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Old 11-07-2010, 10:43 PM   #1
XDCX
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Thumbs up Weathers Dodge - Surviving the Storm

The Philadelphia Inquirer is running a three-piece story regarding the struggles Weathers Dodge has endured since having their franchise rejected by Chrysler last June. The first of the three parts ran yesterday - here's a link to the report - click here

For those who may be new to DealershipForum, the Dealer Principal for Weathers Dodge is a member here - his User Name is dodgequality.

Larry Weathers, Jr. isn't just any member here, he's largely the reason the forum survived and still exists today. For more details on my feelings for Mr. Weathers and the profound respect I have for him, please read this thread - A Tribute to Weathers Dodge

Regardless of whether you're NEWCO or OLDCO, Chrysler or some other OEM, I hope the members here will take a few moments to read the story, Weathers Dodge - Surviving the Storm, and provide Mr. Weathers some words of support.
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Old 11-08-2010, 05:22 AM   #2
possum
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Great story. The same story heard all across America, and for no good reason. Mr. Weathers is a good man, and good men will find their way.

Last edited by possum; 11-08-2010 at 07:32 AM.
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Old 11-08-2010, 06:18 AM   #3
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I agree. Excellent story. Nice to see some well deserved recognition.
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Old 11-08-2010, 07:19 AM   #4
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Excellent story, hopefully it will help generate some good publicity for their used car store.

I keep feeling like I will wake up someday and this whole auto task force mess will have just been a bad nightmare. It is just unbelievable how all this went down.
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Old 11-08-2010, 09:58 AM   #5
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Every time I read about it again, I'm torn between the urge to cry or go beat the crap out of those lying SOBs that Possum sat with in the Senate hearing...I think the urge to cry is from the frustration of knowing that the people at Chrysler and in the US government that caused this travesty of justice, will never be held accountable for their actions and none of the 789 dealers or their friends will ever have the opportunity to kick their collective butts.
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Old 11-08-2010, 10:21 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DealerEx View Post
Every time I read about it again, I'm torn between the urge to cry or go beat the crap out of those lying SOBs that Possum sat with in the Senate hearing...I think the urge to cry is from the frustration of knowing that the people at Chrysler and in the US government that caused this travesty of justice, will never be held accountable for their actions and none of the 789 dealers or their friends will ever have the opportunity to kick their collective butts.
Stories that continue to be told and need to be! I just wish more people cared. Watch the video. I'm with you DealerEx...I have the same feelings with one exception....my stomach got so upset up I ran to the bathroom, almost didn't make it. Glad it was hours before we opened.
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Old 11-08-2010, 02:10 PM   #7
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That’s a great article.

The wrongful termination of dealers was bad enough however Chrysler’s stubborn stance in arbitration & complete refusal to reinstate viable dealers is unfathomable. Chrysler really needed these dealers to going forward.

The idea that fewer dealers would sell more or be more profitable so far has mainly proved false.

The September Dealer Scorecard shows zero for YOY Retail Sales Growth/Decline for both the national average & the SE BC. Our BC group is down. Our store is up but nowhere near the volume lost in the 2 terminated stores in our area. In fact I believe the closing of our 2 Chrysler competitors actually hurt the perception of the brand in our area.

From what I’ve read GM dealers YOY Retail Sales are flat as well.
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Old 11-08-2010, 02:52 PM   #8
The StraightShooter
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Great Story, I love Chapter II especially the part about CFC- reminds me of my own battle with CFC during those dark days. The bastards tried locking up my incentive/factory credits account with a forged form. I won. Reading this makes me wonder how any of us survived this. Kudos to the Weather's clan.
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Old 11-08-2010, 09:59 PM   #9
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Default Here's the link to the second installment

Here's the link to the second part of the newspaper report - click here

For those who may be new to the site and wonder why I continue to be dedicated to the plight of the rejected dealers and why I often question Chrysler's agenda - the second installment provides some answers.

I've witnessed what Chrysler's rejection has done to Mr. Weathers and his employees and I know there are 788 other dealers who have suffered needlessly too.

At one point in my life I was the most incredibly "pro-Chrysler" person on the planet. Chrysler was the greatest car company in the world and I was proud to be associated with them. What Press and Landry did to the dealers tarnished my image of Chrysler. Sadly, the subsequent treatment of the OLDCO dealers at the hands of Marchionne and Grady have only made the wounds deeper. Why did this carnage have to happen and when will the horrendous treatment of the rejected dealers end?
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Old 11-08-2010, 10:06 PM   #10
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Default Highly recommend watching the videos

I finally had a chance to watch the videos which are included with each report. The videos are awesome - I highly recommend taking the time to watch them.

The videos are only three to four minutes long but provide a great insight into what Larry Weathers and his employees have had to endure.
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Old 11-09-2010, 06:14 AM   #11
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My thoughts and prayers go out to the Weather's family and to their employees, as well as to all of the rest of us who had our franchises stolen. Reading this story shoukld be mandatory for all students at college level business ethics classes to learn how not to deal with your partners in the business world.

When our dealership was shut down, the AP news sent a reporter to covered the closing of an 82 year old Chrysler dealership. One of the questions she asked was, " What would you do if you could speak to the person at Chrysler who was directly responsible for these closings?" Having inherited my grandfather's directness (i never dealt in shades of grey) I responded, "I would take a 2x4 and break it over his head!" When she said there was no way she could print that, I said my other suggestion as to what Chrysler officials could do with the 2 x 4 was probably not appropriate either. She smiled. It never made the story.

It was ironic, however, that only Chrysler Financial employees and Chrysler employees who took the buyouts have kept in conversation.
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Old 11-10-2010, 07:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Isakson View Post
Reading this story shoukld be mandatory for all students at college level business ethics classes to learn how not to deal with your partners in the business world.
That's an excellent point - there's a lot that can be learned from reading this story and an ethics course at a Business School would be the perfect setting. So much of the pain that was inflicted on the OLDCO dealers never needed to happen and ended up accomplishing almost nothing.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob Isakson View Post
It was ironic, however, that only Chrysler Financial employees and Chrysler employees who took the buyouts have kept in conversation.
I've heard that from other OLDCO dealers too. I don't know whether Chrysler and CF have told their current employees not to communicate with the rejected dealers or if there's some other reason. Concerning employees who have departed, I've heard that Peter Fong still keeps in touch with some of the dealers in his old BC.
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Old 11-10-2010, 09:00 AM   #13
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Default Here's the link to the third installment

Here's the link to the third installment - click here

I just had a chance to read the final installment of the three piece report - Weathers Dodge - Surviving the Storm. It was a great report - very happy to read that business is improving and more important; Larry's health is good.

I especially enjoyed the video where Larry tells the story about a good friend who sees him in a restaurant and comments that Larry looks so healthy he'll have to take him off the prayer list.

I also enjoyed reading about the father-son dynamic - I think that's something many of our members can relate to. In the case of the Weathers, it's great that father and son can work together despite being so different.
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Old 03-24-2011, 12:39 PM   #14
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Smile Award Winning News Story

I heard from Mr. Weathers that the reporter who wrote the Weathers Dodge series recently won a national business journalism award for explanatory journalism. The award is from SABEW – Society of American Business Editors and Writers.

Congratulations to Ms. Maria Panaritis and thank you for telling the Weathers Dodge story and alerting your readers to the struggles Chrysler's rejected dealers have had to endure.
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