'A very isolated incident': B.C. dealership responds to complaints about electric vehicle purchases

Car dealer Go Auto confirmed there were “some challenges” with the sale of electric vehicles after it took over ownership of Dams Ford Lincoln on the Langley Bypass, but said it is actively resolving those issues.

The admission comes after buyers told CTV News the vehicles they ordered from the dealership months ago were either not built or sold to someone else.

“It’s a very isolated incident,” said Jared Biggs, Go Auto Senior Vice President. “It would represent less than point one per cent of the transactions that our family-run business would complete in a year.”

One such customer is Ryan Lopez, who ordered an electric Ford Mustang Mach-E in July of 2022.

Despite having the car’s vehicle identification number, or VIN, and watching its assembly progress online, “they couldn’t find any history of my car being ordered,” said Lopez of the new management at Dams Ford Lincoln.

That same Mustang was sold to somebody else.

The most recent customer to come forward is business owner Dave Mellis, who said he has purchased at least a dozen vehicles from the Surrey dealer over the years.

In September 2021 before the dealerships changed hands, Mellis signed a contract and put down a deposit for a Ford E-Transit Cargo Van. He was told it would take several months to a year to be built and delivered.

In the meantime, Dams Ford Lincoln was sold to Go Auto in August 2022. When Mellis asked the new management for an update on the electric van, he received an email message indicating it hadn’t been built.

“I have noticed that your 2022 E-transit order has not been built. Are you interested in ordering a 2023 E-transit. The MSRP has gone up on the vehicle,” the email read.

He went to the dealership to get his deposit back. The attendant questions why he wanted a refund because “it was in the system and ready to be delivered,” Mellis said.

When Go Auto bought Dams Ford Lincoln, it assumed all existing contracts, and Biggs said during the transition, clarity may have been missing on some of the files.

“I would invite anyone across any of our locations – and specifically Dams Ford with that transition of ownership – if they feel like there’s an issue that’s unresolved, or they have any concerns, I would personally love the opportunity to sit down with them, rectify any issues,” he said.

He insisted customer care is the company’s core value.

Biggs also told CTV News his team will be reaching out to Dave Mellis to see if they can resolve the issue surrounding the van, and said a new Mustang has already been found for Ryan Lopez and that “he’s definitely a happy customer.”