Dealers group wants standards for used car salespeople
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A car dealer group is pushing for reforms at the state level that would create standards for used car salespeople.
The industry organization that represents used car dealers on Monday pitched lawmakers on a bill that they said would improve the used car buying experience for consumers and help combat the sometimes-dubious reputation of used car salesmen.
"You have to be licensed and educated to do real estate, you have to be licensed and educated to cut hair, and you have to keep up regular classes on a yearly basis to do these things," Melissa Otis, executive director of the Massachusetts Independent Automobile Dealers Association (MIADA) said. "But you do not have to be educated to sell a consumer the second largest purchase that they typically make in their lifetime."
MIADA testified in support of a bill (S 1903) that would require used auto dealers to attend an eight-hour training course and pass a standardized test before being issued a license by a city or town. The bill would also require licensed dealers to complete four hours of a continuing education course every two years.
"We feel that that is the minimum requirement to at least provide some information about what the used car industry is about and what the rules and regulations are all about," Jeff Haggerty, who represents MIADA, told the Joint Committee on Transportation. "Our goal as an association is to improve the professionalism and the knowledge of dealers so, ultimately, they do the right thing and the consumer benefits from it."
Haggerty estimated that there are between 4,000 and 5,000 licensed used car dealers in the state. A similar bill, he said, has been filed in the last three sessions of the Legislature and has been given favorable reports from the Transportation Committee each time.
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