Posted on 05/24/2003 4:26:04 AM PDT by Dane
Miss a payment and your car may die
Imagine getting in your car and it won't start. The situation would be aggravating for most, but for hundreds of thousands of Americans it could simply mean their car payment is overdue. A growing number of car dealers are using starter stoppers technology to ensure you don't get lax on your loan.
Macy Pearson loves the used car she just bought, but it will only start if she's made her car payment. Nestled under her dash is a device called a starter interrupt system. If Macy doesn't pay, the device is set to disable her car so she can't drive.
Macy's salesman insisted she have it, since she has no credit history. Once Macy sends in her payment, she's given a code number to input into a remote that connects to a device underneath the dash. "I stick it right in here. You punch in your code, you hear another little chirp and you're done," explains Macy, as she easily connects the device that will allow her car to run for another week.
Mike Simon's company, Payment Protection Systems, made the device in Macy's car and some 60,000 others bought at corner used car lots and dealerships alike. He says the device protects dealers from credit risks. "The people know that they have to make their payment and they really do perform in making their payments on time," says Simon. "Our delinquency rate was probably up around ten to twenty percent without the device. And since then, it's dropped down below two percent," says car dealer Steve Matthews about using the device with costumers.
It may be good for dealers, but what about drivers. Not everyone's sold on the idea of no cash no dash. Jack Gillis of the Consumer Federation of America has written a book about buying a car. He says the devices could put customers at risk. "You might be in a situation where you are in an unsafe position, and you need to get out of there quickly, and you can't do it," says Gillis about the pitfalls of such a device.
But device makers say cars won't stop while in motion they just won't start once they're turned off. Even then, drivers like Macy can call their salesmen for an emergency code that is good for 24 hours. Dealers also insist everyone is told about the service before they buy, and device makers like Stan Schwarz says drivers are warned before the "kill."
Manufacturers say the technology can make the difference between getting a car and walking on foot for many. But critics say customers don’t always leave the car lot with a better price, or better financing if they have the device. It turns out cars may not be the only things fitted with those kill chips. Look for them to turn up in computers, air conditioners, and yes, even TV's.
Macy's no critic, she's grateful for the opportunity to buy a car and working hard to get a solid credit history started. To her, that device under her dash is a dose of discipline. "It really helps because it makes you pay on time."
Wright on!
You are kidding aren't you?
You are free to not purchase a vehicle with the monitoring device on it from the dealer of your choic
Only if such devices were mandated by government would it be a infringement on your freedom.
You are making the same error about freedom that the Dixie Chicks and Tim (Saradon) Robbins are making.
They think that the have a "freedom of speech" in which they think they do not have to pay the consequences of their speech, if someone disagrees with them. The consequences being not purchasing their CD's or attending their film productions.
With private property, unless you are the owner of that private property, you have no freedom to be on or use that private property without the owner's consent.
Our Constitution, with it's enumerated limit government powers and Bill of Rights, is our written guarantee that we are free from government intervention in private transactions.
In general, I guess that, if someone were stupid enough to allow such a thing to be installed in their car, then they got what should have been expected.
Government involvement would be justified, I would expect, only when there were other more options to purchase a car (or any other product, for that matter) without such a device ensuring payment.
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You are naive aren't you? Large corporations pay enormous sums of money to probe every orifice in your body. Nothing wrong with that if you're a sheep or a cow, but as far as I'm concerned willingly putting on an electronic collar - in the metaphorical sense - is a little too much.
As I alluded to, you aren't that naive, are you?
Government involvement would be justified, I would expect, only when there were other more options to purchase a car (or any other product, for that matter) without such a device ensuring payment.
I am surmising that you forgot the word "no" between the words "were" and "other" in the first sentence of the second paragraph of your above italicized statement.
So in esscense you are stating that it would be ok for government interference into the used car market if the "non-payment" chip becomes the norm, even though it was not originally government mandated and was free market driven.
Thank you for your honesty, not many Libertarians would admit to such heretical thinking that the free market could produce such Libertarian abominations, IMO.
Many of the customers who need to agree to this type of arrangement would not otherwise be able to buy a car on a payment plan at any dealership. Not only do I not see anything insulting about this arrangement, I haven't the foggiest notion what could possibly be "barbaric" about it.
My exact point. You are "truly free" to take that course of action. That is the beauty of being a U.S. citizen.
And more power to you for exerting your freedom of choice.
Sounds like something that any halfway competent shade-tree mechanic could easily bypass.
The tax deduction couldn't have gotten you back much more than about a tenth of the interest you paid out anyway.
I started paying cash when I figured out I was screwing myself buying a new car on credit no matter how it was financed. Dang thing depreciates in value the minute you drive it off the lot. I figured I'm much better off letting someone else take the depreciation hit on a brand new car. I'll take my time and look for a good used one that's maybe 3~4 years old and pay cash. I'll drive it for maybe 5~6 years and still find somebody willing to buy it from me. It all depends how you take care of it.
In the US, however, there are many areas beyond broadcast range, such as the one we live in, so we must pay the local Cable company or satelite company.
Before satelite companies became competitive, we had no competition. And we still don'r because there are so many tall trees in the area and we're quite far up north.(The satelites mostly follow the spacial equator, so in the winter, you need far southern exposure to take advantage of this service.)
Arbitrarily denying someone transportation when the are in need of it or when the vehicle is in a dangerous location can be dangerous. Of course the article is a little light on details.
Ridicule by consumers and competitors could do the trick in punishing these idiots.
You can mostly thank Microsoft and DMA (digital media rights) for our skepticism. The license you agree to allows MS to spy on your computer and modify it as they see fit.
So you fire an employee who doesn't fulfill his obligations for the salary he receives, and this car dealership disables a debtor's car when the debtor doesn't fulfill his obligation for the use of the car he has been provided. I don't see a bit of genuine difference or disagreement between the two of you.
You got only half of the equation right when you said in a truly free society such a device wouldn't be needed. In a truly free society comprising only honest and responsible citizens such a device wouldn't be needed.
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