So, over the past few days, my Wife, Son and I have hit several local new car dealerships to research the next family truckster. Her company vehicle (Trailblazer, blech) is going back in a couple months, something I have been very upfront with all the salespeople about, so they all knew that we were not going to buy right now.

We are interested in several brand new vehicles, including the Ford Edge, Acura MDX and GMC Acadia, as well as several pre-owned models. (eclectic mix, I know) The stark contrast between the dealerships we visited was amazing.

At the Acura dealership (where we also dropped off gifts for Toys for Tots) we were offered (Starbucks) coffee before looking at the MDX, a vehicle that hardly remains in stock around here and commands MSRP, my Son was offered hot chocolate, we were not pressured, but we were told about the relative merits of the vehicle and we were offered a test drive (which we turned down for now). We were also told about order lead times, special lease programs, given brochures and business cards, etc. My Son was shown the kid's play area and offered a brownie. Even though we were not buying, none of us wanted to leave, and the dealership seemed fine with that. The manager met us and wished us Happy Holidays.

At the GMC dealership, there was only one Acadia on the lot and it already had 1800 test drive miles on it! The salesperson did not seem to know much about it, but he got the manager for us. We spent about 30 minutes inside the vehicle. The salesman offered my Son popcorn. We were also offered a test drive, but the weather was too crappy to really test it out, so we passed. I told him that we were able to buy on the GM Supplier program, so he knew there was not a lot of profit in it for them. Overall, it was an excellent experience. We were told about lead times, when the next batch was due to arrive, what the options and colors were, etc. The manager was very knowledgeable, he asked me about what I did and I told him about F150online.com. He was truly fascinated. Great experience. No hard sell, but came away with a good deal of valuable information.

At the Ford dealership, there was one Edge in the showroom. A manager came over and introduced himself. I explained our buying situation. He said that the airbag sensor was broken on the vehicle and we couldn't drive it. He did not talk to us about any features, buying options or when more were due in. He just walked away and we were on our own. When we left, there were no goodbyes, business cards or brochures offered to us. The popcorn maker was turned off, the doors to the kids play area were locked. Overall, a very crappy and negative experience.

When we started this process a few weeks ago, the Edge was a shining star in my mind. Now, not so much. Granted, the Acadia and MDX are in a different class from the Edge (3 rows of seats, $40k loaded), but why wasn't the Ford dealership's manager more helpful and why was the overall environment so inferior? I sincerely hope that this is not indicative of how customers get treated at this very large Ford (and modern) dealership. Needless to say, I'll likely do my test drive at another dealership.

Just thought I'd share...

 

I wouldn't assume it was a difference between the brands, more a difference between dealers. Just like there are some Ford dealers I wouldn't let touch my truck, there are others that will get my sales service because of there service departments.
Also it is very difficult sometimes to figure out what the customer wants. Some customers want the salesperson to follow them around. Myself, I would much rather they leave me alone. I already know I have more info than any salesperson who may go from dealer to dealer and brand to brand for work.
I would try different dealers of the same brand and then do a comparison. If you still find that the Ford dealers suck, I would even send a letter to Ford about it.

 

I agree that it is tough for the salesman/manager to assess whether to shadow or not, but the Ford dealership never even made the attempt to figure it out. They did not even engage us like the others did. If they had, and that is their job, they would have realized, like the GMC and Acura dealer did, that we would be ok with speaking with someone. I am not saying that my experience would or would not be indicative of all Ford dealerships (or GMC or Acura dealerships for that matter), and thankfully I am in an area with a large enough population that I have a choice of dealers for all brands, but this particular first impression was so poor that I felt I had to share it.

 

I would send a letter to the owner of that Ford dealer explaining what happened. that type of thing is bad for business and i bet the they wont be happy.
In this area there are 4 ford dealer very close and that competition makes them really try to win the business.
A local Ford dealer not far from here was giving away free rifles or shotguns to customers who bought a new vehicle.

 

I know this will make some unhappy but I never really worry about that so much anyway…

For the record I love my Fords, I have a 2006 GT Mustang, 2006 Ranger and my daughter has a 2006 Mercury Mainer. The ONLY reason we have those is because of the deals at the time. GT Mustang I got for $700 below dealer invoice (due to how many prior vehicles I purchased/leased), daughters Mercury 6ys 0% interest and $750 below dealer invoice, Ranger 6 yrs 0% at D-plan price.

With that said if it had not been for the deals I would be driving a different brand because, in my opinion, and experience with 4 different Ford dealerships there is no customer services.

I too when shopping around, more so during the purchase of my daughters vehicle, received outstanding customer service with all the other dealers that were non-Ford dealers.

I don’t know if that is because other manufactures have actually accepted the fact that their dealers ARE their dealers and not a separate entity of the manufacture or that other dealers of non-Ford brands are just superior to Ford dealers.

I would have to surmise that other non-Ford dealers are NOT superior to Ford dealers but rather Ford itself has not come to the conclusion that one major reason they are failing as a company is because they lack the single most important factor in selling product and that is the before, during, and after customer service…

When Ford realizes they are ultimately responsible for ALL their dealers and how those dealers deal with the public they will once again be successful as a company. Failure to do that will lead to Ford being extinct as we are now witnessing. Ford is, generally, only selling vehicles now because of the vast reduction of price. I am a prime example of why Ford is still selling some vehicles which is, other then the Mustang, I purchased them due to cost knowing the customer service will not be there when needed…

So as long as Ford continues to lose money selling to people like me at reduced cost, losing money for themselves, dealers, and stock holders, I will most likely continue to purchase them until Ford is out of business. However, if Ford raised their prices without customer service then I will purchase my vehicles elsewhere at the non-Ford dealerships where customers come first…

 

If my Ford dealer had free sodas, popcorn or hot dogs I would have been impressed. I was hungry that day. Nevertheless, I didn't mind.

At the dealership I was in business mode. I knew what I wanted and what I wanted to pay for it and that I wanted it quick.

It must be true that some people want to be approached and some don't. But a good sales consultant will or should catch on quickly. Everyone should get a business card though.

I went to the Ford dealership that morning just to "see" if they had a truck like I was looking for. Fortunately they did and one thing led to another.

I would have had to have been quite over-offended not to buy at Bob Bennett.

There must be several different reasons that folks try to sell cars. The F150 sold itself to me and I knew as much or more that the consultant did and he was pretty sharp.

I wouldn't mind selling cars for fun, but not for a living.

Dave.

 

Sadly, I don't think that most people know or understand the distinction between Ford vehicles and Ford dealerships. For many, if not most, an experience like I had, relative to the other dealerships, would turn prospective buyers away from Ford Motor Company and their products, in general, not just the specific dealership. Thankfully, not only do I know the difference, I also (as mentioned earlier) have several Ford dealerships within a reasonable distance from my home, so I can shop for a Ford Edge elsewhere, but not everyone is that fortunate. When I bought my Volvo, I shopped for the best price and that was all the really mattered. In this case, we were actually shopping and would have liked some help...

 

We are getting ready to venture into the car buying market too, Starting tomarrow we will be hitting the lots. When I was a bowtie guy, the chevrolet dealer I used was right next to the ford dealer. I ventured to the Ford dealer a time or too and felt the same coldness you described. Everyone was to busy hiting on the female workers or talking on hte phone to even look up and look me in the eye. We might as well have been ghost. I was raised Bowtie I was not comfortable there anyway and the coldness made it more noticable that I did not belong there. So we didn't spend much time to get to know the product. Went back across teh street to what we knew.

Since then the Chevrolet dealer bought the Ford dealer so the two lots are owned by the same guy. This dealership(s) have 5 buildings and take up 2 city blocks. 1 Building for new chevrolet which also contains parts and service, 1 building for New Ford including parts and service, 2 used lots, second is the discount $5000 lot (everything on it is $5000 or less) There is ussually a reason..... The last building is the body shop for both dealers.

The importance of that is to realize the marriage or relationship of the two dealers. It is very close and they sometimes share salesmen.... Since these two lots joined, the Chevrolet side has become just like the Ford dealer in atmosphere and attitude and it had bled over to teh used lots as well.

Use to I could spot something interesting, walk in, and tell them I'd like to see it, theyd say sure, toss me the keys and a gas card, tell me to let them know what I think. If I wanted it over niight or for a weekend, not a problem, wed have to go through the steps, copy of my dirvers license and insurance, sign my name and I had it. Last 3 vehicles we've bought, were not there...... Each time, I seen something, walked in and stood there for 30-45 mins before running out of patience and leaving. A few times we even felt like we were in the way standing there waiting to speak to someone.

Once again they will be the first one we stop at, because of convinence and the relationship we use to have. Many of those sales guys are still there BTW. But we have already spotted a ddeal on the Explorer she wants 30 min drive away for $10K less than anything they have on thier website. So they are already looking to loose to another Ford dealer.

Edited to add:
BTW for my truck I went to a Ford dealer almost 2 hours away and got service.... they wanted my business and worked for it. I looked at a truck did not like it, told the owners son what I wanted, 2 weeks later he gave me a call and told me t come look at this truck he had.... I was so took back I forgot to negotiate...... but I love it, we have gotten birthday card and christnmas cards every year since....they will get a call to see what they might have too.

 

I spoke a while back to a friend of mine who is an engineer at a Frod plant here in town---he said that issue is a big problem. Let's say that a Toyota and a Ford experience the same problem; perhpas a problem with a power window. The difference is how they are treated between the two dealerships. Other companies have learned what it is that keeps people happy--and coming back---but many Ford dealerships do not; and right now,because of the way the dealerships are currently franchised, there is little that FoMoco can do about it.

During our conversation he indicated that FoMoCo was very cognisant about it, but getting the dealers to do something about it was a difficult task to accomplish.

With the internet and the ability to price cars before one enters the dealership, an educated consumer is a dangerous idea to dealership. Unfortunately, since one knows the "ballpark price" before one enters the dealerships, how one is treated can have a very large impact on if one buys a car or takes it there for service---and service is where dealerships make a ton of $$$.

 

I guess I'm different. When I go to a car dealer I go to look at or buy a car, I'm not there looking for refreshments or playgrounds for my kid to play in. I find it rediculous to think that a dealer that offers these things is somehow "better" than one that doesn't. It's a car dealer, not Chuck E Cheese's.
I received an ad in the mail last week from Ford. They were offering a $50 gift card if you went to any dealer and test drove a car. I went to my local dealer and showed it to my salesman. He took my info for the gift card and then asked me if I wanted to drive something. I told him "not really". He said no problem. He knew I wasn't going to buy a new car and I was just there for the gift card. I was in and out in two minutes. To me, that's a good dealer.

 

HAHA

I would have stood there for two hours before they finally asked what I wanted.... (just like that too)..... taken the card, 2 hours later came out with dough......

Time is my most precious asset, even spending it there is an inconvince, so anything they can do to make the experince pleasurable, as well as speedy is much appreciated.... If you have kids, then sending them to a play area makes it both pleasurable and speeds up the process.

 

I am not going to a dealer to make friends---ultimately, I want the best vehicle for the best price. But I do expect to be treated courteously and with respect. At a few places, that hasn't happened. I know how much my trade is worth, I know the Blue-Book value of the vehicle I may be buying; I do not begrudge them of making a profit; but I do want to be treated appropriately. If that does not happen, why not go to a dealer that will give you the same price and a better treatment?

TSC

 

I am now dealing with two ford dealers one that has my new truck on order contract is really back peddling on the agreed trade in on my lightning so the new truck will be cancled. Rotten scoundrels. The sales guy was fired several days after our deal....Hmmmm, so not a good sign. This is a dealer that has had 90% of my business in the last 15 years for a total of 5 almost 6 truck purchases or leases. This dealer was quick with the starbucks coffee.


The other dealer that I am now working with has only had one deal with me, this was where I got the lightning. They have been just great and have offered the same new 07 truck for less and have offered to sell the lightning for me with a guaranteed minnimum. The minnimum is paid the moment I bring the lightning in. The deals are very close but the attitudes are as different as day and night. So I will order the new truck sometime in the
next several months if we can not find one suitable in the next 2 months.


Several years ago there was a ford dealer here that Ford Canada pulled their sales franchise. They were BAD....l

 

We didn't go to these three dealerships to get free popcorn or refreshments, and if you re-read my original post, the refreshments were just one piece of the overall dealership experience and not the sole element used to judge, or compare, the respective experiences. We went to them to look at vehicles and learn more about them. And part of looking at vehicles is the overall experience we had. If you shop purely on price, know exactly what you want before entering any dealership and don't give a crap about anything else, then fine. But the reality is that is not the case for most buyers. We were there with our Son and two out of the three provided an excellent level of customer service and offered him (and us) something. That kept him engaged with something so the adults could speak to the salespeople without interruption. That, to me, is excellent customer service and shows that the dealerships actually cared to help us. All the dealerships had play areas for kids, so on that basis they could all be compared equally. At the Ford dealership it was closed.

 

It would make sence to keep the potential customer in the store as long as possable by offering animenties, a cup of coffee is good for 10 minutes etc. Play area keeps kids distracted affording more time to the parents.


There are some dealers here that have starbucks shops and restraunts in them. Some also have a parts and bling department that you can trade up on the factory wheels, performance parts etc..