Ford CEO admits 'the customer has spoken' amid company's worst performance slip since 2008 financial crisis: 'It's a big miss'

[AzScorpion]

No problem. I give up. Just the way I think right wrong or indifferent as they say.

I'm not trying to argue or prove who's right or wrong. I just think that many cry "poor me" way to much and most is self induced. I will say that the ones I truly feel sorry for are those who have been hit hard (or bankrupted) from medical bills. This is one area that really makes my ! No one in this country should have to be on hard times because of any medical condition and this goes back to all our previous discussions on Big Pharma and all their greed which we both agree on.

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[TJC]

But who says that most that helped them are struggling? These billionaires produce A LOT of jobs and many are high end executive jobs. Just because there's people who are working in factories and lower end jobs from them are not the owners fault, it's their own. Let's face it, many people make many bad choices throughout life, that's a fact! These same people are usually the ones crying that everyone else has it better than them and poor me. For some that "might" be true but for many it's self induced. How many of these poor me people have large houses they don't need, large trucks or SUVs when they could be driving a smaller Honda Civic? How about the 5-6 streaming subscriptions, tattoos, piercings and new smartphones every year or two and DoorDash and other home delivery services? There's a reason there's an app called Rocket Money out there for morons who don't know how many services they still have active and never cancelled them. Let's not forget the spinoffs from all these jobs too like all the stores around who the employees stop and get food, gas and whatever else from. Trips are taken and vehicles & houses are bought because of these billionaires provided jobs for people. What THEY do with their money is not the rich persons problem. It's called self responsibility and if they want more pay then they need a better education or maybe a different career.

I had someone tell me once they'll never be able to retire and will be working until they drop. He had no saving or IRA/401K but he was loaded with tattoos from head to toe. I said you're wearing your retirement and just got a blank stare.

I think this subject gets me going because most now want to start at the top and not climb the ladder like it should be. I built my business with just a high school education and while it was nothing compared to most bigger ones it provided me and all my employees (who wanted the same) a good career and good pay. But I worked 6-7 days a week for many years and did what it took to make it. I still had fun and had my toys but I sacrificed a lot especially in the way of relationships back then. I was able to semi retire at 51 and fully retire at 59. Basically everyone has the same opportunity in life (yes some have a silver spoon given to them) but it's what you make of it that gets you there. Sorry rant over.

If you took all the money on the planet and gave everyone an equal share, the previously rich would be rich again within a generation. Here's a personal example. I assisted a relative in paying her house off on the condition that she save the house payment, not spend it. She saved a tidy bundle, not quite 6 figures but close. Next thing I know she has taken two trips, bought a new truck, and is heading to Scotland soon. I'm sure she's gone though her savings, and I am sure she has no plan at 60 years old for retirement.

She doesn't know how to save for a rainy day. It is spend spend spend. I'm done when she comes asking for a handout. I've seen this play out over and over again....

 

[Friday yet?]

I haven't had the time to really fact check this(to these articles) but it looks to be true. The Red Cross sells your blood to hospitals and other places which turn around and charge you thousands for a blood transfusion. I've read way to many things about them along with Goodwill to ever give either anything ever again.

https://www.politifact.com/factchec...hecking-claim-about-red-cross-and-blood-sold/

https://www.greenmatters.com/community/does-red-cross-sell-blood

Not going to argue about them selling blood. Wish there was a better way. But, it doesn't change the fact that the patients in those hospitals need blood. Steady supply of blood. So, I'm with @got3fords here. I'm in the chair every 56 days. Might be a day or two late on occasion due to schedules on my end, but I always make it a priority. And being O Neg if I am late the phone calls and emails start immediately. Always a need.

 

[AzScorpion]

If you took all the money on the planet gave everyone an equal share, the previously rich would be rich again within a generation. Here's a personal example. I assisted a relative in paying her house off on the condition that she save the house payment, not spend it. She saved a tidy bundle, not quite 6 figures but close. Next thing I know she has taken two trips, bought a new truck, and is heading to Scotland soon. I'm sure she gone though her savings, and I am sure she has no plan at 60 years old for retirement.

She doesn't know how to save for a rainy day. It is spend spend spend. I'm done when she comes asking for a handout. I've seen this play out over and over again....

That's just like that show Home Extreme Makeover. Just about all those who got their house rebuilt had lost it later on because of poor choices again. I mean they couldn't afford to keep up their original home yet they build them this new one 2-3 times as large and now the taxes and utilities have tripled too. Some also had extra money out into an account for this yet they (of course) spent it.

I did the one in Suffield CT back in 2009 and saw first hand what goes on there. I always knew there was something not right about it because you can not build even a slightly decent house in a week and I was right. Most of it was build off site and brought in like a modular house then they had hundreds of sub contractors all over the place. It was a zoo and the most unsafe job site I've ever been on and I have no idea how OSHA let this happen but I'm sure it was. The drywall was slapped up, taped and mudded in a few hours with huge drying fans placed all over the house. Can you say cracked seams! Most wasn't even dry and the whole house was painted over wet mud and the trim carpenters were set up everywhere putting up trim while the walls were wet. I'm not exaggerating when I say there was hundreds of extension cords, spray hoses and equipment everywhere I can't believe someone wasn't seriously hurt especially going up & down the open staircases.

Fast forward a couple months later one of the electricians I know told me they had to go back to fix some things and the house was already trashed inside. I wont go into details but lets just say there's a reason their first house was a dump and now they trashed this new one in a matter of months! I'll stand by my original statement that most (not all) people chose their destiny and complain about having it so bad while everyone else having it so much better.

 

[mtsoxfan]

I haven't had the time to really fact check this(to these articles) but it looks to be true. The Red Cross sells your blood to hospitals and other places which turn around and charge you thousands for a blood transfusion. I've read way to many things about them along with Goodwill to ever give either anything ever again.

https://www.politifact.com/factchec...hecking-claim-about-red-cross-and-blood-sold/

https://www.greenmatters.com/community/does-red-cross-sell-blood

I've found that to be true, but if people don't donate, then what? Not sure if hospitals draw blood for their own use. Way back when, you could donate blood for yourself, kinda like a true blood bank.

 

[mtsoxfan]

I stopped donating to corporations etc. I fill the boot when firefighters need it, food banks etc. All volunteer, no salaries to be paid.

 

[AzScorpion]

I've found that to be true, but if people don't donate, then what? Not sure if hospitals draw blood for their own use. Way back when, you could donate blood for yourself, kinda like a true blood bank.

I think you still can (have your own drawn) if you know you're going to have surgery. One scary thing is that they don't separate blood from people who've been vaccinated and that's more of a worry (for me) than them selling my blood. I don't want to turn this into a vax argument, but I know I don't want that crap in me.

 

[mtsoxfan]

never though about that. And then, things get complicated.

 

[Texasota]

These billionaires produce A LOT of jobs and many are high end executive jobs.

Let's not forget the spinoffs from all these jobs too like all the stores around who the employees stop and get food, gas and whatever else from. Trips are taken and vehicles & houses are bought because of these billionaires provided jobs for people.

This.

It is not the average Joe on the street that creates amazing companies. Amazing companies are built by the billionaires and millionaires and more often by entrepreneurs who become millionaires and billionaires after exerting great effort and taking great risk to build a successful company from the ground up .

Entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and Jensen Huang to name just a few, have created hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs for engineers, managers, finance people and on and on. You can hate them and be jealous of them, but our country would be in deep trouble without them.

 

[got3fords]

I haven't had the time to really fact check this(to these articles) but it looks to be true. The Red Cross sells your blood to hospitals and other places which turn around and charge you thousands for a blood transfusion. I've read way to many things about them along with Goodwill to ever give either anything ever again.

https://www.politifact.com/factchec...hecking-claim-about-red-cross-and-blood-sold/

https://www.greenmatters.com/community/does-red-cross-sell-blood

The Red Cross needs to cover the cost of blood collection. It ain't cheap, selling the blood to hospitals is a way to recover that cost and in general raise money for charitable purposes.
“The American Red Cross essentially collects blood from donors and then as part of the way it raises revenue to recover costs, then sells that blood to about 2,500 hospitals and medical facilities across the country,” said Laurie Styron, CEO and executive director of CharityWatch.
How much the hospital charges the patient is on them, not the Red Cross.
Blood donation is a crucial part of society and I am glad to do my part.

 

[got3fords]

Entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Dell, and Jensen Huang to name just a few, have created hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs for engineers, managers, finance people and on and on. You can hate them and be jealous of them, but our country would be in deep trouble without them.

I know people who have the drive to become something. These are the people who are on the phone as soon as they get up in the morning, work long hours, seldom take an entire weekend off, and when they are on vacation, are constantly on their computer or phone. I have hung out with people like this, they are good people but it's not fun for me when I just want to hang out and have a good time.
I am not driven like these people, but I am glad they are out there, driving this economy. They deserve the big bucks they go beyond the norm to earn.

 

[TJC]

I've found that to be true, but if people don't donate, then what? Not sure if hospitals draw blood for their own use. Way back when, you could donate blood for yourself, kinda like a true blood bank.

They still do locally, but you just schedule appropriately, but there have been cases of misxed up blood going to the wrong person. I give them strick instructions and have the anesthesiologist document and sign off on it, since it is his area of responsibility. Did just that when I had 2 discs replaced with artificial ones in my neck last year.

BTW, I only wanted a single drug for putting me under, and nothing else entering my body... the list of possibilities was long, a full page in small print. We sat down and we went down the list signing off. Many of them he had not heard of. I made it very easy for him. Which one do you recommend that has the least effect on me? Use it and eliminate all the rest of the "what If" stuff.

 

[TJC]

And you expected politicians to know the truth?

I'm not expecting them to TELL THE TRUTH even if they know the truth.

I just today read an account by a congressman who asked a question of the leadership of a committee. The leader had delegated the position to a staffer, who didn't know the answer and BSed their way around anwsering. He started to dig as he never saw the leader of the committee, even after repeated attempts. He found the leader in an assisted care facility not cognizant of his surroundings! (the American spelling (rolling my eyes))

How does this happen? Who is running this country?

 

[Rp930]

If they really cared there would be a rear leaf spring recall for affected vehicles and an extended transmission warranty.

They only care in print.

 

[ControlNode]

Yes, this might qualify for the longest thread title. lol

Sometimes I wonder how these people become CEO’s of some of the largest corporations. IMHO Farley has done nothing but drag down Ford farther and farther every year and is always promising to address the problems but never does. In this article he’s now saying he’s going to focus on building more affordable models and pivot from full EVs to gas electric hybrids and plug in hybrids. IOW, give the people what they want and not push full EVs down our throats.

I still believe one of their biggest mistakes was getting rid of their small to mid size cars. Yes they could’ve consolidated them a bit but getting rid of the Taurus and even the Fusion I believe was a huge mistake. They were a good mid size affordable vehicle and I know many who had them (especially the Taurus) and really liked them. My buddy gave his wifes Taurus to his son when they got their Bronco 4 years ago and it's still going strong pushing 200,000 miles. Now they’re axing the Escape which I think is just going to push more people towards Toyota and Hyundai. Also, Fords net losses in just the fourth quarter of 2025 alone were $11.1 BILLION making it it’s worse mark since the 2008 financial crisis. This is why they’re now leading practically everyone else in recalls.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-ceo-admits-customer-spoken-233000597.html

And the $30,000 vehicle (which @veedubtuner has a thread about) is now “starting below $40,000. I wish just one of the Big 3 would have the stones to make a stripped down vehicle with just the basics. No touch screen, no power windows & doors and just rubber floor mats. There's so many people who just want a basic, cheap, no frills car to go to and from work and school I'd bet they'd sell like crazy.

They will never again offer a basic trim cars stripped to that level, for one the screen is required as part of the current backup camera requirements having it touch enabled reduces cost by removing physical buttons. The profit margins are not enough on bare bone commuter cars. They work for shareholders, not buyers. They do nothing for the buyer beyond what they think will get you to buy something they offer. Ford continues to bet on brand loyalty keeping people just selecting a different model, bigger and more equipped than they want/need. Look at how they did the Focus in the US market. We got a delayed release of the Mk1, never got the real Mk2 (just a face lifted Mk1 we called Mk1.75), never got the RS in Mk1 or Mk2 trim, finally get the RS with the Mk3, and then we don't even get the Mk4. I'd been a fan of the Focus from the first release, but it was not enough to get my out of my 84 Civic 2000S + 98 Civic EX, well not until the 2016 RS. Though I still have those Hondas at the house. The Ranger was the truck I needed when I got it. I will say Ford does have the EV I'd be most interested in, the Mach-E Rally, but not at that price point.

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