Tag Archives: Ford Online

How to cut out Swiss Toni car salesmen

Women drivers can now buy their Ford online and cut out Swiss Tonis who women rightly fear will overcharge and patronise them, especially if they go to the dealership on their own.

Following in the footsteps of the likes of Inchcape’s Autobytel car buying website, and others like it, Ford is now cutting out the middle man franchised dealerships and selling cars direct and online.

How do Ford franchised dealers feel about this I wonder?

Especially after comments from their MD confirms what we know already; that many motorists, especially female shoppers, prefer online convenience/anonymity and the joy of not having to haggle with a commission driven salesman who feels the need to demonstrate his male superior knowledge ;-)…

From FOXY’s point of view this is good news because a large number of our members drive older Fords, like a canny deal and, with our support if they need it, are prepared to buy a brand they trust without even test driving the car before placing an order.

The only problem is that Ford will sell them a Ford ;-), not help women find the best deal or car on the market, from other makes, to suit their needs and budget. So there will always be a demand for a foxycars buying service for females.

Ford Online’s MD, Steve Hood says “It shows that consumers are now ready to fully use the internet in the car industry.”

The site is backed by a team of Ford specialists working from a UK contact centre to help female customers find the best cars, come up with part exchange values and low prices… without a visit to a showroom.

FOXY advice? Always shop around first. This promises to be a good service and we like Fords but it’s too soon to see how their prices compare yet. Better still – why not join FOXY Lady Drivers Club who’ll pass on their insider nous and you can do the car buying homework and the deal together?

FOXY

To find a female friendly car dealership for MOT’s, car servicing and repairs, visit FOXY Choice. All garages listed have signed the FOXY Promise© to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell you services you don’t want or need’.

No wonder female car buyers feel misunderstood

Bearing in mind that more women drivers than men buy used cars in the UK, you would expect a leading trade conference about used cars to include more than just a few token female speakers in their ranks.

So how many women might you expect to see out of a panel of ten leading industry speakers would you say?

Including the likes of Ford Online, Peugeot, a view from the dealer forecourt, Parkers and Glass’s Guides?

Well the answer is none – not one woman, nor can I see anyone attempting to represent the consumer’s point of view either.

I shouldn’t be surprised but I am forever disappointed that men don’t see how un-female friendly their industry is from the point of view of customers and employees. Or how sales-oriented rather than marketing ie customer-oriented they are

When will the industry start to take female customers seriously and actively set out to represent our views??

FOXY