Timely Posting of Monthly Specials and Staying FTC Compliant.

[Christina Bee]

Quick question for the group—and honestly, it’s worth a gut check:

Is the price on your website FTC safe? Is the price on your website the same price a customer can walk in and buy the car for? No conditions. No buried add-ons. No “must qualify” fine print. And the same across platforms?

Right now, many dealerships believe the FTC is hurting them and stopping their ability to be competitive on price—but in practice, the 'competitive' came from poor and even ethically challenged practices. With the FTC removing bad business practices, there are a few common breakdowns:

• Offers go live too late
• Messaging isn’t consistent across platforms
• Advertised prices don’t hold up in-store

It's not just a conversion issue anymore—it’s becoming a compliance risk as regulatory scrutiny increases. I found TWO dealers this week where once I clicked on the vehicle listing 'Final Price", the VDP the "Final Price" was $2k higher. And none of that pricing matched any of the monthly specials listed.

What’s interesting is this:
It’s usually not the offer itself that’s the problem. It’s the execution behind it. Timing. Accuracy. Consistency.

That’s where the real gap is—and where the biggest opportunity lives.

How are you handling the new rules? How do you handle your specials each month?

 

[Jeff Kershner]

@Christina Bee I can't belive your posts got so overlooked. Not 1 comment from the community. Shame on us!!

Is the price on your website FTC safe?

Apparently NOT since the FTC warned 97 dealer groups in March citing advertised prices must include all mandatory fees. Even all of the listing sites have been scrambling to update their Pricing Badging feature.

I somewhat posted the same question in another forum this morning BUT ALSO asked Tom Kline to contribute to your question as well.

It's not just a conversion issue anymore—it’s becoming a compliance risk as regulatory scrutiny increases. I found TWO dealers this week where once I clicked on the vehicle listing 'Final Price", the VDP the "Final Price" was $2k higher. And none of that pricing matched any of the monthly specials listed.

I too scanned a few local dealer websites AND their corespomding istings on Cars.com/Gurus/AT - LOTS of decrepencies!! YES!! It's no doubt a compliance risk. Hopefully dealers start paying attention or else we are going to see some news artlices around dealers being fined.

 

[tomkline]

Quick question for the group—and honestly, it’s worth a gut check:

Is the price on your website FTC safe? Is the price on your website the same price a customer can walk in and buy the car for? No conditions. No buried add-ons. No “must qualify” fine print. And the same across platforms?

Right now, many dealerships believe the FTC is hurting them and stopping their ability to be competitive on price—but in practice, the 'competitive' came from poor and even ethically challenged practices. With the FTC removing bad business practices, there are a few common breakdowns:

• Offers go live too late
• Messaging isn’t consistent across platforms
• Advertised prices don’t hold up in-store

It's not just a conversion issue anymore—it’s becoming a compliance risk as regulatory scrutiny increases. I found TWO dealers this week where once I clicked on the vehicle listing 'Final Price", the VDP the "Final Price" was $2k higher. And none of that pricing matched any of the monthly specials listed.

What’s interesting is this:
It’s usually not the offer itself that’s the problem. It’s the execution behind it. Timing. Accuracy. Consistency.

That’s where the real gap is—and where the biggest opportunity lives.

How are you handling the new rules? How do you handle your specials each month?

Christina,

Indeed, this is a big question and there are many pieces and parts here.

As a former dealer, and now a risk and compliance consultant, I can tell you that these new regulations require attention throughout the dealership.

Marketing has to communicate with sales and everything should be audited. Written policies are a must.

Post audit, employees should be re-trained, and sign acknowledgments that they understand and “will comply.”

Then it becomes wash, rinse, repeat.

If a regulator comes into the store, they will want to see all these documents.

It could be the difference between being in business and an enterprise ending event. At $53,088 per violation, the numbers add up quickly.

Happy to chat if you’d like to reach out: 757-434-7656.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[The QR Code Guy]

What’s fascinating is how often the problem isn’t a lack of systems—it’s a lack of ownership.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been looking at dealer websites and then comparing them to what’s actually happening on the lot. In many cases the discrepancies aren’t intentional. They’re the result of multiple departments, vendors, feeds, specials, and manual processes all touching the same vehicle.

The challenge isn’t creating a monthly special. The challenge is making sure that special is reflected consistently everywhere a customer can see it:

• Search results
• SRPs
• VDPs
• Third-party listings
• Window stickers
• Addendum labels
• The salesperson’s desk
• The F&I office

When a customer sees three different prices for the same VIN, trust erodes immediately—even if the dealership would ultimately honor the lowest price.

The FTC conversation has a lot of dealers focused on regulations, but I think the bigger issue is operational discipline. The stores that win will be the ones that can confidently answer a simple question:

“If I pick any VIN on your lot right now, will the customer see the same price everywhere?”

That’s a harder question than most people realize.

 

[Zack_AF]

Don't forget social media either. Would be wise to update policies/set guidelines with staff when it comes to the mention of pricing in a post.

 

[The QR Code Guy]

Don't forget social media either. Would be wise to update policies/set guidelines with staff when it comes to the mention of pricing in a post.

100%%!!!