Consumer Reports now offering firm car prices for car buyers
[I]Consumer Reports[/I] is now offering a service that, it says, can get car shoppers a guaranteed dealer price quote, without subjecting them to phone calls and e-mails from salespeople.The magazine, owned by the non-profit group Consumers Union, is recognized as influential among shoppers who frequently check the magazine's website ratings of cars at ConsumerReports.org. Under the new service, shoppers are provided with firm price offers — dealers have agreed ahead of time to abide by the price breaks they offer — without any of the shoppers contact information being shared. The car shopper can then choose which dealers will be allowed to contact him.
All dealer and customer cash rebates are included in the prices provided by the dealerships, Consumer Reports said in its announcement.
The Consumer Reports car buying service is run by Zag.com, a company that specializes in creating car-shopping interfaces like this for various companies and organizations.
Only dealerships that have agreed to uphold certain customer service standards are allowed to participate in the Zag programs, a spokeswoman for the company said. As a part of their agreement to participate in these car pricing programs, dealers agree to have Zag review their customer service practices and allow Zag access to computer networks to confirm that vehicles have been sold for agreed-upon prices.
The website Carsdirect.com has also offered a similar service for some time. Zag.com founder, Scott Painter, was an executive with Carsdirect.com.
Zag pays Consumers Union a flat fee for each car sold through the program regardless of the make or model or the participating dealership that sells it. Dealers pay Zag a fee to participate in the program, both Zag and Consumer Reports disclosed.
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