Not so “optional” after all

This October we received a report that an area Toyota dealership refused to sell a customer a car unless he paid for what was listed as the “Optional DMV Electronic Filing Fee” on the purchase contract. The customer had to refuse to sign the contract, leave the dealership after hours of negotiations, and consult with a consumer attorney, before the dealership eventually relented. California law requires that this fee be listed as optional and ACTUALLY be optional! Clearly, this dealership simply wants to muscle its customers in to the charge if it can – a portion of which it probably keeps.