Forced to sign an arbitration agreement?

[Jonnin]

I thought those agreements were "you will FIRST go to the arbitration process" and "if that fails you can proceed normally" ???  You would have to check that and read the agreement, but that is how most of the ones I have dealt with are worded.   Its simply so they can avoid costly court fees and lawyer costs over a sue-happy american culture.  

 

If that is the case,  I will sign them.   If you are totally giving up your chance to sue, then no, I would not.

 

My insurance does this --- woman hit me and they (the two insurance companies) wrangled over who would pay how much via abritration rather than court costs.  It took them a while to settle but they finally did.  Pretty sure they *could* have gone to court over it, just that both sides agreed that it was not worth the xtra expense.....

[Dennis1209]

I've never understood buying a car. I don't understand why I have to sign 50 documents for a damn car. I've paid cash for a few and just don't get it. If I pay you, why can't you give me the title, a bill of sale and handshake on the way out the door. Should take no more than 15 minutes TOPS.

 

I rather go to the dentist for an absessed tooth extraction with no novicane rather than buy a car at a dealer. I was in the same boat when I bought my duaghter a new car for her graduation.

 

Walked in with cash in hand and expecting to be out the door in a hour or less, wishful thinking. I started quizzing them about certain charges I wasn't willing to pay that I would do myself like, dealer prep charges. Could save a few hundred dollars putting the car mats down myself and washing it. Dealer delivery charge they wanted me to pay for, I don't think so, you want it on your lot to sell, you pay the transportation.

 

What really got my goat was the :30 minutes wasted talking to the finance guy about leasing the car or using their finance program I wasn't interested in, the extended warranty, etc. Without paying the transportation charge & dealer prep it was still almost a whole day process with cash in hand.

 

Oh yea, part of the dealer prep charge is to drill a couple holes in your trunk and install their advertising name plate which initially they claimed was mandatory for legal purposes.

[Guest uofmeet]

I signed one when I bought my most recent car. And I was financing it also. But the best experience I had buying a car was when I went to a small lot here in memphis off of elmore. As soon as I mention I would be paying with cash, the price dropped almost $2000 and then we agreed on an "Out the door" figure. Since I didn't have the cash on me, I gave him a small down payment, Came back that monday gave him a cashier's check for the rest, I got a bill of sale and a Title. I don't remember if I even signed paperwork. I got a drive out tag also.

[Guest RevScottie]

I've never understood buying a car. I don't understand why I have to sign 50 documents for a damn car. I've paid cash for a few and just don't get it. If I pay you, why can't you give me the title, a bill of sale and handshake on the way out the door. Should take no more than 15 minutes TOPS.

 

Because they have to justify charging you the "documentation fee" :)

[KJ48]

I rather go to the dentist for an absessed tooth extraction with no novicane rather than buy a car at a dealer. I was in the same boat when I bought my duaghter a new car for her graduation.

 

Walked in with cash in hand and expecting to be out the door in a hour or less, wishful thinking. I started quizzing them about certain charges I wasn't willing to pay that I would do myself like, dealer prep charges. Could save a few hundred dollars putting the car mats down myself and washing it. Dealer delivery charge they wanted me to pay for, I don't think so, you want it on your lot to sell, you pay the transportation.

 

What really got my goat was the :30 minutes wasted talking to the finance guy about leasing the car or using their finance program I wasn't interested in, the extended warranty, etc. Without paying the transportation charge & dealer prep it was still almost a whole day process with cash in hand.

 

Oh yea, part of the dealer prep charge is to drill a couple holes in your trunk and install their advertising name plate which initially they claimed was mandatory for legal purposes.

 

Thats the truth, last car I went to buy cash they wouldn't let me buy it until I gave them my SS# (I was OK with that), but then they wanted the amount of my mortgage a month, how much I make and my last two employers.  I ended up walking out, why on earth would they need that info for a cash sale..

 

It should take 30 minutes to buy a car but it always turns into an all day torture, I dont even want the car detailed usually since those guys end up doing more damage to a new car than I do in a couple years and its still a 4-5 hour affair to buy a car..

[Patton]

Thats the truth, last car I went to buy cash they wouldn't let me buy it until I gave them my SS# (I was OK with that), but then they wanted the amount of my mortgage a month, how much I make and my last two employers.  I ended up walking out, why on earth would they need that info for a cash sale..
 
It should take 30 minutes to buy a car but it always turns into an all day torture, I dont even want the car detailed usually since those guys end up doing more damage to a new car than I do in a couple years and its still a 4-5 hour affair to buy a car..

I'm not trying to get you fired up but you are the type guy they don't want to sell a car to. Like I stated there is more money for them to make financing a car then selling you a car 90% of the time.

The reason dealerships charge a doc fee is because a long time ago some jackass decided to sell cars cheaper and make up the difference with a doc fee. So everyone else decided to sell cars cheaper to compete and added the doc fee. Ask when you go into a dealership what the doc fee is and just keep that in your mind when negotiating. I don't care how much the doc fee is. All that matters to me is the trade difference.

[runco]

I don't care about the fees and what they charge, I always go to the out the door price with the salesmen before I ever make it to the business manager's office.  I always do my due diligence far in advance to know what is the fair price, so no surprises.  I even write the check before I go into the business managers office, it has saved me many of $$$ and no suprises.

[Raoul]

I don't care about the fees and what they charge, I always go to the out the door price with the salesmen before I ever make it to the business manager's office.  I always do my due diligence far in advance to know what is the fair price, so no surprises.  I even write the check before I go into the business managers office, it has saved me many of $$$ and no suprises.

So what would you do if you had the check written and they pulled out the arbitration agreement?

[KJ48]

I'm not trying to get you fired up but you are the type guy they don't want to sell a car to. Like I stated there is more money for them to make financing a car then selling you a car 90% of the time.

The reason dealerships charge a doc fee is because a long time ago some jackass decided to sell cars cheaper and make up the difference with a doc fee. So everyone else decided to sell cars cheaper to compete and added the doc fee. Ask when you go into a dealership what the doc fee is and just keep that in your mind when negotiating. I don't care how much the doc fee is. All that matters to me is the trade difference.

 

I'm not that fired up about it. I've been buying new cars for the last 35 years and I know paying cash and not buying warranties and 'protection' packages is not their ideal customer.  I dont go back and forth for hours and expect anything for free, I get paid for the work I do and I dont expect a dealership to sell me a car for zero profit.  All I ask is dont BS me about what I'm buying and just tell me how much they can sell the car for up front, pretty simple.

 

The last three cars I have bought were over the internet and two were out of state, no hassles, I knew all costs and what the exact total was before I walked in thier door.  Only thing was they wanted to look at the trade first which I can understand, none of them tried to beat me up on the trade after they seen them either.  I have nothing against a dealer selling a car for a profit, just dont much care to do the car buying dance any more..

[runco]

So what would you do if you had the check written and they pulled out the arbitration agreement?

This posting has been very informative, and knowing how (anal) I am about losing rights or being forced to do something, I most definitely would walk, but I would tear up the check first! I probably also would want to see the general manager, and inform him/her about my decision and his lost sale. As I get older, I am finding that I want to talk to the management of businesses where there is a problem, preferrably upper mangement to make sure they understand their customers or potential customers problems with their business. I know the rank and file do not always push up feedback to the chain of command, I make it point to do so. In my line work, I have found that this does not always work, but I do know the key button pushers are made aware of a unfiltered complaint, what they do with it is their business, but I feel better.