Ford (Australia) Customer Relations Centre

[Evil Roy]

I'm wondering about other peoples experience with the Ford Australia CRC.

I had issues which required me to ring them. First time I spent 20 minutes on hold before giving up.

Second call I spent 22 minutes before giving up.

Third call I spent 15 minutes before giving up.

Fourth call I spent 20 minutes on hold before giving up.

The local Ford dealer was sympathetic, saying they knew this was nothing unusual and would get the CRC to ring me direct. CRC rang me - when I was away from the phone - and mixed my name up with the dealers name, and did not leave any contact details except for the (wait forever) CRC number.

FWIW I have had it with these clowns, but am wondering if it is the norm or just a run of really bad luck. I'm buying elsewhere for my next new car.

Cheers!

[trev62]

hmmm.. waits for it...

[Redrum]

They are like certain parts of a bull.

[Evil Roy]

Does this mean people have had similar experiences or I'm on my own?

[ELGT4me]

Originally Posted by Evil Roy

I'm wondering about other peoples experience with the Ford Australia CRC.

I had issues which required me to ring them. First time I spent 20 minutes on hold before giving up.

Second call I spent 22 minutes before giving up.

Third call I spent 15 minutes before giving up.

Fourth call I spent 20 minutes on hold before giving up.

The local Ford dealer was sympathetic, saying they knew this was nothing unusual and would get the CRC to ring me direct. CRC rang me - when I was away from the phone - and mixed my name up with the dealers name, and did not leave any contact details except for the (wait forever) CRC number.

FWIW I have had it with these clowns, but am wondering if it is the norm or just a run of really bad luck. I'm buying elsewhere for my next new car.

Cheers!

FWIW are you dealing with the Ford Dealer in Nowra? Why is the dealer no help to you? To give the dealer the benefit of the doubt, perhaps you could explain what your problem is /are. There are dealers & there are good dealers, amazingly another dealer MAY solve your problems.

[66 STANG]

I have had a similar (frustrating) issue with the Ford CRC recently. Without going into it too much, they have not been able to supply a vital part for my Super Pursuit Ute for over 6 weeks now and I can't drive it without this part. I rang the CRC to put in a complaint about it and to see what they would do about it, but all I got was "....sorry sir, this is the best we can do about it". I suggested a couple of different forms of compensation (as my business relies on the use of my ute), but the response was ".....sorry sir, that is not company policy" I'm getting very ticked off these days - almost feels like I don't even own a ute anymore, but my lease, rego and insurance payments remind me that it is still there!!

[Smoke Pursuit]

They haev answered my calls in the past, but never really gave me an easy solution to my problems.

Its easier to deal with your dealership and hammer the service manager i have found.

[Fordman]

Originally Posted by bfiipursuit

They haev answered my calls in the past, but never really gave me an easy solution to my problems.

Its easier to deal with your dealership and hammer the service manager i have found.

They're useless on the phone, but his right put the pressure on them face-to-face and you will get somewhere.

[Luke Plaizier]

I had a reasonable experience with Ford CRC a few years ago, when early boss motors had the excessive oil consumption problem. I was clear to differentiate Ford the manufacturer from Ford the dealer, and I did my best to strike up a relationship with the dealer more than hold them accountable for product quality.

In each case I was able to access someone from CRC quite quickly, retained a continuous tracking number, recorded the topics of all my conversations with Ford and the dealer, and kept records of the name of the person I spoke to in each instance from each location. And because I had a good relationship with the dealer, they were actually trying to help me with my CRC experience, rather than fend me off as an irate customer.

All in all I thought it was a professional experience when I kept emotion out of the equation, and my engine was replaced under warranty - although it took 70,000km of evidence and oil consumption tracking for them to accept that it was a problem.....

My differential was also replaced under warranty when it leaked oil from the driveshaft seals at an early age - less than 15k at the time. But being a 2003 XR8, I guess I can just put that down to being an early build.



Lukeyson

[ELGT4me]

Originally Posted by Luke Plaizier

I had a reasonable experience with Ford CRC a few years ago, when early boss motors had the excessive oil consumption problem. I was clear to differentiate Ford the manufacturer from Ford the dealer, and I did my best to strike up a relationship with the dealer more than hold them accountable for product quality.

In each case I was able to access someone from CRC quite quickly, retained a continuous tracking number, recorded the topics of all my conversations with Ford and the dealer, and kept records of the name of the person I spoke to in each instance from each location. And because I had a good relationship with the dealer, they were actually trying to help me with my CRC experience, rather than fend me off as an irate customer.

All in all I thought it was a professional experience when I kept emotion out of the equation, and my engine was replaced under warranty - although it took 70,000km of evidence and oil consumption tracking for them to accept that it was a problem.....

My differential was also replaced under warranty when it leaked oil from the driveshaft seals at an early age - less than 15k at the time. But being a 2003 XR8, I guess I can just put that down to being an early build.



Lukeyson

A thoughtful intelligent, reply. Well said, getting the dealer on your side is 75% of a win!!! Like I said ,there are dealers & there are good dealers

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by ELGT4me

A thoughtful intelligent, reply. Well said, getting the dealer on your side is 75% of a win!!! Like I said ,there are dealers & there are good dealers

Very true... approach the problem the right way and more often than not you'll get the result you want.. Carry on like a spoilt kid and... well...

CRC is a dead last resort, the dealer holds the key to 99% of just about everything.
Learning how to "work" with them goes a long way too...

[JimNiki]

I went with mate to purchase G6ET last year.
It was a company car ahn he was ready to do the deal.
went to one, got our price, she said we'll do everything to look after the customer.
After half an hour of BS, she still wouldn't really budge on price.
We went to another one and within 5 minutes of sitting down with the man, we already had a deal! and wait for it! 8K better price.

Talk about "there's dealers and then there's dealers."
I won't tell you who the crap one's were but the great one is in Heidelberg.
That dealership has us both for life now!

[DanielXR8]

I have had one experience with the diff on my old GT where they were fine. I had another with a dealer complaint, where the most complimentary thing I can say is that Holden owe them a big thank you for their continued support of their products. I would go as far as to say that the person I dealt with should get a Holden as a company car. He worked hard to ensure Ford looked bad.

Bottom line seems to be that if you aren't in a position of needing a dealer pulled into line they are ok, but when a dealer is in the wrong, even when that is conclusively the case, they will initially try and sort it out, but in the end you the customer are expendable. Reputation and future loss sales be dammed.

So get along with your dealer, find another good dealer (if you can) as has already been suggested here, or expect to be working out the problem on your own.

Alternatively sell the car and cut your losses.

Dan

[jpd80]

Customer Relations Centre - is that run by the marketing section?

[GK]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Customer Relations Centre - is that run by the marketing section?

LOL!

GK

[Roy McMillan]

Ford Australia is ******, They build **** cars at prices way above all the rest
AND THEY EXPECT AUSTRALIANS TO SUPPORT THEM. It is all over Ford Australia
Why don't you build a ford ute that is just for Australia, a no crap ute

[Roy McMillan]

You want to send a concern to Ford Australia , but there is no link on the website.
What does that tell you . They are Finished.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Roy McMillan

You want to send a concern to Ford Australia , but there is no link on the website.
What does that tell you . They are Finished.

[MrEL]

Epic thread mine!

[AU1XLS]

Roy have you been off planet for a while, the last in here before yours was 23 months ago

Closed