PowerFord , Sad Dissapointed Disstasteful - Never Again!

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

Hi flammin, my parents were looking at buying their twin cab turbo V8 deisel F250 about a couple of years . My old man is a Veitnam vet , and on a govt pension, and one of the breaks they get is he doesnt pay certain taxes ! So they went to the local ford dealership and were looking at a single cab , waiting for someone to approch them ! Nothing ! HE approches one of the salesmen and they sit down to talk about the Ftruck. The oldies take it for a test drive for an hour and fall in love with it ! Ok so they tell the bloke they will pay cash (not finance or anything ) and the bloke is tells them a price ! Dad says that he has certain tax exemptions and that he also knows what the F250 sells for down south ! the bloke tells my old man that "everyone pays the taxes and this is their price ! So mum and dad left ! Went down south about 2 weeks later ! Turns out that 2 of my uncles also want F250's . so the 3 boys dont tell the wives where they are headed and disapear for the day . Went to a ford dealer in southern Bisbane and before the salesman got past introducing them selves , uncle Ian askes him for his best price on 3 F250's , ready to drive out by the end of the day ! The bloke tells him he has to be joking ! Ian says no Im serious and we can go to another dealer about 40 mins away and ask them if he likes ! The bloke looks stunned and tells them its not possible to have them by the end of the day !Ian tells them he has the best part of $200 000 between them that says they can. Dad and the 2 uncles had already chosen the 250's sitting in the storage yard ! Uncle Ian has bought vehicles from this dealer before so knows what they can do when the dollars are shown to them ! They drove out that afternoon in the F trucks they had chosen ! Dad got his white twin cab and the uncles got their single cabs by making it known they werent there to be stuffed around !!! Uncle Ian is also a Vietnam vet and has the same tax breaks as the old man .. When Mum and dad were up here a coupl;e of weeks later me and dad dropped into the ford dealer and spoke to the salesman that treated then like the first time ! When he heard how much dad payed he basically called dad a liar , So dad showed him the contract and gave him the salesmans card if he wanted to ask him himself ! The truck has never been in a ford workshop just because the dealerships up here rape customers twice as bad as anywhere down south ! It gets serviceed by a family freind who owns a repco franchised workshop ! Or I work on it ! the only thing they dont like about the Ftruck is the fuel consumption ! Everything else is spot on ! The ford dealer has changed hads since them and I am led to beleive they are a much better dealrship now , but I imagine some people still feel shafted by them !

[Sourbastard]

Ive moved this thread to the Pub. Thread is more general automotive related being its a dealer issue rather then it being a model issue with your particular car.

Hope you get some customer satisfaction with your car FlaminFiesta!

[Dave_au]

Originally Posted by filthy_monkey

Heck I was 21, and went in there to get my car, an XR6T.No fuss, no questions, 2nd visit, quote with over 4 grand discounted, and offered a test drive of a BRAND NEW CAR!!!! Not a demo, and brand spanker....

I wouldn't say thats a positive. How would you like someone thrashing the crap out of your brand new car before taking delivery.

[TURBOTAXI]

Ford Australia wont care. They will say it is a franchise, and you need to take it up with the franchise holder (DP).
The media is the best way to be a thorn in their side, That or get some of those stickers made up for your windows that say "I bought this car at ......." and then park it out the front.

[fordel]

Sounds quite like the service i got from a dealer here in Adelaide.

Took the car in for a service and to have the headlight switch fixed.

Came back and told me the lights on the headlight switch were painted on and that they never have lit up, not in the last year and a half of ownership.

Had to go back the next day to get them to say oh yes we will fix that.

Told me to organise a time, made it 2 weeks later so they could get the parts in, rocked up that morning, " oh sorry the parts not in "

Went off at the idiot manager told him someone should have called me and they are pathetic, asked to speak to the main service manager, told him his staff are incompetant morons and i am sick of there poor service attitudes.

Told him i know its only a focus, and not one of their precious falcons, but there attitude is no good enough.

Next day he had the part for me, told him i wanted a loan car at least, he organised everything and in the end got it fixed... after 2-3 weeks of fighting to have something fixed that should have been done in the service.

Same dealer my girlfriend bought her Fiesta from, found a nice colour, only 1 around in that colour, organised it all, she rang back the next day said yep i want that... the moron sales guy said yeah thats cool, ill put the paperwork on it so noon else sells it, dont worry about a deposit.

Get there that night to sign it all, and another stupid sales person had gone and sold it on her, she was not happy.

I have been to 5 Ford dealers in Adelaide, and will never go back to them, one of them was forcing me to sign papers to trade my focus in on a car, when i was simply just looking, and couldnt believe i didnt want to get rid of my car then and there.

Another dealer i asked for a trade in price, said... " oh mid 20's" so i said what 25k, " no" so i asked what is mid 20's, he replied " why do you want to know that' turned around and said, cos i am looking to trade my car in, told him to give my keys back and **** off.

Ford dealers have to be the worst people i have ever come across, I will never be buying another ford plainly due to their **** poor service / sales attempts, and the absolute incompetance of the majority of the people that work there.

/rant off

Chris

[Jamie XR6]

Ahh Power Ford, I never bought from them and never will after they pretty much ignored me when I wanted the AUII. I couldn't even get a brochure from them let alone a test drive.

Your experience sounds similar to mine when I bought the XR6T from Alto Ford in Artarmon. That experience made me vow that I will never buy from them nor ever recommend them to anyone.

[Moya]

You obviously walked in expecting something? When I browse for new/used cars, I just expect the ******* who greets me to be an uneducated moron with a slight grasp of the english but only to the point where manners, well being or any form classfulness are highly non-existant. Infact, I would go as far as saying, that if they don't have a beer breath, you know something is EVEN more wrong with them as they spend all there money on alcohol.

I can see where they come from though, I'm sure alot of people are honestly stupid, but If only there was some kind of code which I could tell the *******, so he knew I wasn't his typical bogan customer. I have zero objections with correcting them in all there lifes mistakes (including the ones they got them a car sales job in the first place).

So what do you do for a living Moya? Since I made the "mistake" of getting a "car sales job", go on please tell.

[RED_EL_XR8]

Originally Posted by RATT

So what do you do for a living Moya? Since I made the "mistake" of getting a "car sales job", go on please tell.

Blow into the bag please sir!

Moya! That is probably the most sweeping, insulting and inaccurate generalisation I have read on these pages. I would suggest it is revised ASAP.

That really goes for everyone generalising. There are some great hardworking people in the motor trade, although obviously few and far between. Just like any normal person, no two sales people are the same. If you are treated with disrespect, then just leave! Go to another dealer. Simple as that.

[Aeron]

Originally Posted by Moya

You obviously walked in expecting something? When I browse for new/used cars, I just expect the ******* who greets me to be an uneducated moron with a slight grasp of the english but only to the point where manners, well being or any form classfulness are highly non-existant. Infact, I would go as far as saying, that if they don't have a beer breath, you know something is EVEN more wrong with them as they spend all there money on alcohol.

I can see where they come from though, I'm sure alot of people are honestly stupid, but If only there was some kind of code which I could tell the *******, so he knew I wasn't his typical bogan customer. I have zero objections with correcting them in all there lifes mistakes (including the ones they got them a car sales job in the first place).

I think that post puts you in the running for "Tosser Of the Month - August '05" mate. Sure, the salesman at Power was rude and could have done a better job, but for you to say stupid things like you just did is insane!! HOW CAN YOU GENERALISE LIKE THAT!?!?!?! There are many good car salesmen that do a lot for the customer and go that extra mile. Its like when people say, "all cops are di¢kheads". That’s not true, and its very narrow minded to think like that. And all of the car salesmen I’ve dealt with (both Ford and other brands), have been nothing like the fanciful crap you just typed.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Ermmm

Any Retail sales person that isn't interested in selling everyone a car should be sent to fleet, or better still kicked out, unless you ****ed him off with some snide remark then there really is no reason as to why he shouldn't have been interested in selling you a car, unless he was just having a bad day which is obviously not the case since you tried on several occasions.

That is terrible, arrogance on pricing is one thing, but the level of treatment you have received is a disgrace. If i was you I would put it in writing to the DP, putting him on notice and CC it to head office, ring head office and not CRC, they will give you a postal address for you to send it to.


My dealership is alright, all the guys in new car sales are great and treat most customers like they are part of a big Ford Family specially the pretty young females who buy Fiesta's etc., but seriously some customers ask for they receive, and trust me if you seen some of the quotes ive seen they are getting pounded... :

[ltd]

Flamin, I too had a similar experience with PowerFord at Castle Hill.
Actually, a little fun fact is that they are named Power Ford, because every time someone goes there it is a Power Trip for a bunch of insignificant gastropods.

Let me tell you my story.

I was shopping for a BA LTD, was looking to upgrade my AU2, when I thought I might just pop in and see what the changeover would be, as well get as much info on the BA as possible. Well, I made an appointment and the salesman I was supposed to see in order to get a valuation on a trade in. Luckily, he was in, but I had to wait for him to finish his coffee and smoke. Being in business myself I thought that this was really odd, as my customers typically take preference over breaks, even at 11:30am; especially when they are standing in front of you.

So, waiting for this guy as he loitered in front of the office, I started to form an opinion of him as he ed about some guy to one of his coworkers. 15 minutes went by and I asked him if the sales manager was around. He was the coworker he was talking to.

Eventually, they gave a valuation on the car. We went to his office and he went through a price on an ex demo car. All up it was going to be $62000 or something. I asked him, how on earth is a $62000 car $72000. He said that the car was worth $66000, plus dealer and on road costs. I told him the ad in the paper has it listed at 62000, he said it is a misprint and the price is 66000. I then tried to explain that he was liable to sell it at the listed price, and that the sticker price was 64990, what he was doing was called resale price maintenance, which was against the law. He then made the price 62000, and was acting like he was doing me a favour.

Knowing I would rather buy a commodore than this I asked him how much trade in would they give on the AU2. (I thought they might have jacked the price to make the trade in offer much higher). He said, what do you think it's worth? I said, "well that's why your the evaluator and not me. Red book trade in price has it at mid to high twenties." He's like, Oh no, no, no. Best we could offer is $8500. I asked him why so low; his answer was that the market was really slow, and nobody was buying them.
He then showed me the screen, and said see thats what they're offering. He did it quick too so as to hide it, it actually said 21000.

Feeling like I had totally wasted a morning I thought stuff it, I'll try to salvage something from this waste of time. I asked for a test drive, he said lets start the paperwork. I said "no, I want to drive something before i think of buying it". He replied "its a nicer ride than yours, we'll do some paperwork and you can drive it home."
I said no, I would like a test drive first. He said, "you don't need to test drive it first, you love it so we can cut the formalities". I stood up and he offered me his hand like he wanted me to shake it. I told him "thanks for wasting my time, you've been anything but curteous and helpful and I look forward to never having a thing to do with you or your pathetic company.

He already had my business card, it has my company name, logo and managing director written below my name on it. I pulled out of the lot and got about 100 metres up the road when my mobile phone rang and it was the sales manager apologising about the salesman who was with me, and he wanted me to pop back in for a test drive and a better deal. Told him I was on my way to thomson ford and was going to get a car from them instead. He called a week later and asked if there was anything he could do for me. Informed him of my purchase and he said fine and hung up. Got a great trade in too. Thomson Ford were great.

ltd that is a story that makes me cringe. Sorry you went through that.

[Stav]

In life and in business the respect you give you will receive back. No one likes being treated like this. Your post here and your words of your experiences have illustrated what is going on.
The bad karma they inflicted on you has just gone Australia and worldwide. I hope that you will find peace and resolution in this matter. They cannot run away from themselves or their lack...but in the same breath they have the choice to make things right..

[Smoke Pursuit]

Really what I dont understand is why you bought it there in the first place, your vehicle can be serviced at any authorised Ford dealer nationwide regardless of where you bought it from, that includes warranty claims to providing its within in its 3 year / 100,000 km schedule.

That goes to anyone buying a new car, not happy with the service you receive locally go buy it somewhere else... wont affect your service. :king:

[ebxr8240]

It's all about attitude!!!
To think most these salespeople that are like this don't in most cases drive a car like this of there own...
I odored some big end bolts from P.Ford as Steve the d/p is an o/k bloke...
Anyway the parts guy said that'll be 14 bolts..I said NO !!! 6 cyl would have 12 big end bolds!!!
He said they would have to be ordered..O/k I went back approx a week latter, and he had 14 bolts!! Mains bolts are twice the size as big end..
He then went on that I wanted mains bolts...Ha?? Asked me if I wanted to order big end bolts?? You could imagine my responce..Needless to say I went to Rocket industries and bought some ARP bolts...

Like you just did, you just solved the problem. You shouldn't really have to do that.

BTW, I'm a St Clair local.

Originally Posted by FlaminFiesta

oh yeah the complimentary Ford key ring they gave me fell apart the second day ...

Mine did too.

Then again, my whole ing car died right about the 2 month mark.

In the time it was there

-Sikaflexed the seatbelt cover back in
- Scuffed my front bar
- 3 inch scratch on front guard
- Returned car with rubber under guards
- Claimed that it leaking brake fluid was normal
- Claimed the 3L of oil leaking out of the sump bolts was normal
- Never fixed anything properly
- Stained my roof with greasy oily handprints.
- Gave me a VT commodore that died and left me on a steep gradient with no vacuum assist, hellooo handbrake
- Rocked up in their shiney XR8 to replace VT Commo's ed battery and start it again, without a spanner

Don't bother with Steve McLaughlan, he's a ing ********. He won't do anything about it. When I went through all the with my car, he said "What do you want me to do about it, take it up with Ford" and hung up on me.

Ring Ford CR. Tell them It's not acceptable, you've written to the MTA, the NRMA, The papers and anyone else who will listen. Actively tell your mates not to buy from power ford.

They're a bunch of wits there.
Moved to winford, Much better service.

[FlaminFiesta]

Ratt : Im sorry if u feel im attacking sales man, i really am not. I totally respect you guys, eg when my dad got his Falcon(back in the early 90's) and when were helping my aunt with her mazda we had teh best service, coffee, tea, biscuits were tirvial but just making sure that they listened to us and made us feel like the boss, and just a generous feel was what we got..

just makes the Power Ford incident all the more disstasting, and to see im not the first is reassuring and worrying, i might take this post to CC and see what they say now//

would love to hear more..

[TZENU]

Interesting stories peoples....

i tell ya what.. i aint lookin forward to buying a brand new car from a Ford dealer! :(

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by filthy_monkey

I know the DP quite well...
Lodge a complaint to Ford (in writing), as they WILL act on it, and have to reply.
Hope this helps

Well it was a different dealer, but I lodged a written complaint after I had called them with the story about the treatment I got from Grant McCarroll Ford and got a quick call back, with a less than satisfactory answer. No action taken as far as I can tell to straighten the dealer out and certainly did not receive a thing back in writing. My neighbour also complained to Ford in writing over the same incident and received no reply of any kind.

So I would have to say from my and my neighbours experience that Ford Customer Care WILL NOT take action on a complaint.

Sorry, but not all of us have had a good enough answer from them. :(

Daniel

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by FlaminFiesta

Geez Where do i start, its like i was some one never wanted me to buy this car, if you wanna get angry read this , if u want to get frustrated read this, if you want to laugh at me read this as well i guess..

well it all started when i saw the Fiesta and said WOW i want it. So i did some ringing around to get some prices and stuff. And I thought ahh lets go for a test drive at my local car dealer, PowerFord in castle hill so i drove down and was looking at the car and asked a sales man (yes i approached him) and talked about the car with him but he didnt want a bar of me, well i guessed he was busy and i thought ill call up and book an appointment.

so home i went called up and tried to organise a test drive, but i was told NO, i wasnt allowed to have a test drive as i wasnt a serious buyer and had the phone hung up on me,, Literally he Hung up on me ! ? WTF i said, so i rang bankstown and they guy was great and gave me agreat price but i spoke to dad and told him about what happened and said ill go with Bankstown ford (about 1 hour drive from me), and he said that would be bad because if i needed to get it serviced or had issues it would be abit of a drive and try the PowerFord people again and see what would happen..

so i call back really really wanting this car cause i fell in love with it and i got hung up on, and now i didnt know if this guy was a redneck not liking me based on race, whether he was d..head, Ageist or having a bad month.. but i had enough so i talked to the dealer principle who apolgised to me and said sorry and i could come in take it for a drive and get the car..

so i walk in, they kept me waiting 30 mins mind u, and the sales manager walks out, and says lets get the paperwork sorted and hassles me into going into the room and stating i cant testdrive it as its outside of business hours (by 5 minuts) i had enough, i had a job starting in 2 weeks and needed a new car to do the travelling so i organised the cash, did the paper work and was told the Fiesta, actually was GUARANTEED i would get it in 1 week and no more,..

wait wait lets stick to the sales manager, he also stated that i would have to pay extra (after i signed the paper work) for the floor mats, and that he was making $90 on the car and showed me a value on the screen. now heres the bad bit that was a ID not a profit field (i work in IT as a analyst) , like who the f..k is he think hes talking to ?

anway a week went bye and i didnt hear from them and they had my money but no car, so i rang repeadetly asking whats the go ? not once did they return my call, so i called the principle again an he said oh yes it arrived the other day, but we need to work on it, and will get the service people to call me.. guess what no call

finally i get a call , they state it will take another week before i get the car so what do i do now, jobs starting soon, 1.5 weeks later and no car ? so i had to borrow my brothers car luckily and used that for the extra days... oh dont worry there was no rush by powerford to ensure i wasnt stuffed around any more.;.

they got the registration wrong, they got the wrong coloured plates and they even didnt have my name spelt right...

i drove away with the car, for the first time.. and i fell in love with it and thought i knew it was worth it, it was the best car i have drive so fun and thought yeah it was worth it to get my baby oh and it was.. so glad i persisted with incompetence..

but the story continues, i book it in to get it serviced at 12000kms (normally @ 15 i did it early), and they trashed my car inside, grubby marks everywhere and they didnt even adjust the brakes like i paid the $240 to get done !!

and then just now i booked it in to the the Upgrade of software and also the drivers side window was making a noise and asked them to fix it.. GUESS WHAT ?

They left the car messy as again, and the BROKE my drivers side window yes it got worse not better ... the window scratches when u put the window up and down, it clicks and shudders and sounds like something out of a 1980 Honda Civic .. oh yeah they stated that it was "tested" and all working, on my reciept.. BS! i drove out of the drive way as they closed the gates and it wasnt working !! f me dead.. is one way to put it..

so i have to take some time off work AGAIN to drop it in to get it fixed, but no "sorry". no "it will never happen again" // I EVEN asked the manager "if i drop this in will i have to come back" answer " i cant give you a yes " do they know they are incompetent.. ? i think soo.. and Ford's Response, we can lodge a complaint with the dealer manager but there is no code of conduct, and they cant do anything. Fair enough Ford cant enforce knowledge on a group of half wits..

so monday i go to power ford and i pray that they fix it properly, i cant afford any more time off during the busiest time of the company (oh yeah i asked if they could stay back or open 10 mins earlier so i dont have to take time off. they said NO)...


its like i cant win, im just so saddened by the experience i had, i should have got it from bankstown // lessons learned i guess.. once they have ur $$ they dont care...they dont understand im a customer not someone that is there to be stuffed around.. or taken for granted..

great car, love it lol ill tell you how i go on monday

just a warning guys and gals, take it or not please please think lots of dealers around, dont let the emotions get the best of u like i did

cheers

flaminfiesta..

sorry to hear about that dude . i cant understand why that salesman didn't get sacked for the way he treated you .
don't worry i went to 3 fpv dealers with my wife and 2 kids . i'm 36 and they wouldn't let me test drive one . not even an xr8 . so i just walked out . i don't let them waste my time . the third dealer let me drive the xr8 and the gt and got an immediate sale . and he was also the cheapest quote buy far.one dealer gave me a raffle ticket to fill out on the basis that i'd had a test drive , he asked me to fill out the form . lets just pretend you had a test drive he said. how offensive . this is after he made me make an appointment to see him . and spoke to me for 2 hours . no test drive full ptice . so i know how you feel dude . i wonder how that dealer felt when i bought a gt the next day from someone else . also i won a signed cricket batt from that raffle . hahaha

[DanielXR8]

Originally Posted by TURBOTAXI

Ford Australia wont care. They will say it is a franchise, and you need to take it up with the franchise holder (DP).
The media is the best way to be a thorn in their side, That or get some of those stickers made up for your windows that say "I bought this car at ......." and then park it out the front.

That is exactly the pathetic answer I got from them. As if that somehow makes it our problem and not Fords. Its not like I signed the bloody franshise agreement with them!

Ford are pathetic on this issue of franshise holders and deserve to loose sales over it.

Daniel

[Dave_au]

No wonder BMW and Mercedes realise the importance of dealership presentation and performance.

Originally Posted by FlaminFiesta

Ratt : Im sorry if u feel im attacking sales man, i really am not. I totally respect you guys, eg when my dad got his Falcon(back in the early 90's) and when were helping my aunt with her mazda we had teh best service, coffee, tea, biscuits were tirvial but just making sure that they listened to us and made us feel like the boss, and just a generous feel was what we got..

just makes the Power Ford incident all the more disstasting, and to see im not the first is reassuring and worrying, i might take this post to CC and see what they say now//

would love to hear more..

You're not attacking salepeople FlaminFiesta. You had a bad experience and you should rightfully complain and ask for the issues to be resolved. I wasn't having a go at you.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by RATT

You're not attacking salepeople FlaminFiesta. You had a bad experience and you should rightfully complain and ask for the issues to be resolved. I wasn't having a go at you.

just to eleberate . i did not go to peter warren smithfield .so have nothing bad to say about them .if i was on the forum before i bought i would have gone over there and had a look though .

[fordel]

Originally Posted by ShockWaveXR6na

Really what I dont understand is why you bought it there in the first place, your vehicle can be serviced at any authorised Ford dealer nationwide regardless of where you bought it from, that includes warranty claims to providing its within in its 3 year / 100,000 km schedule.

That goes to anyone buying a new car, not happy with the service you receive locally go buy it somewhere else... wont affect your service. :king:

Now that would be a good idea, if other ford dealers knew how to fix stuff

I tried that, one dealer just said, ahh dont worry about the problem, just come back if it happens again, told him to forget it, i will wait till the damn car breaks then take it back.

Last issue i had with my car ford wanted $190+GST to fix the part, i got it done from a local mechanic, for $90 and 100 times better job thats for sure, at least this guy knows his stuff.

Chris

[LTDHO]

FlaminFiesta - Just so I get this right.
You went to a dealer and got no service.
You went home to book an appointment and was hung up on.
Then you went back there and bought a car.
What the F**K are you thinking?? Who would go back?
I work with motor dealers everyday and if I do not get the service I requested, then another business gets my money. Through the company I spend hundreds of thousands of dollars monthly. So it is there loss.
You should have traveled (although inconveinient) to another dealer, bought the car there and then put in a formal complaint against Power Ford.

[Bluehoon]

Originally Posted by Dave_au

I wouldn't say thats a positive. How would you like someone thrashing the crap out of your brand new car before taking delivery.

Who said anyting about giving it a bootfull??? :

They didn't let me take it over 3 grand, and i sat on the speed limit!!!!
That was enough for me to fall in love with it...