FYI for those wondering how a factory order is supposed to go...
After waiting for many months, I ordered a 2020 1500 DT Laramie Crew cab from Ourisman CDJ RAM in Clarksville MD. The ordering manager, Jacob, was fantastic - don't think I could have improved on his work.
Here's how it went:
ORDER:
I ordered this January, and the order was negotiated / arranged on the phone, and sealed with my only visit before delivery. Order was documented on three pages:
- a Configuration Preview, which was printed from their ordering system, and contained all the details of the ordered vehicle. When RAM's system accepted the order two days later, they emailed me a copy of the Priced Order Confirmation (POC), which looked just like the Configuration Preview, with a few more bits of info (like estimated ship date, VON, and later VIN, etc).
- an Order/Deposit Confirmation, which was a dealer-developed sheet that had me sign in a couple of spots, confirming I understood what the $1000 deposit was for, that I was due at least 3k in factory incentives, that delivery could take from X to Y weeks or more, that if i canceled the order, they would keep my deposit until the ordered car was delivered and sold, etc.
- a draft deal sheet, which listed the MSRP, the negotiated price, the estimated taxes and tags, estimated incentives, deposit, and amount due. And I got a receipt for the credit card deposit.
WAITING:
1/11/20: Order ($1000 deposit, SOLD ORDER PROTECTED, Scheduling Priority 1, $3k minimum guaranteed incentives)
1/13/20: VON
1/14/20: D - VIN
1/24/20: D1 - scheduled with 2/6 estimated ship date, Build Priority 1
2/05/20: D1 - unchanged
2/06/20: FRAME, PAINT (build sheet and window sticker not yet available)
2/07/20: TRIM...BODY VENDOR (build sheet available, no window sticker)
2/08/20: BODY VENDOR...SHIPPED/INVOICED (guessing KZ, no window sticker, estimated delivery to dealer 2/18/20)
2/09/20: SHIPPED/INVOICED (window sticker available)
2/10/20: TRUCK SHIP (somewhere in Toledo; ETA 2/14)
2/11/20: DELIVERED TO DEALER (in prep; available for pickup at end of the day)
2/12/20: Test drive b4 Boy Scouts; not enough time to take delivery; couple minor items
2/14/20: picked up, 3 hours at the dealer; 5.5k incentives, Happy Valentine's Day TO ME !
DELIVERY:
- Test drive started with a stop at the gas station, and many gallons later, filled. Some highway, a little back roads, feature review. Nice.
- Pay attention to vibe at 60mph - mine did a very slight bit, and i can live with it at the current level. If yours does it in a significant way, get them to work it.
- Actually, anything that needs doing that's serious, get done before finishing the paperwork. Paint, missing features, things that you'd not live with, things they could claim you did on the ride home, should be done before delivery, not thru a We Owe promise. I got lucky.
- Had to come back couple days later to finish the paperwork and actually pick it up. Took a couple hours, as there was some confusion between what RAMchat told me, and what the dealer's system was letting them do. Turned out RAMchat got their facts wrong.
- Worked down an abbreviated version of the Delivery Checklist posted elsewhere on this site (thx!). Had two minor items documented on the We Owe sheet.
- F&I was the usual, with all the optional maintenance, warranties, insurance, etc offered. Dana was pleasant and honest and we got thru it. He actually fixed a twenty-some dollar mistake in the estimated deal sheet, in my favor. Do what makes sense for you, including outside financing (or subsequent refinancing in my case, so I got the incentives and a better rate). Asked them match the warranty offer I got from Zeigler, and he showed me that they couldn't. But otherwise, straightforward.
- John, who was helping Jacob, did the required walkthru, pairing, etc, and we talked Jeep, Farm Truck, 24Hr of LeMons (spelled correctly - check it out), etc.
- Drove home.
EPILOGUE:
- would highly recommend Jacob, John and Ourisman CDJR in Clarksville MD. And for me to recommend ANY dealer, (with high standards, i can be a particular PITA), is saying something.
- truck got nicknamed the Red Dragon, now Lil' Red, 'cause it AINT LITTLE. Coming out of a Frontier, which I loved, it's a world apart, in size (OMG) and creature comforts (OMGx2).
- decided it's definitely an American truck; which means its brawny, looks good, neat in some ways, crude in others, and will never be perfect, but will get the job done.
- hoping all the i-talian gremlins that you can find called out on this site, from some other's less-than-wonderful experience, somehow skip over my truck. So far, lovin' it.
After waiting for many months, I ordered a 2020 1500 DT Laramie Crew cab from Ourisman CDJ RAM in Clarksville MD. The ordering manager, Jacob, was fantastic - don't think I could have improved on his work.
Here's how it went:
ORDER:
I ordered this January, and the order was negotiated / arranged on the phone, and sealed with my only visit before delivery. Order was documented on three pages:
- a Configuration Preview, which was printed from their ordering system, and contained all the details of the ordered vehicle. When RAM's system accepted the order two days later, they emailed me a copy of the Priced Order Confirmation (POC), which looked just like the Configuration Preview, with a few more bits of info (like estimated ship date, VON, and later VIN, etc).
- an Order/Deposit Confirmation, which was a dealer-developed sheet that had me sign in a couple of spots, confirming I understood what the $1000 deposit was for, that I was due at least 3k in factory incentives, that delivery could take from X to Y weeks or more, that if i canceled the order, they would keep my deposit until the ordered car was delivered and sold, etc.
- a draft deal sheet, which listed the MSRP, the negotiated price, the estimated taxes and tags, estimated incentives, deposit, and amount due. And I got a receipt for the credit card deposit.
WAITING:
1/11/20: Order ($1000 deposit, SOLD ORDER PROTECTED, Scheduling Priority 1, $3k minimum guaranteed incentives)
1/13/20: VON
1/14/20: D - VIN
1/24/20: D1 - scheduled with 2/6 estimated ship date, Build Priority 1
2/05/20: D1 - unchanged
2/06/20: FRAME, PAINT (build sheet and window sticker not yet available)
2/07/20: TRIM...BODY VENDOR (build sheet available, no window sticker)
2/08/20: BODY VENDOR...SHIPPED/INVOICED (guessing KZ, no window sticker, estimated delivery to dealer 2/18/20)
2/09/20: SHIPPED/INVOICED (window sticker available)
2/10/20: TRUCK SHIP (somewhere in Toledo; ETA 2/14)
2/11/20: DELIVERED TO DEALER (in prep; available for pickup at end of the day)
2/12/20: Test drive b4 Boy Scouts; not enough time to take delivery; couple minor items
2/14/20: picked up, 3 hours at the dealer; 5.5k incentives, Happy Valentine's Day TO ME !
DELIVERY:
- Test drive started with a stop at the gas station, and many gallons later, filled. Some highway, a little back roads, feature review. Nice.
- Pay attention to vibe at 60mph - mine did a very slight bit, and i can live with it at the current level. If yours does it in a significant way, get them to work it.
- Actually, anything that needs doing that's serious, get done before finishing the paperwork. Paint, missing features, things that you'd not live with, things they could claim you did on the ride home, should be done before delivery, not thru a We Owe promise. I got lucky.
- Had to come back couple days later to finish the paperwork and actually pick it up. Took a couple hours, as there was some confusion between what RAMchat told me, and what the dealer's system was letting them do. Turned out RAMchat got their facts wrong.
- Worked down an abbreviated version of the Delivery Checklist posted elsewhere on this site (thx!). Had two minor items documented on the We Owe sheet.
- F&I was the usual, with all the optional maintenance, warranties, insurance, etc offered. Dana was pleasant and honest and we got thru it. He actually fixed a twenty-some dollar mistake in the estimated deal sheet, in my favor. Do what makes sense for you, including outside financing (or subsequent refinancing in my case, so I got the incentives and a better rate). Asked them match the warranty offer I got from Zeigler, and he showed me that they couldn't. But otherwise, straightforward.
- John, who was helping Jacob, did the required walkthru, pairing, etc, and we talked Jeep, Farm Truck, 24Hr of LeMons (spelled correctly - check it out), etc.
- Drove home.
EPILOGUE:
- would highly recommend Jacob, John and Ourisman CDJR in Clarksville MD. And for me to recommend ANY dealer, (with high standards, i can be a particular PITA), is saying something.
- truck got nicknamed the Red Dragon, now Lil' Red, 'cause it AINT LITTLE. Coming out of a Frontier, which I loved, it's a world apart, in size (OMG) and creature comforts (OMGx2).
- decided it's definitely an American truck; which means its brawny, looks good, neat in some ways, crude in others, and will never be perfect, but will get the job done.
- hoping all the i-talian gremlins that you can find called out on this site, from some other's less-than-wonderful experience, somehow skip over my truck. So far, lovin' it.
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