Should I switch dealer before getting order invite from Ford?

[fthemarkup]

I was told by the dealer (CA, bay area) that I would receive the invitation to order in about 2 weeks. I don't know if the dealer would apply ADM or not. But based on their reviews, it is likely to happen. Should I contact the dealer before getting the invite to order and try to switch to another one?

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[sotek2345]

I would suggest waiting until you get the invite and then switching - if you move you may not get one!

 

[F150ROD]

Switch it. No reason to wait.

 

[frautumn]

Switch it. No reason to wait.

I second that. Here was my experience:

I have an early timestamp (2021-05-20T01:45:58.811Z) and was told by dealer in December that I was #2 out of 260 reservations by timestamp, and that there would likely be no ADM. After not receiving an invite in Wave 1, I asked dealer again where I was in line and he told me I was now #26 due to prioritizations, plus ADM would be $7k. So one week before Wave 2 emails came out I went ahead and switched to another dealer that I found who was not charging ADM, and said they had not done any prioritizations. (Before making the switch I grilled the Ford marketing rep that I would indeed be eligible for the upcoming wave at the new dealer, and they said I definitely would.) Sure enough, a week later I got the invite email during Wave 2, and placed the order with my new dealer with no ADM.

What my experience tells me is that as long as a dealer didn't submit a list of prioritizations, Ford is just going by timestamp at the time of the wave emails going out (or maybe it gets locked down a day or two in advance of the emails going out). So if you change dealers now, and you have an early timestamp, and the dealer you are switching to doesn't have a priority list, there is a good chance you will get an invite.

 

[ExCivilian]

There are also dealer allocations involved in the calculation so it's best to wait to switch until you have the invite but before you've submitted the order. Then you have the invite in your hand and everyone who has done it this way and reported it here and elsewhere hasn't lost it. If you switch before you get the invite you slot into whatever your position is at the new dealer. That only makes sense if switching you gets you into an earlier position than where you're leaving

For example, I was at a dealership that told me they didn't know where I was but I definitely at the top...whatever that means but I didn't need to think too long about it. I switched to a more transparent dealer guaranteeing, in writing, no ADM and no forced adds. The catch? I was 75th! So then I called around to see how many local dealers had in line. Once I found a dealership that had about 30 orders I switched to them and found out I was number 10. If I had found out I was number 31 I could have just switched right back to another so there's no risk other than time doing this.

Once I became 10th in line it became obvious I was getting an invite in an upcoming wave--just had to figure out how many allocations they were getting per wave to see how early or late. As you recall, it seemed like every dealer got 1 wave 1 and then my dealership got 9 wave 2, which seemed to put me next in wave 3 (and turned out to be accurate). If I had switched at that point back to my original dealership I would have slotted in to whatever position my timestamp placed me. I could have gone all the way back to 75th or even later if newcomers had transferred in with earlier timestamps. If I waited until after my invite, however, I would have transferred over with an active invitation to order and been able to submit my order before all of the other people in line.

The bottom line seems to be that order sequence while in reservation stage depends on all those variables we aren't exactly clear regarding but once an invitation goes out it won't be rescinded and that's how some people can leapfrog others.

 

[frautumn]

The bottom line seems to be that order sequence while in reservation stage depends on all those variables we aren't exactly clear regarding

What's not clear? The order is only based on 2 factors: timestamp and priority list. If you know a dealer didn't submit a priority list, then only timestamp matters.

 

[F150ROD]

There are also dealer allocations involved in the calculation so it's best to wait to switch until you have the invite but before you've submitted the order. Then you have the invite in your hand and everyone who has done it this way and reported it here and elsewhere hasn't lost it. If you switch before you get the invite you slot into whatever your position is at the new dealer. That only makes sense if switching you gets you into an earlier position than where you're leaving

For example, I was at a dealership that told me they didn't know where I was but I definitely at the top...whatever that means but I didn't need to think too long about it. I switched to a more transparent dealer guaranteeing, in writing, no ADM and no forced adds. The catch? I was 75th! So then I called around to see how many local dealers had in line. Once I found a dealership that had about 30 orders I switched to them and found out I was number 10. If I had found out I was number 31 I could have just switched right back to another so there's no risk other than time doing this.

Once I became 10th in line it became obvious I was getting an invite in an upcoming wave--just had to figure out how many allocations they were getting per wave to see how early or late. As you recall, it seemed like every dealer got 1 wave 1 and then my dealership got 9 wave 2, which seemed to put me next in wave 3 (and turned out to be accurate). If I had switched at that point back to my original dealership I would have slotted in to whatever position my timestamp placed me. I could have gone all the way back to 75th or even later if newcomers had transferred in with earlier timestamps. If I waited until after my invite, however, I would have transferred over with an active invitation to order and been able to submit my order before all of the other people in line.

The bottom line seems to be that order sequence while in reservation stage depends on all those variables we aren't exactly clear regarding but once an invitation goes out it won't be rescinded and that's how some people can leapfrog others.

Dealer allocation and when you switch doesn’t matter.

 

[Ccarm6]

What's not clear? The order is only based on 2 factors: timestamp and priority list. If you know a dealer didn't submit a priority list, then only timestamp matters.

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[ExCivilian]

Dealer allocation and when you switch doesn’t matter.

Yes, it does matter. I explained it in the post you quoted.

Not only that, but after you accept your invitation to order then you can no longer change dealerships without forfeiting your vehicle and place in line entirely.

 

[F150ROD]

Yes, it does matter. I explained it in the post you quoted.

Not only that, but after you accept your invitation to order then you can no longer change dealerships without forfeiting your vehicle and place in line entirely.

Where are you getting your information from? Dealers are FOS when telling you your place “in line”. They have no control over that except with prioritization and even then we don’t know what Ford Corporate has decided with prioritizations.

I switched dealers about 2-3 weeks before invitations went out, I was an early reservation holder, before I switched I asked the dealer how many reservations they had, 163 with supposedly 30 allocations. I received a wave 2 invite, which I then switched from said dealer because of their ADM. The new dealer has already accepted my order, does it mean it will get built quickly, probably not. Will it be pushed off to 2023? No, it’s scheduled for Job #2 just like every Lightning in the first 6 waves.

 

[ExCivilian]

Where are you getting your information from? Dealers are FOS when telling you your place “in line”. They have no control over that except with prioritization and even then we don’t know what Ford Corporate has decided with prioritizations.

I switched dealers about 2-3 weeks before invitations went out, I was an early reservation holder, before I switched I asked the dealer how many reservations they had, 163 with supposedly 30 allocations. I received a wave 2 invite, which I then switched from said dealer because of their ADM. The new dealer has already accepted my order, does it mean it will get built quickly, probably not. Will it be pushed off to 2023? No, it’s scheduled for Job #2 just like every Lightning in the first 6 waves.

I explained the steps of my ordering process in the post you quoted.

A dealer can tell you exactly where you are based in their internal line based on your timestamp. That doesn't tell you which wave you'll be in, but they can infer your relative position internally based on your timestamp.

Your example is exactly what I advised to do: once you have your order invitation your place is locked and you can change your dealership before placing your order while maintaining your order invitation (if you place the order, however, you will not be allowed to move it afterwards).

If you do as you're advising, where someone does not have an order invitation in hand, and switch before receiving that order invitation the person's place in line will be recalculated based on all the factors Ford is using.

No one knows all of the variables that are going into those calculations but one thing is certain: the 250th person to reserve a truck is not going to be the 250th person to order a truck nor the 250th person to receive a truck...so it should be obvious to everyone paying attention to those details that it is not simply based upon the timestamp of one's reservation.

 

[F150ROD]

I explained the steps of my ordering process in the post you quoted.

A dealer can tell you exactly where you are based in their internal line based on your timestamp. That doesn't tell you which wave you'll be in, but they can infer your relative position internally based on your timestamp.

Your example is exactly what I advised to do: once you have your order invitation your place is locked and you can change your dealership before placing your order while maintaining your order invitation (if you place the order, however, you will not be allowed to move it afterwards).

If you do as you're advising, where someone does not have an order invitation in hand, and switch before receiving that order invitation the person's place in line will be recalculated based on all the factors Ford is using.

No one knows all of the variables that are going into those calculations but one thing is certain: the 250th person to reserve a truck is not going to be the 250th person to order a truck nor the 250th person to receive a truck...so it should be obvious to everyone paying attention to those details that it is not simply based upon the timestamp of one's reservation.

Again, I switched before an invitation was received to a dealer with 160 reservations already in hand before I ordered and did not lose my spot in any type of line.

 

[frautumn]

If you do as you're advising, where someone does not have an order invitation in hand, and switch before receiving that order invitation the person's place in line will be recalculated based on all the factors Ford is using.

No one knows all of the variables that are going into those calculations

Again, there are only 2 variables that go into determining a person's place in line at a given dealership -- their timestamp and optionally the dealers prioritizations.

 

[ExCivilian]

Again, I switched before an invitation was received to a dealer with 160 reservations already in hand before I ordered and did not lose my spot in any type of line.

I never stated otherwise. When you transferred before your order email was sent you slotted into the line at the dealership according to your reservation timestamp.

If you had waited until you received an order email, you would have leapfrogged anyone at that dealership and been able to place your order regardless of your timestamp relative to everyone already waiting at the dealership; Ford hasn't rescinded an order invitation, yet.

The only time you'd lose your place in line would be if you convert your reservation to an order (you place the order in the system) and then try to change dealerships. Your only option at that point is to relinquish your reservation and start all over again (and the truck you ordered goes to the dealership).

Again, there are only 2 variables that go into determining a person's place in line at a given dealership -- their timestamp and optionally the dealers prioritizations.

Reservation timestamp (and the prioritization list submitted to Ford before wave 1) dictates where someone is within the individual dealership's line.

Dealer allocation only factors into ordering wave; it has no relationship to someone's place in line.

When someone receives their order invitation has very little to do with their reservation timestamp. In fact, it's probably the least important factor. There are a myriad of factors that go into determining when someone receives their order invitation, which is the most important part of the process.

If you want to keep discussing the reservation line that's fine, but it's not particularly relevant since we now know some people will remain "5th in line" at their dealership until 2023 while someone else who is "25th in line" is going to get their truck in six months.

Regardless, this is all missing the forest for the trees. If you switch before receiving an order invitation you keep your timestamp but it will slot in relative to all the other customers' at the dealership.

If you have an order invitation in hand (but haven't placed your order, yet) then you can switch to a new dealership and complete your order process.

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