Elder Ford of Tampa

There have been some up-and-down issues Issues like requesting work that already has been done by another Ford dealership requesting work that already has been done by another Ford dealership More

I had terrible sales and service experiences when I bought my 2025 F150 from Elder Ford. I won’t be going back for service, or to ever purchase another! I found a truck I liked and they started the bought my 2025 F150 from Elder Ford. I won’t be going back for service, or to ever purchase another! I found a truck I liked and they started the negotiation process, they listed that it had Lojak, a spray in bed liner, all weather floor mats and a lifetime battery warranty. There were significant “up-charges” for each of these items. I told them I didn’t want to pay for any extras and after haggling for a long time, they agreed not to charge for the above extras so I agreed to buy the truck. I was brought into the finance managers office to complete the sale. Now it’s getting late and the dealer is about to close. It felt like classic sleazy car sales 101. The finance manager offered me an extended warranty for $2,405 and a pre-paid maintenance program for $4,395. I took the extended warranty but I turned down the maintenance agreement. There were no other add on’s discussed so I signed all of the paperwork, paid for the truck and left. It was late, so I just wanted to get out of there. The next morning, I was reviewing all the paperwork I had signed the night before and to my surprise and dismay, I discovered a charge for $4,395 for the maintenance agreement I had turned down. Additionally, a charge for $2,405 for “Permaplate paint protection” and $738 for “Windshield protection.” A grand total of $7,538. I had just caught that they were trying to overcharge me by 7,538! I went back to the dealer the next day to complain and they gave me some nonsense excuses but eventually agreed to refund the money and cancel the maintenance agreement and other extras. I feel like they pulled every trick in the book to maximize their profit on me without caring that they were jerking me around to do it. I don’t like dealers who operate this way, and I want everyone to know what happened to me so you can make up your own mind when choosing a dealer. I also had a problem with their service department! I discovered that my glove compartment lock was not keyed alike to the doors and the center console. Furthermore, the flat emergency key provided worked in the glovebox, but did not work in the doors and the center console like it should. So I needed to bring the truck to the service department to have the glove box key cylinder re-keyed. I asked my service writer to be sure to have a blank key cylinder in stock when I bring it in, so I could wait for the repair rather than have to leave it and come back. He said that he would make sure they had the key cylinder when I brought in the truck. When I took it in they did not have the key cylinder in stock and my service advisor told me Ford doesn’t allow them to do the repair until the car is brought in and the product is verified. Also they had to take pictures to send to Ford warranty before they can order the part. Boy was I upset! I asked for the service manager and “Arnie” came out and spoke with me. I was standing there with my dog on the leash, so he knew I had a dog. He told me he would put me in a loaner truck and order the part to repair it tomorrow. He would have my truck delivered to my home and they could bring back the loaner. I said fine and I drove the loaner truck home. (A total of 16 miles. ). The next day they brought my fixed truck to my house and took the loaner back. I received a call about an hour later informing me they found dog hair in the truck which was against their no-dog policy. The truck also wasn’t refilled with gas before it was returned. Therefore they were charging me a $150.00 cleaning fee and for the gas. I asked to speak with the service manager Arnie, and he told me it was Arnie who told him to charge me for the cleaning. The same Arnie who loaned me the car knowing I had the dog with me. He had even pet my dog!!! I left Arnie a message but he never called me back. I then called the General Sales Manager of the dealership who took care of it. I do not recommend Elder Ford! More