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skfoto t1_j9udvjg wrote

Reply to comment by mclark9 in new Subaru help, please by ssnhl

Fax? What decade are you in?

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HomicidalHushPuppy t1_j9uhkfv wrote

Car dealers deal with the government. The government is behind the times. Fax is still very much a thing.

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skfoto t1_j9ui5h1 wrote

I worked in the car business from 2007 to 2019 and I can assure you that any customer request that arrived on our fax machine (the number to which was not posted anywhere) would've gone straight into the trash, if it was even found at all amidst all the junk the banks and vehicle wholesalers would fax to us.

Online is THE way to shop in this day and age.

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mclark9 t1_j9ujl0l wrote

I bought multiple cars via fax between 2007 to 2019. Though, obviously not from the dealer where you worked.

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Tiny-Cheesecake t1_j9umhda wrote

Why on earth would you want to, when email is an option? Serious question. Assuming faxes would work (which, whatever, that may or may not hold in some cases but clearly not all), was there some benefit?

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mclark9 t1_j9v58u2 wrote

It was a process I used starting before mainstream email adoption. The communication medium is not important, it’s just a means to an end. The value in my comment is that those of us outside of the industry don’t have any insight into the situation at any particular dealer at any given time. Do the deal remotely, get it all in writing and don’t set foot in the dealership until you’re ready to sign the papers.

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Floopydoodler t1_j9ve1n5 wrote

I'd love to ditch the fax but that seems to be the only way shops and dealers will communicate. You ask for an email address and they get all sketchy like they're sharing their SS#

Dealers aren't AS bad, but service depts and smaller shops all still use fax.

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