Dale Ford.....Gone

[GT-E]

Another dealer has bitten the dust.
Not the news we want to hear

[Spammy]

Sad to see a dealership with rich history disappear. I remember when I was 10 years old I got my dad to drive me out to the dealership for a look just because of the the Jack Brabham name.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I was there last Saturday.

The used car salesman seemed nice, he didn't have much stock to work with. He did give a reason, but I forgot it.

He directed us to the new car division. I was there to look at (and possibly buy) a new Focus with my sister. She spoke to a chap on the phone a few days prior and he instructed her to ask for him when she came. He was obviously busy... we didn't say who we were, but my sister recognised the voice... We walked around the dealer for about 20 minutes opening doors, looking at other cars while waiting. It was also started raining lightly so we then went to a shelter opposite the office.

After 30 min, we had had enough waiting, and walked back to our car to go to another dealership and possibly return later that day. Same used car guy asked how we went, and we said we were still waiting but will come back later. He then walked us back to the new car section and said if he can find someone else to help us. We walked through the office doors and sitting at a desk watching us the whole time was another salesperson who obviously caould see us the entire time we were there, but probably didn't want to get wet...

He jumped up, said 'oh, how can I help you' and we walked back out again.

his advertising spiel on the new Focus took 15 seconds. We were told twice about bluetooth and the petrol cap that didn't exist (apparently a feature invented and patented by Ford) but had no clue (nor did he mention) any airbags, engine or transmission specs other than the fact it was auto.

I don't know what peeved me off more, the fact that he watched us for 30 min and didn't bother to help, or the fact that myself and my sister knew more about the car than he did.

Couldn't sell an ice powered heater to Eskimo's........

Shame.... my sister bought a car that afternoon for 23k cash from another dealer...

I went to Dale Ford a few years back to look at a used car for a mate. After going over the 1 car for 20 min it was time for the test drive. This is pretty much what I was told...

"Sorry, because it is so cheap the only test drive you get is the one after you pay when you are driving away".....

I kid you not.... I left the car as is, doors open, engine running and walked away scratching my head thinking WTF is wrong with some people???

Both happened at the Chullora car yard.

It is sad to see them out of a job... I'm pretty sure they didn't see it coming either.

[Cheech]

This doesn't surprise me.

It was time to trade in the Territory and I spied what i wanted on carsales at Dales and rang them on a Friday lunch break and spoke to the used car sales manager. Gave him my details as he had the exactly what I was looking for - a demo FG XR6T in blue with luxury pack. Told him I'd be there at 10am the next day and that I was buying that day if the car passed my inspection.
Turned up at 9:50 - ask for sales manager. Then he told me that a salesman had taken it home for the weekend and I could view on Monday. He then tried to direct me over to a standard XR6. Bailed out pretty quickly.
Drove further down the road to Peter Warrens and bought a dash one that afternoon and picked it up on the following Monday.

[poppa smurf]

unfortunate sign of the times, sad when any long term business shuts it's doors

Kent Perry Ford are about to go in Port Pirie, going to become a large corporate affair selling multinational vehicles

[Legit290]

Doesn't look like i am getting my stripes fixed

[Stav]

They are still trading and may not close the operations there.

[csv8]

IF, the Falcon goes, can dealers survive on the Euro Fords ??? sales aren't spectacular, like Mazda etc....

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by csv8

IF, the Falcon goes, can dealers survive on the Euro Fords ??? sales aren't spectacular, like Mazda etc....

They'll certianly have alot more time on their hands with the reduction in warranty work...

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

They'll certianly have alot more time on their hands with the reduction in warranty work...

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by csv8

IF, the Falcon goes, can dealers survive on the Euro Fords ??? sales aren't spectacular, like Mazda etc....

Sales are so much more than how many models a marque produces. Ford, time and time again is losing sales from it's own inability to 1) Provide what a customer wants at the right price, 2) Effectively market it's product to the masses, 3) Provide streamiled and efficient pre sale and after sales service and 4) Keep up with the ever-raising benchmark that the competition seems to have no issue keeping up with.

Myself and many others talk about their bad experiences with the brand, it seems to almost be a trend doesn't it. While I agree that there are many more good experiences than bad it's the bad ones that have more of an impact on dollars coming through the door.

Look up at my original post. My sister was ready to buy a Focus, God knows I did my best. The sale was lost by the dealerships inability to bloody service a customer. This is basic stuff.

Does Ford have any sort of guidlines on staff conduct? Is that activily enforced? Doubt it.

My sister bought a Hyundai that day. She is happy, the car is great and (Dale) Ford loses another sale. And I DON'T blame her for doing so.

Makes you wonder doesn't it....

[mik]

as far as not getting a test drive unless you buy, i can remember a friend that worked in a holden dealer as a salesman many years ago had standing orders from his boss no test drive unless a deposit was on the car, it`s not an uncommon thing i think.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by mik

as far as not getting a test drive unless you buy, i can remember a friend that worked in a holden dealer as a salesman many years ago had standing orders from his boss no test drive unless a deposit was on the car, it`s not an uncommon thing i think.

Sorry, don't accept that at all. How can you leave a deposit on something you may not buy? I guess it's with the clause that it is to be returned if the customer is dissatisfied. Which then defeats the purpose of the deposit.

I can accept a dealer asking for proof of funds if you are buying something really special or costly but paying a deposit on somthing you haven't driven at a dealer is a joke and something I haven't heard of.

The car in question was a $4,999 Festiva parked out the front on the nature strip along the road, hardly a Porsche or FPV....

[mik]

so you never heard the saying high pressure sales, it has been about over the years whether you accept it or not.

[Fiesta_Man69]

It would be easy to gloat.

Friday's Daily Telegraph brought a wry smile to my face:

"Financiers have forclosed on Dale Ford after the company had problems paying its debts.... A former employee at the Bankstown dealership claimed last night that bills had not been paid for 'for some time.' Owners Rex Conway and John Stark had worked at Dale Ford during the 1970s and 1980s before taking over the dealership.... It grew into a flagship among a network of dealers throughout western Sydney."

It was, of course, here that I purchased my Fiesta.

It was at this dealership, underneath the car, staring at $10K worth of rust throughout the underbody, that John Stark, surrounded by his Service Manager and several other mechanics in an attempt to intimidate myself, tried to convince me that it was my fault (I was accused of driving the car along a beach) and then that the rust was 'normal' and a 'characteristic' of all modern cars.


After the Fair Trading dept got involved, he changed his tune.

(Full details of my Ford ownership 'experience' at "Alternative Long Term Review" in the Fiesta section of the forum).

And after 2 months waiting for the car to be fixed, I told him what I thought of his arrogance, attitude and the manner in which he ran his dealership - stating I would never do business with Ford again: to which he replied: "I don't need your business anymore."

Whoops.

Like I said - it would be easy to gloat. However I am aware that there are dozens of innocent staff who now may be unemployed due to the incompetence and arrogance of a dealer principal who couldn't run a chook raffle, let alone a dealership. Let's hope the innocent staff keep their jobs, while Stark gets his just desserts, down at his local Dole Office.

[Bucknaked]

I was at Dale Ford today. There were plenty of Salesman around, looked like a normal trading day.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Bucknaked

I was at Dale Ford today. There were plenty of Salesman around, looked like a normal trading day.

Well that's good news for the workers. Perhaps they have a plan to try and trade their way out of totally going bust?

[Dave R]

Jeez, that's a surprise. I've purchased an car from them in the past.

[hawke]

It is advertised for sale this morning in the Fin Review by the Recievers and Managers. Expressions of interest to be made by the 19th of March.

[Nic85]

It's probably no surprise if my experience a couple days ago is anything to go by.

My old man is looking at getting a new dual cab ute and selling his Hilux. We went to Mazda first to look at the BT50. Really professional looking place, brand new showroom. They had about 7 or 8 different variants of the BT50 there to look at, sit in and drive. The salesman was excellent - he knew everything about the car, dimensions, weights, outputs, options - the lot. We test drove an XLT dual cab. Nice car. The guy then ran through the options etc with us, offered us a coffee or water. It was a very good experience.

We then went to the Ford dealer down the road to look at the Ranger. They had one Ranger sitting out of the front of the dealership, the dealership looked run down. We looked for probably 5 minutes before some guy with his shirt half untucked came walking out stinking to high heaven of overpowered cologne. We told him we were having a look at the Ranger as we'd just looked at the Mazda BT50. The model there was a manual, which we couldn't drive, and if we wanted an auto we could "maybe come back in about a month or so, there might be something here then." We looked at each for a second, then simply walked away back to our car.

[HP-0351]

I hope it goes on and survives.

Rich in history through Jack Brabham, his desk is still there and some photos are still on the wall in his old office.

I visited years ago when doing my story on the Phase 4 as it was originally ordered and sold through them.

[Fev]

I've heard that there is a large Holden dealer going down the drain in Sydney too - unfortunately I haven't got a name as of yet but I trust the source. I guess just wait for an announcement.

Accountants and Carsales is killing the industry.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

They brought it on themselves, been in there twice to buy parts for my FPV and walked out twice as the service is just so bad.

I work about 2 minutes from there and we have a small fleet of Falcons at work, yet we refuse to take them to Dale Ford due to the bad experiences with service, rude, lazy and hopeless comes to mind.

All our cars go to Peter Warren at Liverpool, a 30 minute drive away, and we drive straight past the Dale Ford Service Center to do so.

[stevanford]

Another one here with a bad experience from Dale Ford. I went to look at an XR6 Turbo. (used) Waited 20 minutes before any salesman would come over to me. Then, when we were talking about the features of the car, he wanted to go straight to the price. (32K at the time) When I told him that I'd like to drive the car before talking about the money aspect, he said that I couldn't drive it and that I was wasting his time. I showed up there two weeks later with the G6ET I had just bought.

Their salesman really need to respect their potential customers.

[aussie_dozer]

It was totally the opposite for me, i was there 2 weeks ago.

I spoke to Mark the sales guy on the phone leading up to me going to Sydney for a test drive, as soon as i pulled into the driveway he was out there to greet me, we went and looked at the car, took it for a drive, haggled on the price and i ended up buying it. Got a very good deal as well. So i can't complain.

But i did not deal with spare parts or anything, just the new car sales guy. Might be different in the different section.

[landau5.8]

i used to work there when john stark and rex conway took over, unprofessional, rude arrogant pigs the two of them. I worked there for a few years and they were the reason i left. Im glad they went broke cause kharmas a ******.
anyone need john starks mobile number, pm and i will gladly pass it on.

[amisupposed2b]

Hey there gentlemen!

Incoming old school member from back when I had my AU! XD (If you look it says I am 18... Now 23. So it's been a while!)

Well I actually work at dale ford. I was the warranty administrator (I am sorry if I ever denied warranty on your car, It was my job.)

Today we got told we are shutting down for good.

Our ford licence is being revoked tomorrow afternoon and we will no longer be a ford dealer or service centre.

Alot of good people will be out of a job. People that don't deserve it. Some of the guys just purchased houses, Got married and alot of entitlements they are going to miss out on.

This all because of the previous owners John Stark and Rex Conway. The dead beats pocketed alot of money and ran basically.

If anyone needs any warranty advice, service advice or any inside info or how to get about making things happen feel free to ask, Cause I don't give a rats **** anymore.

landau... Who are ya? LoL!

[HP-0351]

I'm sorry to hear about the closure and the loss of jobs etc.

I'm sure someone will ask, what's happening with the signage etc

I'd like to keep a piece of that Ford dealership due to my connection with the rarest car it EVER sold. The XAGTHO Phase IV.

Cheers,

Roy

[amisupposed2b]

Originally Posted by HP-0351

I'm sorry to hear about the closure and the loss of jobs etc.

I'm sure someone will ask, what's happening with the signage etc

I'd like to keep a piece of that Ford dealership due to my connection with the rarest car it EVER sold. The XAGTHO Phase IV.

Cheers,

Roy

Call the service department tomorrow and ask for Abraham (me).

I will see what I can get ya

[HP-0351]

Thanks mate will do as I'm off tomorrow.

Much appreciated ;)