How fair is it, really, to be upset at Ford?

[Fordskeptic]

https://www.torquenews.com/1084/subaru-says-new-solterra-ev-sells-out-first-72-hours

According to the above, Subaru sold out its Solterra reservations in 3 days, rather than 3 weeks....such amateurs.

Sponsored

 

[jb56]

Below is the relevant part of the terms and conditions for the reservations:


If you object to any of the Terms, your sole recourse is to stop using the Program.

1. Reservation.
   You may be able to configure a Ford vehicle (the “Vehicle”) through the Reservation Process (“Reservation”). By completing the Reservation Process, you are not ordering or purchasing a vehicle. The Reservation Process allows you to configure a Vehicle and pay the Reservation Deposit (“Reservation Deposit”) to an authorized Ford or Lincoln dealer (collectively “Dealer”) you select. Participation in the Program does not guarantee you vehicle delivery. You must contact a Dealer to discuss final transaction pricing, arrange any necessary financing, and complete your purchase of the Vehicle. Your Reservation does not guarantee a set price for the Vehicle. The Dealer sets the Vehicle price, which may differ from the MSRP. Unless otherwise indicated, MSRP is the manufacturer suggested retail price and does not include destination/delivery fee plus government fees and taxes, any finance charges, any dealer processing charge, any electronic filing charge, and any emission testing charge. Optional equipment not included.

Scanning through the rest of the terms and conditions, I did not see anything related to the meaning of time stamps or a commitment from Ford to use time stamps. Unfortunately, I think that we all assumed that it would go that way and wanted first come, first served. And, while Ford’s internal documents to dealers stated that the time stamp would be used, it was not the be all and end all as there were other factors that would be considered.

As an aside, while I was able to make my reservations, I was never able to make a configuration as part of my reservation. Finally, it is important to note that the reservation was fir an opportunity to configure and order a vehicle. Ford made it clear that the agreement was between the customer and the selected dealer and not with Ford. Thus, it would appear that Ford was only acting as a conduit - which makes sense due to dealer franchise laws.

Honestly this thread is so strange. Almost everyone defending Ford is completely ignoring the things I said in my OP and just talking about other random stuff.

Nobody is arguing that the Reservation was some binding contract or that the reservation guaranteed a 2022 Lightning. It's the combination of all the things I said that makes me irritated at the way Ford has handled this (plus the cluster**** that is the Bronco launch).

And it's a little disorienting to encounter so many people who think Ford did a good job here. I'm not claiming they did anything illegal or even unethical. I'm claiming they made decisions that would keep as many on the hook as possible without being up front about how many reservations they would really be able to fill.

It seems pretty reasonable to me for one to assume now in hindsight that Ford was doing a 2022 launch as a test for market demand and production for 2023 and 2024. Had they been more transparent about the very limited delivery of 2022 lightnings, they wouldn't have gotten good data on overall demand.