Website Takes Aim at the Fine Print in Automotive Advertising

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Fine print exist almost entirely to float something egregious under the radar. People get law degrees and spend countless hours decrypting the tiny text to see who got the better of who in a courtroom. If you see fine print in an advertisement, it usually means the drug you desperately need has life-ruining side effects, or the deal that seems too good to be true has horrible stipulations. It’s more or less a legal way to lie to you.

Dealerships use this all the time with the classic triple zero gimmick: NO Money Down, NO Factory Financing, and NO payments until October!

However, if you take a peek below the giant block lettering promising you the greatest deal of a lifetime, you’ll see infinitesimal print that reads, “With Approved Credit to Qualified Buyers.” If you have to wonder if you are a qualified buyer, I can already assure you that you are not. Blessedly, a new website called Disclaimers Online wants to give consumers a sturdier leg to stand on.

The intended purpose of the website is to provide marketing transparency while also providing dealerships an opportunity to build or restore their reputations. According to Perry Hines, the CEO of Disclaimers Online, the Federal Trade Commission considers the service a boon and thinks it could avoid needless litigation. The site works by providing dealer ads with the fine print enlarged, along with links to the store and relevant information.

“Once the ad is run [on the website], that tiny print you couldn’t see is there. I see it as a warehouse for all of this information where consumers can now research that print as part of their ongoing research before they walk into a store,” Hines told Automotive News in an interview. “I think this could be a natural progression as it relates to how consumers are researching items before they go out and make a purchase.”

Even though savvy shoppers already read the fine print, the idea to have a central location for transparent advertising is a good one. However, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Taking into account that this is a new service that began as a partnership with Kentucky-based outlets, Disclaimers Online didn’t have any of the East Coast or Midwestern dealerships that I am familiar with. They were in the search results but there was no appreciable information on any of them. Selecting random dealerships across the nation also yielded nothing. When I finally did locate a dealer with an advertisement, the disclaimer information was clearly laid out and easy to understand. But that isn’t particularly useful when the shop is hundreds of miles away from where I live.

If Disclaimers Online is to become a serious tool for consumers, dealerships will have to be willing to participate en masse or it will need to begin indexing ads without them. While some stores have participated on the local level, mainly in Kentucky where the website is based, others may not bother since they have no incentive to do so. Hines normally charges $99 a month but says he wants to begin letting dealers use the site for free. While that does provide them with the opportunity to tout their business as transparent, it also goes against the entire point of including fine print in your ad.

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Apr 11, 2017

    "Valid only in the contiguous 48 states for current owners of the brand of vehicle being advertised. Special discount if you can put up with our polyester suit wearing Sales Weasel for more than 30 min. Void where prohibited by law. Prices tremendously higher in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico."

  • Speedlaw Speedlaw on Apr 11, 2017

    Past results are not indicative of future performance. If you have an election lasting more than four hours seek medical attention. Actor Portrayal of Doctor and/or Patients

    • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Apr 11, 2017

      "If you have an election lasting more than four hours seek medical attention." The USA is now seeing the effects of a prolonged painful "election".

  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
  • Dave Holzman A design award for the Prius?!!! Yes, the Prius is a great looking car, but the visibility is terrible from what I've read, notably Consumer Reports. Bad visibility is a dangerous, and very annoying design flaw.
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