Opportunity lost

[christopheru]

My point on this thread might have been miss understood. I'm not criticizing Ford for parts shortage. That's global, industry wide. Just check your local grocery store. It's communication they lack in lost opportunity. I have a big bronco on reserve and have gotten numerous emails describing hard top issues and that they won't build anymore hardtop till the (existing) broncos are refitted. I'm all for that and will wait till 2022-23. Way to go Ford for stepping up. Obviously another division is handling Sport communications. April order/June builds were pushed through lacking parts to keep production lines moving and not paying line workers to do nothing. Those vehicles were stored outside. Good marketing. As parts became available line was kept moving by completing July/August builds and shipped. Shouldn't we expect an email or something saying we can or can't start bringing (some) June builds through and completing them. We would understand. Opportunity lost

Well said.

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[13MikeH]

So it's been clear that they would have production issues? Clear to whom? Certainly not the Ford employee that could have told us that little tidbit...

So Ford knew, and lied.

Ford could have easily said when they knew that there would be delays of several months, but did not.

I placed an order in late March. Scheduled build for late May. By Late April, I and everyone on this forum at that point KNEW it was coming down. I started searching dealers in a two hundred mile radius. Several emails, several phone calls I had a sport in my driveway first week of may. I dropped an option, gained an option, ended up with what I need. My build was eventually completed and arrived on that dealer lot near August not June.
You already bought a different vehicle. You've already written the sport off. You made a decision that works for you. Best advice I ever received. 8th grade science. Life...is...difficult. learn to appreciate opportunity, accept that some things won't go as planned, and don't waste a breath on shit you can't control. Two outer banks, three badlands and ten big bends just rolled into dealers near me. Someone will enjoy those rides. Peace. I'm done everyone enjoy. I'm out of this forum. Have a good one.

 

[christopheru]

I placed an order in late March. Scheduled build for late May. By Late April, I and everyone on this forum at that point KNEW it was coming down. I started searching dealers in a two hundred mile radius. Several emails, several phone calls I had a sport in my driveway first week of may. I dropped an option, gained an option, ended up with what I need. My build was eventually completed and arrived on that dealer lot near August not June.
You already bought a different vehicle. You've already written the sport off. You made a decision that works for you. Best advice I ever received. 8th grade science. Life...is...difficult. learn to appreciate opportunity, accept that some things won't go as planned, and don't waste a breath on shit you can't control. Two outer banks, three badlands and ten big bends just rolled into dealers near me. Someone will enjoy those rides. Peace. I'm done everyone enjoy. I'm out of this forum. Have a good one.

Enjoy your BS!

 

[69cuda340s]

My point on this thread might have been miss understood. I'm not criticizing Ford for parts shortage. That's global, industry wide. Just check your local grocery store. It's communication they lack in lost opportunity. I have a big bronco on reserve and have gotten numerous emails describing hard top issues and that they won't build anymore hardtop till the (existing) broncos are refitted. I'm all for that and will wait till 2022-23. Way to go Ford for stepping up. Obviously another division is handling Sport communications. April order/June builds were pushed through lacking parts to keep production lines moving and not paying line workers to do nothing. Those vehicles were stored outside. Good marketing. As parts became available line was kept moving by completing July/August builds and shipped. Shouldn't we expect an email or something saying we can or can't start bringing (some) June builds through and completing them. We would understand. Opportunity lost

Spot on. Waiting customers should be communicated with, addressed, and taken care of. We all understand global supply chain and auto industry crisis. We all understand stuff happens. But to ignore and act like waiting customers do not matter, leave the customers and the dealers hanging, no communication, no effort to right this f-up, is unacceptable hence my canceled order.

 

[JerryC]

You, like me, bought a car from a company that brought us the Pinto and its ensuing scandal and have to ask that question?

I actually owned a Pinto, bought used to build a street racer. I drove it stock for a couple of weeks. It was actually a good car. It handled great and enough breaks to handle high speeds. The rack and pinion was the go to for street rods for decades.

 

[JerryC]

Well, the problem with chip shortage isn't so much COVID as every single car maker making the same mistake.
I forget which analyst pointed this out, but what happened was this: demand for cars fell sharply as COVID got going. Ford, and everyone else, saw a recession on the horizon which would keep demand down. They figured they wouldn't need the chips so they cancelled orders for them. Demand for chips didn't die though as the demand for consumer electronics went through the roof so chip makers pivoted and sold there. The recession didn't materialize (a lot of public money was spend keeping people out of bankruptcy) and demand for cars didn't tank. In fact, the opposite happened. Now we have car companies with a shortage of critical parts because they have been sold elsewhere JUST as COVID becomes a bigger pain in the ass and is whacking countries where the chips are made even harder.
We just bought a new Prius. Thankfully, it was one on the lot or we would likely have been SOL. Toyota is having the same problem as Ford for the exact same reason. They messed up and guessed wrong. No one is willing to sit on inventory of parts they may not need. Just in time inventory is awesome when supply chains work and you guess right. Guess wrong in a time of global economic crisis? You are toast. At least Ford built as much as they could and didn't lay everyone off which they could have.
And if you think this is bad, look at the bicycle industry. Shortage there is far far worse than for automobiles. Shimano cannot make parts fast enough, COVID shut downs hit them hard, and the global demand for bicycles (seen by many as a way to get around, avoid buses, get legal exercise and out of the house under lockdowns) has gone through the roof with no sign of really dropping. Shimano matters because almost all "low end consumer" bicycles have their parts and so does the majority of high end and mid level bikes.

Just think if one company had the sense to look past the obvious and really think what would happen during the pandemic. No excuse for Ford. Ford probably had the same side about their suppliers, they are waiting in line to service Ford. That's true, until it isn't.

As my mom would say 'if all your friends jumped off a bridge would you jump too?". Well, Ford did.

 

[JerryC]

I placed an order in late March. Scheduled build for late May. By Late April, I and everyone on this forum at that point KNEW it was coming down. I started searching dealers in a two hundred mile radius. Several emails, several phone calls I had a sport in my driveway first week of may. I dropped an option, gained an option, ended up with what I need. My build was eventually completed and arrived on that dealer lot near August not June.
You already bought a different vehicle. You've already written the sport off. You made a decision that works for you. Best advice I ever received. 8th grade science. Life...is...difficult. learn to appreciate opportunity, accept that some things won't go as planned, and don't waste a breath on shit you can't control. Two outer banks, three badlands and ten big bends just rolled into dealers near me. Someone will enjoy those rides. Peace. I'm done everyone enjoy. I'm out of this forum. Have a good one.

Good for you buddy. You like to talk to down to people because you got yours. Made you feel better and now you can go. Good for you.

You think I didn't search The web for hours a day for one in my range? You don't know jack about me or most of the people on here. You don't why, and I won't tell you why I can't fly across the country to get a vehicle, but yeah lord it over me how you are better and smarter than me and others.

My mistake is not that I wasn't busting my balls to find what I want, it's trusting Ford, trusting the dealer that I have bought nearly ten vehicles from in less than ten years. I hesitated because Ford said it was being built and I suffered for that.

Part of me is upset at Ford, part is upset that I let Ford play me. But I stick around after getting a 4Runner so people researching will have good chance of seeing what can and has happened to others.

I also said I have room in the budget for another new vehicle if I want one. There's a chance I'll still buy the BS if it ever gets here. The longer it takes to get here the smaller that chance gets. Is that going to make me happy about the way I've been treated, nope. What the dealer does at the time of potential sale will have a huge part in determining if I've already bought the last Ford I will ever buy or not.

 

[69cuda340s]

I do my best to be fair and understanding as a customer. But I certainly expect Ford to at least try instead of head in the sand customer last policies. COVID, supply chains, shipping woes ect is no excuse for this negligence of customers period. So they deserve the bashings, they own it, and they are fully responsible for this dismal repelling customer experience.

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