If you have a Dodge Ram in the driveway and someone claiming to be Jim Press calls you asking if you're satisfied with your truck, it just might be him. Chrysler recognizes that it has a customer service problem, and the Pentastar is going to extraordinary lengths to correct it. Its top 300 executives and directors are participating in a program called "Customer First" that puts a priority on -- you guessed it -- the customer. The executives, even guys named Nardelli, Press, and LaSorda, are responsible for at least one customer call per day, and all execs will man at least one shift at Chrysler's customer call center. The Pentastar elite are also partaking in a three month competition to see who can generate the most sales. We don't know what the prize is for the winner, but whomever claims top sales should get something really, really good. Like a lifetime supply of Chrysler Sebrings.
[Source: Detroit Free Press]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MemphisNET @ May 4th 2008 11:37AM
I'm going to get flamed so hard for this.. but
"We don't know what the prize is for the winner, but whomever claims top sales should get something really, really good. Like a lifetime supply of Chrysler Sebrings."
You're only going to need one, because it will last you a lifetime!
People are WAY too hard on the Sebring.
geo.stewart @ May 4th 2008 11:42AM
I'll agree on durability as far as running but the interior is craptastic materials. Those materials may be durable however. Ride was mediocre compared to economic competitors.
Judy Zik @ May 4th 2008 12:32PM
You've got it backwards. The Sebring is WAY too hard on the people who drive it.
Sandeep @ May 4th 2008 12:34PM
It will last you a lifetime....because it'll shorten your life drastically.
MemphisNET @ May 4th 2008 12:45PM
@geo.stewart
Agreed on the 07-up. 01-06 I don't mind at all.
There are two main reasons for my madness:
1) With the exception of the Challenger, I will never buy a brand new car, thus getting incredible prices on used.
2) If I was buying a high-end luxury car, I might care more about the insides. My friends, kids, pets are going to ruin whatever I buy anyway.
geo.stewart @ May 4th 2008 1:28PM
my comments were on the current model. agree on the previous. I had a ?98? that I enjoyed and was quite durable. cloth interior left a little to be desired but overall not too bad and quite a bargain for a used car with 10K on it. Interiors have gone downhill since then as well as the general market going up. Chrysler let the stratus sit way too long and then phoned in the current interior. I had one last week as a rental and was disappointed compared to a Sonata in performance, materials, and ergonomics. Cerebrus has a huge uphill battle to make a competitive midsize sedan.
Brian @ May 4th 2008 9:16PM
Amen. I have an '08 Sebring 2.4 sedan and the bashing of this car is way over the top. It has good handling, a very quiet ride, comfy spacious interior, and I like the art-deco dashboard -- its textured plastic is much nicer than the soft-touch Tupperware approach in Hondas and Toyotas as of late.
The criticism of this car is way, way over the top.
John @ May 4th 2008 11:43AM
If Press called me my comment is "When is Chrysler ever going to build a decent small car somebody actually wants?"
Vincenzo @ May 4th 2008 11:56AM
I would ask him, "Was it you, who killed killed Celica, when you worked for Toyota, and asked to make Camry bigger and bigger? Good luck advocating monsters for Chrysler."
Torrent @ May 4th 2008 1:42PM
"When is Chrysler ever going to build a decent small car somebody actually wants? "
Answer: When KIA builds a Truck that gets over 30 MPG and tows 8700 pounds and has best in class payload and was awarded one of Ward's 5best engines.
Exactly. It won't happen.
If Chrysler actually builds a small decent car within the next 3 years, I will personally respond to this thread admitting I was wrong. And I've only admitted being wrong once-to my mom, and that was only because the judge told me to.
As for KIA, Only if...
HotRodzNKustoms @ May 4th 2008 12:05PM
Time for sum dat Cotomer Service! Git-R-Done!!!
wormyguy @ May 4th 2008 12:06PM
"whomever claims top sales should get something really, really good. Like a lifetime supply of Chrysler Sebrings."
Quick, Bob, run away while you still can!
SPG @ May 4th 2008 12:16PM
As much as I hate focus groups, I'm thinking that's the best idea here.
Most people's biggest complaint is that Chrysler is not making cars that people want (save for a precious few that people really want).
dude ranch @ May 4th 2008 12:24PM
whoever. not whomever.
if you had used whoever when it should have been whomever, i never would've said a word. but come on.
MajorGeek @ May 4th 2008 12:54PM
Pssst, look in your books for someone who bought a new Dodge every year and then after about 6 years suddenly stopped. Heres your answers:
1: Too many heavy vehicles with lousy gas mileage. Along with Jeep, it is unbelievable. My Hemi Ram was down to 11.7 MPG, how can my H2 do better then that? With gas prices where they are, you better wake up. You did a AWESOME job marketing the Hemi, then gas prices climbed and you just sat there. Really, you wonder where sales went? I mean people went from "that thing got a Hemi" to "that thing got a Hemi, no thanks" overnight. Reliable, 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder engines with good gas mileage.
2: Ugly designs. Theres a few nice ones on the lot like the 300, but seriously, your entire lot is ugly. The Journey is a bit of an improvement, but imho the grill sucks on all vehicles and this attempt to make everything square with rounded corners reeks of kindergarten drawings. It does not work. It started with the redesigned Viper back in 2003 or so, which looked more like the Vette and went downhill from there. Your prior successful years came from the 1994 Viper's from end and bits and pieces.
3: Quality. Well, not so much quality of the vehicles, I liked my Dodge vehicles, but what came in them. Seriously, adding sport wheels and graphics does not make it a "sport" or special vehicle. A 2 inch lift kit and different rims does not make it an "off road" model. Air, cruise, tilt, nav, bluetooth, nice wheels, etc., should be standard in vehicles nowadays, this is why many car companies want to drop multiple brands, the line is too blurred. Other companies have many features once considered luxury items, standard.
I hope someone from Dodge reads this. In the past 10-15 years I have owned 2 Dakotas and 5 Dodge Rams and still own a Dodge Viper and have purchased a 08 Challenger. Look no further for someone familiar with the Dodge brand and its slow downfall.
MajorGeek @ May 4th 2008 12:59PM
P.S If you need to call people to find out what the problem is, then you are the problem.
RamSport47 @ May 4th 2008 6:50PM
Obviously you don't follow the car industry as Chrysler has a new line of 4 cylinders(the World Engine) in production, and a new line of V-6 Phoenix engines set to debut in the next year or so, with a V-8 variant planned as well. It takes a while to develope engines...you don't just draw them out one day and the next you're putting them in cars...not the way it works
MajorGeek @ May 4th 2008 8:16PM
LOL, actually Dodge does not follow the industry very well. They put everything they had into the Hemi, then the bigger Hemi and basically followed up with a pile of crappy cars and a dated motor while the Japanese beat them to the market with hybrids and have had fuel efficient cars all along. The Honda Civic for example is doing what, 36 MPG? Since 2006 with the newer model? Dodge has a pile of cars getting 20-25 MPG tops, all fugly. Yeah, I will wait for Dodge and Chevy to get their crap into production in 2 years while gas is over 4 bucks a gallon. Good luck with that business plan. In other words, if you build your cars while ignoring the economy, rather then sticking to a line of vehicles for every customer you lose. Dodge is losing. Hard. This article proves that.
Brian @ May 4th 2008 9:15PM
My Chrysler Sebring 2.4 gets 30 MPG (EPA estimate) and I average 32 MPG in day-to-day driving. The Avenger gets similar mileage.
The Dodge Journey has the best mileage of any crossover in its class.
The Dodge Caliber 1.8 gets over 32 MPG.
The Caliber 2.0 manual gets 30 MPG.
The Patriot AWD has 28 MPG performance and trail-rated AWD.
Chrysler's got a full line of 28-32 MPG products -- it's just most people don't care to educate themselves about the product line and spend all their time thinking about HEMIs and such.
Best of all, the high-MPG Chrysler products cost less and have a better warranty than competing products. In a way, Chrysler's problems with awareness here are my gain -- I picked up a Sebring 2.4 for under $18K with 0% financing. Toyota, Honda, Ford and GM just cannot match that.
Matt @ May 5th 2008 2:36AM
@Brian
"I picked up a Sebring 2.4 for under $18K with 0% financing. Toyota, Honda, Ford and GM just cannot match that."
No? Then how do you explain my V6-powered G6 for $17,700 with 0% APR? With a better interior (and better interior materials), more standard features and roughly the same gas mileage (29-31 MPG highway all month long, even at 75-80 on cruise).