My Medicaid forms and required documentation are where they need to be. The trip to Sussex Honda here in Newton NJ was a bust, leaving me with the strong impression that the Dealership managed and run by General Manager, Cheryl Eichner and President, Tim Allocca just doesn’t want to do business with my friend anymore. And… “That is their prerogative!”
So, after talking to a sales consultant named Judy Rawcliffe and not getting anywhere with regard to what we felt would be reasonable pricing on a lease on a new vehicle we left and had a quiet lunch at McDonald’s, my friend planning her next move. She’ll miss the car when she turns it in upon lease expiration but, “One door closes and a better one opens!”
Sussex Honda isn’t the end all to be all and sometimes bumps in the road like this one turn out to be blessings in disguise. If Sussex Honda can afford to turn people away, which in my mind is what they did in this instance, “More power to them!”
My friend will manage after the car is turned in. Besides, having only driven the vehicle on an average of about 257 miles a month, Uber and Lyft just might work out to be better alternatives. It might not be quite as convenient. But… “It’s a doable option!”
For anyone living in the Sussex County area shopping for a new or used vehicle at Sussex Honda, or any other dealership, I would like to impart a bit of advice here. When you walk into a dealership have a digital recording device concealed on your person somewhere. Feel free to check the law for yourself as I am not a lawyer. But last I looked, the State of New Jersey still has a single party consent law or “one-party consent” law.
It’s my understanding that you may record conversations that you are a part of, or with prior consent from one of the participants if you are not a part of the conversation. It is also lawful to record electronic communications that are publicly accessible. However, you cannot record, obtain, share, or use conversations that you are not a part of without the consent of at least one party.
There are exceptions for recording oral conversations you are not a part of between individuals where the folks communicating are in an environment where they should not expect privacy. Here are some examples of situations where recording is allowed under New Jersey’s one-party consent law:
- Recording a Meeting with Your Boss: You can legally record a conversation during a meeting with your boss if you are a participant in the meeting.
- Recording a Telephone Conversation: It is legal to record a telephone conversation without informing the other party if you are one of the participants in the call.
- Recording at a Public Demonstration: You may record a public demonstration or speech, as these are typically considered public forums where there is no expectation of privacy.
- Recording a Meeting in a Restaurant: Using a recording device to record a meeting at a restaurant is permissible if you are part of the conversation and the conversation is not intended to be private.
It’s important to remember that these examples are legal as long as you are a participant in the conversation or have obtained consent from at least one person involved. However, it is illegal to record private conversations that you are not a part of, or to surveil someone else’s private area without their knowledge. Always be mindful of the context and ensure that you have the right to record before doing so to avoid any legal issues.
To an average Joe like me, you should have no problem recording in a Jersey Based dealership because the way most of these places are laid out there’s really no reasonable expectation of privacy throughout most of the building. As far as recording in an office in a dealership? Based on everything I’ve read in the past; automotive dealerships are quasi-public places.
But… As I said before, “I’m not a lawyer so do your homework before you record!”
The reason I have recorded conversations in certain environments where contracts are involved is simple. “It gives a blind guy like me added protection.”
I’d be an idiot not to expect that someone would see me as just a dumb blind person and try to get me to sign a contract that is counter to the speech coming out of their mouth. In car dealerships they can do that to anyone, especially these days when they have you signing a waver acknowledging that you are doing a deal without having had time to read the paperwork, “Properly!”
So… In my mind… With my understanding of the law… Recording conversations you have with dealership staff is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. And… Maybe if enough people start doing it maybe we will hear way less stories about people getting screwed at new and used car lots, “Here in Sussex County or anywhere else in New Jersey!”