I am writing this review to express my dissatisfaction with the inconsiderate and unprofessional treatment I received at Ron DuPratt Ford when contacted about the availability of a 23 Ford Maverick XLT hybrid pickup due to a customer cancellation. I am a 50 year loyal Ford customer, having owned an 850,000 mile 68 Mustang which is the only car I owned and drove in 50 years. It has been well documented in newspaper, magazine, and t,v. coverage for its unique and special history. My beloved "Blue Beast" was demolished in an accident, and I was looking to replace it with a Ford Maverick.
My first contact with this dealership was in March when I inquired about purchasing a Maverick. I spoke to Bill Crossley, the internet manager, who took my contact information and told me he would notify me if there was a customer cancellation and when the order banks opened later in the year. He did notify me that the order banks would be open on July l7 to order a 24 model, but I did not proceed with the order since their dealership required a $500 deposit to place an order unlike other Ford dealerships in the area who did not require a deposit. Bill then notified me on September 28, 2023 that there had been a customer cancellation for the exact same Maverick in Atlas Blue Metallic that I wanted which would be delivered within the month to their dealership. However, he failed to inform me in his email when he enclosed the price sticker that there would be a $5000.00 markup on the price above MRSP, which I did not know about until I spoke to him on the phone the next day. Bill should have been upfront with me from the start and relayed that information to me in his original email so I would have known about the markup in the price before I decided to contact him, instead of being caught off guard like I was. Bill was also aware that I needed to stay within the amount of the insurance settlement I received for my 68 Mustang which would not be possible with an additional $5000.00 markup beyond MSRP. I then asked to speak to the GSM, Peter Spitzer, and Bill said he would email his contact information to me which I never received, nor have I ever heard back from Bill again. In fact, I was later told that the GSM had not been in the office for two weeks, so he was not even available for me to contact.
After sending an email to their dealership the next day, I was contacted by the GM, Ron Wolff, who was abrupt, rude, and unaccommodating to me when we spoke. After giving me various reasons why they were firm in selling the Maverick with a $5000.00 markup, he then told me although it was against his better judgment, he would drop the markup by $1000. Offering me only a $1000 discount off the $5000.00 markup was an insult. I am a very informed consumer, and am well aware that the Maverick is in high demand and that buyers are waiting for up to a year or longer for delivery after placing an order and that Mavericks are not available at dealerships unless there is a customer cancellation. It was also inappropriate for him to tell me to go to another dealer to buy a Maverick at MSRP when he had the exact truck I wanted to buy which would be almost impossible to find elsewhere. He treated me as if I was dispensable because he knew that he had a list of buyers who would pay the $5000.00 markup. At that point he abruptly terminated the conversation and hung up the phone.
Dealers have the option to sell a Maverick after a customer cancellation for MSRP without a markup if they choose to do so. However, having the opportunity to make an additional profit beyond MSRP to put in the company coffers is what is motivating their dealership to increase the price beyond MSRP. Bill Farley, the CEO of Ford Motor Company, has notified dealers to discontinue the high markups on the Mavericks which are alienating customers and are being ignored, especially by dealers in CA. It is all about GREED AND PROFIT, and as along as buyers are willing to pay additional markups, dealers will have no incentive to discontinue them.
In conclusion, the unprofessional and inconsiderate treatment I received at this dealership is unacceptable, and they are not the friendly small town dealership that treats customers as family as they claim to be. Profit should not always be the deciding factor on how they conduct business. Apparently my loyalty to the Ford brand all these years counts for nothing. I was ready to claim that beautiful 23 Maverick that I so badly wanted, only to have my hopes raised and then dashed and let down. I will not soon forget this experience from which they could have garnered a lot of good will for their dealership by helping me replace my 68 Mustang with a new Maverick after 50 years as a loyal Ford owner. I have learned that not all dealers are created equal, and do not recommend doing business with Ron DuPratt Ford. read more