Profit at Any Cost?

But what happens when that tighter belt puts our customers in jeopardy, when we deliver inferior products and service just to remain profitable?

Are we willing to sacrifice our integrity, our values, our sense of right and wrong for the bottom line? How do we expect our customers to respond? As customers, how are we supposed to respond?

I'm faced with just such a dilemma. I bought a brand new diesel truck last November. I decided to go 'new' versus 'used' because I'm hauling a 5 ton horse trailer - not to mention my precious horse children. I assumed a new truck was more reliable than a used truck. Bad assumption as it turns out.

I've had electrical problems, transmission issues and worse. Two months ago (at 7.5K miles) I lost the brakes and steering, simultaneously. WOW. Three weeks ago the truck lost all power (the turbo literally blew off the engine) as I was hauling my horses up Highway 1 to my favorite horse camp. The trailer flipped sideways across the highway. I have no clue how I kept from crashing into someone or something. My Guardian Angel is surely watching over me, as always.

I'm writing this post because I am shocked by the manufacturer's response- a profitable US automaker. (That limits the choices, now doesn't it?)

I've been reasonable, considering that the truck could have hurt or killed me both times. I've asked for a corporate investigation into the issues. The local service manager has told the corporate office that she feels the truck may not be safe given the issues she's seeing.

Their response? They are stonewalling me.

They have a social media presence, a supposedly strong and powerful one. But in my experience - it's all for show. After writing to that guru multiple times, I received a call from a corporate 'handler' who did the circle dance. She repeated a set script designed to protect them no matter what. No questions about my experience, not even the slightest facade of concern about my safety as their customer. The script was focused on three things:

• They'd 'fixed' the truck for free (uh, duh?)
• Nothing serious happened (OK, I didn't die)
• They are too big to check every warranty issue or part. (Wow, if I'm big I can ignore my failures?)

When I asked what they'd do if I had died - I got the same response. The company was just too big to check all warranty problems. Well, I guess their priorities are pretty clear.

What in the heck is wrong with this picture?

Has the economy pushed us so far, the need for profitability grown so strong, that we are willing to ignore customers? To 'turtle-up' into self-protection mode? Are we knowingly risking our customers safety?

I hate to believe we've come to that. It goes against my core belief in the best of human nature. Yet I see evidence of profit at any cost all around me. Reduced staff in key customer areas, longer hours with lower wages on manufacturing lines, employees stretched so thin they make critical mistakes, a focus on corporate-CYA versus customer care.

Are we so afraid of failing that we'll sacrifice our own values, perhaps our own customers' safety, to stay ahead?

If so - what does that say about our future, as business people and as human beings?

I'm beginning to wonder. As for my truck - well, she had some more issues on the way to the High Sierras last week. Nothing as dramatic but the turbo is still flaky. So now I'm doing something I've never done before in my life - hiring a lawyer to handle a tough discussion with a vendor. At this stage I have no reason to believe the manufacturer will pay any attention unless I make a move to show them I am serious.

I can't begin to tell you how dismayed I am. So many things are going right for me, I hate to bring this negative energy into my life. A battle with my auto manufacturer was NOT on my agenda when I wrote that check. But now, I feel as though I need to do something. I didn't get hurt - but what if the same things happen to someone else, and they do get hurt? Someone needs to stand up and help this manufacturer see that profit is not more important than people.

I should have bought an import.