What's Your 2024 Lightning Order Status?

[TaxmanHog]

So 3,260 2023 models sold at almost the halfway point of 2024. Weird.

Just in May 3260, but year to date they sold 13,093 trucks, still well below the 50K they were hoping to sell on average based on lowered plan in of production.

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[Kev12345]

I just meant it’s strange that most of those sales are the 2023 model year and we’re almost at the halfway point of 2024.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I just meant it’s strange that most of those sales are the 2023 model year and we’re almost at the halfway point of 2024.

Probably it is "mostly" but I've seen a few posts about '24 models being sold, the statistics don't stratify model-year mix in the sales stats in the public news release, but this is normal business for all manufacturers.

 

[AI_Speed]

So 3,260 2023 models sold at almost the halfway point of 2024. Weird.

Weird indeed - consistent though with the extensive hold for quality reasons on the 2024's + the generous discounts on the 2023's.

 

[Lomilar]

Got this today. No change in order status on the website.

 

[TreatYoSelf]

Finally, an update!

 

[Lomilar]

Woohoo! Vehicle code is now "VEHS". I'm not sure how this will work with the cancellation of the Model E dealer program (this was ordered through Build and Price), but we'll see!

 

[Lomilar]

Update from Build and Price land:

I got my Moroney sticker. Using the order number + VIN here still doesn't work: https://shop.ford.com/vehicleordertracking/

Looking at the data, there were four repeated VEHS codes, two batches of two that were 3 days apart, which I imagine correspond to transport events.

Two VEHS representing load/depart rail

Two VEHS representing arrive/unload distribution,

then the moroney sticker appears, then (speculating) probably a couple more updates as it gets on a 18-wheeler, if I were to guess.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I got my Moroney sticker. Using the order number + VIN here still doesn't work: https://shop.ford.com/vehicleordertracking/

Sometimes we've noticed odd behaviors with the tracker using certain browsers and security configurations. Would share your vin in a PM with me so I can try the tracker? I'll keep it private.

 

[TaxmanHog]

@Ray R your former truck has been delivered to the dealer, guessing they found a new owner for it

@TreatYoSelf 's truck is in transit as of 6/11/2024

 

[climateguy]

Sometimes we've noticed odd behaviors with the tracker using certain browsers and security configurations.

Eg.: On my machine, the tracker won't work if I use the Brave browser. The page loads and accepts the order number and VIN, but it does nothing when I click on "Accept & Track". When I use a fresh install of the Chrome browser it works.

At one point I thought I needed to sign into my Ford account or it wouldn't work, but I'm not sure about that now. A test with Chrome just now worked even when I am not signed in to my Ford account.

 

[Lomilar]

Hoo boy do I have an update.

TLDR: Got the truck. Dealer was great. Ford was great. Process was continuously in the way.

I'll keep most of my sentiment out of this, because I'm pretty easygoing and am used to bureaucracy, process, and looking at website code and network communications.

Timeline:
- April 25: Placed Build and Price order. Code was currently VDOS (proportedly 1 month out) while inspections were finishing.
- June 1: Vehicle code was updated from VDOS to GRTA, which seems to mean "waiting for transport". Very minor changes to the dashboard, if any.
- June 14: Vehicle was on transport (GRTA to VEHS). No email. No notice to dealer. Sales guy was hearing about updates from me.
- June 17: Final set of VEHS. At this point, we speculate the vehicle was at the local Portland distribution lot. No email. No notice to dealer. Probably wasted 4 days here from the 17th to 21st.
- June 21: Wife convinces me to call dealer. Dealer pings truck. Truck is 20 miles from dealership. They ask me to come in in order to pre-fill paperwork so they can wave it in front of Ford to get the truck released. Sales guy generally agrees this order of operations was pretty backward, but they were trying to get the truck released from the lot.
- June 24: I get an email stating that I should schedule delivery. (VITR, VAFD) Delivery scheduling process fails (500 server error). Call dealer. They have it on prem, and are prepping it. I go down, and get it that evening.
- June 25: I have truck. Reservation is still asking me to schedule delivery. I hope they figure it out.

These codes are only available if you know how to read the data backend from the reservation system.

All the build and price terms and conditions were upheld. There were some minor attempts at upsells (extended warranty mostly) but it was easy to shut those down. They have to sell the truck as spec'd. The CDK dealer management software was down for this dealer, so it was back to paper.

General advice for the buyer:
- You need to be proactive but not demanding. The process doesn't seem to move forward without your active involvement. I don't even think this dealer knows they have another order sitting and waiting for acceptance.
- Get to be good friends with your sales rep, as they and their sales manager are going to have to fight to get your truck. It's ya'll vs the process.
- Patience and kindness (without yielding an inch) worked very well for me. The dealer was on my side and wasn't trying very hard to pull anything over on me. It was overall a positive experience, if you can ignore the process not being very smooth.

Feedback incase Big Blue @Ford Motor Company is watching:
- Make sure you're generating emails for every event or change in status for both the customer and the dealer and preferably the salesperson so that the team can stay in communication and don't have to be the ones taking the initiative asking Ford what's going on.
- If there are actions to take, ensure your communications include those actions. I think this was pretty good?
- Not sure why, but there's a bug in scheduling pickup times. The software mostly worked as designed otherwise. If you need reproduction steps, I think I can still reproduce the issue.
- Build and Price status isn't compatible with the Order status, and the various updates aren't very clear as to where your truck is or what to do next. More clarity about the VAHS codes specifically -- is it on a train, a truck, or at the distribution hub?
- I wasn't clear on this, but if the dealer needs to be collecting information from the buyer, that needs to be made very clear to them.

 

[invertedspear]

It's ya'll vs the process.

And yet all the news is about how "Demand is down" "People don't want new cars"

Insane that we have a company the sells cars making the process so insanely bad that people can't give them money for the car they want when they want it and the car is "down the street"

 

[TaxmanHog]

The movement of our TRUCKS from factory to rail, to regional rail yard, to regional distribution, to dealer lot has always been slow and lacking clear communications, it's bad that we the customer are left out of the loop, but likely the intermediaries (Rail and Convoy haulers) are likely impeded with the lack of timely communications as well, then stack on the logistics delays of scheduling final mile convoy runs with just in time/energy efficient routes.

 

[TreatYoSelf]

Well, mine made it from the railyard to the dealer after about 5 days.

3 hours at the dealer wasn’t fun (the CDK hack didn’t help) but I’ve got my truck!

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