Field people taking packages

[ssdd]

I have heard that the take rate at the drm level is much greater than what they expected. my service drm was calling me to say good bye and he was telling me all the people leaving the sebc. I asked him who was going to be left to turn out the lights and bring in the flag at the bc. he said they have a labor op for that and a dealer will do it. I laughed and said they would just charge it back...

[SHACOS]

Don't forget about those Chrysler warranty auditors going away. What comes in January is going to be worse. Should be fun for all the CJD dealers.

[okcarl]

We had heard today that there is a posibility that the Denver BC is going to be shut down. Seems unlikely to me given the size of the area in the denver BC but these days who knows what might happen.

[SHACOS]

Wow....that seems a bit extreme, but your right, anything can happen.

[ssdd]

I was told that the entire field staff in the Carolina area is gone...

[dafuzz1956]

I just heard that 40% of auburn hills said good bye and took the package, and I no longer have a rep in sales or service.

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by SHACOS

Don't forget about those Chrysler warranty auditors going away. What comes in January is going to be worse. Should be fun for all the CJD dealers.

Are you referring to CFC's curtailment policy?

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by okcarl

We had heard today that there is a posibility that the Denver BC is going to be shut down. Seems unlikely to me given the size of the area in the denver BC but these days who knows what might happen.

I think whatever Chrysler/Cerberus does with the BCs will provide a clear signal for what lies ahead.

Here's my thought process: If Cerberus has long term plans for Chrysler then it would make sense for them to close down some of the Business Centers and consolidate. It they're just in it for the short term it's cheaper to keep the BCs open until a merger/spin-off is complete.

Last week Chrysler announced that it was closing three of their four CFC BCs in Canada. This fits with my view that Cerberus want to retain CFC and they're willing to spend money to save money.

[CL Pgh]

Originally Posted by XDCX

Are you referring to CFC's curtailment policy?

Entire field auditor (warranty, rebate, etc.) staff is gone. I believe that went down early last week. Cerberus is higher outside company for future audits.

Mid-Atlantic staff has 33 of 85 taking their package. 6 years ago when it became the Mid-Atlantic zone, staff numbered around 180 people… Monday, it’ll be low 50’s! Hello Tele-Service.

[ssdd]

same here no sales or service dm as of today said good bye to some long time friends today...

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by CL Pgh

Entire field auditor (warranty, rebate, etc.) staff is gone. I believe that went down early last week. Cerberus is higher outside company for future audits.

Mid-Atlantic staff has 33 of 85 taking their package. 6 years ago when it became the Mid-Atlantic zone, staff numbered around 180 people… Monday, it’ll be low 50’s! Hello Tele-Service.

Wow, I hadn't heard about the elimination of the Audit Staff.

I think SHACOS is right - whatever Cerberus does to replace the Audit Staff it's not likely to be a good thing from the dealer's point of view.

Concerning the Mid-Atlantic Staff, that's incredible. I'm getting the impression that a lot more people took the package then what Chrysler was expecting. It will be interesting to see what happens once they re-group and go forward from here.

[SHACOS]

I was actually referring to the replacement for the Chrysler auditors. They are bound to be after money without actually knowing anything about grey areas in warranty repairs.

[XDCX]

Originally Posted by SHACOS

I was actually referring to the replacement for the Chrysler auditors. They are bound to be after money without actually knowing anything about grey areas in warranty repairs.

Thanks for the clarification - I hadn't heard that they were replacing the Auditing Staff until I read it here earlier today.

It seems like a strange move - I wonder if any of the other OEMs outsource their audit staff?

[XDCX]

News reports are confirming exactly what's been reported here - a lot of Chrysler's White Collar employees took the package.

A story in the New York Times estimates that 25% of the employees accepted a package. Here's a link to the news report: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/29/bu...rysler.html?em

The report indicates that so many people took the package that Chrysler may not have any "non-voluntary" separations in December.

It will be interesting to get an impression of who left and who stayed. Did Chrysler lose good quality people that were worried about the company's future, or did they lose marginal employees who thought they might get fired in December?

[dafuzz1956]

Hey, I know where there is some office space available, but the rent maybe just a tad high !!