Hi there, I just want to know if I have a case here. This is the short version of the story that I submitted to BBB in my complaint towards the dealership (except I added some small explanations in brackets):
"At the end of 2007 model year,I decided I wanted to buy a Mustang,and tried to obtain information concerning the standard and optional features, prices,etc.I could build&price the model I wanted on the Internet. Sirius sattelite radio and Shaker 500 system along with free 6 month subscription was STANDARD on all 2007 Mustangs (on the site you could not un-click these features, they showed as standard). I went to a dealership in my town and negotiated a deal! At the day of delivery we noticed that surprisingly the price agreed upon was increased. This would not have been mentioned to me if I had not noticed it. Nevertheless,I agreed to go ahead with the purchase after the owner offered a *small* incentive. They advised the price had to match the build&price listed price and the previous dealership they bought the vehicle from was also seeking these charges. After a while I discovered that my car does not have the Shaker 500 stereo nor the sattelite Radio widely advertised as standard features on all 2007 model Mustangs(note that this is happening at the end of the model year). When I questioned why, the sales manager that sold me the car told me my car was built prior to the release of this standard feature (my car was built Aug 2006 and the others that have these features were built in Nov 2006) and said that when I came in to buy the car my only requirement was about the colour and that I did not mention anything about the radio. Naturally, one does not feel the need to inquire about what has been widely advertised as standard features on all 2007 Mustangs. In reality, my only requirement was that I wanted the Pony package and the only car left with this was a black Mustang at a different dealership. But it turns out that the sales manager also had to do some investigating to find the reason for this when I questioned it, so even if we had discussed these particular features from the beginning, he would not have known. I did at one point even ask for the feature sheet for the car and he said it was thrown out. The explanations I received about this makes no sense at all and I think this is extremely unfair and/or shady treatment! This information should have been more widely available online as well as any other means available to consumers, and apparently dealers. Everyone buying the car should be advised whether the client questions it or not, as we cannot foresee issues we don't even know exist! We need to be able to make well informed decisions. Maybe I would not have bought the car had I known this from the onset. Or maybe I would have. After also contacting the Customer Service dept at Ford.ca I received absolutely no type of offer to rectify this matter. I also realize now that I paid the advertised price but did not receive the advertised features!"
I don't think this is fair. I think that if changes were made to optional features it would be different. But how is a consumer to know about changes in Standard features unless they disclose it to me? The fact that I didn't mention it isn't an excuse they should be able to use. I based my decision to buy the Mustang on the overall features I saw online, so I didn't feel the need to mention any one in particular when I was buying the vehicle. They actually did respond to the complaint and are not doing anything about it. But they attached an equipment listing for my vehicle's vin# so why didn't they share this with me when I asked for the feature sheet? Obviously he had the means to do so. Also, at first I thought that maybe Ford as a whole was at fault but there was another attachment from the dealership that proves they were notified of the model changes. So either they just forgot to tell me or it was intentional because maybe the older ones aren't selling as well due to the changes made and I seemed like a perfect candidate for their scheme. I work in insurance and just finished a course that discussed contract law and I know the judicial system favours the party that is at a disadvantage for knowledge, and disclosing relevant information to help consumers make informed decisions is taken very seriously. I also attached my contract showing the MSRP at the same price found on the build & price site which includes the features I did not receive. So do you think this is a valid complaint? All I want is to have these features installed in my vehicle.
Thank you so much...
I live in Ontario, Canada
"At the end of 2007 model year,I decided I wanted to buy a Mustang,and tried to obtain information concerning the standard and optional features, prices,etc.I could build&price the model I wanted on the Internet. Sirius sattelite radio and Shaker 500 system along with free 6 month subscription was STANDARD on all 2007 Mustangs (on the site you could not un-click these features, they showed as standard). I went to a dealership in my town and negotiated a deal! At the day of delivery we noticed that surprisingly the price agreed upon was increased. This would not have been mentioned to me if I had not noticed it. Nevertheless,I agreed to go ahead with the purchase after the owner offered a *small* incentive. They advised the price had to match the build&price listed price and the previous dealership they bought the vehicle from was also seeking these charges. After a while I discovered that my car does not have the Shaker 500 stereo nor the sattelite Radio widely advertised as standard features on all 2007 model Mustangs(note that this is happening at the end of the model year). When I questioned why, the sales manager that sold me the car told me my car was built prior to the release of this standard feature (my car was built Aug 2006 and the others that have these features were built in Nov 2006) and said that when I came in to buy the car my only requirement was about the colour and that I did not mention anything about the radio. Naturally, one does not feel the need to inquire about what has been widely advertised as standard features on all 2007 Mustangs. In reality, my only requirement was that I wanted the Pony package and the only car left with this was a black Mustang at a different dealership. But it turns out that the sales manager also had to do some investigating to find the reason for this when I questioned it, so even if we had discussed these particular features from the beginning, he would not have known. I did at one point even ask for the feature sheet for the car and he said it was thrown out. The explanations I received about this makes no sense at all and I think this is extremely unfair and/or shady treatment! This information should have been more widely available online as well as any other means available to consumers, and apparently dealers. Everyone buying the car should be advised whether the client questions it or not, as we cannot foresee issues we don't even know exist! We need to be able to make well informed decisions. Maybe I would not have bought the car had I known this from the onset. Or maybe I would have. After also contacting the Customer Service dept at Ford.ca I received absolutely no type of offer to rectify this matter. I also realize now that I paid the advertised price but did not receive the advertised features!"
I don't think this is fair. I think that if changes were made to optional features it would be different. But how is a consumer to know about changes in Standard features unless they disclose it to me? The fact that I didn't mention it isn't an excuse they should be able to use. I based my decision to buy the Mustang on the overall features I saw online, so I didn't feel the need to mention any one in particular when I was buying the vehicle. They actually did respond to the complaint and are not doing anything about it. But they attached an equipment listing for my vehicle's vin# so why didn't they share this with me when I asked for the feature sheet? Obviously he had the means to do so. Also, at first I thought that maybe Ford as a whole was at fault but there was another attachment from the dealership that proves they were notified of the model changes. So either they just forgot to tell me or it was intentional because maybe the older ones aren't selling as well due to the changes made and I seemed like a perfect candidate for their scheme. I work in insurance and just finished a course that discussed contract law and I know the judicial system favours the party that is at a disadvantage for knowledge, and disclosing relevant information to help consumers make informed decisions is taken very seriously. I also attached my contract showing the MSRP at the same price found on the build & price site which includes the features I did not receive. So do you think this is a valid complaint? All I want is to have these features installed in my vehicle.
Thank you so much...
I live in Ontario, Canada
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