Friday, February 8, 2008


, RuColumnist implores senator


 to sack car dealer fee


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I


 Earl Stewart is the owner
and general manager ofEarl
Stewart obyota in North Palm
Beach. The dealership is
located at 1215 N. Federal
Highway in Lake Park.
Contact him atwww.earl-
stewarttoyota.com, call (561)
358-1474, fax (561) 658-0746
or e-mail earls@earlstewart-
toyota.com.
Followers of this column
 know that I've been
 trying for several weeks
to discuss the dealer fee issue
with Sen. JeffAtwater, R-
North Palm Beach, the next
president of the Florida
Senate. I was successful and
met with the senator for
nearly two hours on Jan. 26.
Not only that, but he agreed
to call in to my radio show,
SeaviewAM 960, WSVU
airing Saturday mornings
between 9 and 10, on Feb. 9.
 Regular readers, please
excuse a little recap to bring
those up-to-date who aren't
aware of the dealer fee and
the pending legislation.
 The dealer fee is a "license
to steal," made legal by a bad
Florida law. A dealer fee goes
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 SUNTRUST
 Seeing beyond money


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EARL STEWART
 On Cars


by at least 22 different names,
according to the Florida
Senate investigating commit-
tee. Dealer fee, documentary
fee, dealer prep fee and
administrative fee are just a
few.
 The highest dealer fee I
know of is $999 charged by a
dealer in Coconut Creek, west
of Fort Lauderdale. The
lowest I know of is $389 and
the average is around $700.
 This "fee" is just dealer
profit disguised to make
people believe they are
paying an official fee to state,
local or federal government.
Lots of dealers omit this from
their advertised price (which
is illegal) and surprise those
customers who happen to
notice it in the paperwork
when they take delivery. Most
customers never notice the
dealer fee at all. -
 Those who advertise legally
and do include the dealer fee
in the price, generally
advertise just one vehicle at
that price. Unfortunately, this
specific car has always "just
been sold" when you come in
on the ad. But, they tell you,
we have lots more just like it.
 'The other cars might be
just like it, but not the price.
 Now, the law allows the
dealer to add the dealer fee to
the price. Enough people
have complained about this
that Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St
Lucie, the current Senate
president, formed a commit-
tee to investigate making the
dealer fee illegal or capping it.
This recommendation was
sent to the Legislature several
months ago. Read this report
by clicking on the Web site
www.EarlStewart.conm.
 In my meeting with Sen.
Atwater, I was quite surprised
to learn that he knew virtually
nothing about the dealer fee
or the senate investigating
committee's report. There are
many, many issues that state
senators must deal with and
this is just one.
 Sen. Atwater has been
spending a large amount of
his time on insurance and
property tax issues. I fur-
nished him with lots of
information including a copy
of the SIC report, copies of
every auto classified ad in the
Palm Beach Post on Jan. 26
(with my annotations), copies
of dealer's vehicle buyers'
orders disclosing their dealer
fees and copies of articles I
had written on this subject for
my blog and Hometown
News.
 With all modesty, I must
 say that 1 did a very good job


of educating Sen. Atwater on
why this dealer fee is so bad
for Florida car buyers.
 The senator expressed
surprise and disappointment
with the lack of thoroughness
of the senate committee's
report. The committee
worked hand-in-hand with
the Florida Automobile
Dealers Association that is
heavily lobbying the Florida
Legislature to preserve the
dealer fee. I told Sen. Atwater
that this was like "sending a
rabbit after lettuce."
 Furthermore, no one in the
senate committee ever talked
to a single consumer, a car
buyer. How can a committee
possibly make an intelligent
recommendation that will
protect the rights of the
consumer when they hear
only the car dealer's side of
the story?
 I showed the senator
quotes from the FADA
magazine, "Velocity."
 "Sen. Atwater ... to support
his campaign for Senate
because he has promised to
help us again this year... goal
is $50,000."
 Dealers have already
contributed $24,500. The
FADA has listed the preserva-
tion of the dealer fee as their
No.1 agenda item.
 "The senate's threat to cap
your dealership service fees
could reduce your gross profit
on each new and used
vehicle."
 And FADA is hiring a new
lobbyist. Quoting from
"Velocity" again: "Help us hire
a lobbying team. The attack
on your dealer service fee will
require a team of new
lobbyists ... those funds
cannot come from our
political action committee.
Every dealer who charges a
service fee should cut a
healthy check payable to
'FADA' for our legislative
action fund. We will hire top-
notch lobbyists with your
contributions." .
 It's clear that the car dealers
 of Florida will fight tooth; nail
 and wallet to preserve their
 Fl6ridastate "license to steal".
 aka the dealer fee. But the
 good news is that we have a
 huge opportunity to prevail
 with the help of Sen. Atwater.
 What can you, the readers
 of this column and my blog,
 do? Let Sen. Atwater know
 how you feel. Relate your
 experience with the dealer fee
 when you bought your last
 car. Most car buyers don't
 even realize they paid a dealer
 fee, but the chances are 99.9
 percent that if you bought a,
 car in Florida you paid one.
 You can e-mail Sen.
 Atwater at
 Jeff@SenatorJeff.com and call
 him at (561) 625-5102. If you
 e-mail him, please copy me at
 earls@earlstewarttoyota.com.
 If you have a question
 you would like me to ask the
 senator when he calls into
 my radio show this Feb. 9
 between 9:05 and 9:20 a.m.,
 please e-mail it to earlstew-
 art@seaviewam960.com or
 call me on my cell phone at
 (561) 358-1474.


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