PDI is a member driven organization and we need your membership so we can advocate for you and provide the services that you need to be successful. Please click here and become a member today.
"Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the consumer advocates, they have a voice – one that is articulate, loud, and clear. This voice will be heard, and it will serve to change the way car deals are done today, unless dealers work together to defend the industry. By watching legislation and regulations, uniting with your dealer associations, and looking to your attorneys to comment on proposed law changes, you too can have a voice."

From an article in Spot Delivery by Nikki Monro:

*Nicole Frush Munro is a partner in the Maryland office of Hudson Cook, LLP. Nikki can be reached at 410.865.5430 or by email at nmunro@hudco.com.

So... where is your voice being heard? Who is looking out for your interests? Jim Edwards and Kat Messenger have joined forces to form the Professional Dealers Institute (PDI), a membership organization providing education, legislative monitoring and advocacy, and information - up-to-the minute updates for all members on legal and regulatory issues that are vital to your business.

Jim and Kat are available to answer your questions. Call Kat at 704-918-4138 or Jim at 704-456-7746. If we don't know the answer, we will find it. We now have access, through Tom Hudson's CounselorLibrary.com databases, to incredible resources on state and federal regulations.

PDI has an insurance and bond program, a forms program, and much more. Membership is just $225.00 annually, and with that you get your first year's subscription to Tom Hudson's Spot Delivery monthly publication, a $299.00 value!

There is strength in numbers! Join us and help us a build a strong voice advocating for your industry. Click here for information and to join.

ATTENTION BUY HERE PAY DEALERS! And those of you who take credit applications and assist your customers with financing. As you may know by now, the FTC introduced their “Model Privacy Notice” in the fall of 2010, and as of January 1 2011 the use of the Model Privacy Notice provides you with a “safe harbor” – if you use their notice, the FTC won’t penalize you for not complying with the Privacy Rule. So it just makes sense to use it, right? I have heard through the grapevine that some of you are being advised to contact a business that specializes in dealer compliance programs and contract with them to create your new model notices. Well, you can do that if you want, and pay their fee. But did you know you can get the Model Privacy Notice for free? You read that right, I said for free!

Just go to http://www.federalreserve.gov/bankinforeg/privacy_notice_instructions.pdf. You will have 6 templates to choose from. Most independent dealers need to use the 4^th option. If you ever share your customers’ information with outside financial companies (other than to sell contracts or repossess) or participate in joint marketing with other financial companies, you may need one of the other options – there is a link to the federal register if you need more information on which form to use. Once you pull up the template, you just fill in the text boxes according to your business practices at your dealership. Print out enough copies to supply you for awhile – you can’t save the completed template. And you are done! If you find the form confusing, call Kat and I will talk you through it. And I won’t charge you a fee! If you haven’t been to a Continuing Education class yet, we cover the new form in detail in class, so come to class to learn more!