Auto dealers file challenge to new consumer protections for car buyers
They call the rules against abusive tactics ‘micromanagement of the sales experience’
Excerpt:
WASHINGTON — Two groups representing auto dealers said on Friday they had filed a legal challenge to the Federal Trade Commission’s new sweeping consumer protection regulations finalized last month.
The FTC said the new rules will ban bait-and-switch advertising tactics, prohibit charging for add-on costs that do not benefit consumers and require dealers to make key disclosures to consumers, including accurate pricing disclosures in advertising and sales communications.
The rules were first proposed in 2022 and will take effect on July 30. They also require dealers to keep records of certain advertisements and customer transactions.
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and Texas Automobile Dealers Association late Thursday asked the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to block the new rules that “comprehensively regulates the advertising, sales, and financing of vehicles by auto dealers” saying they are “arbitrary, capricious (and) an abuse of discretion.”
The FTC declined to comment.
The NADA said previously the FTC proposal would “upend the sales process for tens of millions of consumers annually and thousands of small businesses.”
The FTC said the new rules would bar junk fees like a service contract for an oil change for an electric vehicle said it is expected to save consumers more than $3.4 billion and an estimated 72 million hours annually shopping for vehicles.
Dealers will also be required to obtain consent for any charges they add to a vehicle’s price and barred from charging for add-ons that are useless to the buyer, such as selling nitrogen-filled tires that contain no more nitrogen than normal air.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and other major automakers, previously raised concerns about the FTC plan, warning of “excessive regulation and micromanagement of the sales experience.”
In November, a U.S. House committee said it was investigating the FTC’s consumer protection rules, arguing the regulation “threatens harm to consumers and small businesses by making car purchases more difficult and inhibiting innovation in the industry.”
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If you are in the market for new or used car and can wait until after July 30 the fees car dealers use to steal money from you will be more difficult to include in the car buying experience. Not a fan of the swamp but actually agree with this FTC ruling about car dealers and their ‘fees’.
Afghan Resistance Continues Fight Against Taliban
https://tsarizm.com/news/central-asia/2024/01/15/afghan-resistance-continues-fight-against-taliban/
Excerpt:
In December 2023, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan intensified its military operations against Taliban forces. Building upon their strategic approach from November which focused on consolidating positions and preparing for winter conditions, the NRF escalated their offensive tactics. Mainly under the cover of darkness, these operations aimed at reducing Taliban influence and asserting the NRF’s presence. Significant Taliban casualties and disruption of their stronghold areas indicates success in the NRF’s ongoing guerrilla war and the eventual effort to liberate and reclaim control over key regions. As the Resistance continues to fortify its positions across 12 provinces, there is a strategic emphasis on expanding influence into the northern, northwestern, and southwestern regions, laying the groundwork for a southward expansion by the end of the following year.
On December 7, 2023, around 8:00 p.m., the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan launched an offensive on a Taliban garrison in Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan Province. The operation resulted in injuries to the garrison commander and the deaths of two other Taliban terrorists.
On December 11, 2023, in the Shakardara district of Kabul Province, NRF forces conducted a targeted operation, resulting in the elimination of Haji Jilani, a Taliban group commander of the Kabul police command, along with one other terrorist.
On December 12, 2023, at approximately 1 a.m., NRF forces launched an operation against a Taliban base in the ‘Gandlebuk’ area of the Nurgaram district, Nuristan province. The engagement resulted in the deaths of two Taliban terrorists and injuries to four other members of the group
On December 15, 2023, the forces of the National Resistance Front carried out an offensive against a Taliban base in the Alaqadari region of the Sayed Khel district, Parwan Province. The attack resulted in one Taliban fatality and injuries to two additional terrorists.
On December 16, 2023, at approximately 2:00 a.m., NRF forces targeted a Taliban base located along Mir Masjedi Khan Road in the Hesa-e-Awal Kohistan district of Kapisa Province. The operation resulted in the deaths of three Taliban terrorists and injuries to three of their fighters.
On December 23, 2023, at 1:30 a.m., the National Resistance Front’s forces conducted an attack on the district building of Sayed Khel in Parwan Province. The engagement led to the deaths of two Taliban terrorists and injuries to five additional terrorists.
On December 30, 2023, the National Resistance Front’s forces attacked a Taliban outpost located at Pul-e Mullah Habib, a border point between the district of Sayed Khel in Parwan and the district of Hesa-e Duwum Kohistan in Kapisa. This operation resulted in injuries to three Taliban terrorists.
This article is from the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan.
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Interesting article showing that the Taliban are not a unanimous choice to lead in the tribal area known as Afghanistan. But the NRF IMO appears to be an intel supported group. The pic in the article showing so called fighters has white guys who are not Afghani.
These options were more than likely only optional for the dealers who chose which one they were going to attach to which model THROUGH the Manufacturer. As we were told by one of the dealers, it’s the manufacturers that were creating this problem. I’M GUESSING HERE but I’ll bet these dealers whose livelihood depended on these manufacturers providing vehicles in the numbers requested were more than likely coerced by these very manufacturers or they could just suffer the consequences which generally translates into losing your prioritization on the list of suppliers in some way.
I’m glad this is happening too. If the manufacturers wouldn’t have pushed this onto the consumers through their dealer partners these regulations wouldn’t be happening now. The manufacturers/dealers shot themselves in the foot and now they get to live with the consequences of their dishonest practices.