Car Payment Or Else!

Car Payment Or Else: Engine Shut Off Systems
They Know If You've Paid Your Bill.

With consumer credit ratings plummeting, more American car owners could soon be driving around with an electronic Big Brother on board.

Business is booming for makers of shut-off devices, which turn engines off when car payments are late. Sales at one manufacturer, Littleton, Colo.-based Passtime, are up 33 percent over last year. CEO Stan Schwarz says the company is cranking up production to meet the demand.

"Right now, we are moving about 2,000 units a month into the marketplace," Schwarz says. "I fully expect by the end of the year we will be up to 14,000 to 15,000 a month,"

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I believe this is wrong and I'm glad I have a paid off older vehicle. 😄

Its pretty damn strict, but I don't know if there is anything wrong with it.

Very stupid.

Could be a great idea for some.

Creates incentive to pay the bill.

This incentive, while invassive, also creates a more stable market in terms of credit.

But, there are those that won't be able to keep up with their payments if they can't friggin' drive to work.

So as SC posted:

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Very stupid.

On another note, they wil at least always have a "place" to live...and it's a mobile home....IF they assume that car payment is #1 priority.

On another note, still, did you guys know that at some MCDonalds restaurants, it is harder to get hired there then at many places? The really busy ones need really fast and efficient employees...sometimes experience. People joke about getting employed at McDondalds as a last choice...but a lot of store managers wouldn't even hire your...even with a Ph.D. 🙂

Originally posted by dadudemon
On another note, still, did you guys know that at some MCDonalds restaurants, it is harder to get hired there then at many places? The really busy ones need really fast and efficient employees...sometimes experience. People joke about getting employed at McDondalds as a last choice...but a lot of store managers wouldn't even hire your...even with a Ph.D. 🙂

I wouldn't be surprised if that's always been true. A PhD doesn't really give you the skills to work in a restaurant like MacDonalds. If you happen to have gone through West Point, on the other hand I'm sure they'd love to have you.

The requirement isn't for people who can think (which is what you theoretically learn to do while getting a PhD) but for people who can react with precision.

Well, soon there will be "speeding monitors" installed in all vehicles that will automatically give you a ticket when you speed (gps systems make computers knowing the speed limit easy)

Cable and satellite companies can already lock your signal if you don't pay your bill.

Soon health insurance companies will know whether you smoke, drink, overeat, use drugs, etc, and will deny you coverage based on that despite the fact you've paid your premiums.

While people should pay for it when they buy something it seems this is a little over the top.

Say someone doesn't pay their car payment and they are in the middle of nowhere and the temp is 118 farenheit and the device disables their engine. They could be in danger of dying from exposure.

Where I live in Las Vegas it is illegal for the electric company to shut someones power off during the summer months even if they don't pay but as soon as the summer heat is over with then the power can be shut off.

All things considered I'd say these devices are a bad idea and should be banned...stick with the repo system.

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
...stick with the repo system.

People, well poor folks and Libetarians, tend to just shoot at repo guys until they go away.

The real problem with these remote shut off things is that they will get hacked. There's no way to prevent it.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
People, well poor folks and Libetarians, tend to just shoot at repo guys until they go away.

Because a repo man is a thief. 😉

Instead the bank should call the customer and arrange a workable payment plan or they can return the vehicle without a thief coming in the night.

The real problem with these remote shut off things is that they will get hacked. There's no way to prevent it.

There you go. They will be hacked. 😉

Originally posted by The Scribe
Because a repo man is a thief. 😉

Instead the bank should call the customer and arrange a workable payment plan or they can return the vehicle without a thief coming in the night.

No, stopping the repo man makes you a thief. Until the payment plan is completed you don't own the stuff the bank does. By any particularly sensible system of laws and morals they are within their rights to take back things that they still own.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
No, stopping the repo man makes you a thief. Until the payment plan is completed you don't own the stuff the bank does. By any particularly sensible system of laws and morals they are within their rights to take back things that they still own.

Who says they aren't going to pay?

Maybe, they missed a few payments because they were sick or laid off.

It would be better for the bank to call and arrange a meeting with the person. Instead of selling the car for much less at an auction.

By selling the vehicle or house for less than is owed, makes it seem like they didn't need the money in the first place.

A repo man is nothing but a hired thief.

Does he own the vehicle, did he give the loan out?
He is a hired thief.

Originally posted by The Scribe
Who says they aren't going to pay?

Maybe, they missed a few payments because they were sick or laid off.

It would be better for the bank to call and arrange a meeting with the person. Instead of selling the car for much less at an auction.

By selling the vehicle or house for less than is owed, makes it seem like they didn't need the money in the first place.

Repo men are very rarely the first thing that the legal owner will use in order to get payment. They're a last resort in order to prevent THE LEGAL OWNER from being defrauded.

Originally posted by The Scribe
A repo man is nothing but a hired thief.

Does he own the vehicle, did he give the loan out?
He is a hired thief.

He's hired by the person that owns the stuff in the first place. That's not theft by any stretch.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
He's hired by the person that owns the stuff in the first place. That's not theft by any stretch.

So, if someone I lent something to refused to or hasn't returned my item for a long enough time.

I can just hire someone to go to their home in the middle of the night to retrieve my item?

If no, why can the bank do it? That's hypocritical.

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
Say someone doesn't pay their car payment and they are in the middle of nowhere and the temp is 118 farenheit and the device disables their engine. They could be in danger of dying from exposure.

There will, obviously, be a security mechnism in place to prevent wrecks. More than likely, it will require that the car be in park, while off.

ALL YOUR CAR PAYMENTS ARE BELONG TO US!

Repo-man, Rubble Rubble! 😉

Originally posted by dadudemon

More than likely, it will require that the car be in park, while off.

How do you know they just didn't stop to take a leak?

Originally posted by The Dark Cloud
How do you know they just didn't stop to take a leak?

Good point.

Guess they should have paid the bill, then, right?

Also, I bet there's some kind of warning system in the car, automated phone calls, etc.

They would, essentially, kill themselves.

If you and I are having this conversation right now and we are very ignorant concerning this "technology", then it can be assumed that many more details were discussed and resolved before hitting the market.

Maybe it's some kind of bomb.
If you don't give your payments, your car explodes at any given time.

imagine if this concept was extended to prosthetics and implants, like pacemakers.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
Very stupid.