Credit Experience at 2 Ford Dealerships

[cottage]

Last month I financed a 2012 Ford Focus. Ultimately,  I received 2.5% from a regional bank through the 2nd dealership.  Both dealerships also told me that I was approved by Ford for an interest rate of 4.5%.  Of course, I opted to financed throught the regional bank at the 2.5% rate.  But here's what has me puzzled:  After both Ford dealerships supposedly ran my credit  and told me that Ford had approved me at 4.5%,  However, I receieved the standard letter from Ford several weeks later explaining why I was denied!  How is it possible for the dealerships to tell me I was approved and then to get that letter?

Also, the salesman at the first dealership, who has been selling Fords for over 30 years, told me that he has never heard of auto enhanced scoring. Does that sound probable?  

Just really curious about these two things and would be interested to know what others thought.

[Watchmann]

Very probable salesman doesn't know about FICO Auto Enhanced score for the simple reason that sales and financing are kept separate, that's why you are handed off to the Finance person once you strike the deal with the salesperson.  The salesperson isn't really concerned on how you finance the car and the finance person doesn't care what your deal price was, all they are concerned with is doing their job......selling and financing.

[cottage]

It still seems odd to me that after 30 years in sales, he would never had heard of auto enhanced scores.  I'm even more curious about why both dealerships told me I had been approved at 4.5 for Ford Credit and then I received a letter from Ford saying that they regret they could not finance me.  In the end, it doesn't matter because I got 2.5% from the bank.  But it sure seems odd to me!

[Booner72]

I got a rejection letter from another credit union even though they told me YES.  This was after I got my 4.5% and I was too lazy to re-do it to 3.9.  I know that's stupid but it just seemed like too much of a hassle.  so I don't think it's that odd to get a rejection letter.  Mine had my EX scores.  That was the best thing about the letter!  Interestinly the score they used was 685 or something close to that, when the auto-enhanced EX was 714!  What a difference!!

[emoticon]

That can happen because the letter from Ford was automatically sent after a computer-generated rejection of your application.  The dealership works with the Ford finance people to override the denial.  You just never saw that behind-the-scenes step.  That happened to me with Honda a couple of years ago.