I happen to be age 47 with two college degrees magna cum laude and, as stated earlier, nearly two decades' experience working with one of the Big 3. I've seen first hand, both as an employee and as a customer of said company, the unacceptable performance that passes for quality and service on the part of the Big 3 and its UAW employees and its dealers.
The people that are making the bed are the managers, employees, and dealers of the Big 3. You can't blame the customer. Nobody who has gone through what I went through as a former Big 3 owner and a current Honda owner would ever in their right mind consider owning a Big 3 vehicle for the rest of their natural life.
The Big 3 has had over 30 years to impress me and prove itself to me, and it failed. Honda and Kia have succeeded. Ergo, I will buy Hondas and Kias, even if the U.S. workers who build them happen to be employed elsewhere than in Michigan. And if I did have children I would not hesitate to warn them about all of the problems inherent in poorly designed and manufactured Big 3 products and the union mentality and attitude I experienced while I worked with UAW members for all those years. I would warn them not to buy products from those companies under any circumstances. Detroit and the UAW need to have the silver spoons yanked out of their mouths and accept the fact that no one owes them patronage "just because." Respect and customer loyalty need to be EARNED. And loyalty and market share will only be regained following years of hard work, honest effort, and genuine respect in the way they build their products and treat their customers and employees.
Nobody owes the Big 3 or Detroit a living, any more than anyone owes ANYONE a living. In both cases, success must be earned as a result of hard work and effort. In my experience, Detroit's Big 3 don't measure up. They are failures, and the current market situation is only a natural result of that.
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