Alexis Merchant
FTC enforcement against car dealerships in 2026 has been about pricing: warning letters to 97 dealership groups, then settlements over advertised prices, fees, and add-ons. On data security it has been quiet, and we haven’t found a Safeguards Rule case against a dealer. The FTC’s busiest dealership file this year isn’t about firewalls. It’s about … Read more
201 CMR 17 requires a written security program from any dealership holding Massachusetts residents’ data, employee files included. What it adds to the FTC rule.
Every AI capability a dealership buys is also in the customer’s pocket, often for free. Here’s where the information edge went, why fixed ops is next, and how to make pricing and recommendations hold up.
Truck dealership internet off the fiber map: how fixed wireless, cellular and Starlink compare for a rural store, what your DMS needs, and how to test first.
AI payments at car dealerships: let AI send text-to-pay links and reminders, but keep card numbers, refunds, and discounts with people. The controls to set.
CRM adoption at a dealership means every role logs every customer contact and managers review it weekly. What to log, what to check, and how to make it stick.
An AI chatbot for a car dealership is safe when it collects only what a lead needs, reaches no records beyond its job, keeps transcripts on your schedule, and hands every price to a person. Here’s how to check all four. A chatbot that sells a Tahoe for a dollar makes the news. A chatbot … Read more
Moving from CDK to Tekion replaces your DMS, but it doesn’t end the phone and network agreements that may have come with it. Those run on their own contracts and dates. The switch is the right moment to re-bid phones, circuits, and network support on their merits. Nobody puts the phones on the go-live checklist. … Read more
An MSP runs a dealership’s day-to-day IT: the help desk, network, PCs, printers, and backups. An MSSP watches for cyberattacks around the clock from a security operations center. Most stores need both jobs covered, by people who actually talk to each other. The letters are the easy part. One extra S, and it stands for … Read more