New White House Petition to stop States from banning direct car sales

dgh · Nov 1, 2014

Lets try to get this over the 100K mark ASAP, or at least close enough that it hits the news cycles prior to election day to give pause to any other "back room politics" elected officials, esp. this close to election day.

If you agree with the petition, I encourage you to sign it right now (and of course, tell your friends and family that are not regular visitors of TMC too that would be supportive).

Petition Link:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/put-end-state-legislature-banning-direct-vehicle-sales/WdLdkT20

Here is the article in PCMag that drew my attention to the petition:

Mich. Man Petitions White House Over Tesla Direct Sales | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

Hopefully it can get more press coverage soon to reach a broader audiance.

Ostkaka · Nov 3, 2014

I'm not accustomed to American law. But you can order anything off the web. Showrooms are nothing new either. How do you argue that cars should somehow be exempt from all other products? And regarding competition, aren't other manufacturers free to have direct sales over the internet as well? If the dealers are expensive middlemen, then the suppliers can have lower internet prices, as is the case for all other products.

The only problem i see is that when the dealers disappear, buying a car is gonna be a lot more bothersome. So in the end i think the dealers have a place to fill, just like the technology stores have despite internet sales. Maybe they have to transform and become fewer. May be car manufacturers will have to start paying Showroom-owners for a spot to advertise their new cars???

Electric700 · Nov 3, 2014

That petition link just goes to a list of petitions. Is there an updated one?

Anyway, the idea is good since manufacturers should be allowed to have their own stores. Just as Apple and Microsoft have theirs, Tesla should be allowed to do so as well. Dealerships mark up the manufacturer's price, so this does not benefit the consumer and may even cause a loss of sales. Independently-owned dealerships frequently result in inconsistent customer experiences too.

swaltner · Nov 3, 2014

Even though the first post has the full link, the underlying link is just to the main page. Don't know what happened there, but here it is again, hopefully going directly to the real page.

Put an end to State legislature banning direct vehicle sales. | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

DJ Frustration · Nov 3, 2014

Let me be clear, I support ending the franchise system for cars. However, these petitions are not where our efforts should be focused. I voted in the first one and look at what it produced.
Response to We the People Petition on Tesla Motors | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

Money quote, "We believe in the goal of improving consumer choice for American families, including more vehicles that provide savings at the pump for consumers. However, we understand that pre-empting current state laws on direct-to-consumer auto sales would require an act of Congress."

Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

ggies07 · Nov 3, 2014

DJ Frustration said:
Let me be clear, I support ending the franchise system for cars. However, these petitions are not where our efforts should be focused. I voted in the first one and look at what it produced.
Response to We the People Petition on Tesla Motors | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

Money quote, "We believe in the goal of improving consumer choice for American families, including more vehicles that provide savings at the pump for consumers. However, we understand that pre-empting current state laws on direct-to-consumer auto sales would require an act of Congress."

Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

Which is why mid-term voting needs to be just as important as the presidential one. You should figure out the best politician that aligns with our quest in your area and vote tomorrow.

dgh · Nov 4, 2014

Sunshine

I understand your frustration, I don't think hardly anyone that voted for the first petition was satisfied with the response from the White House either.

What I hope supporting this petition will do is draw a bit more attention to the issue. Its clear that the vast majority of Americans support Tesla and any other car maker that does not already have franchises to be able to sell directly. Many might support the whole franchises system to be done away with, but that is beyond the scope of what I am focused on.

If the new petition draws a enough supports to get a new response, its likely it will get some press coverage beyond the domain do Tesla. This is the what we need, some sunshine on the issue.

Do I think petition alone is gonna change any laws or get a presidential executive order? Quite unlikely.

Do I think it will help, at least in a small way, to get the issue out to the 95% of American who are unaware that Tesla is barred from selling its cars in several states? Yeah, I do.

It's a war. For the moment, we lost the battle in Michigan. Do I eventually think we will win the war, yeah I do.

Electric700 · Nov 4, 2014

swaltner said:
Even though the first post has the full link, the underlying link is just to the main page. Don't know what happened there, but here it is again, hopefully going directly to the real page.

Put an end to State legislature banning direct vehicle sales. | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

Yup, that one worked! Thanks.

SeminoleFSU · Nov 4, 2014

Stop asking the federal crooks for help. Deal with the local/state crooks. That's the way our country was designed to work.

:tongue:

linkster · Nov 4, 2014

SeminoleFSU said:
Stop asking the federal crooks for help. Deal with the local/state crooks. That's the way our country was designed to work. :tongue:

+50

The Left/Unions and Right/Big Oil are just not gonna help, as there are just too many votes and money respectively at stake.

not interested in this federal approach (again)....

Twiglett · Nov 4, 2014

Voted - but it still needs 99,600ish more vote in the next three weeks!

wart · Nov 4, 2014

We've tried this before. It isn't an executive matter, it's a legislative matter.

Speaking of the legislature, have you voted in today's midterm elections?

markb1 · Nov 4, 2014

DJ Frustration said:
Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

I'm not sure much can be done on a national level. The constitution only allows congress to regulate interstate commerce. Presumably buying from a brick-and-mortar Tesla store does not count. (That's barring a constitution amendment, of course.) So I agree about contacting your state legislators, but congress is probably a waste of time.

dgh · Nov 4, 2014

I understand your skepticism about the Feds doing anything on the issue, but my reason to ask people to support the petition is to garner media attention.

Almost everyone on TMC knows about the issues of some states blocking direct sales, but 99% of the American public has no idea about this. When they hear about it, the vast majority will be supportive to have the polices changed. Doubtful this petition alone will do the trick, but it could contribute to the process.

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New White House Petition to stop States from banning direct car sales

dgh

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Ostkaka

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Electric700

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swaltner

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DJ Frustration

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ggies07

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dgh

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Electric700

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SeminoleFSU

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Twiglett

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wart

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