CARS: Industry painted in too-broad strokes

Re: “It’s time we demand that buying a car not be such a risk-filled endeavor” (Kathleen Merryman column, 10-19).

Washington’s franchised new car and truck dealers are locally owned family businesses working hard to ensure our customers get the best service on the best terms. Through our state auto dealers association, we work hand in hand with the attorney general’s office to educate our dealers and the public about the patchwork of federal and state laws that determine how a dealership must operate.

Articles such as Merryman’s paint the industry in broad strokes and ignore the truth about the industry. One cannot fairly highlight the number of complaints without also recognizing that Washington has 7 million vehicles registrations and more than 500,000 vehicles sales every year. Even with the complaint rate at a modest 0.2 percent, Washington’s dealers work hard to reduce that number every day.

Franchised dealers provide well-run businesses that remain vigilant about compliance and constantly improving the buying experience. Even more, our relationships with the manufacturers are contractually based on customer satisfaction.

Car buyers owe it to themselves to make sure they know both sides of the story before making a decision. Washington businesses thrive when residents support them, and we appreciate the continued support from our communities in this difficult economic time.

We encourage all Washington drivers to educate themselves about the vehicles they are interested in and the financing terms that work best for them. (Byrne is president of the Washington State Auto Dealers Association.)