All Pawtucket All The Time

After six months of letters to congressman and support from local customers, U.S. House of Representatives offers hope of potential reinstatement of closed dealerships.

North Kingstown, RI: Jim Tarbox applauds the US House of Representatives for passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2010 (HR 3288) on December 9, 2009. The act would create a third party arbitration process through which dealerships that lost their franchise agreements during Chrysler bankruptcy proceedings may argue their cases. With the help of loyal representation in Congress and local support at home in Rhode Island, Tarbox Jeep and other dealerships across the nation may have the opportunity to reopen.

“I’m happy our hard work and determination has moved us in the right direction. There is no doubt my dealership should not have been closed and I have the high score cards to prove this,” said Jim Tarbox, owner of Tarbox Motors. “We hope this appropriations bill will pass the Senate and we thank Congressmen Langevin and Kennedy for their support.”

Under this bill, Jim Tarbox and hundreds of other dealership owners will have the opportunity to argue for reinstatement. According to the House bill, the arbitrators will consider the economic interests of the dealership and the motor vehicle company by reviewing the auto maker’s business plan, dealership profitability for the past three years, dealership experience, geographic characteristics and territory demographics.

Tarbox Jeep performed in the top 10 percent in the country and was the highest performing Jeep dealer in New England. Jim Tarbox believes a reinstatement would be a positive business decision for Chrysler and the country.

“The passage of this appropriations bill by the House is great news for high performing dealerships across the nation, such as Tarbox Motors, and we are hopeful the Senate will follow suit. My dealership was an asset to the Chrysler Corporation and the state of Rhode Island, selling a substantial amount of cars and treating our customers with superior customer service. A reinstatement would allow us to continue performing as a contributing small business for Chrysler and our overall economy,” said Tarbox.