VIN Trim Level Keeps Changing - Anyone Else Notice This?

[klarson]

Just wanted to see if anyone else out there is noticing something funny. I started monitoring the advertising of my local dealer and started to see that they could never get the trim level right in their ads. They would say in the headline it was a PRO, but the text would be a Lariat and sometimes the picture something else. I noticed the same problem with some of the other dealers while others didn't seem to advertise at all. Then I noticed CARFAX doing it. Check out the screenshots below:

This isn't a one-off problem. I'm seeing it again and again. I asked CARFAX about it and they said:

Kind of makes you wonder how useful paying for a report from them would be!

Anyway, we have a relatively good "Truth in Advertising" law here in Utah and I'm going after one of the particularly bad dealers about publishing false ads. I would like to know, however, where this information is getting changed/corrupted? Is this a FORD problem or something else. Anyone else noticed this?

 

[klarson]

So here's a fresh one from today. Check back with CARFAX in a couple of days and see if it doesn't change to a Platinum:

 

[MR Fiso]

Amusing. The local dealer (who I did not buy from for 'reasons') has the same kind of issue. Shows in the 'new vehicles' list as PRO at 91,000. (Seriously?). Delve deeper, and it shows as a Platinum. Oye.

Side note: One dealer that had pictures of the truck had different truck model (trim) pictures (of the same color) just to fill out content. Some were PRO and some were PLATINUM versions. Easy to tell the difference if you have been doing your research.

There comes a point where you just see if it is on the lot, and go look at it. The charge door tells the truth. Compare dealers. You can get an idea of which actual model it might be purely based on price.