I thought this was a pretty interesting article concerning FlatRateTech... Seems to me to be yet another mark against Ford's customer service (or in this case the lack thereof!)

http://www.bonforums.com/dealerconsu...eqcd091902.htm

 

Thanks for posting that link STX, some good info there.
You know, it really burns my hide that this info is available if you pay a "fee", but Ford will not knowingly divulge this info to its "loyal" customers.
WTF?

It seems that "Quality is Job #2", and saving money at the expense of uninformed customers is Job 1.

I love my truck, but i'm just venting.

Thanks again
Alex

 

STX/98

That's pretty interesting. A lot of people here seem to be anti-dealer and tech, saying things like "I'm going to take it to a local guy who knows about rear ends and won't charge me an arm and a leg." My personal position has always been (depending on the dealership and its owner of course) that the techs are really the ones on the front lines, and have a vested interested in customer satisfaction.

I absolutely love the techs down at my local dealership. I wouldn't trust Ford or Bill Ford farther than I could throw him. But I would definitely trust the techs. They come off the floor if I have a question for them and actually spend time explaining stuff to me. When I apologize for taking them away from their work they always say that it's a pleasure talking about that kind of stuff.

It seems a majority of people believe their vehicle is assembled at a "reputable" and honest place of business (the auto maker), but then when it rolls off the line and it comes to service, every place labeled "Ford" is full of service advisors and techs that are nothing but a bunch of thieves. Turns out, based on your article, that the thievery is done by the auto maker. It is the techs that are trying to save the day.

 

I completely agree with you... We're basically talking about Ford Tech's volunteering there time and expertise to improve Ford's customer service without Ford's support. Doesn't make much sense at all. As the article says, if Ford would adopt a similair stategy towards customer support, it would seem to me it would help Ford tremendously as far as retaining its existing customer base. We all know how thankful we are for users like FactoryTech and other on this site that are technicians for Ford that volunteer there first hand insight into the problems we all expierence. They are collectively probably as valuable of a resource as you could ask for. Unfortunately what this leads me to believe is that on a corporate level Ford would rather have the majority of it's cusomer base left in the dark rather than from there perspective 'arming' the general public with facts and the truth... Eitherway, the website (www.FlatRateTech.com) is a fantastic resource for Ford Enthusiasts. While I have not spent much time over there yet to see just how valuable the site is, I would encourage all to add this site to your favorites... With or without Ford's support this is exactly what many of us are all looking for.