford fiasco.

Thus far the experience has sucked. I live south of SugarLand in an area called Sienna Plantation... it's about an hour or so (depending on traffic) away from the dealer.. not a casual drive to me... anyway... We got to the lot at 6:30 pm.... ended up getting into the sucker at 10:30 pm... to start with, they did not turn off the anti-theft device, so I couldn't even start the vehicle to leave... luckily, the owner of the maintenance crew that was cleaing after we left just so happens to wok in the service shop... he put the device to sleep and we were able to drive off. When I attempted to use the key fobs to lock the doors once I got home... nothing happened. Reading the user's manual the next day, I learned how to program the remotes... but nothing ever happened once I hit the key on the remote. That same week, I brought the truck back to have aftermarket stuff installed (nerf bars, bedliner, paint sealant). I also explained that something was wrong with the keyless entry and asked that service look into it. Even though I got the car in before 8 am, they still were not done by 8:00 pm and asked to keep the truck another day. They then informed me that I HAD to get back to them by noon on Saturday since that is the magic point at which the rental car is said to be kept over one day. I obliged and was told that my truck was taken over to service, but nothing could be done because, "The only guy who knows how to run the computer to program the fobs is off every other Saturday... we're sorry." So I just wasted another hour+ driving out to get a truck that wasn't fixed. THEY KEPT MY CAR 5 MORE DAYS! Supposedly, there was a bad keyless remote module and they had to order the part from out of state. So as they bring out my truck, I check the fobs to make sure they work along with my alarm and stuff... open up the cab and notice I have motor oil or some sort of grease all over my driver seat and console... not to mention there is now snags in my driver seat. So they search the whole lot to find another dark graphite sport cloth seat and switch it out while I wait another hour for a truck that was "fixed". But wait... it gets better. I JUST got back from dropping it off TODAY because my wife noticed that near the passenger side flareside step, the paint appears to be coming off. So I called the service manager and he says, "You've had so many problems... I'll take care of it." So once I got there the head of the body shop came out... he looked at the spot then went an got my VIN number and said, "I'll be right back". He comes back out and says, "How long have you had this truck?" I respond, "About 4 days... you guys have had it in service longer than I owned it". He said, "You want to know why this paint is coming off? It's been repainted... all along the entire passenger side, about three fourths of the way towards the front of the truck. He showed me the cracking paint and the line where the old stopped and the new started. He used my VIN to see if THEY had done the work, but they hadn't. The Sales Manager told me that Ford does not need to disclose any minor damage if they fix it before it gets to the lot, "i.e. scraped when coming off truck or in transit, etc..." So now they are supposedly going to fix it. I asked the guy if he would mind giving it the "once over" to see if there were any OTHER things that I missed the day I drove it off the lot. Here's the kicker... the aftermarket wizards KNEW about the paint coming off because it happened when it was washed before applying the paint sealant. She thought that I had done the repaint with spray paint. ARRRRRGGGHHHHHH! I was like, "I had the car FOUR days!!! It sat in my garage because I had a couple days off! Why didn't you call me to at least ask if it was there??" She replied, "Well I've seen lots of trucks come back 2 and 3 days after they were driven off the lot with damage." Cripes... needless to say, the little survey I fill out for them will NOT be a shining one.

Word to the wise... avoid this dealership.

Thanks,
Jeff in Houston


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* 2001 F-150 XLT SC Silver FS; 4.6L
* 4x4 ORP
* Sport Package
* 3.55 Limited Slip Rear Differential
* Electronic 4-Spd Auto O/D with Electronic Shift on the Fly
* Remote Keyless Entry
* Sport Cloth Captain's Chairs
* Toff spray-in liner (black)
* Westin factory nerf bars (black)
* Xtreme Window tint
* "Premium" Sound System - yeah right... maybe "premium" compared to a Tandy Rat Shack system

 

That really sucks SliderJeff. I hgot a bad taste in my mouth about Tomball Ford when I called to inquire about available stock on the lot before I bought my truck. The jerk sales guy comes back after checking his computer and asks why I called. He SWEARS up and down that I cmae in and spoke to him in person two days before! What a load of BS! My sales guy at Planet was the only decent guy I dealt with there, with exception to a guy in service that got fired. I went through the fleet dept instead of dealing wih the idiot floor guys there. As for Gullo Ford in Conroe, the Service Manager is a decent guy, he truly seemed concerned about my problems. However they still haven't fixed anything.
Another thing about Planet and Randall Reed in Humble, both, obviously, are owned by Randall Reed, and this guy lives somewhere in Colorado. He has so much income between the Houston dealerships and Dallas dealerships, on top of the Dealerships in Colorado that writing a letter does no good because it would be thrown away upon arrival It infuriates me!!! I'm trying to figure out how to file a formal compaint with Ford about them.

------------------
2001 SCrew Lariat
AZ Beige/DW Blue
5.4L, AirRaid Intake, K&N Filter, Ravin Z-33 Exhaust SI/DO, Power Moon Roof, Westin Stainless Nerf Bars, Vent Visors And Bug Deflector, Custom Tinted Windows, Upgraded Audio System, Clifford Solaris Alarm W/ Remote Start, Custom Hitch-Haul Receiver System

Coming!!
HyperTech Power Programmer (when available)
Rims & Tires
Air Dam Replacement W/ Driving Lights

 

adamski and SliderJeff,

Hey guys. Displaced Texan here. I learned a long time ago (about 95) when I bought my GT was to stay the Hell away from any dealership in Dallas and Houston. I know that Austin is a 2.5 hour drive for you gentlemen but I'd recommend Lief Johnson next time you guys are in the market for a truck.

I bought my current F150 from them and had about 6 problems, 2 that were major go wrong with it after 4 days of ownership. The dealership sales guys came to my house, picked up the truck on a flatbed Friday afternoon and I had it back Monday evening with NO problems whatsoever.

They did the same for my Dad when he bought a Cobra through them.


BD is right though......stay away from Sound Ford or All Star Ford here in Olympia. BOTH of them have the same problem.

I went to buy a Lariat at All Star and we got it all said and done. Whipped out the ole checkbook to write the check for amount in full and was told that they don't believe that I can afford the truck.

Right. I stood up and said "Congratulations, you've just f*cked yourself out of a cash sale."

Went to Titus-Will the next day and end up ordering an L. They seemed to find that my check was just jim dandy.

 

Hey everyone. I don't think to many people are going to be on from Calgary Alberta, but hey you need to know this stuff about dealers. I am a 19 year old working teenager. I went shopping with a friend to buy myself a 2000 Harley Davidson. My first stop was Woodridge Ford on Mcloed trail. It took about an hour to get a sales man. When one finally did come over. I told him my plans. Drop it and supercharge it. Didn't take me for real. I asked if he could try and get a company to get this done and still keep the warrenty. He left came back about 10 seconds later and said "No". He also told me he doesn't have time for our teenage games. That is one of the funniest things I've heard come from a salesman. So being the polite kid I am. I told him I was going to "Pimp his wife" and left. I made my way to 2 other dealerships getting the same treatment. But giving nicer comments each time. I finally went to Advantage Ford. I found someone who would take me for real. I went through all the steps of warranty, price, options. It was sopposed to come in 2 days later. It took two weeks. I went to take a look. All the options were missing. So i din't get mad asked if he could fix it or what he could do. He said he could get anouther. So I waited. 3 weeks later it's in. I go to check it out. Still the same truCK!!!! A few choice words were exchanged and 2 days later wer agreed on a deal without the options. It's know going to the shop tommorow morning to get lowered. But they screwed me on all the agreement I made about warrenty. So i am still trying to solve it all. I'll give an update.

 

RANCHO FORD in Temecula, CA. Told me that I "MUST NOT WANT IT THAT BAD" when trying to work a deal on a used silver '97 supercab. Went over to the GM dealership the same day to look at their used trucks. My signature finishes the story. Newer truck, payment I wanted.

------------------
1998 Silver XLT Supercab
4.6 Triton V8--tow pkg.
2-Chamber Flowmaster
HF Alarm w/ Remote Start
Front clear corners
Rear Altezza lights
Billet grilles
Line-X bedliner
Sony X-plod CD player
6-disc MiniDisc changer
Dual 10" Crystal subs

 

Boss:

Most vehicle salespeople are well versed in lines like you heard...and my response would be "I want it bad enough that I've researched market price and that's all that I'll pay". Nice one....

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2001 Supercrew XLT 4X4
BLACK, 4.6 EFI V8
3.55 LIMITED SLIP
POWER MOONROOF
SLIDING REAR WINDOW
DRAW-TITE TOW PKG.
DURA-LINER, TONNEAU COVER
LUVERNE STAINLESS STEP
LO-JACK SECURITY