Ford of Downtown LA — Local services in Los Angeles

Thought I was going to have a good experience with their service department as it started off pretty good. My Transit Connect's transmission started to go out on the freeway and I was miraculously able to get it to limp it's way over to this dealership.

Jesse the Service Advisor was able to get my vehicle checked out and so I waited. I didn't mind waiting because I had checked other dealerships in the area and they were saying it might take 3 weeks just to get the vehicle looked at.

Luckily my van was still under warranty and they were able to replace a tire that had gotten a bolt stuck in it with just my spare as I didn't even have money for a new tire. So far so good.

I was expecting an update on the status of my vehicle as Jesse texted me last Monday saying that he would get me an update later that day on when my van might be complete. No follow up.

No biggie, sometimes people get busy and things get lost in the shuffle. So three days later on Thursday I send a text asking if I could get an idea of when my vehicle might be ready since I am paying for a rental car and need to budget things out. Was told he'd talk to the tech and see about an eta. No follow up.

Left a voicemail and text the next day Friday requesting an update. Finally, a reply! And even better, my vehicle is ready to get picked up! Ok cool I can deal with the no follow ups. Just get me my van so I can get to work and not have to pay exorbitant car rental fees.

Was told the service department would be open til 3 or 4 pm on Saturday. Jesse had the day off so I figured I could come in the afternoon before they closed. Stopped by a little after 3pm but was told everyone left at 2 pm. Their Website lists the Service Department is open til 5 pm on Saturday. So now I'm starting to get a little annoyed.

Came in today, Monday and didn't call ahead of time because my phone died and I left my charger at work. Was told to wait a little but and they'd pull my van up. I don't know how long I waited but it felt like a very long time. Ok that's fine, maybe they are busy.

So they finally pull my vehicle up after quite a long while. The tech or somebody was really cool because my front bumper was loose and hanging off the driver's side and they sort of tacked it back into place somehow.

While my van was idling in the parking lot and I am about to leave it runs out of gas. Perhaps It was because I didn't eat all day and had a huge headache but now I'm getting kind of irritated. What if I ran out of gas on the road, or even worse, on the freeway? So I wait while they put some gas in my tank. I noticed my check engine light was on and asked Jesse about it. He just sort of shrugged his shoulders and said it was probably because I ran out of gas. No offer to reset the check engine light or to see if it might be another issue. Talk about service! So I'm already irritated and just want to leave. I hop in my van and make a right on Venice.

Navi screen is not working. I pull over and turn the car off and try to start it again. Nope. Now the car won't start. I'm about 5 blocks away from the dealership. Great. I now have to walk 5 blocks to the dealership and hope some crackhead doesn't get in my car. At this point I am completely livid and once I get to the dealership I am dropping F bombs and cursing up a storm. Not threatening anybody or anything to that effect. Just expressing my extreme displeasure.

All this could have been prevented and the check engine light was probably my battery which I replaced at Costco in Los Feliz after my car wouldn't start again! Ford DTLA?...

Note this review doesn't concern the reps on site who helped me. They were perfectly fine and did a good job. This is more for management and hopefully constructive critisim about how to improve the customer experience.

I made a service appointment 2 days prior on the phone. The woman asked me to describe why I was bringing in my car. I told her the issue I was having in detail and she took down all the notes.

Day arrived for my appt. and I pulled in for service. My 1st time here. Once I turned into the lot there was no one to show me where to go, park, full forward. There was no people anywhere. I had no idea. I waited a minute and still no one. So I pulled over and parked out of the way, best I could. Got out of my car and still no one approached me. I look around, I wait, and nothing. I walk toward the storage container with windows with the big sign that says 'Service' assuming that might be where I go but not sure. No signs anywhere that say "Enter" or "Appointments this way" nothing. There's an open door so I poke my head inside. There's 5-6 people behind computers, I know one guy sees me but says nothing. Finally a woman says she can help whoever's next. I don't see a line anywhere so I ask if it's okay to step inside and she says yes. I tell her my name and that I made an appointment. She finds my appt on the computer and asks me what brings me in today. I'm a little surprised since I already went through that info with the woman who made the appointment on the phone 2 days prior. I told the rep that my car was making a noise and needed it checked out. The rep then tells me she would need my car for at least 1 week to diagnose the issue. This really surprised me. The woman who made my appt on the phone never mentioned that. Had I known at that time, this would've been a completely different situation. I asked why the woman on the phone making the appt didn't tell me about leaving my car and the rep let me know the appointments are handled by a call service so they might not know details like that.

I wasn't just ready to hand over my car for a week. That's completely ridiculous. And maybe you guys do that on purpose to get the customer on the lot before you share all the essential info with them and if so that's super shady. If you guys want to be sure all the info is getting to your potential customers you should be sure the people handling your appointments know all the details. Leaving a persons car for a week is obviously a big commitment.

I tell the rep I wasn't prepared to leave my car so I just asked if they could perform a transmission flush and she said yes. So I left and later returned once my car was done.

When I returned there was no one around again and this time no one was in the 'Service' storage container room. I asked a gentlemen outside and he appeared to be very annoyed I talked to him at all. He said go to the service building. I told him I just did and no one is in there. He didn't care. He said someone is there. I said again I just walked in and not one person is in there. He didn't care. He said someone will be there and he walked away.

Finally someone did come into the service room and he was very nice and gave me my keys.

So overall not a great experience.

Very simple improvements will help. Like making sure the call center making appointments share with customers essential information and having someone directing people pulling onto the lot...

My encounter with Ford Downtown has been nothing short of a nightmare, an unending cycle of frustration, disappointment, and blatant lies. I wanted to order a vehicle and in the beginning of April I asked them if the vehicle would be ready by June 1st or even the first week of June as I will be leaving the state by then. They told me ABSOLUTELY, 5-6 weeks? ABSOLUTELY. They kept on saying how quickly they can have a customized vehicle by June 1st. I told them that I don't want to go through with this transaction as I plan on driving out of California very early in June and I don't want to wait for it. They told me not to worry.

And from that very moment I decided to invest in this group, the company's abysmal service and lack of professionalism became painfully apparent.

Let's start with their inability to respond to emails or phone calls. It's as if communication is a foreign concept to this company. Countless emails and voicemails have been sent into the void, met with nothing but an eerie silence. Is it too much to ask for a simple acknowledgement, a glimmer of hope that my concerns and queries are being taken seriously? Apparently so, as my attempts at reaching out have been met with nothing but radio silence.

But the infuriating lack of communication pales in comparison to the deception and outright lies I've been subjected to regarding the production timeline of my car. Promises were made, deadlines were set, only to be casually disregarded and swept under the rug without any explanation or apology. The constant stream of excuses and empty assurances only served to highlight the company's complete disregard for customer satisfaction and their willingness to manipulate their patrons.

I find it utterly disgraceful that a company claiming to be reputable and customer-oriented would stoop so low as to deceive their clients. It's apparent that their primary objective is not delivering on promises, but rather taking customers for a ride, in the worst possible sense. It's disheartening to see a once-beloved brand tarnish its reputation so carelessly.

Moreover, the overall level of service provided by Ford Downtown is abysmal at best. Unfortunately, this company falls woefully short in this regard. They have shown a complete disregard for customer satisfaction, failing to address even the most basic of concerns promptly and efficiently.

To sum it up, my experience with these guys have been a masterclass in disappointment and frustration. Their abysmal service, inability to respond to simple communication, and deceitful practices have left me questioning my decision to choose their brand. I strongly advise potential customers to steer clear of this company unless they enjoy being ignored, lied to, and treated with utter contempt.

Guess what? The email for when the car will be built is July 17th. I ordered it first week of April. I understand that this may be normal and for people who order customized cars should know that it takes an extremely long time, but I don't order cars like this and I just wanted someone to tell me when my car would be built so I could plan accordingly. I simply just wanted a vehicle by June 1st. They would have received money either way, but now I have to order my vehicle in the state that I am...