Mike Levine, Product Communications Director for Ford North America, on Friday shared a public service announcement for Ford customers on Twitter, informing them that it is recommended they “agree to a selling price with their dealer when the order is placed via a signed purchase agreement.”
PSA: If you’re ordering a new vehicle, it’s recommended customers agree to a selling price with their dealer when *the order is placed* via a signed purchase agreement. Keep records. If the dealer won’t sign or write a price confirmation, find another dealer.
— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) December 31, 2021
The communiqué comes just two weeks after reports started surfacing of Ford dealerships jacking up prices for the company’s upcoming F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup truck by up to $30,000 USD after customers had already placed orders and put down deposits.
Levine goes on to say that customers should document the whole process and keep meticulous records of price agreements with their dealer as neither he nor the company can help if there’s no record of the dealer actually confirming a price.
Related: It’s hard for me to try to help if there’s no record.
— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) December 31, 2021
Levine also advises Ford customers to not engage with a dealer who refuses to “sign or write a price confirmation.”
The whole situation really goes to show the advantages of a direct-to-consumer business model like Tesla’s in the automotive space, especially when dealing with a high-demand model like the Ford F-150 Lightning.
Ford had to double its production targets for the F-150 in August after it saw unprecedented demand for the electric pickup.
The F-150 Lightning starts at $39,974 USD before tax credits. Ford shut down reservations for the electric truck last month after they started approaching 200,000 units, and the veteran automaker is gearing up to start taking actual orders.
