FORT EUSTIS, Va. (April 9, 2009) -- Concerns about service members getting a bad deal on a vehicle have been ongoing as long as there have been military installations within striking distance of local car dealers.
Now military installations in the Hampton Roads area have come up with something to couple with newcomers briefing for new service members to deal with car dealers - the Military Appreciation Purchase Program.
MAPP was conceived by Dwain Alexander, a legal assistance attorney at Norfolk Naval Base, with the idea of getting stakeholders involved, such as the Better Business Bureau of Hampton Roads and the Virginia Independent Automobile Dealers Association, to partner up and develop a program where car dealers sign up and provide assurance to ethically conduct sales transactions with service members.
"Throughout his career, he (Alexander) has identified a number of consistent problems relating to the purchase of vehicles by service members, and he said we need to do something about this because they are frequently taken advantage of when they purchase a vehicle," said Capt. Matt Besmer, Fort Eustis legal assistance attorney.
Besmer said one of the ways car dealers are held to the provision of MAPP is with the MAPP Service Member Acknowledgement Form that service members and dealerships are supposed to sign whenever the service member purchases a vehicle from one of the participating dealerships.
"The form is essentially just an acknowledgement that the dealer will adhere to ethical principles and allow the service member to have the sales contract reviewed by an attorney before the service member commits to a vehicle," Besmer said.
It's not a requirement the contract be reviewed, but the service member knows they have an opportunity to review the contract, he added.
One of the other aspects of the program is the option to put down up to a $100 refundable deposit to allow the buyer time to think about the purchase for a 24-hour period, after which the service member can decide to purchase the vehicle at an price or change their mind and get their money back, according to Besmer. Other MAPP requirements include the disclosure of basic information about the vehicle such as the year, make, model, mileage and vehicle identification number.
"One of the key pieces is the retail value of the vehicle," Besmer added. "Unfortunately, many times service members go to a used car dealer and pay well over the Kelly Blue Book or National Automobile Dealers Association retail price. The disclosure on this form is essentially intended to educate service members about the value of the vehicle they're purchasing."
MAPP has been in existence since a signing ceremony at Norfolk Naval Base in March and has 29 participating dealers to date - most of which are on the Southside (including Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Franklin, etc.) where most Sailors as well as Soldiers from Forts Story and Eustis go to purchase vehicles, according to Besmer. "There's quite a few dealerships involved," he added. "It's definitely more than just a handful. The dealerships are signing on and involved with it (MAPP)." There are also a few in Hampton and Newport News among the 29. Service members can look on www.mappva.com to see which dealers are participating in the program.
"The program is not designed to ensure good deals for service members," Besmer said. "It's designed to make sure the sales transaction is taking place legally and ethically, and that service members know key facts about the vehicle, most importantly the value."
The dealerships are also required to have a third- party point of contact review contracts and resolve problems a service member may encounter with the dealers.
"That person should be able to resolve the problem," Besmer said. "This is not designed for someone who simply has buyers remorse or changed their mind."
One of the major abuses that have been seen recently are loans being opened in Soldiers' names without their consent as a result of them passing off their identification card to dealerships upon arrival, according to Capt. Temi Anderson, Eustis chief of legal assistance.
"We're advising Soldiers and the command about that issue," Anderson said. "This program is beneficial to Soldiers because it offers them a safe haven when moving out to a business world that can be unscrupulous. I give newcomers briefings at least monthly and advise them of credit and car dealer issues."
Anderson said she advises them of some of the techniques and procedures used by some of the fraudulent businesses in the area and how to use preventative law to help them avoid certain situations as opposed to trying to take legal action after a contract has been signed.
"Our first line of defense is always the chain of command - teaching our leaders about business practices and what Soldiers should and shouldn't be doing," Anderson said. "They find out the issues before we do so they can help prevent it." It is key to keep service members informed and encourage them to be prepared when purchasing a vehicle, Anderson continued.
"Nothing prevents a Soldier from paying more than the Kelly Blue Book value for a car, but at least that information is going to be right in front of the Soldiers," Besmer said. Anderson added that's one of the things she likes most about the program.
"Chain of command involvement, them understanding how to purchase a car and avoid pitfalls is also key," Anderson said. "I definitely think NCO supervision helps Soldiers in these situations."
For more information, call Eustis legal assistance at 878-5286, ext. 222 or visit www.mappva.com.
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