I am seeing this more and more in my neck of woods as debit cards now rule the day. Let's be honest, people don't use debit cards because they lack the funds or want the float.
The check guarantee people will tell you you're turning away business, but if it is a unprofitable segment for you, why even bother. Anymore I am leary of check writers at the cashier - sad but true commentary of life.
One thing to consider - are you part of a larger dealership group. What brings this up is the trouble that KB toys went through a few years back. They stopped allowing checks in stores with high level of bad ones. Unfortunately, these happened to occur in predominately minority neighborhoods. This brought lawsuits of discrimination.
The only other thing to consider are your fleet/business customers that may require a check. Business can be helped by saying no "personal checks" are accepted.
In the meantime, you might consider a check service to take care of any deadbeats. There are a ton of web based services like
http://www.checkrecoverysystems.com Do a Google search ... you'll find many.
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** Rob, Editor Dealersedge/WD&S **Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com