I appreciate your insight. And you are right that Chrysler has refused to pay for the restoration of the missing item and has left the dealer holding the bag.
The first step of getting the Stabilizer Bar restored is getting the first refusal.
For a dealer that has sold (as an example) thirty 2003 PT Cruisers total, and only 3 customers have asked about the stabilizer bar, and out of those 3, one is a return customer, then it poses a situation in which the dealer has to do some soul searching. Looking at the percentages, keeping the 2 time buyer as a possible 3 time buyer would seem to bear more fruit than speculating on the other 2.
For a dealer who has sold hundreds of 2003 PT Cruisers, and who has personal knowledge that 75% of the owners meet on a regular basis with a local club/owner's group, it is like kissing your teddy bears goodnight; when you kiss one; you have to kiss them all. It is a judgement call, and I'm guessing the verdict would be to refuse to install, and explain the situation to the customer.
This puts the ball back in Chrysler's court. Then the Zone Rep, Customer and Service Department can sort it out over a period of time until all aspects of resolving the problem hav been explored. In some cases this has taken 7 months to have the Stabilizer Bar restored on a 2003, in some cases it was ordered the day the customer pointed out is was missing, and listed on the window sticker. It all boils down to how much time and effort the customer wants to spend pursuing the problem.
I can only guess that there is very little the dealer can do in retaliation, or to get Chrysler to take a second look at the issue. That puts the problem into the hands of the customer.
I doubt that we will get a resolution from Chrysler in the first generation of ownership. It is not in their past history to resolve issues that quickly. I was deeply surprised when they announced the recall on the 2002 fuel pump gasket; before it was the result of any injuries. Myself, many past Chrysler owners and various trade publications viewed this pre-emptive action as a possible turn-around in corporate policy. I guess Chrysler basked in that warm glow and after they got all the mileage they could milk out of it, went back to a more familar approach.
I think that even if Chrysler were to decide to provide it to the customers who ask for it, the overall cost of customer satisfaction would be less than they projected. If the truth be known, I doubt that 33% of 2003 owners know it is missing, and out of that maybe half would even pursue it after the first refusal.
As another possible suggestion, the customer could be asked to bear the cost of installation (Not to exceed $75.00) and Chrysler could provide the parts to the dealer. For Chrysler to continue to do nothing about this and other Customer Satisfaction hotspots puts them right back into the same place they were when the LH platform was being introduced. When they referred to the LH as "Last Hope" they weren't really making a joke. Figures and recent press releases indicate that they are back to the edge of the same abyss.
I am hoping that none will get in touch with slim and reconsider.
If I am unsuccessful in my attempts, at least I can say I tried. That is all that I could ever ask of anyone else, and one of the few things that I try to require of myself.
|