Last November I took my Jeep to the gas station to fill up the tank. I put in the nozzle, pulled the handle and waited for the click that lets me know that the tank is full. The pump clicked, I pulled out the nozzle and gas gushed out of the tank spilling all over my hands and the side of my Jeep. I thought I had done something wrong until it happened again a couple of weeks later. It was around this time that we received a letter from Chrysler about the problem. In it, they explained that they knew about the problem and were offering a lifetime warranty on the part. In other words, if you’ve got the problem bring your Jeep to a dealer and we’ll fix it for free. Good deal, right? Not so much…
We took my Jeep to a dealership about a month ago to have the problem fixed. When I went to pick it up, I was informed that the service manager took the Jeep to the gas station but it did not regurgitate fuel for him. Therefore, they told me, they would not be able to repair the problem. No worries, though! All I had to do was swing by the dealership (20 miles away from where I live) every time I had to put gas in my Jeep and take a service tech with me to the station. As soon as they saw the fuel spill, they would fix the car.
It turns out that this was not the dealer’s idea. On the day my Jeep was at their shop, a representative from Chrysler’s warranty program was visiting the dealer, and he told them that they would not be reimbursed for these repairs unless they ‘independently verified’ the problem exists. I sent an email to Jeep asking them to intervene. In my mind, they would contact the dealer and authorize the repairs. Instead, they told me that they couldn’t understand why I wasn’t willing to drive a mere 20 miles to put gas in my Jeep. It was just the way it had to be. The closest thing they offered to a solution was the possibility of recording myself filling the Jeep with gas and showing the problem on video. I was perfectly fine with this, but I was then told no, that would not be acceptable. I HAD to have a tech with me to witness the problem in person in order to receive the repairs.
The ‘very nice’ (condescending) customer service rep who called me offered several solutions to the problem. He told me that I could try going to a different gas station…maybe they have a slower pump! He also told me (no, I’m not kidding) that I could just stop the flow of gas before the pump clicked off to prevent the extra gas from spilling. They even offered to compensate me for my travel time back and forth to the dealer with a free oil change, but didn’t understand why this offer offended me. After two prolonged phone conversations, the rep told me point blank that there was absolutely nothing he could do to change the situation. I asked him who could, and he told me no one. At this point I asked them how I could get in touch with the warranty program representative who implemented this policy. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I couldn’t contact him…at all. He won’t call me, they won’t tell me how to contact him, and they won’t even tell me his name.
At this point, I am beyond frustrated with Chrysler/Jeep. The repairs that I am asking them to perform will provide no benefit to me other than fixing a flaw. I’m not asking for a new engine, new tires, or even new brakes. I’m asking that I don’t get doused with flammable liquid when I put fuel in my Jeep. Rather than doing the right thing, they are giving me the run around, implying that I am not being honest with them, and offering token services to appease me. The video in this post offers more than enough proof that I am indeed having this problem, but I guess that’s not enough to Chrysler/Jeep.
