Two Ford Dealers Sold Custom-Ordered Mavericks And Claimed It Was A 'Mistake'
With inventories low during the height of the pandemic and hot new models from manufacturers like Kia and Ford attracting a lot of interest, custom factory ordering became a mighty huge thing. If something you wanted wasn’t on the lot or going to be on the lot anytime soon, why not order exactly what you wanted? But the idea backfired a bit, as customers came to quickly realized these orders meant nothing once the car got to the dealers. Two Ford customers in San Diego were recently reminded of this, as NBC San Diego reported their frustrations over dealers selling their custom-ordered Mavericks out from under them.
Andrew Gierz told NBC San Diego that he went to Mossy Ford in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego to place an order for the Ford Maverick. He says he put down a $500 deposit in April 2022, and like anyone excited to get a new vehicle, tracked the build of his order from the first day all the way until it was delivered to the dealer in March. When Gierz was notified the truck was at the dealer, he called to find out when he could come in and complete the buying process. In a surprising admission, the dealer told Gierz the Maverick had been sold.
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“Unfortunately with Mr. Gierz, it was a mistake that we made,” admitted Cole Lownfield, general manager of Mossy Ford in Pacific Beach. “Immediately when we found out that we had made a mistake, I reached out to him, and I hope we could rectify it for him and get him the truck of his dreams, and we’re still working on that.”
How could something like this happen? The dealer claims that when the truck came in, instead of being placed in special orders, the Maverick was placed in its regular dealer stock which is why it was sold.
Just over 20 miles from Mossy Ford, another customer was dealing with the same issue, at Aaron Ford in Poway.
Allen Movahed told NBC 7 that his truck arrived the week of May 15, and when it did, he said, the corporate office notified him to wait a couple of weeks before picking it up so the dealership could check and clean it. He said he called two weeks later and found the truck had already been sold to someone else.
According to NBC 7, Aaron Ford claims they tried to get in contact with Movahed to let him know his Maverick had arrived, but that Movahed never responded. NBC pressed the dealer by asking what method of contact they used. Unsurprisingly they didn’t answer. Aaron Ford did try and make it up to Movahed by giving him the $5,000 profit they made off selling his truck.
What does Ford have to say about all of this? As we all know, the automakers’ hands are tied when it comes to actually doing something about this kind of behavior from the dealer. But, a Ford representative did issue a statement about the situation, as much of a non-answer as it comes off to be.
“Although Ford dealerships are independent businesses, Ford Motor Company will work with its dealer network to make sure they’re aware of customer issues. Most times, when dealers become aware of issues, they work with customers to quickly rectify them – they understand the importance of delivering an industry-leading customer sales and ownership experience,” the statement read.
Gierz’s and Movahed’s stories are an unfortunate reminder that these custom orders truly mean nothing at the dealer level. Once a vehicle comes in, chances are, the dealer is going to do whatever they can to sell it. Even if you have a signed purchase agreement you need to act fast. Ever car on a dealer’s floor or lot costs them money, the longer they sit, so they want them gone and quickly. Mossy Ford even admitted that they only hold custom ordered vehicles for 72 hours.
So, let this be a lesson, to remember to always get a signed purchase agreement, and be quick about picking up your car. Unfortunately, just because you custom ordered that vehicle doesn’t mean that vehicle is exclusively yours.
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