Action: Textured house paint didn't hold up

In 1991, I had my house texture-coated by East Coast Manufacturing. The salesperson assured me that it was bonded by high pressure and would not crack or peel. More than three years ago, the paint (Tex-Cote) began cracking and peeling. I have made several phone calls to East Coast Manufacturing, but my requests for repairs have gone unanswered. The last time I spoke to East Coast Manufacturing, I was told it had subcontracted the work to another company that had gone out of business. Now it claims it can do nothing about it.

East Coast contacted me for the job and my check was made out to it, not some other company that it subcontracted. Please help. The amount I financed was $4,520, and with the finance charges, I paid $6,553.80 for a textured coating that did not last seven years. It was guaranteed for 15. Martha Merrill Gross

Response: George Lawlor, president of East Coast Manufacturing in Casselberry, said that the textured coating warranty you were given is from the manufacturer, Textured Coatings of America. The warranty explicitly states what is covered. He said he would send you a copy of the claim form and a toll-free number for Textured Coatings of America so you can submit a claim to it.

Car trouble

My wife and I leased a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo from St. Pete Jeep Chrysler Plymouth in St. Petersburg in August 1999. We love the style and finish of that vehicle. Unfortunately, we have had an extremely difficult time keeping our vehicle out of the dealership's service department. Our jeep has, on multiple occasions, just stopped running. This has occurred in our driveway, while driving down busy streets and several times while driving on the interstate.

The dealership's staff has been extremely diligent in trying to solve our problem and keep us reassured that it would be corrected. The service department has changed electronic parts, replaced fuel pumps on multiple occasions and driven our vehicle for several days with some type of diagnostic equipment attached. I have also been told that it has consulted with factory personnel on three occasions to try to determine a solution to this loss of power. We have been very patient through all this inconvenience because we believed that St. Pete Jeep would stand behind its product. Enough is enough.

We returned the jeep to the dealership in mid March and said we were past the point of being patient and that it was time to replace our vehicle with one that did not have an inherent defect. Everyone was very sympathetic, and we were contacted by someone in sales with an offer to replace our vehicle and also to contact Chrysler to see if it could offer some further assistance. Well, the saga continues.

The offer we received was inadequate and insulting. We were asked to come up with $1,500 plus increase our lease payment by $150 per month for the replacement of a defective and non-repairable vehicle. We were also told that Chrysler had no program in place to help and that if we wanted any other satisfaction we would have to go to arbitration.

We are reasonable people who understand that sometimes things do not always go right, but we feel we are being forced to put our family's safety in jeopardy by the dealership's refusal to replace a vehicle that is unsafe and defective. In addition to the loss-of-power problem, this vehicle has been in for faulty brake pads, various electrical problems, inoperative power windows, faulty rear windshield wipers, faulty shock absorbers, service light on continuously, etc. Apparently had we purchased this vehicle from Chrysler instead of leasing it, we would have been treated differently. When St. Pete Jeep contacted Chrysler, we were told that the only option was arbitration. We were also told that there are no programs in place for leased vehicles in this type of situation. Joe and Gina Fontana

Response: Ron York, service director for St. Pete Jeep Chrysler Plymouth in St. Petersburg, said he has reviewed the file on your vehicle and found that you did have an ongoing concern about stalling beginning at 19,200 miles in December. The dealership replaced some components that it thought might have caused the problem, but it was never able to duplicate the problem. At various times while the dealership worked on this vehicle, he said, Chrysler's technical assistance people were consulted. In addition, a zone technical representative also looked at the vehicle. He said it is the dealership's understanding that the problem has not recurred since the last repair in March.

York said St. Pete Jeep did try to trade your vehicle for another one, but closing your lease would require out-of-pocket money and a larger payment, even though the dealership was willing to give you a new vehicle at cost. DaimlerChrysler could offer no assistance in trading your vehicle and suggested arbitration. He said notice has been received that the arbitration process has begun, and he expects the date to be set within the next two weeks.

Your problem was a new one for Action, and we're sorry we cannot give you better news. Given the number of people who lease vehicles, we're sure the outcome of your arbitration will interest them. Please let us know how it goes, and we will publish a followup.

If you have a question for Action, or your attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write: Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, (800) 333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request. Names will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright