On March 9, the popular television show “60 Minutes” aired a segment titled “The Data Brokers: Selling Your Personal Information”. In the segment, Steve Kroft interviewed various privacy experts who explained how companies are collecting and selling very personal information in ways…

Data security is becoming an increasingly public concern as databases from large retailers continue to be breached and consumer information exposed. Congress is holding hearings this week with top data security professionals to discuss how best to prevent future breaches. The concern is so high that Congress is considering implementing…

Jim Ziglar recently posted the question - How many Vendors is YOUR DEALERSHIP Paying who are Selling your Customer Data to Other Vendors for Cash?

I'd like to comment as a credit report and compliance vendor with access to complete credit data of every applicant that our customers obtain once a credit app is taken and one or more bureaus are accessed thru our application.

The unfortunate part is that this IS happening in an industry that has been hammered over and over again…

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL, Oct. 15, 2013 – Automotive Compliance Consultants said today that given the era’s new focus on F&I practices, its DealersEdge webinar Oct. 24 is designed to provide auto dealers with tips for ensuring compliant F&I…

Yeah, in the most absurd move ever, the FTC has determined that Twitter is not excluded from regulatory laws requiring full disclosure on products or services. TheWall Street Journal reports that any disclosures that would apply to any other advertising also apply to…

Since my post last week, Trust Me, I’m Your Vendor, I’m happy to say that some automotive marketing companies have reached out for advice on how to protect their dealer clients from advertising violations. This is a very positive step and I applaud…

The news broke this week about a Louisiana marketing company that has been permanently banned from automobile advertising and marketing in North Carolina. Since Arizona, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon and Pennsylvania joined North Carolina in bringing the case, there will likely be repercussions for the vendor in other states as well.

On the surface, it looks like a…

In many dealerships, the thought of putting together a compliance program is similar to contemplating a diet and exercise regimen: you know it’s something you need to do or eventually it will catch up with you. Like getting in shape, keeping up with regulatory changes can seem like a daunting task – not to mention costly. Many compliance programs on the market are quite…

by Kathryn Carlson

by Motyka Johnson

January 6th, 2012 by Kathryn Carlson

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Most dealerships and businesses in general know that it's bad practice to bad-mouth your competition. That being said, I know of and have heard plenty of salespeople and managers using their online reviews to help close a deal by comparing them to their competitors online reviews. This practice is similar if not exactly the same. You are leveraging negative comments about your competitor left by other people (who you are representing as real - we all know fake reviews exist) to your positive…

In a class action lawsuit filed on June 21, 2011 against AutoNation (Santa Clara Superior Court, entitled Lilly v. AutoNation, Case No. 1-11-CV-203569), attorneys are claiming that AutoNation is in violation of the California Labor Code by misclassifying commissioned sales reps as exempt from overtime and, in addition, issuing deduct vouchers post-sale for losses in commissionable gross due to repair or…

F&I Compliance always gets attention in a dealership but making sure you also are in compliance with the numerous human resources, safety and enviromental regulations is equally important.  There are no less than ten federal laws and regulations that impact  hiring (not to mention state laws) and that is only the start. The federal Department of Labor (including OSHA and the…

Originally published March 02, 2011 at Dealer Magazine

Last week, a California Court of Appeals judge determined that a dealer violated several California state laws and ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that will have huge ramifications for dealers within the state. The ruling…