Open Letter Re: Ford Thailand’s incredibly poor performance and conduct. Prospective Ford buyers should read!!!

This letter describes the events following purchase of a new Ford Focus 2.0 TDCI from Ford Param 4 that suffered a total driveshaft-left axle failure at about 6000km. This potentially lethal failure was never contested by Ford Thailand to be anything other than ‘their fault’ meaning that they supplied a dangerously defective vehicle. This reality aside, the subsequent actions / inactions by Ford Thailand are now offered for the consideration of potential Ford customers and consumer protection officers / agencies.

Sequence of events: 1. Vehicle failure roadside assistance polite and effective arrived quickly despite it being a Saturday and arranged free towing to nearest Ford service centre. 2. The following Monday Ford Hua Hin said the part needed was not in Thailand and would take 3 weeks to come from overseas (true). 3. Subsequently, I checked on Ford Thailand’s website, which stated they kept the left axle for new Ford Focus in stock when actually it wasn’t. The point here is Ford’s website wrongly inferred quick availability of parts that could not be readily obtained!!! 4. Following this, I many times tried to confirm the information supplied by Ford Hua Hin with the sales agent who sold me the car at Ford Param 4 and who after several days, within which the vehicle was already transported to Ford Param 4 could not tell me anything except she ‘was too busy with the motor show’!!! 5. I then contacted the manager of Ford Param 4 and told her what Ford Hua Hin had reported and that Ford’s website inferred they had the part within Thailand to which she stated ‘we have the part’. This answer in the context of the question of whether the part was in Thailand or not, was incorrect at best but appears to be incompetent or worse!!!!!!! 6. Several days later Ford Param 4 admitted the part was not in Thailand and would take several weeks to obtain, thus confirming of the accuracy of Ford Hua Hin as well as the poor reliability of both Ford’s website and Ford Param 4 manager’s information / answer. 7. Further to confirmation that I would not have a car for several weeks due to faults in the vehicle that Ford Thailand supplied me, and the REAL availability of a left axle for the new Ford Focus!!! I requested a loan car from Ford Customer Service, after earlier being refused by the Ford Param 4 dealership, who then supplied an older and poor condition car! 8. Several weeks later, on the timeline first given by Ford Hua Hin, my car was returned albeit it was now damaged / scratched and to make me even happier out of fuel!!! The scratch was pointed out to me by the engineer who returned my car from Ford Param 4, who is the only one that I have had personal contact with from Param 4 that has always provided good / reliable service. 9. During the above events Ford Customer Care Hotline staff appeared reasonable and helped me get a loan car and offered me an upgraded 5 yr service plan, which I accepted. 10. Several weeks after this, no notification that the service-plan had indeed been issued had occurred and we telephoned to find out what was happening and were told that it would take 2 months. 11. After 2+ months we again telephoned and were told all was OK and it would be issued within a few weeks. Not happy with what already seemed an unreasonable delay, I asked for notification of the offer of the upgraded service plan in writing, and after several more ‘demanding’ phone calls received this. 12. Shortly after this, we received the service booklet for the car, but it was the standard 3yr 105km service plan vouchers / booklet. 13. We immediately notified Ford of their error and were informed that it would be rectified within 2 weeks (now already about 3 months since the incident). 14. About 3 weeks later, we again inquired what was happening as nothing had happened again and were first told it would take a little bit longer which was now a totally unsatisfactory answer!!!! Thus we persistently telephoned over another week and were eventually told that it had been sent, delivered and signed for by us!!!!! Yes we had received a service booklet, albeit the standard one that started the whole series of enquires within recent weeks after already waiting 3 months!!!

Obviously, the details described herein clearly show the performance of Ford Customer Service Hotline and the departments that it liaises are incredibly poor, disorganised and unreliable with the exception of their roadside assistance that was competent. Similarly, Ford supplying a dangerously (as in losing propulsion on a busy highway overtaking, etc) defective vehicle that it could not repair a mechanical failure of for nearly 1 month, and the quality of the responses from the sales agent and manager of Ford Param 4 reflect circumstances that should be worrying to all Ford owners, prospective customers and indeed the management of Ford Thailand. The described events would probably make a pretty good tragic comedy (working title: FORD Found On Road Dead) but in real life, has and still is, a horrible set of still unresolved events. .