I wanted to take a few brief moments to explain a customer experience I had about 3 weeks ago when purchasing a new truck.
Over the past 2 to 3 months, I've been searching for a new truck for all of my towing needs. On New Year's Day, while conducting an online search, I found what I thought was the exact vehicle I was looking for online, which was located at Encinitas Ford.
At the time, I was on vacation in Big Bear, and calling other dealerships at the same time for the same reason. I truly was hoping not to drive all the way to Encinitas to buy a truck.
I called each dealership who I thought would have trucks that would fit the bill, Encinitas being the furthest away. From the call alone, I already knew who I wanted to work with.
As we all know, the car shopping process can be daunting for many, exhausting, and all around stressful. I knew from the moment Maryanne picked up the phone at the dealership, that this would not be one of those experiences.
Maryanne immediately went and personally checked the inventory to ensure the specific truck was there prior to me beginning my drive. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly pleasant to speak with. Immediately after she located the vehicle, she passed the phone to her colleague in the sales department, Andy, for a quick meet and greet.
Andy was great, he immediately asked me a series of questions to ensure he was on the same page as to what MY needs were. He really LISTENED to what I wanted, instead of trying to push me in any certain direction he wanted. I knew right away Andy was really in my corner to help me along my way.
When I arrived some hours later at the dealership, both Maryanne and Andy were prepared and awaiting my arrival, greeting both my fiancee and I at the front door. It was great, because we had already talked for some time over the phone, I felt like I already knew them both, and we were able to get right down to business.
Andy already had the truck freshly washed while I was driving down, and parked right at the front door ready for a test drive. The truck was better than it looked in the pictures, had all the options I was looking for, and the test drive was great.
Upon completing the test drive, It was time to come to terms on the cost of the vehicle, extended warranty, financing rates and trade in terms for the Escalade I was trading in.
I explained to Andy in advance that I have great experience in car purchasing, as my family works in the business in another area of the country. Andy assured me he understood, he would go to bat for me, and there wouldn't be any games. It was as if he was an advocate for his customer from the beginning.
After Andy spoke with his manager, he came back with the right deal, THE FIRST TIME!!! No exhausting back and forth games with managers. He listened to what I needed, and made it happen fast without any push back. I was able to get a fair price on my trade, a great warranty on the truck, and great price on the vehicle itself plus some rebates.
I WAS THRILLED WITH THE OVERALL PACKAGE!!!!
Next, I moved to working with Doug in the finance department. He knew I was savvy with loans, and again didn't play any games trying to get me into a high interest rate where the dealership makes extra money. Doug worked very hard with me to explore multiple financing avenues and was able to get me a great rate. Again, I was thrilled.
I must note, not only did everyone treat me with respect, they were all so friendly along they way. Truly accommodating and pleasant.
I left as happy as could be. 3 weeks later, I realized I was missing a package I thought came standard from Ford Motor Company, and realized it was not. I was so bummed that I had missed out on a package I had really wanted.
I contacted Andy to let him know, and he immediately went to work with the owner of the dealership. I was sure, that after already they had already made the sale to me, there was no way they were going to be able to help. Boy was I wrong!
Andy called me back, and after working with the Owner directly, they were able to offer me that package at and extremely fair rate. They did all this just to ensure they kept a past customer happy. They did not have to at all!!!! It was my miscommunication that lead to my disappointment.
I believe true test of a company, is when they go above and beyond when they don't have to. They truly just wanted to deliver a great customer experience, and they did in every single way for me.
Hopefully, by writing this review, some readers will give Andy and Encinitas Ford a visit, saving themselves the trouble, and make their next car buying experience as stellar as mine.
I COULD NOT HAVE ASKED FOR MORE!
Thank you Maryanne, Andy, Doug and all of the Encinitas Ford team! read more