Saturday, November 29, 2008

SHARE THE LOVE EVENT - THROUGHOUT DECEMBER!

PREMIER SUBARU “SHARES THE LOVE” IN THE NEW HAVEN AREA

Local Subaru Dealership helps Habitat for Humanity International, Boys & Girls Club of America, Meals on Wheels Association of America, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)

(Branford, CT – November 28, 2008) – Premier Subaru is supporting the “Subaru Share The Love Event” marketing campaign. Based on the love Subaru owners have for their vehicles and their desire to help worthy causes, the “Subaru Share The Love Event”, runs from November 24, 2008 to January 2, 2009 and allows Subaru new vehicle customers to select from five charities to receive a $250 donation from Subaru of America, following the vehicle purchase or lease.

Extending Subaru’s “Love. It’s What Makes A Subaru, A Subaru” campaign, the event is expected to raise up to $5,000,000 for the charities during its duration. The five charities participating in the program are; Habitat for Humanity International, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Meals on Wheels Association of America, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF).

Based on research that shows Subaru buyers have a strong affinity towards charitable donations to worthy causes, the campaign has been developed by the company’s brand agency, Carmichael Lynch, to align that affinity to their vehicle purchase.

Robert J. Alvine, President of Premier Subaru, said, “We wanted to create a program that not only stands out from the crowd but is also relevant to our customer’s value system – that of giving back to the community. The program is also timely in that many charities are feeling the effects of the recent economic troubles. So we are pleased to be helping charities during this difficult period.”

The “Subaru Share The Love Event” campaign features print, TV and digital media components. More information can be found at www.premiersubaru.com.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

7,551 AND COUNTING!

Thanks to all of you that continue to opt-in to receive our monthly newsletter. Brian Canell, our "Editor" really does a terrific job in putting together a product that has some good and helpful articles, as well as some that allow you to get to know our team a little better. Right now, over 7,500 people receive our newsletter throughout the area. Heck, we now boast a higher subscription rate than most of the weekly area papers! Please - let us know how we can improve this. This newsletter is not for us - it is for you - our clients and prospective clients, as well as our friends. Thanks for your support of this newsletter and, thank you Brian for a "job well done'!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

STATE INVESTIGATES WARRANTY SALES CALLS - AT LONG LAST!

Please note the following article from The New York Times. This is something that we have tried to help our client’s with for over 3 years. We have many letters written to the Attorney General’s Office requesting them to look into this matter on behalf of our clients. Please feel free to share this with customers, as needed.

November 9, 2008
States Investigate Warranty Sales Calls
By CHRISTOPHER JENSEN
ATTORNEYS GENERAL in several states are investigating what they suspect are telephone sales scams promoting extended car warranties, often by calling cellphones or numbers that are on do-not-call lists.
The Connecticut attorney general, Richard Blumenthal, said his office had received “a huge number of complaints — hundreds of complaints.” Connecticut is part of a large, multistate investigation into such calls, he said.
Another of those states is Iowa. “They are trying to trick you into believing that the communication is coming from the auto manufacturer and that your warranty is about to expire and you need to do something to extend that warranty,” said William L. Brauch, a special assistant attorney general and director of the consumer protection division in Iowa.
But automakers are not behind the policies, Mr. Brauch said, and after buying such a policy it may be difficult to get reimbursed for a repair.
“A number of these companies tend to routinely deny paying, they come up with various interpretations, shall we say, of the agreements, which they say justify them not covering whatever the problem might be,” he said.
Mr. Blumenthal said the investigation was looking at whether the policies were legitimate as well as the use of misleading and deceptive sales practices. That includes telling people that their warranties have expired and that urgent action is needed.
Investigators are also looking at violations of the federal do-not-call registry, Mr. Brauch said.
In many cases the callers are hiding the telephone number from which they are calling.
“They are using what are called ghost, or spoof, telephone numbers,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “They use technology that masks the source of their calls, which is troubling because consumers can’t call them back.”
The originating phone number that showed up in recent calls to some New Yorkers was traced to a disconnected phone in Nebraska. It belonged to an illegal immigrant who was arrested in a raid on a meat-packing plant and was deported, said Leah Bucco-White, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska attorney general’s office.
Last year, a company from Howell, N.J., agreed to pay $120,000 in fines to resolve complaints filed by the New Jersey attorney general, Anne Milgram, that it had engaged in unfair and deceptive marketing in the sale of automotive warranties and that it had violated do-not-call regulations.
The company, Corfacts Inc. (also known as Metro Marketing, National Warranty Division and Warranty Warehouse.com) did not acknowledge wrongdoing. But Corfacts signed a consent order and agreed not to violate the state’s consumer protection or do-not-call laws.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Food Drive Going On Now!

Hi everyone. It’s that time of year that we show how thankful we are for all the blessings that we have in our lives. One of the best ways to show how grateful we are is to share of ourselves with others.

This year Premier Subaru, LLC would like to help the Branford Food Council.

We will be accepting non-perishable and non-expired food items to help those less fortunate that ourselves.

Please bring your donation to either food box in the accounting office or our service department during this week and next. We will be delivering our collection on November 21, 2008.


It is in giving that you receive.
Thank you for all your support.

Friday, November 7, 2008

PREMIER SUBARU AND PREMIER PREOWNED ARE OFFICIAL DROP OFF POINTS FOR THE TOYS FOR TOTS PROGRAM



For the eighth year in a row, Premier Subaru and Premier Pre-Owned in Branford are proud to be official drop off points for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program. The 61 year mission of the Toys for Tots program is to collect new, unwrapped toys each holiday season and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders. Last year, approximately 36,000 children in the Greater New Haven and all surrounding areas received toys through Toys For Tots.

Bob Alvine, President of Premier Subaru and Premier Pre-Owned commented that “We believe that this program allows us an opportunity to play an active role in the development of our nation’s most valuable natural resource – our children and to unite all members of the local community. The gift of a shiny new toy – something children take for granted – means to a needy child that someone cares, that he/she hasn’t been forgotten, that Christmas hasn’t passed him or her by. In addition, due to the current economic environment, we are starting this program off early to ensure that we are able to collect a record number of toys.”

As an added benefit, customers who contribute a new, unwrapped toy to the Toys for Tots program will receive an additional $100.00 off their new or used vehicle purchase at either Premier Subaru or Premier Pre-Owned in Branford. Collections under this program end on December 19, 2008.

Premier Subaru is located at 150 North Main Street in Branford. Premier Pre-Owned is located at 165 North Main Street in Branford. Community members requiring additional information are encouraged to call 203-481-0687 or visit their website at www.premiersubaru.com. ###

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

The Subaru Forester - Motor Trend's 2009 SUV of the Year!

As a member of Subaru's National Dealer Council, I was privledged to be in attendance during Motor Trend's Official Awards Ceremony to provide the SUV of the Year Award to Subaru for the all new 2009 Subaru Forester. This was truly an amazing occassion, especially to be able to interact and talk to the members of the Motor Trend Magazine Staff (including the Editor in Chief!) about how they go about selecting the vehicle for this award. The full press release is as follows:

CHERRY HILL, N.J., /PRNewswire/ -- Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that the Subaru Forester was named MOTOR TREND's 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year. Topping 12 other contenders, the Subaru Forester was, according to MOTOR TREND editor-in-chief, Angus MacKenzie, the judges' unanimous decision. "The Subaru Forester is the SUV for our times," said MacKenzie.

"We are proud and honored to receive this award for the Subaru Forester," said Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president, Subaru of America. "The previous Forester had become a byword for practicality and durability and we knew the 2009 Forester had a tough act to follow. So, we made the new Forester bigger, more powerful and more economical than ever-while retaining its legendary reliability and safety, only in a more complete package. The improvements to the new Forester are also being reflected in consumer demand, with sales up 32% over the previous year."

Priced from $19,995 the all-new Subaru Forester represents a $1,200 reduction over the entry price of the previous model. It is available with either a 170-hp 2.5-liter boxer engine or a 224-hp turbocharged engine. Blending utility with performance and comfort, the 2009 Forester is built on an all-new platform featuring a 3.6-inch longer wheelbase (now 103.0 inches) that improves ride and interior space, especially rear seat legroom. The 2009 Forester also features increased hip and shoulder room.

Living up to Subaru's legendary safety record, the Forester and offers cutting-edge safety technology, including Subaru's ring reinforcement safety system, front, seat-mounted side, and three-row side-curtain airbags and ABS. Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control (VDC) system, which incorporates stability and traction control systems with a roll-over sensor, is also standard equipment.
The Subaru Forester recently received the highest possible ratings in frontal and side impact crash tests by the governments' National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In addition to a five-star frontal and side impact crash-test rating, the 2009 Forester received a four-star rollover resistance rating.

To judge contenders for the award, MOTOR TREND's editorial staff conducted exhaustive off-road, street and track testing, and carefully considered essentials such as driving performance, safety and features. MOTOR TREND'S Sport/Utility of the Year is not a comparison test. Each contender was evaluated against three simple criteria: superiority (engineering, design, utilization of resources); significance (its impact on the market), and value (what buyers get for their money versus the competition).

PREMIER SUBARU IS PROUD TO CONTINUE TO BE ONE OF THE LARGEST FORESTER DEALERS IN AMERICA!