Ted Britt Ford

Lack of Transparency - Buyer Beware I recently bought a new Ford Fusion SE Hybrid from Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax. I am very pleased with the car I bought but my experience with the deale I recently bought a new Ford Fusion SE Hybrid from Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax. I am very pleased with the car I bought but my experience with the dealership was very bad and I would not recommend this dealer. Despite a prearranged appointment, the dealership did not have the car available that was the reason for my visit; was not transparent in its pricing and use of rebates and incentives to set the final price; used "good cop bad cop" tactics when making the trade-in offer; and unlike other dealerships, did not provide a written offer prior to hurriedly ushering me in to the Finance Department once I had initialized an "out the door price". When I questioned how the final sales price was derived, I was told "I don't know, it wasn't my deal", "it doesn't matter" and "I'm not sure". It was not until later in the week, when I went back to the dealership and talked to Andy Britt, the General Sales Manager who drove my "deal", that I learned that incentives unrelated to my situation (and never discussed with me by the dealer) were added back into the price. This lack of transparency, use of advertising gimmicks, and the use of high pressure tactics has resulted in a total breakdown in trust and I would never go back to Ted Britt Ford. Frankly, as disappointed as I am with the dealer, I am equally disappointed with myself for not slowing down or terminating the sale towards the end of the process. By way of background, I am a 62 year old who lives in Columbia, Maryland, and had not been in the new car market for six years. As an adult, I had always bought Japanese cars but had told myself that if the American car manufacturers could produce a fuel efficient reliable car I would switch. Having researched other cars, including the Mazda 6, I decided to go with the Ford Fusion Hybrid. I went to two other Ford dealers in Maryland to better understand the Fusion features and trims and get a trade-in offer for my 138,000 mile Hybrid Highlander. I spotted a very good value Fusion SE Hybrid on the Ted Britt website with special "VIP" pricing with a $1,000 cash back rebate or low Ford incentive financing. I had two conversations with the Ted Britt Internet Department and then received a personal call from Andy Britt, the General Manager, and I made an appointment to test drive the car the following day at 11:am. When I arrived, Mr. Britt said that he had forgotten and was sorry, but the car was on display at the Verizon Center and could not be brought to the dealership that day. Since I had driven all the way from Columbia (an hour), he offered to appraise my vehicle and allow me to test drive a similar and slightly less costly car with fewer options and fewer discounted packages (i.e. no sync and sound discount/park assist, heated steering wheel options). It was brought in from Ted Britt's Chantilly Store. I would not have driven from Columbia to see that car as plenty of dealerships in Maryland had similar cars. "Bait and Switch" or honest mistake? I gave the GM the benefit of the doubt although in retrospect it is hard to believe the GM would not know that the desired car was at the Verizon Center, particularly after having talked personally with me and the Internet Sales rep. Michael, the showroom salesman, was reasonably knowledgeable about the Fusion and what he didn't know, he found out. When the battery failed on the test drive (when I came back from lunch), he picked me up and jump started the car (bad karma, I should have left then). We specifically discussed the price comparison between the two and he explained how the $1000 rebate and the low financing incentives worked. Fairly straightforward. At no time before the sale did he mention that other incentives (military rebate and incentives for certain retail customers with advance payment leases) would be factored into my price. He convinced me (probably right) that I did not need the park-assist option and the discussion totally moved to the vehicle that I was test driving. I explained how I wanted to structure the deal (combination trade/credit card/low or no interest loan. Mike said, "if i can match your (other dealer) $8000 trade, will you make a deal today". I said yes. He went to the GM and Andy Britt came back offering $7000 because of my high mileage and Carfax Report, which was later increased to $7750. He said that the trade-in value " couldn't be increased "because the numbers won't work". Andy noted that he had beat the quote on the other car by $200-$300. Of course, that quote was not for the same car although it was similar. I said OK, totally unaware, that that the dealer's written Ted Britt4Life brochure states that they will "beat Competitors's best price by $500-$2000. Not a big deal dollar-wise, but the haggling and "good cop bad cop" approach was totally unnecessary and reflective of the dealership's approach to the customer. More significantly, Andy then asked me to agree on an "out the door" number, which I initialed on the back of the offer sheet from the other dealer. I asked for an itemization and was told I would see it in Finance. There was no written offer sheet and I was hurried into Finance to deal with titling and tags and more pressure on fabric and exterior protection and extended warranties. At that point I was switched to another finance professional. I must say that both finance department staffers were very professional and knowledgeable. Once it was determined that I could not finance an amount through Ford by credit card over $500, Linda La Fontaine found a very low interest rate loan that worked and allowed me to receive the $1000 Ford rebate. Only after the loan was approved did I see that the purchase price was significantly higher than the internet VIP price when factoring in freight and adding back the rebate amount into the price. I immediately asked Linda about the contract price (since taxes etc, flow from it initially) and she said that she did not know where that price originally came from ("it wasn't her deal") and that it didn't matter (presumably because the "out the door" price was what I had agreed to. I had at least two opportunities to slow down the deal and get clarification or walk out and in retrospect wish that I had. I knew something didn't look right but couldn't put my finger on it. I was exhausted and signed the contract. Back of the envelope offers and rushed deals result in poor communication and mistrust. Given Ted Britt's high freight charges and document/processing fees (at least in comparison to Maryland dealers), there is no way that I would have done the transaction there had I understood how the sales price was derived. After the sale and two trips to the dealership later, I found out how the sales price was derived. Michael was not sure but for the first time he mentioned at my price might have included all available incentives - which meant incentives available to the general public and not those available to the specific buyer. Still, he pleaded ignorance. Andy was off and I became convinced that a mistake had been made. I came back the next day and met with Andy personally and he confirmed what Michael had hinted at - that money had been added to the VIP sales price (in addition to freight and the rebate) for an additional $500 military rebate and another $1000 rebate for retail customers who are part of some sort of Advanced Payment Lease Program, neither applicable to me. I told Andy that this had never been explained to me and that I would never have done the deal had I understood it. His response was that this is the way "Beltway dealers" package rebate and incentives and that he thought that I was more experienced in car buying and was aware of it. He also reassured me that measured by savings from dealer invoice, I had gotten a good deal. He acknowledged, though, that his staff could have done a better job of communication and offered me a car wash, oil change, or an accessory. I declined. Actually, Andy, and not his staff, was the one who got me to the dealership. drove the deal, set the trade-in price, set the new car price, and is responsible for the convoluted advertising applicable to Ted Britt internet specials. I was totally disappointed in the lack of transparency in the internet pricing and tactics used at Ted Britt Ford Fairfax. Dealerships are ambassadors for their brand. I don't think Ford Motors would be proud. This is not the way to win back customers. More

Doing business with Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax, VA Our experience with Steve Solomon in looking at different SUV options and driving demonstrations was superb. Once he helped us reach a decision on th Our experience with Steve Solomon in looking at different SUV options and driving demonstrations was superb. Once he helped us reach a decision on the model and options we wanted, Daniel Khan was very accommodating and straight forward in negotiating a reasonable price for both parties. Likewise, Kwin did an excellent job demonstrating the vehicle's accessories and Matt thoroughly explained all the varied aspects of additional options and leasing arrangements. We are very pleased with their superb service and will definitely revisit this dealer for our next vehicle. More

Excellent Frist Time Buying Experience As a first time car new car buyer I did a fair bit of research online and received plenty of advise from friends. I came into the dealership well prep As a first time car new car buyer I did a fair bit of research online and received plenty of advise from friends. I came into the dealership well prepared to negotiate and work with a hard sell. I'm still glad I did the research but the experience was far less adversarial than I had been expecting. Eric Suter was a pleasure to work with. Though they were understandably busy at the end of the month, I didn't feel rushed or ignored; Eric was very accommodating in answering my numerous requests and made sure I was able to test drive the cars I was interested in. When it came to talking about the price, my impression was that he was straight up and forthcoming. All of my concerns were addressed without feeling like I was pressured. I felt like Eric worked with me to get the car I wanted at a fair price. Kwin was equally pleasant and very friendly when explaining all of my new car's features and once again, I felt no pressure to purchase any of the extras that were offered. She was also very helpful in explaining all of my new car's features; she was eloquent in explaining even the car's more advanced features. When it came to financing, Linda was an unexpected joy. This was the part where I fully expected to be worked hard this was quite the opposite of my experience. She worked with me to make sure I left the dealership confident that I drive away with a car within my budget. All options were explained to me very well and once again, I felt no pressure to purchase any of the service packages offered. There was one that I did want and even at that, she worked to get me a better price. Overall, my experience at Ted Britt Ford of Fairfax was a far less stressful experience than I had prepared for. The staff was friendly and very professional. As a first time new car buyer I greatly appreciated this low-pressure experience. To anyone looking to buy a new Ford, it would still be prudent to do research and go to the dealership with a clear idea of what you're looking for and with comparative pricing. Do your part and I feel that the people over at Ted Britt will do you right, both in the buying experience and in pricing. I would highly recommend this dealer. More

The entire experience was surprisingly fantastic from start to finish. I had originally gone to Koons, but grew frustrated with non-transparent pricing. Bernie was clear, concise, and incredibly infor start to finish. I had originally gone to Koons, but grew frustrated with non-transparent pricing. Bernie was clear, concise, and incredibly informative. He listened to all the questions I asked and if he didn't know any answer he found out! Both Bernie and Lauren were very helpful in explaining the functionality of the vehicle, covering many features I wasn't even aware of. Linda was very helpful with all the paperwork, walking me through each step, made sure I understand everything, and made the paperwork quick and easy. I felt significantly more confident about my decision with the vehicle after leaving. I intend to recommend Ted Britt to anyone I know looking for a car. More

Oil Change and Full Detail Called Gary Funk for apt and loaner, done in 3 mins. Dropped F150 off, loaner was ready. Picked F150 up, done on time, oil changed, and absolutely s Called Gary Funk for apt and loaner, done in 3 mins. Dropped F150 off, loaner was ready. Picked F150 up, done on time, oil changed, and absolutely spotless and gleaming! Kudos also to Bonnie and Laurel at the cashier's desk--both very courteous. Well done Gary and team! More

It was a wonderful experience with a very friendly and professional staff. We couldn't be happier with our purchase. We will certainly recommend the dealership as well as these individuals to our friend professional staff. We couldn't be happier with our purchase. We will certainly recommend the dealership as well as these individuals to our friends and family. More

I had previously purchased a new car at Ted Britt Ford in Fairfax and had an outstanding experience. This purchase involved different employees and was even better. Eric Suter was an excellent sales person, Fairfax and had an outstanding experience. This purchase involved different employees and was even better. Eric Suter was an excellent sales person, answering all of my questions clearly and completely. I felt that he represented my position well with his management. He was completely knowledgeable about the particular car I was looking at. He was professional, likeable and honest. Linda Lafontaine was an amazing finance professional to work with. She made the transaction easy and easy to understand. She found the best financing deal for me. Loved her!! All in all, I left Ted Britt Ford happy and satisfied that I got a great deal on a great car and was able to work with nice, honest professionals. More

Great experience. We were glad we went there first. Car was my first choice but the dealer made it much easier than expected. Very happy! was my first choice but the dealer made it much easier than expected. Very happy! More

Karan was very easy to work with. He put no pressure on us to buy and answered all of our many questions. I would recommend him to friends. Linda in finance was also very pleasant and easy to work with. us to buy and answered all of our many questions. I would recommend him to friends. Linda in finance was also very pleasant and easy to work with. Steve More