If you don't know what this is about, then don't worry about it. If you do, keep reading.
It will matter more to you if you live in the UK anyway. I am posting this because I am getting inundated with email and I don't have time to respond to all of it - so I'm thinking people may get what they need here...
If you do know what this is about, here are the answers to the questions I have been receiving today. I hope this will suffice...
1. Yes, I am the guy.
2. Yes, the company later contacted me. They were rude and inconsiderate as usual, and offered absolutely nothing. Not even an apology. I thought might get some kind of discount coupon on an oil change or something. Nope. Nothing. They told me that they "forwarded it to the engineering department." I was surprised to learn that such a department actually existed.
3. Yes, I did send it to all the people listed as copied at the end. They received it via US Mail. None of them responded. However, I imagine I was investigated and my phone was tapped, and there may have been some restraining orders against me I was never made aware of. This happened before the 2000 US election, so I was covering my bases.
4. I eventually "sold" the car; but I had to barter it actually. Seriously, I traded it to some kid for a bunch of cell phones and other items that I could sell on eBay. That is absolutely true. (The cell phones were legit, I checked into it, just in case you bought one from me.)
I considered donating the car to a local radio station for one of those fundraisers where people give $50 per swing for a chance to take a baseball bat to the car. Apparently, there is much fun in that and much money to be raised. But the radio station decided they needed a more well built car that could sustain more hits so they could raise more money for their charity. They figured my car would only earn them about $175 before it collapsed or disintegrated, so they went with another make, a Yugo probably.
5. The car never did explode while it was in my possession, unfortunately. However, the kid I sold it to never changed the registration and the car was impounded and resided in some police lot for months. I spent a considerable amount of time with the impound lot and the Department of Motor Vehicles trying to convince them that it was no longer my car and I am not paying for its impound. Can you believe it? Just when I think I'm out, they keep pulling me back in! Eventually, they left me alone. For that kid's sake, I hope he never got it out of impound either, and is now, as one person suggested, being used as a doorstop or paperweight somewhere.
6. I currently own one Honda Accord and one Toyota Corolla, both made in the USA by American workers in an American factory in the great states of Ohio and Tennessee. They have had zero mechanical defects and all of the paint is still shiny and still on the car. I have written the current US government informing them of my opinion on which US auto maker should NOT be saved by a federal bailout.
7. I estimate that by the time I paid for repairs and paid off the debt accumulated in part because of my crucible with this $13,000 vehicle, it cost me over $50,000.
8. Yes.
9. There was a class action suit, but it fell apart because there were so many problems with the car, they couldn't establish a consistent pattern of failures which, for whatever reason, was necessary for a successful suit. My story was not unique.
10. No, never again.
Again, if you don't know what this post is referring to, just let it go, I'm not going to explain it. I'll post something else relevant soon.
SCF
Scott Clifton Furrow - Chrysler Neon Complaint Letter UK telegraph FARK
6 comments:
I cannot believe you are in the top5! congratulations. Your Mom would be proud, or at least your Dad.
Scott, this is fantastic! I'm so glad that after all these years, your consumer complaint letter is FINALLY getting some of the recognition it deserves, and I am deeply honored to have had the privilege of sharing your letter publicly on the internet.
Thanks for making me laugh again with your blog post, too. Well done!
Thank you for this post. I Googled your name soon after reading the Telegraph article and voila, your post about being "the Guy" was the first one up.
Glad to hear you were able to rid yourself of that car.
Woot! Congrats on the digg. It's such a good letter. You might consider humour writing as a side career. It obviously would play well in the UK. :-)
Scott - I live in Australia and just read your letter to Chrysler. It takes a lot to make me laugh but I had tears running down my cheeks. (how cruel of me!)
well done.
Helen Foster
No, your story is not surprising - unfortunately. And Chrysler doesn't get it. With that said, flashback to 2000, a Neon had to be around $10,000 and we all know you get what you pay for.
I hope that Ford, GM and even Chrysler can make reliable affordable cars IN AMERICA and that you and people like you (bad taste in their mouth) will even purchase these cars.
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