|
1 November, 2000
Mr. John F. Smith
General Motors Corporation
Chairman & CEO
100 Renaissance Center
Detroit MI USA 48243
Dear Sir,
I am writing to let you know how very disappointed I am with my 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 series truck. I chose a GM product because I believed it to be a durable, reliable and a quality built product that I could rely on for many years. Sadly I have come to the realization that I was greatly mistaken.
I have had a number of problems with this vehicle but this last incident has left me frustrated and infuriated. The transmission failed and had to be replaced at 88,000 km because of a bearing failure in the torque converter. Trying to reach and finally talking to a customer representative just left me even more frustrated and unhappy with the result. Shortly after this incident I was again left stranded by the roadside because a wiring harness had burnt on the engine. I have lost all confidence in this vehicle and am waiting and wondering what is going to break down next.
I am a reasonable person but this whole experience has left me very angry and upset. I am on the verge of turning my truck into a mobile billboard, putting out posters, building a web site and doing all that I can to discourage and warn others not to make the same mistake I did. I have owned other GM products, however this will be the last one I will ever own if this is what can be expected.
Sincerely,
Steven Makar
cc
Mr. Harry J. Pearce, Vice Chairman
Mr. Arvin F. Mueller, VP Power train Group
Mr. Thomas J. Davis, VP & Group Ex, GM Truck Group
Mr. Thomas G. Stephens, VP Group Dir. Eng., Truck Group
Mr. Ronald L. Zarella, VP Vehicle Line Ex Full Size Truck
Mr. G.D. Briggs, VP and G.M., GM Truck Group
Ms Maureen Kempston Darkes, VP Pres and G.M., GM Canada
I was contacted on November 20, 2000 by Ms Loretta Sheppard regarding my letter.
Letter to Ms Joanne Krell of GM Powertrain Communications
Date: 1/3/01 10:20:06 PM Pacific Standard Time
Dear Ms Joanne K Krell,
As the owner of a vehicle made by your company I feel compelled to tell you how unhappy I am with the vehicle's reliability, durability and quality.
Let me tell you why I am dissatisfied. I had to replace my trucks transmission at 50,000 miles because it had destroyed itself. A bearing had failed in the torque converter and destroyed the rest of the transmission. After numerous calls to the Customer Service Center and speaking with 3 people I was offered a one-time, limited time "goodwill" offer of $1,000 towards the $3,046 cost of the repair. I was and am still not very happy with the way my complaint was handled and with the offer, which at the time I could not refuse.
For your reference, here is my VIN number: 1GTEC14W3WZ535703
With all the competition among auto manufacturers, I expect more from the companies who receive my business. I am sure you can understand how frustrating this is, and I hope you have been able to limit the number of consumers who have been forced to endure this sort of problem.
I am a frequent user of your company. As a result of this experience, I definitely will not buy from your company again. Since word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, I also definitely will tell others about this experience.
Because your company is committed to customer service, I am confident you will want to resolve this issue quickly and thoroughly. I am asking that you reimburse the rest of the cost of replacing the transmission which was obviously caused be a manufacturing defect.
Should you need to reach me, my phone number is 604-657-8861. My e-mail address is mutumbo109@aol.com. I look forward to receiving a response from you in the near future.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Steven Makar
www.lemonaid.ca
Response from Ms Joanne Krell of GM Powertrain Communications
Date : 1/5/01 1:14:12 PM Pacific Standard Time
Dear Mr. Makar:
I appreciate you taking the time to write, particularly given how frustrating
this situation has been to you. I immediately took your letter to the
appropriate staff at GM Powertrain and followed up with them again yesterday
evening. They are looking into this right away and have asked me to convey that
you will be hearing back from GM within two weeks.
Again, I am sorry for your inconvenience and I hope there will be a timely
resolution that meets your satisfaction. Should you have additional questions,
please contact me via e-mail or by phone at 248.857.0337.
Sincerely,
Joanne Krell
GM Powertrain Communications
Letter to Mr. Dan Greene of GM Powertrain (engine)
Date: 1/3/01 10:48:12 PM Pacific Standard Time
Dear Mr. Dan Greene,
As the owner of a vehicle made by your company I feel compelled to tell you how unhappy I am with the vehicle's reliability, durability and quailty.
Let me tell you why I'm dissatisfied. I complained about a cold start knock which developed in my truck engine at 20,000 miles. I took it in a number of times to the dealer before they admitted to hearing it. They contacted the area rep and he claimed that he could not hear anything and there was no problem. I was told that there was nothing to worry about. Now my engine has a knocking noise while driving, a ticking noise, a harmonic vibration at 1500 RPM and still has the cold start knock. I found a service bulletin, # 99-06-01-003 dated April 1999 which describes my complaint exactly which has made me very upset.
For your reference, here is my VIN number: 1GTEC14W3WZ535703
With all the competition among auto manufacturers, I expect more from the companies who receive my business. I am sure you can understand how frustrating this is, and I hope you have been able to limit the number of consumers who have been forced to endure this sort of problem.
I am a frequent user of your company. As a result of this experience, I definitely will not buy from your company again. Since word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, I also definitely will tell others about this experience.
Because your company is committed to customer service, I am confident you will want to resolve this issue quickly and thoroughly. I am asking that you make any repairs to my engine that is required to rectify this problem.
Should you need to reach me, my work number is 604-657-8861 and my e-mail address is mutumbo109@aol.com. I look forward to receiving a response from you in the near future.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Steven Makar
www.lemonaid.ca
Response from Mr. Dan Greene of GM Powertrain (engine)
Date: 1/4/01 7:59:14 PM Pacific Standard Time
Dear Mutumbo109,
Our Customer Assistance Centers are set up to address concerns such as yours;
Please call GMC customer assistance at 1-800-462-8782.
thanks
dan greene
I was contacted on January 24, 2001 by Ms. Kathy Gillis regarding my letters about my transmission and engine complaint.
|
|
