Buy Back Process

[alihenry87]

2022 Bronco Sport Badlands

Has anyone gone through the buy back process recently? I first started the conversation with my case manager on 3/29/24, and they reached out on 5/16/24 saying due to system errors my case slipped through the cracks. It is now 7/21/24 and I have not heard anything since that apology email. No one will contact me back after numerous emails and calls.

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[Quashish]

I assume you mean you totaled the vehicle and want to buy back the salvage title? Do you have geico insurance?

 

[alihenry87]

Oh sorry, no. I should have clarified. There have been issues with my Bronco unfortunately and they suggested I submit for buy back.

 

[Dantanman]

Yes I have, as a franchised Ford dealer for over 20 years (retired). It's typically a long, drawn out frustrating process. I advocated on behalf of a few customers over the years. If I felt the criteria was met, I felt it was my duty to assist the customer in any way I could. Is your selling dealer trying to help you through the process? We can't force Ford to do anything but I believe having your dealer in your corner helps.

 

[DWG]

I have been through the process earlier this year. I had a 23 Escape that had an issue that in the end the dealer could not fix and it sat at the dealer for almost a month when I called Ford Customer Service to start the buyback process. You need to make sure that the issue(s) qualify for your states lemon law as the is what Ford follows.

My process took about 7 weeks from start to picking up my new Bronco Sport. Once you call Ford they should send the request over to the RAV team who reviews the case and makes a decision. In my case I found out that Ford did not send the case to the RAV team when I originally called. While I was on the second call the Rep sent the case over to the RAV team which is listed as a "milestone" in their computer. I unofficially found out that my buyback was approved as while I was talking to the Ford rep they received a message regarding the approval. I still needed to hear fro the RAV team.

Not sure how familiar you are with the process but if it is approved you have a couple of choices. Since I bought another Ford the best option for me was MSRP to MSRP with me paying any difference.

During the process I probably called about once a week to get a status update on the process. I did not wait to get a call from Ford. During the process I think the Ford Customer Service Rep reaches out to the Dealer (probably Service Manager) for a status of what has happened with the Bronco. You might also want to check with the dealer to see if they have gotten any requests for information but I think ultimately Ford can see everything that is in their computer.

 

[alihenry87]

Yes I have, as a franchised Ford dealer for over 20 years (retired). It's typically a long, drawn out frustrating process. I advocated on behalf of a few customers over the years. If I felt the criteria was met, I felt it was my duty to assist the customer in any way I could. Is your selling dealer trying to help you through the process? We can't force Ford to do anything but I believe having your dealer in your corner helps.

Thank you! I appreciate this information and will follow up with my dealer who also thinks my bronco needs to go back.

 

[alihenry87]

I have been through the process earlier this year. I had a 23 Escape that had an issue that in the end the dealer could not fix and it sat at the dealer for almost a month when I called Ford Customer Service to start the buyback process. You need to make sure that the issue(s) qualify for your states lemon law as the is what Ford follows.

My process took about 7 weeks from start to picking up my new Bronco Sport. Once you call Ford they should send the request over to the RAV team who reviews the case and makes a decision. In my case I found out that Ford did not send the case to the RAV team when I originally called. While I was on the second call the Rep sent the case over to the RAV team which is listed as a "milestone" in their computer. I unofficially found out that my buyback was approved as while I was talking to the Ford rep they received a message regarding the approval. I still needed to hear fro the RAV team.

Not sure how familiar you are with the process but if it is approved you have a couple of choices. Since I bought another Ford the best option for me was MSRP to MSRP with me paying any difference.

During the process I probably called about once a week to get a status update on the process. I did not wait to get a call from Ford. During the process I think the Ford Customer Service Rep reaches out to the Dealer (probably Service Manager) for a status of what has happened with the Bronco. You might also want to check with the dealer to see if they have gotten any requests for information but I think ultimately Ford can see everything that is in their computer.

Thank you for your guidance. I will be persistent with my case manager in hopes they back to me. I have called, emailed, used ford chat on the website and can’t get ahold of her.

 

[DWG]

If I recall any Ford Customer Service Rep can take your call and should be able to give you an updated status based on the notes they can see in the computer. Obviously they need to be careful not to lead you on but I would assume they can tell you when your case was forwarded to the RAV team which should have been shortly after your initial call. If you do a search online of Ford Buyback program you can find several threads of others experience. Just take some of the comments with a grain of salt. as their experience may not be yours. My experience was during February and March this year, maybe the RAV team is much more busy this time of year causing a delay in getting a response. Do not know.

 

[alihenry87]

I guess I will see if my dealer can call them. I have left numerous voicemails, emails and even talked to other customer service people and they were unable to help. One said she would escalate my call to my case managers supervisor and expect a call in two days. I have not received any call or emails from Ford. All so strange to me because they were really good initially last year when it all started.

 

[Bucko]

It's been over a year? I'd be lawyering up.

 

[alihenry87]

Yeah it’s been awhile unfortunately and still haven’t heard from anyone. I did start a conversation with Ford on here to see if that would help.

 

[DWG]

I agree it may be time to Lawyer up. When contacting Ford Customer Service regarding your case they should be able to tell you where your case is. They may not be able to give you specifics but they should be able to see that the case is assigned to the RAV team who makes the decisions regarding the buy back. While I was going through the process I checked with one of the law firms that advertise no fees if you do not win your case. At the time I decided to let the informal process play out. With a lawyer and your state lemon law there should be deadlines that Ford would need to meet.

Ford's process follows your state lemon law. If you did not meet your state lemon law requirements when you started the process you may not qualify for a buy back with Ford. Your signature indicates you are in Illinois. Illinois law seems more restrictive in that the vehicle defects must be in the first year of service but it does allow for an extended time to file your claim:

From BBB il-ll-summary.pdf

TIME PERIOD FOR FILING CLAIMS
An action must be commenced within 18 months following the date of the vehicle’s original delivery to the consumer. This period is extended by the number of days that the subject matter of the action was pending in an informal dispute settlement procedure.

Here is another link from Illinois Attorney General:

https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Page-Attachments/LemonLawEnglish.pdf

Make sure you check the boxes to verify that you qualified under your state lemon law from the time you first contacted Ford and that contact qualified as a way to extend your time to file under the state lemon law.

Are you able to verify that you meet/met your state lemon law when you contacted Ford? If so I would definitely look into a lawyer to get Ford moving.

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