THEY CAN'T GET NO...SATISFACTION (FROM DOWNTOWN LA PORSCHE)

They Can't Get No Satisfaction (from Downtown LA Porsche)

Last month I opened the mail, and there it was...the golden ticket. I felt like Charlie in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", but instead of going to see Gene Wilder's factory of wacky candies, I was going to the opening of the Downtown LA's Porsche dealer. There, instead of everlasting gobstoppers, would be the 2006 Carrerra, and (heartbeat) a chance to win the same.

Up the red carpet we walked, inside to a packed house, where I snacked on sushi and champagne and moseyed around looking for something to do or see. The guests all looked a little off. No one smiled or talked or danced. I finally realized they were posing. Posing for whom? I do not know. They all seemed to wear their slightly understated designer clothes as a badge of something. You get the idea.

In other words: yawn! This moment I had been looking so forward to was a dud. Living in LA, I should be used to the non-responsive social scene, where one can mix and mingle but never meet.

As I gazed around, looking for something, anything, to catch my interest, I found it. There, outside, on the sidewalk, were two lone protestors, bearing signs that read "Your Warranty No Good Here".

As if it were destined, I knew I had to go and be with "my people". And it was decided. Seconds later I hopped through the landscaping and went over to the protesting duo. "What happened that made you so committed that you came out?". They told me their story. They bought their 2002 Boxster (the same car I have!) there and when the plastic window separated from the cloth roof, they brought it in and found that the dealership refused to cover the repair under the warranty. They used the old "normal wear and tear" excuse. No one would hear their plea, so they decided to hit the streets and "remind them" that they were still there.

We stood and talked and shared stories and felt like great friends in five minutes. He worked for Apple, she for the Sierra Club. We discussed protest strategies, laughed and talked, exchanged emails. These two MADE the evening for me.

This wasn't really about the roof, or the money, this was what I live for, righteous indignation. This was about the principle. This was about justice and honesty and honor. The irony, of course, was not lost on me. I could be out saving the whales, but here I was hitting the streets for a couple of Porsche owners. Ah how things have changed!


Want to do something about it? Call Derek Uerling at Downtown LA Motors: 888-686-7696 or Geri Lumsden, Manager of Customer Committment, Porsche Cars North America: 770 290-3551 (or email Geri at glumsden@porschecars.com)

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