LIVORNO. «Dear customer, we are writing to inform you of a problem regarding the safety of your C3, equipped with airbag inflators produced by the Takata company. The chemicals contained may deteriorate over time, exposing the driver and passenger to the risk of rupture, with excessive force in the event of an accident, which could cause serious injury or death. We ask you to immediately stop driving her vehicle.”
The problem
He can’t drive. And above all, he is struggling with the online procedure for resolving the problem, which can be accessed with a “Qr code”, framing it with a mobile phone or tablet. Sauro is among the 600,000 people across Europe that Citroën – the brand of the Stellantis group, the same as Fiat – has contacted for the replacement of the airbag: dozens of cases have emerged in the city alone. In recent days, the car manufacturer has recalled around 600,000 cars with letters sent to homes due to a problem found in the airbags. These are cars produced between 2009 and 2019 in around twenty countries in southern Europe (including Italy), the Middle East and North Africa. In particular, the campaign concerns 497,171 Citroën C3s and 108,601 DS3s. Sauro, in particular, had purchased the first model and is now called upon to replace it, which is clearly free and does not involve any expense for the consumer. Just the discomfort.
Difficulties
The dealership’s intervention should be not only free but also quite fast. But Sauro – who asks not to appear by his surname – is unable to make the appointment. «They tell me that I risk death if I drive again, but it’s a jungle of call centers and online procedures to contact the manufacturer and ask for the airbag to be replaced – he protests – so I would really like to understand how to do it. I would have expected better assistance, so it’s not good. My partner and I use the car and it’s from 2011, it’s almost 15 years old, we have to use it because otherwise how do we get around? It’s a big inconvenience, then those words written in red about safety certainly worry me a bit.”
The procedure
In Livorno the reference dealership is that of Scotti & Baroncini, with its assistance center which, to overcome the difficulties, has effectively replaced the parent company’s call center. «Whoever received the letter – comments one of the company’s managers – Sandro Pacciardi – come to us, you will receive an appointment. In these days we are providing, precisely to meet the needs of the people of Livorno, a free customer support service, with a person assigned exclusively to this task. People who have difficulties with the online procedure can contact us directly, we are here to help them.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
