Subject:      Re: Tester
Date:         Tue, 21 Jul 1998 01:50:25 EDT

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - YEAH RIGHT!!

On November 29, 1996, I leased [Red Carpet Lease] my very first FORD
from El Monte Ford, specifically, a 1997 Explorer Sport with many
upgrades.  I was very happy with my NISSAN that I was driving but
decided that I would try a FORD . . .  What a nightmare this has become.

On July 10, 1998, Friday night, I decided to take a drive to the
Colorado River with my finance and my dog.  On the way there, my
Explorer broke down on the 10 Freeway, [7th / Donlan], four hours
away from home in the desert.  At this time, my Explorer had 19,385
miles on it.  It was 11:00 p.m. and I called Roadside Assistance.
The tow-truck took us to the Blythe Ford Center at 12 midnight and
drove off.  He stated that the FORD Service would be open tomorrow.
We walked to the nearest hotel, and begged that they let us stay
with a dog.  We had the Explorer packed with perishable food, which
eventually went bad and friends that we could not get in touch with
at the River waiting for us to show up.

On July 11, 1998, the next day, it was 114 degrees out,  I went back
to the FORD dealer and was told that the Service Department was not
open until Monday.  I asked if they had rental cars available and
was told that they were the only rental agency in town and they had
no cars available.  This town had NO cars available.    After I tried
calling many rental agency, with no luck, I call Customer Assistance,
however, it was closed on weekends.   At this time my cell phone
bill was adding up.

Because I was struck in this town with no transportation, I decided
to called El Monte FORD, where I originally leased my Explorer, and
told them my situations to see if I had any remedy.  They recommended
that I call back Roadside Assistance to have my car moved to a service
that was opened, specifically Palm Springs or Indio.  I called Roadside
and was told that Palm Springs and Indio FORD Centers were not open,
however, Cathedral City was open until 2 p.m.   Since it was already
11 a.m. and Cathedral City was about 2 hours away, it was not going
to be possible to get there and have my car repaired.  It was hot
and I was not successful.  We finally got in contact with our friend,
who took the time from his vacation and drove to the hotel, picked
us up and took us to the place of our original destination.

On Sunday, July 12, 1998, I, as well as Dennis, needed to return
to work on Monday because of a meeting that I could not miss.  Our
friend cut his vacation short [he was planning to stay for a week]
and drove us home in his truck.  He drives a Mini Toyota Truck with
an extra cab.  He had a girlfriend and his dog.  So Dennis, who is
6-5, and I drove in the back of the cab with two big dogs [one is
a LAB, and the other is a Australian Shepard].

On Monday, July 13, 1998, I called Customer Service and talked to
Kevin, Operator #2806, and was told that I was not able to get reimbursement
for my rental car or my cell phone and to contact Ford Auto to get
information on my Hotel bill.  I requested to talk to his supervisor
or another operator because I did not understand the policy of FORD
[not compensating me with a rental] and I was not getting any other
information from him.  He was not giving me any other options - such
as a claim or any arbitration process.  He refused all request for
any more information and stated that his answer was FORD's final answer.

After I got off the phone, I was completely frustrated with my options.
I thought that I had bought a reliable vehicle and if a problem
would have occurred with the vehicle,  I would have been taken care
of.  This is based upon Ford's commitment to it's customer's satisfaction.
I was not a satisfied customer and no one seemed to care.  I broke
down in tears from the frustration, which is not my character at
all.  As an attorney, I always try to get a fair and equity result
when I represent cases, however, in this situation, no one was fair
or equitable to me.

I called Ford Auto Club and was informed of some of my rights, including
a lodging, food, and alternative transportation for a limited period
of time [72 hours after disablement].  When asked where I can get
this information, the operator assured me that she would mail this
information to me [I still have not received it].

Because I have a job I needed transportation, I  rented a car from
Enterprise. At 3 p.m., I called the Blythe Ford Center  was told
that there was a bulletin from back East that stated not to fix the
engine problem . . . a call was made back East and a message was
left . . . they were waiting for so for someone to contact they.
He stated that my Explorer may need a new engine and to call back
tomorrow at around 3 p.m..

On July 14, 1998, I called Blythe FORD and was told that my Explorer
would need a new engine, because back East wanted to examine my engine.
This would take approximately 5 working days to get an engine in
Blythe and once it got there, it would take another approximately
5 days to put the engine in.  I was told to call back on Monday,
July 20, 1998.

I called FORD Auto Club to get information on whether I am eligible
to have a rental car for that long of a period.  They didn't know
and transferred me to Customer Service.  Customer Service informed
me that I am not entitled to a rental vehicle for that time but that
I should try to contact the dealer that I bought the car from.  I
called El Monte FORD spoke with the Service Manager who told me that
they could not help me and that  I should contact Blythe FORD Center
since they have my Explorer and they are making a claim on the engine
that they could possibly cover a rental.

I called Blythe FORD and talked to Service, and asked him about the
rental. He told me that when he called for the engine [back east]
he was told that they would not cover a rental car.

I call Customer Assistant again and asked for a supervisor.  They
again confirmed that I am eligible for a rental car for 72 hours
after disablement. I explained that it was not an option to rent
a car 72 hours after the disablement due to the circumstances, but
now that I am home with the Explorer 4 hours away and tied up for
more that 2 weeks, I do not have transportation. They again read
me the policy.

I then called FORD  Pasadena Credit Company and again explained my
situation. I mentioned that I was not eligible for a rental [based
on all the information that I have received] and that I still had
to pay for my Explorer that I did not have.  I was given the option
of deferring a payment until the end of my contract and then terminating
my lease - - - a fee was involved and then I might have to pay an
extra registration for the car . . . but if I leased another FORD,
the deferred payment would roll into a new car [what a joke, why
would I want another FORD].   He also gave me the complaint number
- which was the same number that I've been calling.

That night I returned the rental car because I knew I was not going
to get compensated and decided that I would try to find other cheaper
transportation. Since then, I have been making calls daily . . .
Customer Service, Road Side Asst., and I even call Michigan's Executive
Office (313) 322-4111 and spoke to Angela, who told me that what
everyone's been telling me is correct.

On July 20, 1998 [11 days after the disablement], I called Blythe
FORD and was told that they have not received the engine yet.

I will keep you updated on this story because it just keeps getting worse.


P.S.  Excuse the typos.

--  K.