Coronavirus Resources

Coronavirus Resources for Dealers

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BEST PRACTICES FOR REMOTE SALES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

GNYADA worked with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Administration to permit licensed dealers to sell and lease vehicles remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that dealers can sell and lease cars by telephone or by using an electronic system. The Governor’s authorization also allows for vehicle lease returns and delivery of a vehicle by appointment only.

Violating the Governor’s directive might result in your business being closed, your license suspended or revoked, or the assessment of fines. To help dealers follow these requirements, and institute best practices at your dealership, we recommend following these protocols to meet these new standards.

First: Sales Must be Handled Remotely.
Employees involved in the sale or lease of a vehicle cannot conduct these transactions on the dealership premises. All negotiations must be done using the telephone or electronic methods. Sales department workers cannot even report to work to use phones and computers to contact consumers.

Dealership personnel who secure financing, perform registration and title work, or enter data into VERIFI, may report to work to complete the transaction. But once a transaction is completed, your personnel must leave the dealership premises immediately.

Second: Walk-ins are Strictly Prohibited.
Dealership showrooms must be closed. If your showroom is accessible for customers waiting for their car to be repaired or for any other reason and would like to discuss purchasing a car, you must direct the customer to your dealership’s phone number, website, or email.

To prevent walk-ins, you should post signs informing customers that they cannot enter the showroom. If you can, we suggest you keep your showroom doors locked.

Third: End of Lease Drop-offs and Vehicle Deliveries
You may only meet with a consumer at your dealership by scheduling an appointment for the following purposes only:

  1. To accept a lease return;
  2. determine a trade-in value;
  3. arranging for a test-drive; or
  4. deliver a new car.

Fourth: Sanitize Your Vehicles for Test Drives and Deliveries.
When you prepare a car for delivery or a test-drive, you should sanitize the key and any key fob that accompanies it, consider putting it in a plastic bag, and leave it for the customer in the car. All surfaces should also be sanitized according to the NYSDOH and CDC guidelines found below.

Dealership employees should not accompany the customer on their test drive.
For test drives we also suggest you cover in plastic areas in a car that the customer is likely to touch. When the customer returns the car, you must clean it according to the NYSDOH and CDC guidelines found below.

Fifth: Obtaining Required Signatures Safely.
Customers cannot show up at the dealership to sign paperwork without an appointment. When they do arrive, you must make sure to keep a safe distance of six-feet from your customer. And before a customer touches any pen, desk, material, or area in your dealership, you must make sure it has been sanitized according to the NYSDOH and CDC guidelines found below.

Sixth: Always Follow Important Health Guidelines. During an appointment with a consumer at your dealership, you must observe New York State Department of Health guidelines on how to keep your facility clean and on how to keep your employees and consumers healthy. You must also observe Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on social distancing, which are similar to the NYSDOH guidelines. (Click on links for more information)

We strongly suggest that all your employees, whether they are working with consumers or throughout the day during work, that they wear face masks and disposable gloves to keep themselves, and others, safe.

Some important websites to view:

Dealers should be very attentive to these guidelines to keep workers and customers safe, and to avoid any difficulty with regulators. If you have any questions on how these guidelines might apply to your business, do not hesitate to contact GNYADA at 718.746.5900.




Coronavirus Resources Overview