Fellow List Members:
I want to tell you about something that may help you
save some MONEY. I work for AT&T. They have just started offering auto leasing
to the public, but it's the best kept secret in the U.S.. And, boy, is it a
good deal.
See, AT&T has a huge fleet dept. that buys thousands and thousands and
thousands of vehicles a year at prices a lot lower than you or I could ever
hope to get. Someone had the bright idea years ago to allow the employees to
lease vehicles at low rates based from the low purchase prices. This, needless
to say, was received warmly by the 300,000 employees of AT&T. Very recently,
they started offering it to the public, but they don't really advertise it.
I just got a new Dodge pickup(I admit it,my personal toy) through
them, and it was very much different than going to the dealership. I didn't
get to meet a lot of salesmen, I didn't have to negotiate with a sales mgr. by
remote satellite, and I didn't have to meet a finance mgr. and learn all about
fabric protectant and credit life insurance.
What I did was call up 1-800 CAR LEASE, tell them what I wanted(they
do any make and model sold in the U.S., plus used cars up to three years old),
they took my credit application by fax, gave me payments, sent out the
contract by FedEx(prepaid return), and they make the new vehicle show up like
voodoo at a dealer next to my house. So...the only time I see a dealer is when
I sign a delivery receipt and drive away. Pretty cool.
Now, listen to this: Just for kicks, I comparison shopped three
dealers. The closest any one of them could get was $63.00 away. Per month!
That's on a 36 mo. lease, same terms, same equipment. And AT&T gives you free
GAP insurance with the lease. That was extra from the dealers. Plus, it's a
much lower charge per mile for going over 15,000 miles a year with AT&T. So
I'm happy.
You know, some of us are lucky enough to drive what we want every day
and not worry about money. I'm not in that group. I have a fun vehicle, two
commuter vehicles, and of course, a project. On the first three, I need to
spend as little as possible(and still be happy with what I have). I thought
that some of you might be in the same fix. This is my public service for the
week. It's not about money for AT&T- if ALL of you signed up tomorrow, it
wouldn't even be a blip on the revenue screen for them. It's about your money
and getting more for it. Call them. Don't call them. It's up to you. I just
wanted to make you aware that the option exists and that it might save you
some coin. And, if you're like me, you'll then throw it away on an OLD car.
It's 1-800 CAR LEASE. They're open 8am to 6pm EST. Hope it helps some
of you out.
Dan Moore
P.S. Unbelievable service level also- they'll talk to you even if you're not
quit ready yet, patiently explain everything, send you a brochure first,
etc... whatever YOU want to do.
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