Sep 8, 2008 4:17 pm US/Pacific
Call Kurtis: Ford Gas Card
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS13) ―
You've seen those car commercials that promise big incentives. One ad offered $1000 gas card if you buy a new Ford. We call on Kurtis Ming, with a Novato woman who got the car, but not the card.
"We went all the way to Dixon and they tried to get the incentive and the computer would not let them," says Darleen Hernandez, consumer.
Darleen and her son Lukas bought a Ford Focus anyway, because the dealership gave them $2500 in other cash incentives offered that Memorial Day weekend. She figured she didn't understand the offer. But then, she saw the ad again and noticed the big print.
"All incentives still apply. There it is," Darleen points out watching the commercial.
Darleen's paperwork shows this breakdown.
She got $1500 in cash and $1000 Competitive Owner bonus for switching from Chevy to Ford. In addition to those incentives she wants the $1000 gas card.
The dealership tells Consumerwatch that second bonus should not have been active, so that extra $1000 Darleen received was in fact the value of the gas card.
"That's their mistake and you guys ran the ad," says Darleen.
And she has it recorded on her TiVo. She sent it to the regional sales office, but there was no answer. Out sister station in San Francisco called and a spokesperson said," Ford offered one or the other – bonus customer cash of $1000 or a gas card – not both. We apologize for her misunderstanding."
Even though the commercial seems to make it clear cut, Ford would not budge and give her the gas card which could have paid for five months worth of gas.
But as a result of the story, Ford is looking into the language used in its commercials.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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