Ford targets Customer Service

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by Sinead Phipps

We've been quite clear that this is not a quick fix for us but we're working on ALL the elements that have an effect on a consumer's experience with our brand. We appreciate the interest and the lively discussion, but I'm not going to get into detailed discussions or debates about the CRC or dealers or any other single element of what we're working on as singling out any of them is unfair.

In relation to the one-sided conversation element, it is very tricky for us to say anything about individual cases. It is generally deemed ok for a consumer to say what they want about a brand but the same principle doesn't apply in reverse. We also have privacy issues we need to be mindful of. Just one example: we had someone who was unhappy with their vehicle post a negative comment on our Facebook page some time ago. The comment itself was very inflammatory and when we investigated it, we knew for a fact that the person involved had not been honest with how they said they had maintained and used their vehicle, which was what had led to the issue. The thread generated a lot of replies and started to take on a life of its own so we posted a reply that we'd been in contact with the dealer and someone would be contacting the customer soon. It was pretty generic and didn't give away anything - yet a number of people replied saying how inappropriate it was that we'd said anything and "didn't this violate privacy laws". Those people obviously knew nothing about privacy laws but it just goes to show how careful we have to be when responding in the public domain to any particular issue.

The only thing I can really say in response to this topic is what we said in the article: we're working on it as fast as we can. Some elements of what we're trying to do will take time but we're on the right path.

It's not fair Sinead... not fair at all. People these days just want to hate one thing, and love another. But for some reason sheeple and the media just want to rap on Ford all the time.

I can feel your frustration in this post. And I'm sure you and the other clever thinkers at Ford are working up a plan to fight the brand back into popularity... or at least indifference. So keep fighting the good fight, and we look forward to seeing more updates from you in the near future.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

As has been mentioned in a post above, comments like 'Every' FG and SZ Territory will rust .... etc, while it is just utter rubbish and comments like these, while just an opinion and can be expressed within the site guide lines, I just hope that the majority and those that can think for themselves here can bypass these generalisations and make up their own minds based on their own experiences.

Utter Rubbish hey? I've even had it confirmed from a Ford employee when trying to rectify the rust in my last vehicle. "They all have rust bleed". As I said go and pull some panels off your 3 year old Territory, or better still just lift the rear door rubber.

Might only be superficial but its not nice to look at when you've put your hard earned cash on the table. Its something that could easily be rectified too which is the sad part.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

2 sides to every story .... as stated in Sineads post. Many come on here and complain that Ford will not warranty their 400rwkw 3 year old ...... without stating the mods ..... or their friends brother's girlfriends dad's gearbox blew up after only 50k's ..... while at the drag stip ..... without this being mentioned. Full stories are not relayed, just the one sided view, customer always right, expectations out of reality, truths hidden from view.

^^ This is exactly the point I've been trying to make in my other posts within this thread.

Wish Ford wasn't forced to hide behind privacy laws. Love to read all about the consumer trying to pull a swifty.

I remember some years ago a WRX driver in the states bragging that his motor was being fixed under warranty even though it had been heavily modified. He mentioned how he pulled all the mods off prior to taking it to Subaru. So someone kindly forwarded his posts to Subaru who then renegged on the warranty. Sucked in I thought.

[EWT]

My work colleague shared his experience with his local Fraud Dealer yesterday and I was shocked by what he told me.
All care, no resposibilty and a hell of a lot of bad attitude is what it sounded like.
It's as if they think they have a captured market and thou shall not deviate from taking ones car to them for services despite that fact you get treated like crap.

I told him to vote with his feet and use the dealer I purchased my G6ET from.
I have found Binks Ford to be nothing short of fantastic, and therefore will not hesitate to purchase my next car from them.
The sooner Ford start training Workshop Managers in how to treat customers the better.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by prydey

why does everyone assume the bad feedback is the norm, and the good feedback is the exception??

Not having a dig at you, but that's how every part of the retail sector is....Very rarely do people praise a place, unless they're prompted....people will always whinge and whine about bad service, without prompting.

Classic example of this is this forum....Someone will jump on here and whinge and whine about crappy Ford service or products, without hesistation (ie start a thread about crappy service/products)....Very rarely do they get on here and praise Ford service or products out of the goodness of their hearts .(ie start a thread praising good service and products)

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by DASH GT

Utter Rubbish hey? I've even had it confirmed from a Ford employee when trying to rectify the rust in my last vehicle. "They all have rust bleed". As I said go and pull some panels off your 3 year old Territory, or better still just lift the rear door rubber.

Might only be superficial but its not nice to look at when you've put your hard earned cash on the table. Its something that could easily be rectified too which is the sad part.

Yep .... its utter rubbish. You may have experienced some problems and others might have too. Generalisations like this is what people love to hear, complain and cling onto as the norm. You might know a Ford Employee, so do many on here myself included. Yes as I have always said, there is problems that can be rectified with more care, nothing is 100% perfect and when these problems arise .... after we all hand over our hard earned cash (and that goes for someone buying a 5 year old or a new GT 335 as it is all relative) ..... it is good that FoA are out to rectify issues that some have with their cars through dealers and CRC.

I really do not want to single out anyone in particular but stupid comments that generalize, allowing others who find it hard to think for themselves, which comes from a small part of the media and a small section in forums just snowballs into the norm. It gets boring when it is repeated by the same when they just don't move on, sell up and find another brand that would keep them a hell of a lot happier. Have had a few other brands ... also BMW sitting in the driveway at the moment. ALL brands have some issues but I know some here think it is just a FORD thing. Go out and try other cars .... might open some peoples eyes just a little.

PS: No rust in the Territory what so ever ... and at just hitting 100k's ball joints are good. Lucky on the second but seen many Terri's with no rust issues ..... have seen some with of course and a few B series with rust problems as well. There are a few things I could think they should have finished better both the G6E and the GT335 but all in all ..... damn happy so far ...... and have been so for 30 years of buying in general.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Issues aren't just related to Ford: totally agree... Fords handling of problems is extremely poor - who cares about how others handle complaints: if you get constantly denied by Ford CRC and dealers and only get results thru consumer law (proving you were right all along) then Ford is the loser.

150+ posts, 4500 views: obviously this issue has some relevance in the Ford community, regardless of opinions of those wearing rose coloured glasses...

The very fact that Ford need to publicly state that they need to improve their customer service vindicates all those who have had greivances with Ford in the past and have been treated like fools.

[KIWI-1]

Ford should have addressed this years ago with QS- 9000, much less ISO/TS 16949.

[Auslandau]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Issues aren't just related to Ford: totally agree... Fords handling of problems is extremely poor - who cares about how others handle complaints: if you get constantly denied by Ford CRC and dealers and only get results thru consumer law (proving you were right all along) then Ford is the loser.

150+ posts, 4500 views: obviously this issue has some relevance in the Ford community, regardless of opinions of those wearing rose coloured glasses...

The very fact that Ford need to publicly state that they need to improve their customer service vindicates all those who have had grievances with Ford in the past and have been treated like fools.

I am not disagreeing with that point ..... things can be improved and always should be addressed. Some here do have rose coloured glassed, because they have dealt with Ford and their dealers quite successfully and happily. So my glassed from your perspective have a rosy coloured glow. Why is that a problem?????

Anything negative attracts a lot of people ..... surprisingly the same ones?????? That's why the media report the bad side. Good news stories are boring aren't they!

Again ..... just for the record ..... things can improve, they understand that, hence this topic. SOme people have had a bad run from certain dealers ..... and if someone has had a bad experience (being unrealistic to the situation or not), these experiences must be turned around as much as possible.

Some 'customers' though will never ever be happy ..... no matter how many head stands you do. Some just love a good fight, even if their expectations are unrealistic.

[xisled]

Bad feedback is actually good. How can anything improve without people having bad feedback.

If people did not say bad things about Ford, Ford would have thought that are doing a great job and not have worried about this.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by xisled

Bad feedback is actually good. How can anything improve without people having bad feedback.

If people did not say bad things about Ford, Ford would have thought that are doing a great job and not have worried about this.

i agree, but there is a difference between leaving constructive criticism, and making broad sweeping generalisations about the whole brand, and then repeating it at every opportunity to anyone who will listen.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Some 'customers' though will never ever be happy ..... no matter how many head stands you do. Some just love a good fight, even if their expectations are unrealistic.

Unrealistic expectations hey? So getting warranty items honoured by BOTH Ford dealers and Ford Aus without having to take them to consumer affairs court is an unrealistic expectation?

Being treated like a person instead of an idiot at a dealership is an unrealistic expectation? And I have tried every Ford dealer in western Sydney, and all use the same meta language and run off the same script.... "Oh that (insert item causing concern here) is a characteristic of ALL modern cars" is one of their favourites...

Being spoken to courteously by Fords lovely CRC people is an unrealistic expectation? Time after time? No matter how politely you treat them when they obviously couldn't give a damn about your issue?

How dare one give constructive (detailed) criticism. And one can tarnish all Ford dealers when one has visited 6 separate dealerships and they all treat you the same. Conversely, the customer service given by aftermarket shops (like Herrod) that Ive contacted is outstanding: they could teach Ford a thing or three... There seems to be an inherent fear from Ford (dealerships and HO) of a customer mentioning the word 'warranty'...

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Unrealistic expectations hey? So getting warranty items honoured by BOTH Ford dealers and Ford Aus without having to take them to consumer affairs court is an unrealistic expectation?

Being treated like a person instead of an idiot at a dealership is an unrealistic expectation? And I have tried every Ford dealer in western Sydney, and all use the same meta language and run off the same script.... "Oh that (insert item causing concern here) is a characteristic of ALL modern cars" is one of their favourites...

Being spoken to courteously by Fords lovely CRC people is an unrealistic expectation? Time after time? No matter how politely you treat them when they obviously couldn't give a damn about your issue?

How dare one give constructive (detailed) criticism. And one can tarnish all Ford dealers when one has visited 6 separate dealerships and they all treat you the same. Conversely, the customer service given by aftermarket shops (like Herrod) that Ive contacted is outstanding: they could teach Ford a thing or three... There seems to be an inherent fear from Ford (dealerships and HO) of a customer mentioning the word 'warranty'...

Well whenever I am investigating a situation I look for commonality as this most often points to the source of the problem.

What does all of YOUR interactions with these 6 Ford dealers and Ford Australia have in common?

[Fiesta_Man69]

Originally Posted by flappist

Well whenever I am investigating a situation I look for commonality as this most often points to the source of the problem.

What does all of YOUR interactions with these 6 Ford dealers and Ford Australia have in common?

They're all running off the same script. Never had any issue with any other mechanic/workshop. In fact put Herrod in charge of Ford Aus: the change would be remarkable.

Considering at least one of the dealers has gone bankrupt and I won my case at the NSW dept. of Fair Trading, I know where the source of the problem is.

[barra240t]

Originally Posted by buggerlugs

Well I hate to say it but our local dealer Pacific Ford Currimundi takes the cake. A friend who had recently bought the top of the range Ranger ute found out not long after buying the ute that he had a terminal illness. Knowing that the Ranger would be to big for his wife, he traded it on on a new Titanium Focus losing quite a bit of money as you would imagine. They picked the car up friday night, by saturday morning the air conditioning had stuffed up. They took the car back to get it looked at. Pacific Ford Currimundi have now had the car 3 weeks and have not fixed the problem. No courtesy car was offered, the friend passed away 8 days ago and his wife is still without a car....................

I am concerned that this post is grossly inaccurate without regard for the damage that their inaccurate post can do to our business plus the distress that I expect this owner involved in this situation would be exposed to if they were aware of this post and all from a user who does not clearly identify themselves.

Yes there was a fault with the air conditioner that required a part to rectify the concern – but this is where the facts from “buggerlugs” ends. The vehicle was not purchased from Currimundi, it was purchased from our Maroochydore Dealership. This vehicle was not a Titanium, it was a Sport. You say that a Courtesy Vehicle was not provided, there was a brand new Territory registered and provided to the family to use whilst we had their new Ford.

All the way along I was in direct contact with the owner and their direct family. They understood that this was not a situation that was created by Pacific Ford however we are the Ford Dealer for the Sunshine Coast and we managed the situation to the high standard that the family were most appreciative of. Again one of your errors is to say that they are still without a car, apart from the loan car provided immediately, I personally delivered the new Focus Sport back to the owner earlier this week. Also as a process of our customer care ownership, I have been in contact with the widow just this morning to follow up and can confirm that all is A1.

I trust that this explanation clarifies the situation and ask that this grossly inaccurate and damaging post is removed by the site administrators for the benefit of the Ford owner, Pacific Ford and “buggerlugs”.

I suggest contacting us in person instead of posting incorrect information on a public forum first. Our details are below:

Phone: 07 54589799

Greg Manchester, Branch Manager
Nathan Evangelista, Stock Control

[russellw]

Thanks for clarifying the situation Greg. As you've quoted the post and replied I will remove the original so that anyone getting here via a Google search will find the clarification.

Cheers
Russ

[Grunter]

Originally Posted by barra240t

I am concerned that this post is grossly inaccurate ...

I'd suggest leaving it up. It's good to see both sides of the story for a change and also showing a positive result for the customer by the dealer.

EDIT: Sorry Russ, didn't see your reply before I'd posted the above.

[Mercury 8]

Always two sides to every story,unfortunately we rarely get to hear the other side. As Sinead alluded to earlier it is hard for a big organisation to reply in public.Thanks for taking the time to do so Barra.

[russellw]

That's the unfortunate thing - we see a lot of negative stories around various dealers and while there are certainly some who are deserving of it I'd have to say that those who are involved with AFF (like Southside, Binks, Strapp) have repeatedly shown themselves to apply higher standards in their customer care and at least they have the opportunity to address issues that are raised about them.

It's just another reminder that 2nd, 3rd or greater hand stories are inevitably embellished for effect as they circulate and their resemblance to the facts is dubious at best.

Hard enough to know all the facts when it's first hand.

Cheers
Russ

[TheSneakiness]

Again never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Well done Pacific Ford.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Unrealistic expectations hey? So getting warranty items honoured by BOTH Ford dealers and Ford Aus without having to take them to consumer affairs court is an unrealistic expectation?

Being treated like a person instead of an idiot at a dealership is an unrealistic expectation? And I have tried every Ford dealer in western Sydney, and all use the same meta language and run off the same script.... "Oh that (insert item causing concern here) is a characteristic of ALL modern cars" is one of their favourites...

Being spoken to courteously by Fords lovely CRC people is an unrealistic expectation? Time after time? No matter how politely you treat them when they obviously couldn't give a damn about your issue?

How dare one give constructive (detailed) criticism. And one can tarnish all Ford dealers when one has visited 6 separate dealerships and they all treat you the same. Conversely, the customer service given by aftermarket shops (like Herrod) that Ive contacted is outstanding: they could teach Ford a thing or three... There seems to be an inherent fear from Ford (dealerships and HO) of a customer mentioning the word 'warranty'...

There was a discussion in another thread, whereby you were using a different part of the world, where other cars were made, as an excuse for surposed pathetic Ford quality.....I showed this as being fact.

I'd suggest, you forget this product and buy another brand.....You do seem to have a bad beef with it, so forget it exists. Maybe whilst you're at it, log out of the forum.....It seems as though Ford are trying to rectify some issues...So leave them rectify them, instead of beating them down with a big stick.

BTW I'm not a biased, one eyed manufacturered branded car owner either....I own the big 3 brands of the 70's era and work on all other brands to make a dollar, just in case you think different.

[Fiesta_Man69]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

There was a discussion in another thread, whereby you were using a different part of the world, where other cars were made, as an excuse for surposed pathetic Ford quality.....I showed this as being fact.

I'd suggest, you forget this product and buy another brand.....You do seem to have a bad beef with it, so forget it exists. Maybe whilst you're at it, log out of the forum.....It seems as though Ford are trying to rectify some issues...So leave them rectify them, instead of beating them down with a big stick.

BTW I'm not a biased, one eyed manufacturered branded car owner either....I own the big 3 brands of the 70's era and work on all other brands to make a dollar, just in case you think different.

Oh dear, some people struggle don't they. I said very clearly in that thread that it was Fords excuse that because the Fiesta was made in Europe that wad the reason for parts such as brake rotors wearing quickly. Fords excuse not mine. I cannot make this any clearer.

[svo supporter]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Oh dear, some people struggle don't they. I said very clearly in that thread that it was Fords excuse that because the Fiesta was made in Europe that wad the reason for parts such as brake rotors wearing quickly. Fords excuse not mine. I cannot make this any clearer.

You were using Japanese made cars as an example in your argument....2 completely different areas.....And yes, European made cars do wear them quicker.....

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by barra240t

I am concerned that this post is grossly inaccurate without regard for the damage that their inaccurate post can do to our business plus the distress that I expect this owner involved in this situation would be exposed to if they were aware of this post and all from a user who does not clearly identify themselves.

Yes there was a fault with the air conditioner that required a part to rectify the concern – but this is where the facts from “buggerlugs” ends. The vehicle was not purchased from Currimundi, it was purchased from our Maroochydore Dealership. This vehicle was not a Titanium, it was a Sport. You say that a Courtesy Vehicle was not provided, there was a brand new Territory registered and provided to the family to use whilst we had their new Ford.

All the way along I was in direct contact with the owner and their direct family. They understood that this was not a situation that was created by Pacific Ford however we are the Ford Dealer for the Sunshine Coast and we managed the situation to the high standard that the family were most appreciative of. Again one of your errors is to say that they are still without a car, apart from the loan car provided immediately, I personally delivered the new Focus Sport back to the owner earlier this week. Also as a process of our customer care ownership, I have been in contact with the widow just this morning to follow up and can confirm that all is A1.

I trust that this explanation clarifies the situation and ask that this grossly inaccurate and damaging post is removed by the site administrators for the benefit of the Ford owner, Pacific Ford and “buggerlugs”.

I suggest contacting us in person instead of posting incorrect information on a public forum first. Our details are below:

Phone: 07 54589799

Greg Manchester, Branch Manager
Nathan Evangelista, Stock Control

Woah Greg. Talk about opening up a broadside... who could make a reply to that? Not a one. Well done with that fine defence old chap. Seems you and you're dealership were very accommodating.

Maybe you can do workshops for Ford dealerships across the nation to make sure they meet your standard.

[Professor Farnsworth]

That's the thing you have to be mindful of on the internet. Someone who has had a 'bad' experience is far more likely to talk about it, and embellish it on the internet than someone who is very happy with their experience. It's a shame because it can give an inaccurate and one-sided view of the product. You have to be wary of this when reading internet reviews/experiences.

It's good to see the clarification by barra240t, which paints a completely different story. I can't imagine any other company going more above-and-beyond than they did.

Good work.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

I can't imagine how many customers Ford has lost due to CRC's incompetence and sheer arrogance.

You’ve got one right here.
As long as there is an ounce of breath in my lungs, I will never buy another (new) FPV as long as I live. All of this over a simple paint repair to the bumper of my new GT-P because it wasn’t prepped properly from the “then” manufacturer, UP tooling.

The dealer, New Oak Ford was absolutely brilliant, I couldn’t praise them enough as was Davit Flint when he heard about the problem. In fact, it was at the FPV day when David Flint saw the car and was commenting on how nice it was. I didn’t see the need to complain to him beforehand but when I showed in what the problem was, he wasn’t happy.

Needless to say, the next morning, I received a call from New Oak Ford requesting that I take the car in to have the bumper repainted. I would have been lucky to drive this car once a month as I didn’t have a lot of time back then and this was mainly a car for displays. CRC didn’t care, in fact, they pretty much fell short of accusing me of trying to rip them off because I had a few stone chips.

The problem was eventually fixed but the grief that those clowns at CRC put me through over a period of four-months will never be forgotten.

I remember a few years back when I was getting a few warranty issues fixed on another car at Bayford in Coburg. While I was waiting, I went into the showroom and checked out the new FG GT. A fantastic car and the sales lady was really decent too. After we had spoken for a while on various things, she opened up and basically said “what will it take to have you drive this car away”. I told her that it just won’t happen. She could be the best salesperson at the best dealership but as long as I have to deal with CRC, it won’t happen.

[superfly]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

You’ve got one right here.
As long as there is an ounce of breath in my lungs, I will never buy another (new) FPV as long as I live. All of this over a simple paint repair to the bumper of my new GT-P because it wasn’t prepped properly from the “then” manufacturer, UP tooling.

The dealer, New Oak Ford was absolutely brilliant, I couldn’t praise them enough as was Davit Flint when he heard about the problem. In fact, it was at the FPV day when David Flint saw the car and was commenting on how nice it was. I didn’t see the need to complain to him beforehand but when I showed in what the problem was, he wasn’t happy.

Needless to say, the next morning, I received a call from New Oak Ford requesting that I take the car in to have the bumper repainted. I would have been lucky to drive this car once a month as I didn’t have a lot of time back then and this was mainly a car for displays. CRC didn’t care, in fact, they pretty much fell short of accusing me of trying to rip them off because I had a few stone chips.

The problem was eventually fixed but the grief that those clowns at CRC put me through over a period of four-months will never be forgotten.

I don't get it. Why were you talking to the CRC when the dealer was sorting out your issue? I would have assumed that you'd only go to the CRC if you were having no luck with your Ford dealer?

When I had an issue with my car, the local Ford dealer (not who I bought it from) sorted it all out with no issues. There was no need to talk to the CRC.

But don't think for a second that a different manufacturer's CRC may have treated you any differently. I'm sure there are "horror" stories about every single manufacturer's CRC. Hopefully you won't have to find out with whichever manufacturer you decide to go with.

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Being treated like a person instead of an idiot at a dealership is an unrealistic expectation? And I have tried every Ford dealer in western Sydney, and all use the same meta language and run off the same script.... "Oh that (insert item causing concern here) is a characteristic of ALL modern cars" is one of their favourites...

ya prblem m8 yr a westie

[KIWI-1]

Originally Posted by Fiesta_Man69

Oh dear, some people struggle don't they. I said very clearly in that thread that it was Fords excuse that because the Fiesta was made in Europe that wad the reason for parts such as brake rotors wearing quickly. Fords excuse not mine. I cannot make this any clearer.

Originally Posted by svo supporter

You were using Japanese made cars as an example in your argument....2 completely different areas.....And yes, European made cars do wear them quicker.....

On what basis do you say that?
I replaced our 1997 Opel/Vauxhall/Holden Astra TR rear pads at >520,000km - not because "European made cars do wear them quicker", but because I had to remove the rotors to repair the handbrake and thought I may as well do the rotors and pads while I had the brake assembly disassembled.

[Full Noise]

Originally Posted by superfly

I don't get it. Why were you talking to the CRC when the dealer was sorting out your issue? I would have assumed that you'd only go to the CRC if you were having no luck with your Ford dealer?

Sorry mate, I didn’t really explain it very well. Originally, I spoke to the dealer and was advised by them to ring CRC as they couldn’t approve the warranty claim on paintwork until CRC was advised. I’m not sure if the procedure has changed but back then, CRC organised a rep from PPG to meet me at the dealer to inspect the car.

It very nearly got ugly when the clown from PPG accused me of wasting his time. I used every ounce of strength I had to stop myself from inserting my fist into the side of his head. I wonder if he thought I was wasting my time when I walked into the showroom to hand over nearly 70 large on a ******* Falcon?

Anyway, I didn’t see why I should have to accept paint coming off my front bumper on a car that had covered around 1200 kms. I’d even spoke to a bloke from UP tooling and he explained why there was a problem with the FPV bumpers and the issues they had during production.

During this time, I was lucky to be home one day a fortnight so most of the communication with the dealer was by phone. CRC didn’t like me because I wouldn’t play their little games. When you speak to them, they are like a broken record and they are trained well. They get you incredibly angry, then they focus in on the anger instead of the issue, but I wouldn’t get angry with them. I just kept on asking to speak to someone who was able to help me.

I also didn’t see why the dealer should have to cop it for something that was not his fault. As far as I’m concerned, if you buy a car like a GT-P and there’s an issue with it, they should fix it, simple as that. What was even more annoying was the warranty claim would have cost **** all. If I had have said to them the that the car’s used a litre of oil in 600 kms, they would have dropped a new engine in it, go figure.