In the overall scheme of things I know it’s not a big deal, but the piece of legislation that irritates me most this session is the one that allows car dealers to increase their “document fee” from $50 to $150. What a totally bogus scam.
See, this is the way it works. You do all your homework, educating yourself on the real dealer invoice, and all the various incentives and rebates out there, and then you go to the dealer and attempt to negotiate the best deal you can… you know, one in which you get a fair value and the dealer makes a fair profit, sometimes as little as a few hundred bucks, depending on the car. And then when you go to sign the paperwork you find this extra $150 tacked on.
“What’s that?” you ask. “Oh, that’s the state document fee,” the salesman responds, and you curse under your breath at yet another state tax you weren’t aware of, before coughing up an additional $150.
But it’s not a tax, and it’s not mandatory, and you just gave the dealer an additional $150 in profit above what you thought you had just negotiated.
That’s just downright deceptive, and the state’s got no business helping car dealers trick customers into padding their profit, regardless of the current sorry state of the industry. If a 150 bucks is the difference between making a big enough profit or not, charge 150 bucks more, or don’t make the deal. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head. But it’s just plain dishonest to go into negotiations knowing the customer is already standing $150 in a hole.
Of course, everybody already expects car dealers to be deceptive. I just don’t see why the state government has to enable them in that endeavor.
You can negotiate that fee off the purchase price. That way, the next time Goldy buys a NON-UNION auto (because he hates American UNION workers), you can tell them to take the document off of the overall purchase price, as well as take the price of the auto down (I just did this on my recent purchase of an AMERICAN made auto). Try supporting the American worker every now and again Goldy, WE (those of us who actually pay our union dues, not just tell others too) might surprise you!
I would have to agree. This is a bull shit bill. At least it was amended to require that the form state and the dealer point out the fee is optional and was requested by the dealers. Still, its an 11th hour scam to get extra cash after the buyer thinks they have made a deal.
Couldn’t agree more.
Dear “idiot car buyer” @1:
So you buy a car based on whether they had a union or not?
How do you tell for all the parts? Or are you just concerned about the assembly?
Do you ever consider the engineering of the car or the gas mileage (or the price) as major factors in whether to buy the car? Does the union have ANY say in those?
Seems like the manufacturer and auto execs have much more say over those crucial features than the union.
What has stopped US manufacturers from making small gas efficient cars? It sure has not been the union – it has been stupid managment decisions.
Goldy: I agree – that fee is BS. In a free market, we should not have to use that to pad the money the dealer makes.
The fee is BS; just like the expensive license tabs we used to have (even though the tab fees keep creeping up!).
Yeah, the whole thing is a load of crap and was put in place to help dealerships that if left to the “free market” would close.
Kinda like the Democrats telling us this is not a tax increase, but a fee-adjustment. Bullshit is bullshit, be it from a used car dealer or a Democrat. But, I repeat myself.
It’s just more bullshit they add onto the car like fabric protection and paint “sealant”. If you are going to buy a car you owe it to yourself to go into the process informed.
Easy to make go away. Last car I bought I got the bottom line price via e-mail before even walking in the door.
That’s why I voted against this bill. Let the marketplace work and give the consumer the information they need. If sellers want to charge a processing fee to increase their margins that’s fine, but don’t hide behind a government authorized ‘fee’ that makes it seem kosher.
totally agree
Tax day crowd now estimated above 500K:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/p.....-climbing/
This is amazing. I can only imagine what the Memorial Day and July 4th numbers will be! Probably well over a million!
re 9: Do you think that Jesus was interfering with the workings of the free market when he threw the moneychangers out of the temple.
The nerve of some deities!!
re 11: Your wingnut sites are BS. Don’t even post a link.
Goldy: I know you want a conversation(?) or even a vote on a high-earner income tax, but that won’t be coming down the pike any time soon.
There’s going to be a .3% sales tax measure coming up for a vote. Be a good progressive and urge all your readers to vote for it. mmmkay? Got it?
What do you care Goldy? Still driving that little POS Nissan?
11
If your numbers are accurate, which is highly unlikely, that would mean about 1.5% of the nation’s population turned out for an event that the rightwing media pushed like it was an extra Christmas. Way to go, wingnuts.
@11
A little perspective, Obama’s Inauguration drew a crowd estimated by left-wing sources @ 1.8 million, by conservative sources @ 1.1 million. JUST IN D.C. SO throwing you the bone of the lower number, 50% fewer people showed up in THE ENTIRE COUNTRY for an anti-Obama event than showed in one city for a pro-Obama event.
300,000-400,000 people protested prior to the Iraq war on February 15 in NYC, JUST NYC.
Remember, this was billed as “Move over Move On” and was going to be the biggest thing EVER. Turned out to be pretty much nothing and you all did yourselves SO proud. Viva La Revolucion!!!
BTW, why the hell was there a protest at the State Capitol here in WA? We have no income tax. It was not tax filing day in this state. What, all the teabaggers were too lazy to use the Google and find a Federal Building? Obviously a lot can’t use the Google or you would have seen the teabagging jokes coming.
17 ‘Remember, this was billed as “Move over Move On” and was going to be the biggest thing EVER. Turned out to be pretty much nothing and you all did yourselves SO proud. Viva La Revolucion!!!”
In addition, there was a significant percentage who showed up to grind their off-topic axes.
Conservative leadership be forewarned…I was a student at the UW at the time of the Kent State incident, and the spontaneous march down the freeway. On that day, the crowd was pretty much unified behind the message that for our soldiers to kill American citizens on American soil who were peacefully expressing their opposition to an ill-conceived and unjustifiable war was completely intolerable.
In the days that followed, rallies were held to try and keep that same message going–which were quickly diluted by folks showing up to bang the drum for a variety of causes, many of which found less than universal acceptance. Within a week, the turnout had dwindled to a handful of people, most of whom didn’t know what they were doing there.
So here you people have tried to start a movement based on what’s at best a questionable premise, only a couple months into a new administration. Between now and the next Congressional election, you’re going to have to deal with all the people who are even wackier than you are, showing up with signs saying things like “KILL THE NIGGER” and “STREET RACERS FOR JESUS”. Good luck trying to deliver a coherent message to the voters.
Experience has shown that the American electorate isn’t stupid, by any means, but has an awfully short collective attention span.
Oh, I understand….you’ve got GODDDDD on your side. You’re going to have to work pretty hard just to keep Her attention.
The $150 car dealer ripoff fee bill passed by 73 to 22 in the House and 42 to 3 in the Senate. Seems like half or more of the “NO” votes came from Republicans. Pam Roach voted “YES” in the Senate, but her son Dan Roach voted “NO” in the House. Go figure.
It’s no problem, especially today, to tell the dealer – you drop that $150 or I walk. I just bought a new Chevy Silverado PU and my doc fee was $30. I told em that was all I’d pay. They didn’t even argue.
And to the right wing maggots who want to politicize this – eat shit and die and do it in front of your kids.
20. ByeByeGOP spews:
If this fool only did what he wants others to do and only 4/65 people condemn him/it.
You can purchase whatever vehicle you want stillbentover. It’s your ecoterrorist buds like Al Gorebasm and NutRight who have the cow fool!
‘And to the right wing maggots who want to politicize this – eat shit and die and do it in front of your kids.’
Uuuuummmm…..Queen Crissy OK’d this. Gregoire (D).
Codespeak for:
“Don’t confuse me with those fact things. I know how I feel about it and my mind is already made up.”
Why do the tea parties scare you so much?
I was just buying a birthday gift for my nephew. I was looking at the Chevy Silverado PU myself. Tonka has really outdone themselves with this years model.
If some reporter…if there are any left…did an in-depth investigation of this POS bill, you would have the distilled essence of the putrid state of our political system.
Special interests win over the general interest. Because the car dealers generate political contributions. Until a few years ago, there were $0 fees for document handling. It has been a concerted nation-wide effort by car dealers to create this bogus fee.
By the way, the slippery slope of this is that we should be charged fees for all the taxes and licensing all businesses collects on behalf of government. Why not allow grocers to add a few percentage points at the end of the sales slip for the work they do collecting the sales tax? Oh, and don’t forget the burdensome paperwork of the B&O tax (add up your sales, multiply times a %). And Realtors, wake up. You deserve at least a $1,000 for all the paperwork you do to support the sale of property.
When you juxtapose this with a “no tax” all-cut budget, this law is a poster child for what is wrong.
One more thing…
Do politicians who approve these bills wonder why their profession is held in lower regard than car dealers?