When I got the letter from my dealer this afternoon (signed from the VP
of Dodge),
I tried in vain to reach him or any of the PR people for comment on what
would be
done about after market hitch reimbursement and buy backs for those who
need a
real truck for towing.
All I could get was answering machines and I suspected that after all
the calls and
emails from list members, they were probably screening calls to find out
if it's more
of us demanding answers. But I left a message (with a different name)
on each
recorder so hopefully somebody would call me back--not realizing I left
all of
those different messages myself.
When I did get a live person it was an operator and then she would
transfer me
and the next person would tell me I needed a different phone number all
together.
I kept trying all the automated menu options with no success, then I had
an idea.
I called back and selected the number to indicate I was a DEALERSHIP
(not
a customer) hoping this would get me to someone with some information.
Then
the electronic voice asked me for my dealer code. Well, I had to start
pushing
numbers at random, and on the fourth try, I stumbled onto a real
dealership code!
Then someone in the "KNOW" picked up the phone and asked me for more
dealer
information. I said, "I must have hit a wrong button on the menu" (I
did not say intentionally, he he.. :o). I asked to speak to the vice
president or PR contacts.
Then they asked the dreaded question, "Who is calling?" Well, I
couldn't fake
this very well, so I just ignored her question and said I was calling
about the letter
that all dealers had received regarding the reduced towing capacity of
the R/T.
Then she asked again who I was. At this point I figured I better answer
her
question if I didn't want to hear a dial tone...So I stated my name and
imediately
launched into a brief but informative update on the entire situation.
She was taken
back by how much I knew. She looked me up on the computer and mentioned
that I had already called several times in the last few days on this
issue, to which I
replied, "And unless I get some answers right now, I'm gonna keep
calling!"
Now she got the message I wasn't taking no for an answer, so I began
quizing her
about the fact that this letter completely ignored two very important
concerns:
1) Reimbursement for aftermarket hitches and 2) buy backs for those
people who
need to tow more than 2,000 pounds.
She said that this recall affects 8,000 R/T's and they are in the
process of sending
EVERY OWNER who is in their system from a Dodge Dealership purchase, a
three page letter which addresses my concerns (and much more, I have a
hunch).
KEEP READING, THIS IS WHERE THE GOOD NEWS BEGINS
She was very vague about this, but she did mention a possible fix for
the towing
problem.
She also mentioned possible reimbursement for aftermarket hitches.
Then she said, if the problem could not be corrected, Chrysler will give
each
owner the opportunity to sell the truck back to them (with minimal loss)
since
it cannot tow the advertised weight, and we wouldn't take a depreciation
hit
if we weren't switching vehicles within the first 12 months. She did
not say
if you'd have to buy another Dodge to take advantage of the buy back.
She said if what we would be happy with as a replacement does not exist
in the
leftover '99 models, we might be able to delay a buy back until the 2000
models
come out. In my situation, there is only one truck in a five state area
that is the
right color with the right options (and I already have it on hold so I
can act the
day I get my letter--if a fix for the problem is not pending).
Evidently when we get this letter, the ball is in our court. She said
they are
addressing this issue in the appropriate ways as fast as possible and
that
continuing to call will not accomplish anything more than waiting will.
Unless she was lying to me, I have a renewed faith that Chrysler will
look out
for us--the customers. I hope I am not disappointed by the actual
outcome.
I'd appreciate it if the first person to get a letter would share it
with the rest of us
ASAP so we can all figure out which option works best for each of
us--since
there's bound to be a delay in when these letters arrive all around the
country.
Randy Fox
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:14:03 EDT