Too many customers seem like a great problem to have. Some companies trade on exclusivity. But, for a mainstream automaker that sells cars by the million, frustrated would-be buyers are a problem.
Ford has that problem — its 2023 Ford Bronco off-road SUV has been a runaway sales success, which has created waiting lists. Buyers have reportedly waited almost two years to get their hands on some combinations of color and trim.
Try to order one today, and you’re greeted with a warning that some advertised trims and features aren’t available.
That has some customers frustrated. An “Unofficial Awaiting Shipping thread” on the Bronco6G enthusiast forum has 74 pages of mostly-angry comments, all posted in the last five months.
Ford has to do something. That something is, reportedly, offering cash.
$2,500 to Change Your Order
CarsDirect reports Ford is “Paying Bronco Buyers To Change Their Minds.” That sentence includes some hyperbole. But the basic idea is sound.
The site says it got hold of “incentive bulletins sent to dealers.” The documents offer “2023 Bronco buyers with a $2,500 discount for canceling their order and buying a different vehicle, or when choosing one less affected by supply chain constraints.”
The offer reportedly lets buyers switch to most other Ford vehicles but excludes some models that might seem like appealing alternatives to a Bronco buyer, such as the F-150 Raptor. The Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, itself back-ordered for most buyers, is also out.
A Ford spokesperson confirmed parts of the story to us but offered more detail.
Want it Quicker? Change Roof Choices
The company, he says, is “notifying a small number of existing Bronco reservation and order holders that they can receive a 2023 model year Bronco if they remove certain constrained features, including the Sasquatch package, Molded in Color Hard Top and Lux Package.” Those customers will get a $2,500 rebate on their modified order, as well as price protection.
Those who don’t want to modify their reservation have four choices, he tells us: “applying the $2,500 rebate to the purchase of another Ford vehicle, canceling their reservation and receiving a refund of their $100 deposit, placing a new order for a 2024 model year Bronco,” or trying to find a Bronco available for sale at a dealership.
Dealers will receive some 2023 Broncos this year, so that last option is possible. But they sell quickly, so finding the right mix of color and options from dealer stock will take luck.
Finally, the spokesperson tells us, “If we are not able to schedule a reservation or order for production, it will be cancelled for the 2023 model year and their $100 reservation deposit will be refunded automatically.”
That will leave some buyers who’ve been waiting months with nothing but the chance to get back in line at higher 2024 prices.
