Bronco Sport Price Increases Coming April 13, 2022

[69cuda340s]

This article says $500 increase for Badlands. But don't worry sure the price increases will keep coming:

https://www.carsdirect.com/automotive-news/industry-news/ford-increasing-bronco-sport-prices-up-to-1-000-next-week

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[Fuzzbear]

My dealer recently emailed me asking if I wanted to sell my 2021 Badlands back to them and "upgrade to a new vehicle with little or no out-of-pocket expense, while keeping your payments about the same or possibly lower." I guess they don't realize I bought a 2022 through them after the 2021 was totaled ...

 

[MJE]

My dealer recently emailed me asking if I wanted to sell my 2021 Badlands back to them and "upgrade to a new vehicle with little or no out-of-pocket expense, while keeping your payments about the same or possibly lower." I guess they don't realize I bought a 2022 through them after the 2021 was totaled ...

My dealer continues emailing me asking to trade in my 2020 explorer for a 2022, showing me that my payment remains the same or less (let’s never mind the term…). Not that they actually have a 2022 ont he lot for me to trade to anyways…. Somehow their system generated emails also seem to conveniently ignore the fact that I’ve had a BS on order since November LOL

 

[sajohnson]

I gather there is no way for customers to access SmartVincent?

It would be in Ford's best interest to ensure that potential buyers are aware of all discounts/credits/rebates/special financing, etc. that they qualify for.

My wife and I were lied to -- we were told by 2 employees that the $1,000 order credit did not apply. There was no mention of SmartVincent. I had to go online and find a Ford page that listed the BS as being eligible before they grudgingly applied the $1,000 credit.

The salesman also told us we would have to pay any MSRP increases after our order date!

It would have been nice to have SmartVincent available. I'm sure Ford does not create buyer incentives just to have dealers lie and claim they do not exist in an attempt to defraud customers.

 

[fordvideoguy]

Here is what you need to show your dealer who says they can't/won't honor price protection. Tell them to reach out to their Ford Rep for reimbursement.

 

[sajohnson]

Here is what you need to show your dealer who says they can't/won't honor price protection. Tell them to reach out to their Ford Rep for reimbursement.

Thanks Tim!

I was watching your YouTube video live earlier and posted a question but it was overlooked (and then seemed to have been deleted).

My wife and I just went through a stereotypically bad buying experience. The one thing the dealer did not try was last minute ADM (aka, extortion), but that is a frequently reported problem.

My question was, what (if anything) can buyers do to ensure that does not happen, or nip it in the bud if it does? Is there someone at Ford they can call? Is there anything in a typical franchise agreement prohibiting such predatory behavior?

Opinions regarding dealers holding vehicles for 'ransom' are all over the map, from "If the order summary is signed by the salesman, the sales manager, and perhaps the GM you might be covered" to, "You are at the mercy of the dealer, regardless of who signs the order. They can charge whatever they want. Your only option is to walk".

Needless to say, that no longer affects us directly, but there is a lot of concern and anxiety about this issue. Since you have a lot of experience in the business, I was hoping you might have some advice.

Also, can you think of any reason for a salesman to claim the $1,000 order credit does not apply to a BS, force me to look it up, then concede but claim it only applies to the Badlands? Is there a way for the salesperson to pocket the $1,000 credit if it is not used by the buyer?

Finally, what incentive would the salesperson have to tell a buyer that they are responsible for any MSRP increases *after* the order date, up through delivery? I'm guessing they may be able to keep the Price Protection rebate if the buyer is not aware of it? It ended up being a non-issue in our case as we ordered the Badlands in December and picked it up in March and there were no MSRP increases between the December order and February build, but if there had been price increases, the salesman made it very clear that we would have to pay them. That would have been another interesting conversation.

Buying a car really should not be so difficult. I imagine sales volume would increase if people could be assured it would be an enjoyable, ethical experience.

PS: My grandfather was from Roxbury. Just a little known fun fact.

 

[Elegance]

Finally, what incentive would the salesperson have to tell a buyer that they are responsible for any MSRP increases *after* the order date, up through delivery? I'm guessing they may be able to keep the Price Protection rebate if the buyer is not aware of it? It ended up being a non-issue in our case as we ordered the Badlands in December and picked it up in March and there were no MSRP increases between the December order and February build, but if there had been price increases, the salesman made it very clear that we would have to pay them. That would have been another interesting conversation.

My salesman told me the exact same thing!! I ordered last month and now supposedly the Badlands is getting a 2k markup. Why would my dealership push this fact if price protection has existed all along? Are they going to try and scam me the day I go to purchase my order? Can I contact Ford to send me the Smart Vincent so I can have it in hand, or am I at the mercy of my dealer?

 

[spiritedcharm]

It sounds like some people need to find another more reputable dealer. Mine has been upfront with me from the beginning. My price is protected, no markup, no deposit, and the $1K incentive is mine. And they also didn't run my credit when I placed the order.

 

[thekingprawn]

My salesman told me the exact same thing!! I ordered last month and now supposedly the Badlands is getting a 2k markup. Why would my dealership push this fact if price protection has existed all along? Are they going to try and scam me the day I go to purchase my order? Can I contact Ford to send me the Smart Vincent so I can have it in hand, or am I at the mercy of my dealer?

My plan going in when my BS arrives is to have all the documentation ready to go (see Tim's post above), immediately get the sales manager and GM involved if the salesman balks even a little (and do so loudly enough they'll want to be part of the solution so other customers don't get concerned), if the management balks demand they get the regional rep on speaker phone immediately, and also I'll have Ford CS on speed dial. I hope none of that is necessary, and my wife tells me I'm already a little over the top on this, but going into such an imbalanced interaction unprepared is just asking to become a mark. I also plan on telling the F&I office to just immediately produce the document I sign declining every piece of garbage they want to sell me before the spiel is even attempted. If they hand me "the menu" I'm tearing it in half and handing it back. Give me the actual price, I stroke a check, and everyone is happy. Any addons or accessories I want to purchase will be done separately and on their own terms (beat Levittown Ford or decline to sell to me essentially....) I hate that car buying is an adversarial, cat and mouse game. I'm getting the vehicle I want, the dealership gets to sell it to me for a good price because I'm not trying to min/max the pricing. It should be as open and honest as buying any other product, and probably more because it is such a high value item. Maybe honest dealerships like Long McArthur and Granger can eventually change the culture.

 

[AWSD]

The new pricing is live for builds on Ford's site. Not only did MSRP go up, but many of the add-on accessories did as well. My exact BL order that I ordered last December and is being built the week of 9 May has a $3635 increase if I were to order it today. I called my dealer and they confirmed I am locked into what pricing was at the time of my order.

 

[M3H7363]

I just priced out one exactly like my Outer Banks that I just got 2 1/2 weeks ago. $1000 more.

 

[sajohnson]

My salesman told me the exact same thing!! I ordered last month and now supposedly the Badlands is getting a 2k markup. Why would my dealership push this fact if price protection has existed all along? Are they going to try and scam me the day I go to purchase my order? Can I contact Ford to send me the Smart Vincent so I can have it in hand, or am I at the mercy of my dealer?

I have yet to hear a legitimate reason why salespeople pretend Ford's Price Protection does not exist. I've been told that some salespeople may be unaware of price protection. I suppose that's possible, especially with salespeople without much experience, but it's becoming less and less believable as the MSRP increases become more frequent and drag on. After all, this has been going on for a couple YEARS now.

It's difficult not to come to the conclusion that there is some way for dishonest salespeople to pocket the price protection rebate from Ford. Otherwise, why lie? It's a lie that's demonstrably false; it guarantees that the customer will never recommend that salesperson or that dealership to anyone, and, if the salesperson were to get away with stealing the buyer's rebate from Ford, that is theft and fraud.

That said, you should be fine. Print out what Tim posted above (post #50) and bring it with you.

There is more information about price protection here on the BS forum and over on Blue Oval. You can never have too much. You might want to print out a few of the internal memos from Ford to dealers that list the MSRP increases and also clearly explain that those increases apply going *forward* -- existing orders will not be "re-invoiced".

There is absolutely zero ambiguity about price protection -- you pay the price you agreed to when you ordered.

Another thing you might consider (that did not occur to me) is printing out all of the factory incentives that were in effect on 3/10, if you haven't already. Our salesperson and the finance guy both insisted that the $1,000 order credit does not apply to the BS. I had to go online to find the Ford page saying it does apply before they grudgingly applied the $1,000 to the purchase. It would have been easier had I had that printed out -- and it would have been critical had the $1,000 credit applied in December when we ordered but then expired before delivery.

Good luck!

 

[SportWest]

While my salesman wasn't helpful at providing any new order updates, he did say that I have price protection for my loaded Badlands. Yeah, the wait sucks and I sometimes wish I ordered from the state's largest dealer by volume, but thus far my dealership has done everything aboveboard as far as retail orders go.

Part of this could be their reputation for fair dealing, but I also think Ford corporate is cracking down on dealers in this era of retail orders given some of the more outrageous stories that have come out over the past few years. It's also becoming harder and harder for unscrupulous dealers to get away with this behavior given forums like these.

 

[Gartallica]

While my salesman wasn't helpful at providing any new order updates, he did say that I have price protection for my loaded Badlands. Yeah, the wait sucks and I sometimes wish I ordered from the state's largest dealer by volume, but thus far my dealership has done everything aboveboard as far as retail orders go.

Part of this could be their reputation for fair dealing, but I also think Ford corporate is cracking down on dealers in this era of retail orders given some of the more outrageous stories that have come out over the past few years. It's also becoming harder and harder for unscrupulous dealers to get away with this behavior given forums like these.

Yeah- this. I ordered from a very small family-owned dealership in my area (Crouse in Taneytown). Definitely not pushing the most units in the area but they're honest and that goes a long way. My build is scheduled for Monday and the 6 months wait was worth it.

 

[fordvideoguy]

Thanks Tim!

I was watching your YouTube video live earlier and posted a question but it was overlooked (and then seemed to have been deleted).

My wife and I just went through a stereotypically bad buying experience. The one thing the dealer did not try was last minute ADM (aka, extortion), but that is a frequently reported problem.

My question was, what (if anything) can buyers do to ensure that does not happen, or nip it in the bud if it does? Is there someone at Ford they can call? Is there anything in a typical franchise agreement prohibiting such predatory behavior?

Opinions regarding dealers holding vehicles for 'ransom' are all over the map, from "If the order summary is signed by the salesman, the sales manager, and perhaps the GM you might be covered" to, "You are at the mercy of the dealer, regardless of who signs the order. They can charge whatever they want. Your only option is to walk".

Needless to say, that no longer affects us directly, but there is a lot of concern and anxiety about this issue. Since you have a lot of experience in the business, I was hoping you might have some advice.

Also, can you think of any reason for a salesman to claim the $1,000 order credit does not apply to a BS, force me to look it up, then concede but claim it only applies to the Badlands? Is there a way for the salesperson to pocket the $1,000 credit if it is not used by the buyer?

Finally, what incentive would the salesperson have to tell a buyer that they are responsible for any MSRP increases *after* the order date, up through delivery? I'm guessing they may be able to keep the Price Protection rebate if the buyer is not aware of it? It ended up being a non-issue in our case as we ordered the Badlands in December and picked it up in March and there were no MSRP increases between the December order and February build, but if there had been price increases, the salesman made it very clear that we would have to pay them. That would have been another interesting conversation.

Buying a car really should not be so difficult. I imagine sales volume would increase if people could be assured it would be an enjoyable, ethical experience.

PS: My grandfather was from Roxbury. Just a little known fun fact.

Oh, I thought I answered a question similar to this on the stream last night. I recommended that they call Ford Complaint Line, 800-392-3673. Outside of that I don't know what else can be done. It's a shame that they are allowed to do that after signing a buyers order saying they will. Ford pays them the difference on the price increase so they aren't out that money. And they shouldn't be saying they will do MSRP if they had no intention to do it.

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