My letter to Nissan

Nissan,
I hope this letter makes it’s way into the right hands. If you’re not the person to address my problem, will you please do your best to direct me or this letter to the that person?
My Name is Enoch Porch. I’m the owner of a 1993 Nissan Quest GXE. I need a replacement part for the driver’s seat. There is a panel on the outside (left) of the seat which houses the electronics to move it. The electronics are working fine and the buttons are in tact, but the plastic piece that surrounds the buttons has broken off it’s anchor and now hangs off the side of the seat.
I went to my local Nissan dealership where I purchased the vehicle to ask about getting a new piece. Fortunately it’s still available, and they said they could order it for me. I was about to place the order when I was told that the part costs $160. I figured that due to the high price that they must have been speaking of the electronics as well, at which point I let them know that all I needed was the piece of gray plastic which houses the electronics. I was shocked when in response I was told that this IS the piece that costs $160.
Now, I don’t know if you’re looking at the piece on a computer screen right now, but if not, I ask that you would please do so, as to envision the part I’m referring to. It’s a very simple piece of gray plastic which screws onto the side of the driver’s seat. A piece of plastic which in all reality is made up of about 78 cents of raw material, and including labor, electricity, and shipping probably costs all of about $8.39. Whether I’m qualified to make such assessments can be debated. That aside, as a consumer you know as well as I that the part is in no way close to being worth $160, and that even if I had that kind of money to spend on small pieces of plastic, that I would be insane to do so. Knowing that humans are error prone, perhaps it was suppose to have been input into the computer at $16 instead of the $160 quoted to me.
The problem is that I’d like to fix my van. It’s a simple problem with a cheap simple answer. But I need your help to do it. What can I do to come across a replacement part at a reasonable price? You may ask yourself what a reasonable price might be. Let me direct your attention to the same part on your 1993 Nissan Quest XE (as opposed to my model, the GXE). It’s a plastic part of the same size, and nearly the same shape. The only difference in this part is that the hole in it is shaped to accommodate a lever which tilts the seat instead of two sets of buttons. This part costs $40, which I would be willing to pay for the GXE part. Why the part for the GXE costs so much more than the part for the XE is far beyond me, and I would guess beyond you. Forced to speculate, I’d have to say that you’ve resolved that people who buy the GXE (the model with power seats) are probably wealthier than those who buy the XE (the model with manual seats) and less likely to care about spending large sums of cash on small repairs. The fact is, I care because with an annual income of just $16,000, this small plastic part consumes a full one percent of my take-home! OUCH!!!
I’d like to keep my vehicle, which in every other aspect has remained sturdy and useful, and I try to keep it in good repair. Hopefully you can help me do so. I can be contacted by phone, e-mail, or mail. Please respond.

Respectfully,
Enoch Porch 615-569-5404
1536 12th Ave N.
Nashville, TN 37208

musics

I've been saying for the last few weeks that I never want to sell another peice of music again. I don't know if I mean it or not. I still wanna make music and I want people to hear it. Hmm...I dunno exactly how that'll happen.
-Enoch

Green Beans and Tuna

Well, I'm in my new house. I'm minus a special girl, kinda minus a band or at least inactive at the moment...I'm thinking maybe I should find a new job that's not third shift and start a new life all together. Who knows?
I'm taking lessons. Piano and such. Learning to read a write. It's fun and interesting work. I'm not sure what end I'm headed towards, but something with happen, I'm sure. That seems to be the way things work.
Tonight I'm playing saw with my good friend CJ at Cafe Coco. Playing the saw given to me by my recently deceased grandfather. It's a fun instrument with a fun history.
I've been listening to classical music exclusively. Debussy and Ravel currently. It does a different thing to my brain.

-Enoch