Letter to the Editor: Local citizen calls out business practices of car dealerhships

Why has it become okay to turn signing a contract into a game of hide and seek? If you don’t believe what I am saying just ask anybody that has purchased a car, if they caught the dealership trying to sneak in some kind of option, warranty, or some other type of extra charge when they went to sign the contract. I’ll bet you will find the vast majority of people will say that they have caught the dealership trying to sneak something in.

Why has something that was meant to protect all parties involved been corrupted into something that is used to take advantage of the consumer? I am sure that it is something that can easily be fixed because I have come up with a document that would fix the problem. But for some reason none of the entities that are out there to “protect the consumer” seem to be concerned enough to even look into it or contact me.

I have contacted the following entities and not one has done anything to stop this practice. BBB, Consumer Protection, FTC, MVED, Utah Attorney General, Congressman Chris Stewart, Get Gephardt, and the Spectrum Newspaper. I think the main reason that they have done nothing is because I am the only one contacting them at this time and they choose to ignore an individual complaint. Whereas if several consumers complain, then they choose to respond and investigate further. Which to me is why this has gotten so far out of control, because most people don’t take the time to report behavior like this because we all know that once they have your signature on that contract, there isn’t much you can do.

That’s why there has to be a change in how contracts are made so that there is LESS chance of dealers trying to sneak in extra charges that have not been discussed or agreed to by the consumer. And the only way that this can happen is by getting law makers and law enforcers involved. So if you agree with what I am saying then you should contact Chris Stewart at stewart.house.gov and Sean Reyes atattorneygeneral.utah.gov and tell them that you are tired of being taken advantage of and that something needs to be done to stop this behavior right now.

Remember there is strength in numbers so do not assume that someone else will respond so you don’t need to. It doesn’t take much time or effort, just go to the websites click on contact us and let them know how you feel. You can also go to thievenwadeauto.com and you will see that you are not alone. 

David Johnson, St. George