Why I hate car dealerships

When we bought the new Jeep, we only got one key with it. Ok, no big
deal really.. I'll just go get 2 more keys made. Yeah, right! The Jeep
has a transponder based key (Have I mentioned lately how much I despise
factory car alarms???). This means that not only do I need keys cut, but
the Jeep needs to be programmed to recognize them. So I start calling
around. I start with a local locksmith. He quotes me $125 for a key, and
"about $20 less" for a second key. Woah! That's a bit steep, so I go to
the local Jeep dealer. The local Jeep dealer has the keys ($45 each),
but they can't program them because they are no longer Jeep Authorized
as of 2 weeks earlier. Nice... They send me across the street to the
Chrysler dealer - $65 each for the keys and $55 to program them... Ouch!

I decide to call around. Here are the prices I got from various Jeep
dealers for the EXACT SAME PARTS & SERVICE:

Key - Programming
50 - 50
53 - 50
58 - 50
75 - 60

I got fed up with the major differences in pricing. I went on the
Internet and found the same keys from a key dealer for $15.99 each. Now,
that's a significant profit margin if you ask me. I got 2 keys off the
Internet for $38. It cost me the $50 to cut and program both of them at
the dealer (oh, did I mention that the dealer didn't stock the keys to
fit a 2000 Jeep that fit every Jeep up until 2007????).

While I was at the dealer I priced up a screw I needed - $6.99 ($2.60 on
the internet), and a switch to disarm the alarm when you use the key to
unlock the door - $68 ($44.23 on the internet). Needless to say, I will
be ordering the parts I need on the internet and not the dealer whenever
possible.