Sheehy Ford Lincoln

Believing their website promise of “friendly service, precise attention to detail,” we selected Sheehy Ford Richmond for purchase of our new 2021 Ford Explorer. Our experience was horrible. We drove eight hours just to purchase from Sheehy. Sheehy delivered us a vehicle with a failed major system, an inaccurately represented odometer reading, and made us pay a premium (fee) for tax, titling, and registration services which provided no added value. What we did receive for seeking out Sheehy Ford Richmond was inconvenience, aggravation, and the worst vehicle/dealer experience we’ve ever had. Everything started to go downhill as soon as we arrived to pick up the vehicle. To start with, our final written quote, from the day we placed the deposit, listed the odometer as reading 10 miles; when we turned on the Explorer, it showed 30 (a 200% overage!). Two days after we picked up the vehicle, the weather warmed up and we could not get cool air from the air conditioning. It was Saturday and we were still in the area, so we immediately took it to the nearest Ford dealer (not Sheehy). Though we had purchased the SUV at a competing dealer, they courteously took a look and confirmed there was a problem with the air conditioning, but unfortunately, so late on a Saturday, they were booked up with appointments and couldn’t assist further. Everyone’s service departments were closed on Sunday, the day we had originally planned our eight-hour drive home. With the warming weather, that drive would have been extremely uncomfortable without air conditioning. Because Sheehy had sold us a faulty vehicle, we had to stay in Richmond until it was repaired. Monday morning we took our brand new Ford back to Sheehy, rising at 5:00 AM because the Sheehy salesman said we’d need to be first in the Service line at 7:30 (despite our early rise, we weren’t first because our Sheehy salesman didn’t know the correct opening time for the Service Department), so we could get the air conditioning repaired and depart for our already-severely-delayed eight-hour drive home. Upon arrival, we sat in a line of empty cars; no one came out to greet us–we finally walked into the service office and asked if someone could help. Once the vehicle intake was completed, the diagnosis (condenser leak) and repair (condenser replacement, recharging refrigerant) took eight-plus hours; having already been badly delayed by Sheehy, we left immediately for home, arriving very late. Delivery of a vehicle with a failed major system is totally the fault of Sheehy: Ford Motor Company notified us, “When the vehicle is delivered to the dealership, they are required to inspect it prior to selling it to the consumer.” With our vehicle, Sheehy clearly failed on their “precise attention to detail” promise as well as Ford requirements. The Sheehy torture became ubiquitous after our return home. Though we had pleaded with Sheehy to allow us to do titling and registration ourselves (having successfully completed such a process for an out-of-state purchase previously) they required us to have the dealer perform these functions (due to “policy”), exacting a $130.00 fee for the privilege. We still had to make a trip to our county offices (in person; it takes us nearly an hour) to pay property tax–having to immediately FedEx Sheehy the receipt, so they could file to title the vehicle; what did we gain for our $130 fee? We could have paid all county/state charges and titled the Explorer ourselves in one trip! We had even explained (to no avail) to Sheehy, in detail, the steps required, including how Sheehy could remain aligned with rebate requirements from Ford. To add further insult to injury, Sheehy’s online sales manager personally committed to provide a behind-third-row all-weather cargo mat as a gesture to recognize our inconvenience. That was many months ago; we never received it. Continuing the list of broken promises, we were told we’d get a survey regarding our new vehicle purchase experience; unsurprisingly, we never got one. When we opted for a brand new Ford vehicle, we expected a product that worked; that is not what we received. Instead, we got one on which the entire front end had to be taken apart to replace a critical component; the service department advised we were lucky a replacement condenser was available or things could have been much worse. Through their unequivocal notification to us, Ford Motor Company clearly places blame for the failure on Sheehy.