European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Consumer water by Mary Neth when the German based military Man ordered his new car from the he believed hed assured himself of trouble free no More hassles with garage mechanics and All when the new car arrived a shiny was it just want All no outside no trunk for worst of missing fuses and a non functioning Power two months later the situation haunt the an gered owner was still Riding around in an expensive vehicle with windows that cant even go up and another Case of a frustrated new car buyer in Europe after eight months and an heavy Exchange of letters with the company in the parts necessary to Complete agree to warranty work still haunt to add to the mans exasperation he had been sent a couple of new door handles he didst need and never yet another Case a buyer was notified that the camper hed ordered was ready for pick when he arrived at Bremerhaven to take Possession he found it was practically an empty Shell the outfitting hed paid for was missing no no no no no Center Post for the no cig Arette no Hammock with no spare tire no tire changing no first Aid kit or warning he believes items were taken from his vehicle to outfit another a Short run solution to a poorly run opera other new car owners report disappointment anger about the Quality of garage of having to take cars Back repeatedly to have the same work about the super of months of waiting to get or problems taken care in the dissatisfaction about new cars comes up at the head of the list of consumer complaints being received at the White it seems that americans overseas purchasing cars through cafes from the big four companies in Detroit american motors and general motors Are having similar problems some by shipping mishaps and distance from factory at this is what letters received by stars and stripes recently would seem to after Stan and when the new car a shiny Cadillac he was it just want All there stripes was informed that some new car buyers Felt they were having More Reader response was re letters of complaint wrote one voicing the feelings of Cus Tomer service is wrote the problems with shipping and the poor Quality of warranty service make it buying an american car while overseas not Worth the All these letters were taken to Dale con tract administrator for cafes in for Woodward states his figures indicate that Only one out of 100 buyers of new cars though cafes concessions have compared to seven out of a 100 who Pur Chase cars though dealers in the Hes that he is concerned about any complaints it is the intention of cafes that customers ordering vehicles through our cafes contractors receive prompt and courteous service in accordance with Allt provisions of the vehicle order contract and Warran he has promised to investigate All the complaints voiced in the letters and provide a final report on each in the meantime stars and stripes will look into War Ranty coverage and general Dealership to just what extent is cafes involved legally theres no the car buyer signs a contract with the car manufacture not with but cafes has in turn negotiated a Contact with the motor company that enables it to sell at by and pm a this contract spells out a set of obligations for both the motor company and the customer and cafes reviews the order forms to insure that the terms Are in agreement with the contract Between it and the Compa May w7 the stars and stripes Page j9 if youve purchased a new car through an cafes keep your dont Rush up to the port to pick it up before you receive official notice that its too according to Dale cafes new car sales people hear that their car has arrived overseas and head immediately to Bremerhaven or Bremen to pick it up and when they arrive find its not Woodward also warns that the new car owner even if officially informed that he can pick up his car on a certain Day should allow some time for the of the about 30 letters received by Stan and stripes from disgruntled new car owners several among other the amount of time it took before their car was ready at the preparation for Antol wrote that it took from 8 to 2 for the Dodge Van she and her husband had Pur chased to be Joe Paul had a similar he arrived at the shippers at 8 got the car at 1 but then had to take it for and didst gel on the Road Home until about 5 that needless to say 1 was tired and a Little bit mad at the whole he re states that such delays just can happen a jammed up customs and that anyone planning to pick up a car at port should plan to take two Days to do one Day for the another for the drive a car is one of the largest financial purchases an individual usually it  be done in a the buyer should give himself time to look Over the vehicle drive and take it Back to the new car preparation garage if there Are any there also were a couple of cases where the the buyers were disappointed in the appearance of the car and wanted to refuse to accept had they carefully read their they would have realized this was not they already were the procedures Are slightly different according to which car company is in notes Nohl d director of the procurement management division of of april the customer buying a pm product be comes owner when he picks the car up at Bremerhaven if it has been shipped com the military has shipped the buyer becomes owner when the Mili tary excepts it in the the military than accepts responsibility for car during when shipped by the the Cost for insurance is included in the Purchase Price delivered to new owner or to buyers of Ford and am cars take Over ownership when the car is delivered to the port for either military or commercial this Means that the buyer can not refuse to accept the when it arrives in Europe because of Dis satisfaction with its general appearance missing Points out if the car is not mechanically in condition to it is a different the new owner should refuse acceptance until the automobile is in for the Gerald Kelmer ii when Kelmer went to pick of us Dodge be writes that two transmission seals were plus the Drivers window handle and seat adjustment Knob were he should not have accepted the car in that says the car preparation centers Are obligated to have the cars in drivable in he says that if the customer has been officially notified to come and pick up his he can demand to be put up in a hotel until the work is he also notes that if the car is not what was ordered according to the signed con the customer can refuse no matter if it was a Case in which he supposedly took ownership when it was sent to the port in the people can become quite emotional when it comes to a new car continues they dont read the Fine print in but 1 feel without exception if there is any contractual response the Legal liability is always resolved in favor of the he goes on to say that the cafes new car program is a service that the Exchange provides so people can buy cars in previously outside every Cavern there were a half dozen Guys with cars parked there Selling things that you could pick up in Bayonne or Well do this or Well there were no there were All individual dealers and the numbers of people who were unhappy in those Days were he and Woodward Law note that All of the cafes contract car companies now have a Stock of cars in Europe and that at least 30 per cent of sales Are from such the car companies can ship those cars by Fleet shipment and they can do it a lot cheaper than the so you Are not really losing As much Money As you might think to buy a car already a lot of military with entitlements still buy from Stock Over Here because they find their loss very about or something like Points out As to complaints of Why it takes so Long sometimes to receive he says that besides the Long an occasional strike can additionally hold up in such it can take even 12 Days to catch up with the mar Neth if a has a cafes is obligated to Check it out see that the Contact Between customer and motor company is being customers should take complaints to the european office in Munich advises that a problem should first be brought to the attention of the sales and then if it int resolved taken to the nearest cafes facility from there if still not solved it should be turned Over to Wood in the complaint should be carefully documented to in clude All actions already taken by customer and Compa pictures to illustrate the problem would be i the full documentation should be forwarded to head quarters new car sales Apo the Telephone number is Munich civilian 083 6220365 or military 251 the cafes car program began in 1959 with a contract with american in 1960 contracts with the other three manufacturers were last ears were sold by cafes con Cessions deliveries within the and outside were about equal and cafes netted it Jet through the the car companies pay cafes per car sold except for general which pays u a Many of the complaints that came to stars and Stripe about new car purchases involved the preparation Cen ters in Bremen and when the customer went to pick up the parts were said to be the Auto not ready to Woodward says he will follow up these complaints with visits to the two preparation garages and a Complete review of their