Computer Error May Mean Dealers are Out of Luck!
August 23rd, 2009
Okay, hopefully this will be the end of this whole “Cash for Clunkers’ disaster put forth by the current administration. Tomorrow is the deadline for dealers to send in applications for the government rebates in the “CARS” program. There has been another little hiccup, however. The auto dealers began reporting on Friday that the computer system for reporting to the CARS program was slow and in some instances, crashing. If the dealers cannot get thier applications in by the end of Monday, they are sadly out of luck.
The NADA has asked the government to extend the deadline to enable the dealers to have adequate time to apply for ther refunds, since it is the government’s computers that are causing the problem. As you may have heard, dealers have been bailing out of the program since last week, due to many of thier applications for refunds being turned down. Now many more are suspending the program in thier dealerships so as not to lose any more money on this ill-conceived, poorly run government subsidy.
Aside from all the network issues, the NADA has suggested to dealers that they stick with submitting the deals already in place even though there may be time for new ‘clunkers’ deals, just in case they are not able to get the new deals submitted if the government reuses to extend the submission deadline.
