Conference 7.286::digital

    
    Having bought quite a few cars over the years (God ... one more
    thing I loose out on soon!) your situation sounds exagerated. When
    I bought cars from my own cost center, I'd just park it in my back
    yard until the title came and I transferred it. My last one I (actually
    my brother) bought from my manager's cost center. He (or maybe his
    secretary) wanted the car left here at the office until the title 
    came etc. But it has never taken me three weeks - then again Gelco
    is all of eight miles from us here in Minneapolis. The document
    that you get from Gelco and saign says that won't use it until it
    is transferred or something to that affect.
    
    
    that

    Actually taking the keys away sounds like an unreasonable act of
    distrust on the part of your manager. If you showed him copies of the
    paperwork, and he made a simple telephone call to Gelco for
    confirmation, I see no reason for him to take the keys. 
     

>    To my surprise my former cost center manager took away the car keys from
>    me.

If he did this after Gelco had confirmed the sale to you, this is theft of
personal property.  Unless he used force, letting him get his hands on the
keys was your mistake, so it would be difficult to bring criminal charges
against him.

/john

    Check with Fleet.  I bought a Plan A car a couple of years ago.
    Fleet sent me the title in 5 days (they processed it through GELCO).
    They also had an extra set of keys to a car that was stolen from
    our facility a few months back and found in Wisconsin, I think.
    I don't know what to tell you about DEC's responsibility for the
    car.  Your Mgr's Mgr's Secretary used to handle that stuff.  She
    may know.
    
    (Good luck at the new job...)

    In all my years at DEC,I've learned a few things.One thing I've
    learned is that there are two types of managers: 1) Those that go
    strictly by the book.(you can always tell this type,he/she will
    *always* haul out the personnel orange book when a question of policy
    arises)
    2) Those that "do the right thing" no matter what the official policy
    is.
    I've a feeling that the manager in question is a #1.
    
    #2 type managers are the popular ones and are mostly successful.

I would send your former manager a written notice stating that unless he 
returns the keys to YOUR car, that it is infered that he is acting on
behalf of Digital to insure your vehicle against theft, damage, fire, acts
of God, etc.   Make sure to copy his manager, his managers manager, and
the DEC legal department.   You'll get your keys back quick enough! 8-)

    Reason .6,
    
    Take the advice of .6.  Fear is a GREAT motivator.
    
    Dick

                  

         Finally I got my car keys from my former cost center manager 
         last week. I got to go through lot of hassles and harassment 
         to get the keys. Gelco was prompt in sending the title and 
         Bill of sale as soon as they received the cash. They even 
         called my former manager and told him that the car belongs to 
         them (Gelco) and they have released the title to me. 
         
         When I called my former manager, he insisted that he wanted 
         me to come personally to show him the title and get the 
         keys. He would not agree to hand over the keys to some one ( 
         another Digital employee) who has my power of attorney to 
         receive the key, based on the FAX copy of the title. It 
         sounded silly to me to go all the way from Boston to 
         Detroit just to receive the key. I had no option other than 
         to call Digital Fleet services and inform them about the 
         whole thing. They agreed that my former manager has to 
         release the keys to any one whom I authorize.They even called 
         my former manager and told him to release the keys. This 
         issue was going no where for a while.
         
         Fortunately I went on a business trip to Detroit and I used 
         the opportunity to go to him and collect the keys.. Oh ! What 
         a hassle!! 
         
         One last thing : When I handed the car keys to him, my former 
         manager told me that the used car floor mats and jumper cable 
         should be returned to him, which I did. He took these things 
         and put it in his personal car. I think he might have kept 
         them in storage some where in Digital. I am wondering as to 
         what Digital do with such used junk. Do they have a annual 
         garage sale???? 
         
         Surprisingly I was not asked to drain out some of the fluids 
         such as Brake fluids, Coolants etc which I bought when the 
         car belonged to the company.

    This former manager sounds like a FLAMING A__ H___.
    I congradulate(sp) you on no longer working for him.

    I guess I don't care to be jerked around either.  I would send a
    letter to his manager, his manager's manager, and so forth, detailing
    all of the hassle you went through.  I might even cc: Ken Olsen,
    after all, he apparently has been receiving lots of mail from unhappy
    employees lately, what's another letter?
    
    Seriously, I wouldn't let it rest here.  He might do it again to
    another employee.
    
    Ed

    The _man_ is not fit to be called a manager and he should be dealt
    with in the manner specified in .10. He is going against everything
    that Digital stands for: Honesty, Integrity, Flexibility etc..
    
    Jim

        Let me remark that we have heard one side of the story from
        a person who is "in the thick of things".  I don't know the
        manager personally, nor do I know the employee who wrote the
        topic note.  I don't know the facts of the situation, other
        than as reported by one of the principals involved.
        
        Let me suggest that comments like that in reply .11 judge the
        manager involved based only on the facts and opinions reported
        here, not necessarily on a complete picture of the manager,
        or of the reasons he may have had for his actions.
        
        IF the facts are as reported, and there are no mitigating reasons
        for the manager's behavior, then I have to agree that the manager
        is acting in an unreasonable way, and perhaps should not be in the
        position of supervising people.  However, I have no way of knowing
        whether the facts are really as reported. 
        
        Tom

    CAR MATS BELONG TO THE CAR AND WHEN YOU BUY ANY CARS THROUGH GELCO
    YOU BUY THEM AS IS. I,VE BOUGHT THREE OR FOUR EX COMPANY CARS IN
    THE LAST TWO YEARS. I WAS TOLD BY FLEET TO TAKE THE CARS HOME BUT
    DON'T USE THEM UNTIL I GOT THE TITLE BACK. THE COST CENTER MANAGER
    PAYS FOR THE CAR UNTIL GELCO RECEAVES THE PAPER WORK AFTER THAT
    THE CAR IS YOURS AND THE INSURANCE IS CANCELED. 

Did you pay for the jumper cables and then put them onto your expense
    account. If yes I would think that the cc owned them. How ever you
    are lucky to get out of a branch that is doing so poorly that the
    manager has to confiscate these items to keep it afloat. Thanks
    for the warning though. I'll never xfer to detroit after reading
    this. At least not unless i bring my own jumper cables w/me.
    
    chas.