Maggie's Farm

Hi Jim: Here is my "Pontiac" story. In 1977 I thought I had arrived. I was an independent single mom. Ex husband had come home from Nam with serious PTSD and we had split in 1968. Never had child support--never asked for any. Just went out and got two or three jobs and then built a little business,etc. When I had some steady income I went down to the dealer and bought my first ever "new car". 1977 Pontiac Sunbird. It had all the latest new things: sun roof, factory installed air conditioning, etc. Ordered it special from the factory with color I wanted and all the bells and whistles factory installed. Waited six weeks and then arranged to pick it up at the dealers during lunch hour. You cannot imagine how thrilled and happy I was on that day. Girl friend dropped me off at dealers and I picked up the keys, got in and started to drive off the lot. While driving out of the dealer's driveway I rolled the window down--the handle came off in my hand. I backed up and asked them to put the handle back on, which they did. We laughed and then I drove off the lot and got about 1/2 mile up the street when the muffler and tail pipe fell off on to the street! Got out and some guys on the curb helped me pick it up and put it in the trunk. Returned to the dealer and they he hawed me again. I waited while the re attached muffler and tail pipe.
The following month got hot and I tried my new air conditioning system. The fluid leaked onto my floorboard and shoes during the first 20 minutes and the system shut down. After a week at the dealer he said it was fixed. The next day the same thing happened and I returned the car again to have the air conditioning repaired. This happened a third time and the dealer refused to repair the A/C. A few months later it rained and I was driving down the freeway when the belts slipped off of the engine. 65 miles and hour,car full of little girls, and the car stops instantly. The dealer refused to fix it.
At that time the Pontiac Corporation had created a "new" position--a new way to deal with customers. It was called an OMBUDSMAN! WOW, oh WOW. This guy's job was to help people like me. I wrote and sent my invoices, etc. He flew out to see the car and talk to the dealer. He returned to Detroit and wrote a letter (copy to me ) that instructed the dealer to make the repairs. Dealer wrote a letter telling the OMBUDSMAN to go jump in the lake! He refused to do it. I left the car in front of the dealer with a sign on it, until the bike repo'd it! Guess who lost the bulk of the cash! Yup! Guess, who has NEVER EVER bought another American car! YUP --- never will---just can't put myself through that kind of misery again!