toypuller, I have a question. I was wondering if Ford made any prior contact with you before your hearing. I am in the process of a dsb (40 day wait) and have received a call from Ford offering a MSRP to MSRP swap but with a .20/mile charge. I am not sure if this is any indication of the possible outcome of my case or not but was wondering if the ruling from the dsb, if I continue to persue it, would turn out more in my favor if offered the same MSRP to MSRP swap from them. It seems by your calculations the milage charge would be lower.

 

The only contact I had with Ford prior to the hearing is when the "dispute resolution specialist" called. She identified herself as being from the Dispute Settlement Board which we later discovered was a flat out lie and that she was actually from Ford's dispute office. She was most intrested in wether the problems I had were in any way diminished by the work that was done.(it wasn't) After I told her that the rear end was whining for the second time and that the truck had begun stalling she didn't want to talk any more.

It is up to you wether you want to settle with Ford. I would take an offer of settlement as an admission that there was a problem with the vehicle and that Ford can't fix it. I would get the offer in writing and submit that to the DSB to help my case.

Another thing you can do is counter offer to Ford that you are willing to do an MSRP to MSRP swap if they waive all milage and use charges. Make sure you tell them about how many no-use days you had, the # of trips back and forth to the shop and how many miles it is both ways. If they didn't provide you with a loaner then double those miles for whoever had to drive you home.

When I did my DSB hearing I specifically requested no milage charges. I gave them the reasons stated above as well as the # of miles driven testing the vehicle and the fact that I had an FX4 (off-road) with lame Michelin Pilot LTXs (street use only) on it.

One last note-Sorry to sound negitive but Don't trust anyone at Ford. Get everything in writing! I found lots of people who represented Ford that were willing to look me right in the eye and lie through their teeth.

 

Your post kind of jumped out and grabbed me, because there are ways to make a DSB successful, and ways to make it a long-protracted struggle with no resolution. A few thought starters here:

1. The problems must be specific, they must be repetitive, and they must be documented. The same holds true for the loss of use days you've experienced with your vehicle. The phrases "I feel," "I think," and "it doesn't seem like" need to be stricken from any DSB paperwork if one hopes for a successful conclusion.

2. If Ford calls with an offer, listen. Also request that any offer made be submitted to you in writing, along with a timeframe that you can respond by. Like with any legal procedure, a settlement is always desireable to the knock-down drag-out. Don't be afraid to counter-offer if you think they're being unreasonable- but bear in mind 10-20 cents a mile doesn't even begin to scratch the depreciation surface. If the case goes to the DSB, it will always look better if you attempted to make a reasonable settlement and were unable to. If you flat refuse, it could make you look unreasonable. That's not a plus in getting your case resolved.

Remember, the purpose of the DSB is to resolve customer issues and maintain some semblance of customer satisfaction. Try to let the system in place work for you.

 

toypuller, thanks for the advice and quick response. I am going to counter offer Ford on both the milage charge and the interest rate I will lose. Haven't been able to make contact yet. I will, per your advice, try to get the the offer in writing. Thanks again