On Friday the 27th of June, I responded by telephone to a radio advertisement for Magnussen Ford in Fremont, California. The ad referred to substantial savings and special financing on Ford vehicles, along with the promise that, if [Magnussen Ford] can place [me] in a truck by Monday, [they] will pay off [my] trade, regardless of what [we] owe on it.
An opportunist by nature, I explained my situation upfront with my sales representative, Mr. Ron Worrell. I told him that I was looking for ways to replace my Dodge Durango with a Ford Expedition while incurring minimal out-of-pocket expenses and keeping my monthly payments the same or lower.
I was upfront with Mr. Worrell regarding my intentions, and I told him I would fully understand if he had nothing to offer me in my situation. He checked with his sales manager, and they indicated that they could work with my situation. As a result, my family and I made the 1-hour drive to the dealership on Saturday, June 28.
Upon our arrival at the dealership, our sales representative introduced us to a manager named Moe and a leasing consultant by the name of Dennis. I spent approximately 20 minutes with Dennis, explained my situation, and asked him to recommend vehicles that would keep our monthly payment comparable to the $520 per month that we are currently paying on our Durango. I told him directly that we had no intention of increasing our monthly payment, and we wanted to keep our down payment in the $2,000 range. He did not indicate that this was a problem, so I kept my wife and children (ages 4 and 1) at the dealership while he began to show me the vehicles that matched my criteria.
I was quite pleasantly surprised when Dennis directed me to a 2003 Eddie Bauer edition Expedition. The model had been a former demo, and was fully loaded.in addition to this one (MSRP $44,000), he directed me to two other vehicles in the $40,000 - $45,000 price range. Dennis took my family for a test drive in the Eddie Bauer model, and he carried on, allowing us to continue in our impression that this vehicle matched the selection criteria we had mentioned at the beginning of our meeting: that the monthly payments would be at or below $520 with a nominal down payment in the $2,000 range.
After three hours at the dealership, however, I discovered that the vehicle he had presented us with boasted a monthly payment in excess of $600 per month with a down payment of $3,000 for a 66-month lease. I reminded Dennis and the manager, Moe, that I had been quite frank about my intentions all along, and Moe promised that, if I could find a vehicle worth $4,000 less, he would be able to bring my payments down to $500 or lower.
Because my wife, children and I had invested three hours of our time at this point, I agreed to let Dennis show me another vehicle. The vehicle he showed us had significant scratches on the front that looked as if it had hit something, and bore a noticeable chip in the paint on the passenger side door. Dennis told us that all vehicles looked like this when they were first delivered, and that it would be reconditioned before we received it. I reluctantly agreed to look at the numbers.
When I sat down with Dennis and Moe this time, I was surprised to see that the initial promise of $500 per month had become $550 per month (still more than the $520 that I had told them was my limit three hours before). After another twenty minutes of heated discussions between Dennis, Moe, the General Sales Manager and myself, I realized that their initial intention was to get me into any vehicle they possibly could. Their concern was never to meet the objective for which I had made the 1-hour drive to their dealership.
As I was gathering my wife and children and preparing to leave, another gentleman approached by the name of Josiah. He told me that he was the Assistant Manager at Magnussen Ford, and that he had agreed to take a loss on the vehicle because he saw that my beautiful family and I had been there so long. He offered $525 per month with a $2,500 down payment. As I talked to him further, I discovered that he was not even aware of what vehicle he was offering me the price on. As I continued to question him, I discovered that he was referring to yet another vehicle! He was not taking a loss; he was only offering another model! I told him that I would consider his offer to take a loss if his $525 monthly payment stood on the demo model. He went back to the finance office at this point.
While he was in the finance office, I asked Dennis and my original sales representative, Ron Worell, what Josiahs job title was. Ron identified him as a sales representative, and Dennis identified him as, someone [I] shouldnt be talking to.
In summary, the deception, manipulation, and total disregard for the comfort and well-being of my children gave me quite a negative impression about the criteria with which Ford selects its franchisees. Moreover, it significantly diminished our faith in the Ford brand. While we still believe that Ford is a solid brand, and that the Expedition is a great vehicle, I would feel quite uncomfortable buying from people like the ones I met at Magnussen Ford.in addition, I would strongly advise anyone I met against purchasing from a company that tolerates, condones, or promotes such practices.
Scott
Brentwood, California
U.S.A.
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