Think long and hard before doing business with Don Chalmers Ford. I began doing business with this dealership in 1998. I knew Don Chalmers and enjoyed friendships with a number of his associates. Sadly, Don died and the “new guys” do not hold their customers in the same light, no matter what they say. Be warned what happened to me could very well happen to you.
My story is a long one, so I will list the highlights and you can decide for yourself if these are the kinds of people you wish to work with and give your hard earned dollars. What I type is documented in e-mails and signed contracts and has not been disputed.
Facts: I entered into a contract for the purchase of a conversion van mid October 2016 to be delivered April / May of 2017. This contract included a $2000 deposit.
I requested build / delivery schedule information in November, February (I work out of town in remote locations), and in March with an in-person visit, three phone calls, and an e-mail.
Chalmers did not order the van in October of 2016. It was a full 5 months after they had entered into the original contract that they ordered the van (in March of 2017). When they finally placed the order they did so in full knowledge that I would not pay the originally agreed on price for a van to be delivered, at best, four months late; “they would put their pencil to it”, call the conversion company “to shave some more off” and get back to me” (which never happened).
In April they called to tell me that the van had been assigned a VIN number. Once again I asked the new price and reiterated that I would not pay the same amount for a van which was being delivered four months late because of gross negligence on their part. There was to be follow-up on this call also, but nothing more materialized.
In May after learning, second hand, that I was considering other options, Chalmers offered a two year or 24,000 mile maintenance package which I declined because it was of no value to me. At this time, because I did not have / would not have a new van I was forced to the reality of costly repairs to my old vehicle to ready it for another year of service. I made a last ditch effort to salvage the deal; I made a onetime offer, that equaled a cost reduction of $2000 (would equal my deposit). Two thousand dollars off a $44,405 deal amounts to 4.5%. They responded that they would not adjust the price.
In early June, the van ordered in March, was delivered to the conversion company in Pennsylvania. I was told to authorize its conversion or they would not proceed. To make certain that the upper management of Chalmers had both sides of the story I made a post on their Face Book page. Their response was a bit trite, which I clarified.
June 29, only after my Face Book post, Chalmers offered a $1,000 reduction in price. I accepted that, provided they swapped the street tires that came on the truck for All Terrain tires. They countered that they would sell me those tires for $500. I declined this offer because it did not improve my position; I would be better off buying the tires and selling the OEM tires.
The normal order time for these vans is seven months. Therefore, to reorder from any other source was not an option for this calendar year. They knew this and were counting on using it as leverage to sell a van that they had ordered without having an agreed delivery price and without compensating me for their previous negligence.
To summarize, through gross negligence on the part of Don Chalmers Ford, the delivery of the converted van I ordered in October, 2016 was to be delayed three to four months. When their negligence was discovered Chalmers Ford promised to make things right and shortly thereafter went in to a stalling mode deflecting any request for a firm new price to compensate me for the inconvenience, turmoil, and stress that their negligent act, alone, had caused. They played their game in this fashion for three months until I posted my experiences on their Face Book page. Then and only then did they make an offer of any value to me – to reduce the price by 2.2% of the contract price. This offer, had it been made in good faith in March, before their three month war of attrition, would have been acceptable. My final and best offer was for an additional reduction of what turned out to be $500, which they declined. To use the “Tricky d**k” Nixon analogy, the cover-up was more damning than the deed; in this case the three month stalling- leveraging sales tactic was far more egregious than their original deed of negligence.
You have to wonder how a company like Ford Motors allows its representatives to treat customers in this fashion. Certainly they must realize how these types of actions can drive business to other brands.
This entire saga is unbelievable, were it not for the supporting e-mail evidence. That Don Chalmers Ford is willing to accept this level of negative “press” for $500 or 1% of the deal is truly remarkable. The only possible explanation for not compensating a customer for mistakes Don Chalmers Ford makes is they just don’t care about either their customer or reputation.
I’m making this post to alert all potential car / truck buyers that Don Chalmers Ford is not the dealership it once was. Since Don’s passing customer satisfaction is not worth much to them; even that of a loyal commercial customer of five previous purchases. Know going in that their promises and guarantees must not be believed. Do not be wooed by their coveted Malcolm Baldridge Award for Excellence, for it doesn’t appear to mean much any longer either.
Don Chalmers Ford Reviews
Think long and hard before doing business with Don Chalmers Ford. I began doing business with this dealership in 1998. I knew Don Chalmers and enjoyed friendships with a number of his associates. Sadly, Don died and the “new guys” do not hold their customers in the same light, no matter what they say. Be warned what happened to me could very well happen to you.
My story is a long one, so I will list the highlights and you can decide for yourself if these are the kinds of people you wish to work with and give your hard earned dollars. What I type is documented in e-mails and signed contracts and has not been disputed.
Facts: I entered into a contract for the purchase of a conversion van mid October 2016 to be delivered April / May of 2017. This contract included a $2000 deposit.
I requested build / delivery schedule information in November, February (I work out of town in remote locations), and in March with an in-person visit, three phone calls, and an e-mail.
Chalmers did not order the van in October of 2016. It was a full 5 months after they had entered into the original contract that they ordered the van (in March of 2017). When they finally placed the order they did so in full knowledge that I would not pay the originally agreed on price for a van to be delivered, at best, four months late; “they would put their pencil to it”, call the conversion company “to shave some more off” and get back to me” (which never happened).
In April they called to tell me that the van had been assigned a VIN number. Once again I asked the new price and reiterated that I would not pay the same amount for a van which was being delivered four months late because of gross negligence on their part. There was to be follow-up on this call also, but nothing more materialized.
In May after learning, second hand, that I was considering other options, Chalmers offered a two year or 24,000 mile maintenance package which I declined because it was of no value to me. At this time, because I did not have / would not have a new van I was forced to the reality of costly repairs to my old vehicle to ready it for another year of service. I made a last ditch effort to salvage the deal; I made a onetime offer, that equaled a cost reduction of $2000 (would equal my deposit). Two thousand dollars off a $44,405 deal amounts to 4.5%. They responded that they would not adjust the price.
In early June, the van ordered in March, was delivered to the conversion company in Pennsylvania. I was told to authorize its conversion or they would not proceed. To make certain that the upper management of Chalmers had both sides of the story I made a post on their Face Book page. Their response was a bit trite, which I clarified.
June 29, only after my Face Book post, Chalmers offered a $1,000 reduction in price. I accepted that, provided they swapped the street tires that came on the truck for All Terrain tires. They countered that they would sell me those tires for $500. I declined this offer because it did not improve my position; I would be better off buying the tires and selling the OEM tires.
The normal order time for these vans is seven months. Therefore, to reorder from any other source was not an option for this calendar year. They knew this and were counting on using it as leverage to sell a van that they had ordered without having an agreed delivery price and without compensating me for their previous negligence.
To summarize, through gross negligence on the part of Don Chalmers Ford, the delivery of the converted van I ordered in October, 2016 was to be delayed three to four months. When their negligence was discovered Chalmers Ford promised to make things right and shortly thereafter went in to a stalling mode deflecting any request for a firm new price to compensate me for the inconvenience, turmoil, and stress that their negligent act, alone, had caused. They played their game in this fashion for three months until I posted my experiences on their Face Book page. Then and only then did they make an offer of any value to me – to reduce the price by 2.2% of the contract price. This offer, had it been made in good faith in March, before their three month war of attrition, would have been acceptable. My final and best offer was for an additional reduction of what turned out to be $500, which they declined. To use the “Tricky d**k” Nixon analogy, the cover-up was more damning than the deed; in this case the three month stalling- leveraging sales tactic was far more egregious than their original deed of negligence.
You have to wonder how a company like Ford Motors allows its representatives to treat customers in this fashion. Certainly they must realize how these types of actions can drive business to other brands.
This entire saga is unbelievable, were it not for the supporting e-mail evidence. That Don Chalmers Ford is willing to accept this level of negative “press” for $500 or 1% of the deal is truly remarkable. The only possible explanation for not compensating a customer for mistakes Don Chalmers Ford makes is they just don’t care about either their customer or reputation.
I’m making this post to alert all potential car / truck buyers that Don Chalmers Ford is not the dealership it once was. Since Don’s passing customer satisfaction is not worth much to them; even that of a loyal commercial customer of five previous purchases. Know going in that their promises and guarantees must not be believed. Do not be wooed by their coveted Malcolm Baldridge Award for Excellence, for it doesn’t appear to mean much any longer either.