Mike Levine saying outright he does NOT care about Granger/Chapman/SAC

[vrtical]

I just stopped in to my dealership, they had 200 orders and received 4 YTD Not sure if they are considered Large / Medium/ Small but seems like 2% is a rather small allocation. He said I should expect mine early 2022... reserve 2/2021 order 3/2021.
At that rate, I will have a bronco in 2121.

I haven't stated this yet, but for fact there are numerus large dealerships / large market who have hundreds of orders (more then 100) that barley have seen any delivered to this point and I am talking less then 20. Maybe the number gets a bit better the rest of 21 build out, but you get the point allocation isnt really the issue, but it just puts reservation holders with a timestamp behind the eightball more with these new 22 plans because now there is even a bigger backlog.

Oh and I went 161 miles out to get to a dealer that has fundamental skills in communication and commitment to actually work with a new order vs some dealer lot stock that they can sell on the spot.

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[dbeyers]

I don’t see what the big deal is here. 98% will get their reservations filled by the end of 2022. The cost of getting $1-2k under invoice turns out to be a slightly longer wait. Everything is a gamble, sometimes it pays off and other times it doesn’t.

I've not expected him to say anything different. It is unthinkable that Ford thinks it is fine for someone to place a reservation in 2020, an order in the spring of 2021, <repeat the steps of updating their order for 4 more years>, and then be happy that their Bronco is finally delivered in 2025.

What I would like to know is how he'll walk back the statement that those that have an order can transfer to another dealer and retain their original reservation timestamp. As many will attest, that isn't true. Ford Customer Service is not allowing transfer of reservations.

Without the option to transfer, existing reservation holders either stay in line at their current dealer and wait or get at the end of the line at a new dealer.

It is MSSRP - manufacturers strongly suggested retail price. Others charge ADM because they can get it.

 

[BuckyBronco]

You were roasted for providing information in direct 180° contrast to the promises Ford had made. You were right to be roasted then (as current information disputed you) and you are right to gloat now, as Ford has gone completely back on what they said.

Both things can be true, you can be wrong then and right now. You weren't predicting the future like you seem to be claiming, you took a guess with zero information. The fact that you got one right does not make you Nostradamus, but it does give you a certain leverage to feel holier than thou if you so choose to be the type of person who revels in the dismay of others.

Ehhh, well before anyone ordered and the initial allocation formula came out people here sounded the alarm on this causing long wait issues with the special discount dealers pretty clearly.

For example...this thread:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...build-date-estimates.5793/page-38#post-206114

 

[OmahaKevin]

He said "small dealers that offered a special deal". Not just "small dealers". That's a very small percentage of orders at large, like it or not. Why would Ford cater to 2% of reservation holders at the expense of their relationships with the dealers that give them more sales?

I get why people (particularly here where there is an outsized proportion of Granger orders) are upset...but if they've got a Granger order they're in the know enough here that they also should've understood that it was certainly not the quickest way to get a Bronco.

Read the history on this forum from last fall. Granger was playing by the given rules (along with several other dealer's) as did those of us who were encouraged to shop dealers and promised Broncos would be built by timestamp.
@Ford Motor Company changed the rules after the game started.

 

[ausherpharmd]

I'm not surprised. I dealt with the same kind of people in my second life. When they get that high in the food chain they couldn't care less about the customer. It also gives us a snapshot of the entire Ford leadership. Very sad, because at one time I was one of Ford's biggest Fanboys. Man do I feel the fool now.

That's the sad part.

 

[BuckyBronco]

Read the history on this forum from last fall. Granger was playing by the given rules (asking with several other dealer's) as did those of us who were encouraged to shop dealers and promised Broncos would be built by timestamp.
@Ford Motor Company changed the rules after the game started.

I did read the history...this is from September:

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...build-date-estimates.5793/page-38#post-206114

"Its the ones getting customers from all over the US that are going to end up with longer waits, big or little."

 

[Wanted33]

Hmmmm. Who knew that having everyone pick the same dealer was a bad idea. I'd rather support my local dealer. There's absolutely no reason to pick any dealer that's more than 200 miles away, so for all those out of state buyers - that's on you.

Ummmm, I could have reserved at my small hometown dealer, and pay a 5K ADM. Now with the new allocation that Bronco won't arrive until '23-'24. Or, I could have reserved at Granger, a small hometown dealer (in another town), and pay 2K under invoice. Now, with the new allocation that Bronco won't show up until '23-'24. So what's your point.........

 

[Atomicdog]

Dear Ford,
Due to your inability to build Broncos you sent me a price lock guarantee at 2021 prices. If you delay my order until 2023 to send stock units to mega dealers in 2022 you are costing yourself profits and giving it to those dealers instead. My price is locked, your prices from suppliers and inflation will climb. Are your stock holders ok with that?

 

[BroncoPls!]

I've not expected him to say anything different. It is unthinkable that Ford thinks it is fine for someone to place a reservation in 2020, an order in the spring of 2021, <repeat the steps of updating their order for 4 more years>, and then be happy that their Bronco is finally delivered in 2025.

What I would like to know is how he'll walk back the statement that those that have an order can transfer to another dealer and retain their original reservation timestamp. As many will attest, that isn't true. Ford Customer Service is not allowing transfer of reservations.

Without the option to transfer, existing reservation holders either stay in line at their current dealer and wait or get at the end of the line at a new dealer.

I wonder which is shorter,wait at small dealer or get in a new line at a larger one?

 

[UNBROKN]

nah I kicked one larger dealer to the curb for another large dealer that did better then MSRP. I would like to know what corporate mega group or groups feels they lost allocation over a couple small time short term dealers then pushed back to Ford.

I can think of 1 right off the bat...
Sheehy. THEY SUCK!

 

[Tag1996]

a dealership that sells 2200+ new fords per year is always going to get a bigger allocation than the dealer that sells 300 new Fords per year. Precisely why I went with a larger dealership and will pay MSRP.

whether it's right or wrong it's the way business is conducted.

I believe you are right. We have the exact same build. my reservation date was 7/15/2020. the dealership I ordered with on 1/20/21 is small and I mean small. they only have 3 reservations. I finally got a build date for 12/6/21 after being told I would not see a MY21 unless I changed to a 4 door. we decided to wait and got our vin and build date a couple of weeks ago.

 

[ausherpharmd]

I hope this blows up in Ford's (and Levine's) face. With the high price of the Bronco plus ADM, the final price is going to get steep and I think most people willing to put down that kind of cash are looking for a lot more luxury in their vehicle than what the Bronco has to offer.

And yes, Mike Levine is the biggest tool out there. I cannot believe he's in charge of a company this size's communication. If the media ever works up the balls to tell the whole story, this will go down as one of the ugliest corporate f-ups by a car company - maybe any company - in history.

I'm still on Granger's list but I may change my will specifying that my kids and kids' kids are not allowed to buy a Ford or they get disinherited.

It's not going to blow up in their face. We're just a few hundred or thousand. They're going to deliver thousands of Broncos to other people and they'll be driving around getting new people interested in bug markets where the money flies. They don't care that we're driving them. 1200 other people will be driving them happily. We'll stay here banging our heads against the walls and comforting each other. I just think it's terrible that an innovative dealer who found some workarounds to gain sales that benefit their customers is so blatantly sh*t on. Weird. I thought innovation and transparency was to be rewarded.

 

[BroncoT]

I reserved with Granger for the deal. 100%. I looked around because no dealers near me would commit to pricing. Uncertainty works like that.

I’ll see what works with the local dealer now. If that doesn’t work I will simply leave my Granger reservation open and see just happens. Maybe I decide no vehicle is worth this and just skip out whenever the time comes.

it’s sad because I was excited about this vehicle at one time

 

[Wanted33]

Dear Ford,
Due to your inability to build Broncos you sent me a price lock guarantee at 2021 prices. If you delay my order until 2023 to send stock units to mega dealers in 2022 you are costing yourself profits and giving it to those dealers instead. My price is locked, your prices from suppliers and inflation will climb. Are your stock holders ok with that?

Eddie, with the way things have developed I expect Ford to cancel any price protection deals after 2021. I don't know that will happen, but I don't have a lot of confidence it won't. Ford have turned me into quite the pesimiist.

 

[UtahLars]

In case anyone's been waiting for an answer:
@mrlevine Fill your Bronco reservation orders ahead of allocations. We’ve already waited 15 months. Stop punishing your customers. #reservationsoverallocations
His answer tells me they just don't care.

in case he deletes his tweet, here's what it says:

Mike Levine
Replying to @robtraut and @KogodBiz
That’s exactly the plan for more than 98% of customers that didn’t place orders with a small dealer that created a special deal to attract a large number of orders.

I'm not sure I get what the fuss is about.

I have no issue with a small rural dealer wanting to use the internet to compete with larger dealers. That's one of the great things about the internet - you can reach anyone anywhere if you have a compelling business proposition.

The problem is, they didn't actually have one. If the rural dealership had a whole bunch of Broncos in stock that it had complete control over, then advertising a discount would be fine. They can deliver on their promise to the consumer, and its good healthy competition.

But they didn't have the product to deliver. If I understand what they did correctly (I didn't deal with them or follow the saga that closely), they touted a discount on something they hadn't yet purchased from Ford and that, to boot, was scarce and very hard to get.

Meanwhile Ford is sitting with a limited number of Broncos and more interest than it can satisfy in a timely manner. They also have an interest in maintaining the price they can get for their products, which is totally legitimate. Given the limited supply vs. demand, why in the world would any rational manufacturer allocate more product to be sold at a price lower than what it thinks is the market clearing price?

Ford does take a risk because "promises" made by a Ford dealer might, in the mind of the consumer, get attributed to Ford itself. We're seeing that play out in this thread. But on the other hand, Ford takes a risk if it rescues the dealer by honoring commitments the dealer made to provide discounted pricing. In particular, if it rewards such behavior it encourages it to occur more widely. For every valuable hot vehicle Ford has to offer for which it can get full margins, it has slow-selling vehicles that it has to discount to move. The overall financial results of the company represent a balance of hot and not-hot vehicles, and the hot ones only come along once in a while.

Why is it wrong for Ford to try to maintain pricing discipline, as long as they aren't being fraudulent about it?

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