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[dmanmulder]

Patrick MINI has an outright dishonest Customer Relations Manager working for them. Below is an email I wrote to the Manager of Patrick MINI. Needless to say, this dealership did not receive high marks on MINI’s customer satisfaction survey. I also attached the below email to the survey so that MINI could read it first hand.

Dear Mr. Robert K. Davis,

This past Tuesday (3-9-04) I purchased, and picked up, a new 2004 MINI Cooper from your dealership. I have some concerns about the service and integrity of your Customer Relations Manager, Mr. Bill Piper.

When I mentioned to Mr. Piper that I would be having a third-party alarm installed on my car, he firmly told me that if I were to have any alarm installed on my MINI Cooper, other than the BMW alarm that your dealership sells, my electronic warranty would be “automatically void”. I would like to know why Mr. Piper would knowingly put your dealership at risk with the false statements he made to me and three other witnesses who were present in his office at the time he made those false statements.

According to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975, third-party modifications or components “cannot” void a written warranty. Only if a dealer can “prove” that a third-party component is the cause of a particular problem, can they deny service. If a dealer denies service without sufficient proof of the problem’s cause, the consumer can then contact the Federal Trade Commission for a dispute. The consumer also reserves the right to file a lawsuit for breach of warranty.

There is no question that Mr. Piper was using scare tactics and false statements to sell a very expensive alarm to me. I was happy with your dealership up to the point that I met with Mr. Piper, and feel that overall integrity should have been worth more than a $700 alarm. Please respond to this email regarding your dealership’s policy on third-party components and warranty coverage. Thank you for your time.