NEWS 4 Consumer Reporter, 
Elizabeth Crenshaw(transcript of original story)

FITZGERALD #1AIR DATE: MARCH 26, 1996

WHEN YOU BUY A NEW CAR, YOU EXPECT A FEW THINGS COULD BE WRONG
WITH IT, BUT THE WARRANTY WILL TAKE CARE OF ANY TROUBLE.

BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CAR DEALER TELLS YOU HE CAN'T FIX THE
PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE, ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THE
MANUFACTURER WON'T LET HIM. NEWS-4 CONSUMER REPORTER ELIZABETH
CRENSHAW HAS DETAILS ON JUST SUCH A STORY. . LIZ

SUSAN/DOUG, WE'VE DONE DOZENS OF CAR STORIES OVER THE YEARS,
USUALLY TAKING DEALERS TO TASK...BUT THIS IS A FIRST FOR US.

A FEW MONTHS AGO, JACK FITZGERALD, WHO OWNS FITZGERALD'S
LAKEFOREST CHRYSLER-PLYMOUTH IN GAITHERSBURG MARYLAND, CALLED US TO
SAY CHRYSLER WAS INSTRUCTING HIS PEOPLE TO MAKE PATCHWORK WARRANTY
REPAIRS...OR, IN SOME CASES, NO WARRANTY REPAIRS AT ALL.

ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW IS THAT JACK FITZGERALD HAS FILED A
MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST CHRYSLER. MORE ON THAT LATER.

BUT AS FOR WARRANTY WORK, THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE A BUNCH
OF NEW CAR OWNERS ARE NOT GETTING THE SERVICE THEY EXPECT.

THIS IS DEBBIE BRAUER AND THIS IS HER DODGE DAYTONA...A CAR THAT
HAS BROUGHT HER NOTHING BUT AGGRIVATION AND DRIVEN HER INTO A BATTLE
WITH CHRYSLER OVER PEELING PAINT.

Debbie Brauer
Unhappy Chrysler Customer:

"I noticed it about 6 months ago. A little bit of paint, a little
spot started peeling off slowly and each day it got worse and worse."

THIS IS RONALD RICKETTS AND HIS 1995 CHRYSLER CONCORDE...A CAR
THAT IS DRIVING HIM TO FRUSTRATION.

Ronald Ricketts
Unhappy Chrysler Customer:

"When the engine gets cold you can hear the lifters making a noise,
and I've taken it to the dealer 4 times."

THE DEALER BRAUER AND RICKETTS WENT TO IS LAKEFOREST CHYRSLER
PLYMOUTH IN GAITHERSBURG MARYLAND. BOTH CUSTOMERS THOUGHT THEIR
PROBLEMS WOULD BE FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. BOTH WERE MISTAKEN.

Ronald Ricketts
Unhappy Chrysler Customer:

"Fitzgerald wanted to do the engine work. They were going to tear the
engine apart, and whatever they had to do to correct the lifter
problem. But the Chrysler service rep said no. The dealership agreed
to do it. Chrysler is the one who said well we're going to do it and
then they changed their mind and said we can't do it, it's outside
sources. It happened from outside sources."

Elizabeth Crenshaw:

"WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?"

Ronald Ricketts
Unhappy Chrysler Customer:

"I have no idea."

IN CHRYSLER'S OWN WORDS, ITS YEAR 36, THOUSAND MILE WARRANTY
"COVERS THE COST OF PARTS AND LABOR NEEDED TO REPAIR ANY ITEM THAT'S
DEFECTIVE IN MATERIAL, WORKMANSHIP, OR FACTORY PREPARATION. BUT WE'RE
TOLD THAT'S NOT ALWAYS HAPPENING AT LAKEFOREST CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH, AND
THE PERSON TELLING WHO'S IS THE DEALERSHIP'S OWNER."

Jack Fitzgerald
Lakeforest Chrysler-Plymouth:

"I'm very concerned about the customers. We have cars out on the
street that have been patched. We need to get them back and fix them
correctly. Our whole business will collapse. Our reputation is built
on taking care of our customers, and we're going to do that. And
that's what this is all about."

TO GET TO THE HEART OF THIS CONTROVERSY, YOU FIRST HAVE TO
UNDERSTAND HOW WARRANTY WORK WORKS. IN A WARRANTY SITUATION, THE
DEALER FIXES YOUR CAR, THEN CHARGES THE MANUFACTURER FOR THE SERVICE DONE.
JACK FITZGERALD SAYS HIS PROBLEMS BEGAN WHEN CHRYSLER TOLD HIM HE
WAS SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH MONEY ON WARRANTY WORK.

Elizabeth Crenshaw:

"This change of policy is coming from Detroit. They're saying you're
being too good to your customers?"

Jack Fitzgerald
Lakeforest Chrysler-Plymouth:

"That's exactly what they're saying."

SO FITZGERALD ASKED CHRYSLER TO SHOW HIM WHAT HE WAS DOING WRONG.
THAT'S WHEN THE COMPANY SENT THIS MAN TO THE DEALERSHIP...FIELD
WARRANTY SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE JIM WOODLIFF.

Elizabeth Crenshaw:
"GIVE ME A SENSE OF WHAT HE'S TRYING TO DO."

David Jenkins
Service Manager:

"What his basic principal is is to try and reduce the amount of money
we charge Chrysler, and he will go take any path he can to reduce
what we charge them."

JENKINS GAVE US NUMEROUS EXAMPLES WHERE HE SAYS VALID WARRANTY
WORK WAS DENIED BY JIM WOODLIFF. THEY INCLUDED A VOYAGER WITH VALVE
LIFTER NOISE AT 9-THOUSAND MILES...

ANOTHER VOYAGER HAD SEVERLY CUPPED TIRES AT 6-THOUSAND MILES DUE
TO MISALIGNMENT...

AND A 1995 NEON WITH 15-THOUSAND MILES HAD TRANSMISSION FLUID THAT
LOOKED AND SMELLED BURNT ACCORDING TO JENKINS .

CHRYSLER DISAGREES WITH THESE WARRANTY CLAIMS AND SAYS IN OUR
EXAMPLES, WARRANTY COVERAGE DOES NOT APPLY, EITHER BECAUSE THE
CUSTOMER CAUSED THE TROUBLE, OR BECAUSE THERE MAY BE LESS EXPENSIVE
WAYS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE COMPANY SAYS IN SEVERAL CASES IT OFFERED
TO SPLIT THE COST OF SERVICE WITH THE CUSTOMER OR WITH LAKEFOREST AS
A GOODWILL GESTURE, BECAUSE "CHRYSLER DOESN'T LEAVE THE CUSTOMER
HANGING AND TRIES TO RESPOND IN A POSITIVE WAY."

BUT JACK FITZGERALD SAYS HE BECAME SO UPSET WITH THE CHRYSLER
REPRESENTATIVE THAT HE ASKED BUSINESS ASSOCIATES TO POSE AS
TECHNICIANS TO WITNESS WOODLIFF'S WARRANTY INSTRUCTIONS.

THE 2 WITNESSES WE TALKED TO SAY THEY SAW SEVERAL VALID WARRANTY
CLAIMS TURNED DOWN. THEY WOULDN'T TALK ON CAMERA BUT THEY TELL NEWS-4
OF WOODLIFF QUOTES SUCH AS THESE:

"THE DEALER HAS NO RIGHT NOR OBLIGATION TO INFORM THE CUSTOMER
ABOUT A WARRANTABLE ITEM THAT WAS NOT MENTIONED BY THE CUSTOMER."

"THINGS I TELL YOU MAY NOT BE IN THE MANUALS."
AND "ASSUME THE CUSTOMER IS GUILTY OF CAUSING WHAT WOULD BE A
WARRANTABLE DEFECT UNLESS OTHERWISE PROVEN."

WE MADE NUMEROUS CALLS TO CHRYSLER, ITS ZONE OFFICE AND TO JIM
WOODLIFF FOR AN ON-CAMERA RESPONSE. WOODLIFF AND THE CHRYSLER ZONE
OFFICE REFERRED OUR CALLS TO CHRYSLER HEADQUARTERS. CHRYSLER SAYS
"THE FACT THAT IT'S IN LITIGATION WITH MR.FITZGERALD PRECLUDES IT
FROM COMMENTING IN DETAIL."

CHRYSLER DID SEND US A WRITTEN STATEMENT THAT "THE POLICY ISSUES
AND UNTRUE CLAIMS MR. FITZGERALD CITES ARE NOT RAISED ELSEWHERE IN
ITS DEALERSHIP NETWORK OR IN THREE OTHER CHRYSLER STORES OWNED BY MR.FITZGERALD.
CHRYSLER ALSO BELIEVES THIS IS A "PUBLICITY EFFORT BY MR.
FITZGERALD TO STRENGTHEN HIS POSITION IN A SEPARATE MATTER CURRENTLY
IN LITIGATION."

A FEW NOTES TO THIS STORY. WE MADE CALLS AROUND THE COUNTRY TO
FIND OTHER CHRYSLER DEALERS WITH ALLEGATIONS SIMILAR TO FITZGERALD'S.
NONE WOULD SAY EITHER ON-CAMERA OR OFF-CAMERA THAT THEY WERE
EXPERIENCING THE SAME SITUATION.

AS TO THE LAWSUIT, JACK FITZGERALD CLAIMS CHRYSLER IS TRYING TO
DRIVE HIM OUT OF BUSINESS BY PUTTING WARRANTY PRESSURE ON HIM AND
LIMITING HIS SUPPLY OF THE MOST POPULAR CHRYSLER CARS.

CHRYSLER DENIES THAT AND SAYS IT ALLOCATES CARS BY A FORMULA THAT
IS APPLIED UNIFORMLY TO ALL DEALERS.

AS OF TODAY, DEBBIE BRAUER'S CAR IS PAINTED. WE HAD MADE SEVERAL
CALLS TO CHRYSLER ABOUT THAT CAR. CHRYSLER OFFERED TO PAINT THE
PEELING AREAS OF HER CAR FOR FREE, OR RE-PAINT THE ENTIRE CAR FOR
$75. FITZGERALD SAID IT WOULD PAY THE $75.

WE ALSO CALLED CHRYSLER ABOUT RONALD RICKETT'S CAR...THE ONE WITH
THE VALVE LIFTER NOISE. CHRYSLER SENT A REPRESENTATIVE TO RICKETT'S
HOUSE TO INSPECT THE CAR AND TOLD HIM TO BRING THE CAR BACK TO
FITZGERALD ONCE AGAIN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

MORE ON THIS STORY TOMORROW ON NEWS-4 AT 5:00, AND WE'LL HAVE SOME
SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU ON THE BEST WAY TO GET WARRANTY CLAIMS REPAIRED.

NEWS4
NBC4, Washington, DC