Pretty Petty?

No, I am not writing of father Richard and son Kyle pictured to the left (their last name is Petty for those who are not NASCAR fans [their last name is still Petty for those who are NASCAR fans]).

I am speaking of Chrysler Financial. The Ever-lovely Miss Kim (my wife) was reaching the end of her lease on her Dodge Ram truck! We do need a truck to carry more than groceries (unlike some Escalade [Cadillac SUV] owners), so I called Chrysler to see if we could "discuss" the payoff after the lease. The first person I spoke with said he was authorized to offer me $2,900 off the price (woo-hoo). I thanked him and hit the Internet. All things considered, there was nothing comparable out there for the same price. Given the problems that Chrysler is having, I thought I could do a little better, so I called back. The lady I spoke with was pretty firm (an understatement) about Chrysler not offering any discounts, so thanked her and hung up, my ear still burning.

I called the first person back who did tell me the offered price was as good as they could do. Okay, I thought; he sent the paperwork to me after telling me the price was good until February 2nd. The short of it is we did the paperwork, made arrangements through our credit union (5.49 percent!), and sat back to wait.

On February 4th, Chrysler called to tell us our latest payment was overdue. I explained the situation, was told she'd "make a note in my file," and I thought we were good.

Apparently our payoff check was posted February 4th, so it turns out that we weren't fully paid off. Seems the two extra days resulted in our still owing an additional $19.19! Technically, I am sure that's probably legitimate, but insisting on $19.19?

On February 6th, Chrysler called again to tell me our account was overdue (hello right hand). I again explained the situation and another "note" was made in my file (I do expect I'll still get another "payment overdue" call on Monday). I know it will all work out, but to hold out for $19.19...? Pretty petty, I think, but I am sure you'll tell me if I'm wrong.

By the way, Kyle Petty drove a Dodge and his dad also drove a Dodge (among others).