New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-28
Rv c. E. T. SCHARPS

agreements far from beng clear and dHecI lhey "
and definite much standardized as other parts OF inc
tomoble business to-day.
All that any good contract for the sale OF an automoone
need contain the description and specifications or the car 10 be
bought the price deposit the approximate delivery date and
fair and simple guarantee under which the merchandise is sold
All retail have do contain OF these things
They all have the specifications deposit and delivery
date There however. the resemblance ends
Of them have no guarantee although the contract warns
that there are no promises verbal understandings agreements
not specified herein Others have thoroughly inadequate war
ran the form approved by the National
Automobile Chamber of Commerce and not applicable to present
day methods in the automobile business here is further group
which have good fair Indifferent guarantees but theH con-
tracts are marred often by clauses and conditions as to
FIXTURE or of deposits that make buying an automobile
COMPLICATED and puzzng thing instead of being simple business
operation.
There Is certainly every for buyer being at sea
when it comes deciding what ought to be IN the sales contract
he is called sign He knows what ne would ike 10 hno Out
M he cxarnnes and compares number of contracts offered
by various companies he discovers they don't any more than
in general way the form So he wonders how Peo
pe who have the business OF selling automobiles Tor
number of years arrived at standard form OF order
blank he cam outsider determine what sort OF paper
he ought to sign -
Some of the companies which put simple order blanks
bo nv guarantee clause refer their catalogues to the stand
AVID warranty form Of the NJ A. c. c. spoken OF above Among
these are the REQ Maxwell National and Chandler dealers Some
IS bo.. who quote the N A. G. G. form OF warranty
on their contracts the White Premier Cadillac Chalmers
bort Dodge Brothers Saxon and Cole dealers This not to
saw that they do actually much further with their customers
than the warranty calls for In many or these cases
they assred But why this form OF warranty as part
Of the sale if be dsregarded and properly SOP 1t Is
brought the letter not into the spirit OF the contract ana
lends itself unfairly dealings with close or sometimes with
unreasonable thus helping close the to the true
satisfaction.
Other concerns such as the Buick Packard MITCHELL Stude
baker and Odsmobe have warranty conditions
The Odsmob particular strikes being OF the best
Of lot These offer guarantees some cases up 10
year, with generous Interpretation.
The subject of the has peculiarly pertinent place IN
the Of for day business real guar
ante intends and does that the satisfied
proper part of each sales The warranty however
extended consideration which will be given FUR
Their along in this series of articles.
The clauses inserted by many companies provide for the
forfeiture of deposits deserving of disapprova generally
speaking In where specially prepared for Gus
toner painted upholstered to be special job one
can reasonably object the deposit being forfeited quidaed
damages But make provisions general to forfeit
deposit number of days after delivery due not right
The of such clause the contract gives the buyer the
impression that the dealer has faith his harness and ensende
feeling of suspicion at the outset
Manv dealers are amazed that the public has feeling OF
suspicion toward them ignoring entirely that it their sus
pcous attitude toward the that starts this going Aside
from the involved in the machinery OF the sale dealer
would hard work damage for failure to take
delivery stock model unless he actually held that model over
for the customer until ended But these conditions
that and rarely do Furthermore several dealers have
told me- that spite of such clauses they do compel the
forfeit of deposit If why do they have the clause IN the
contract
Besides the dealers who have the forfeiture clauses make FUR
,ber condition that they fail deliver scheduled they
shall be liable to no than the of the deposit Any
contract should be equabe both sides They to keep
the customers money he doesn't take the but they don
n 70 nav anv penalty they don't give him when he has
ordered That doesn't look like equity to In the interest
of fair dealing on sides clauses like these should have
IN a contract
lot of these oddities the automobile agreements herr
aoe from the bad old days Cars not good then and
often did not perform had been promised Unquesonaby
WAS as protection themselves and the interests OF the
customers that dealers featured prominently the warning that nc
verbal counted Even to-day not only does 1t warn
H. L % he sure of his ground before he signs his the
contract but protects sellers against their own statesmen
There are some statesmen who have of promising things
which later on the finds in the contract and
therefore are binding the company Is the misfortune o
l.. bctb tsnicre eseDted " m