There comes a point in every car owner’s life when it’s time to buy another vehicle. Whether you simply want a change or have taken your current vehicle to its limit, buying a used car is often a beneficial solution for one’s finances. However, used car buyers should be aware of a dealership’s policy on deposit refunds for a vehicle with mechanical problems, as one man’s story from North Carolina emphasizes.
According to a www.wral.com report, a North Carolina used car buyer paid a dealership a $500 cash deposit for a vehicle before taking it to his mechanic to examine the car for any problems. The man claims that the car salesman signed a receipt stating that the money would be refunded if any mechanical issues were detected in the vehicle. When the mechanic did discover problems with the vehicle’s horn, battery, and wheel bearings, and the man tried to get his deposit back, the salesman reportedly denied him the full deposit.
In North Carolina, the lemon law does not provide consumers with any protection against used vehicles with problems. While several North Carolinians may, for example, believe that, as a car buyer, they have three days to change their mind about a vehicle that they just purchased, this is not the case. A person cannot return a vehicle to the dealer once they have signed an agreement and taken the car away from the dealership.
With used car issues ranked number five on the list of consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau in 2009, consumer awareness of used car fraud and lemon law may help to avoid these problems. Be sure to get a hold of a vehicle history report before signing anything. This information should help a potential car buyer learn exactly how many owners a vehicle previously had, and whether the car was involved in any serious wrecks that caused significant damage.
Protecting consumers is always important; however, in times of financial crisis, ensuring that buyers are receiving quality products and services is even more crucial. A Yakima Herald-Republic story reports that Washington State lawmakers have passed a series of consumer protection laws. The story mentions that these new laws aim to dissuade individuals from trying to scam or defraud those who are already struggling financially due to the economy.
One of the new consumer protection laws in Washington relates to used car buyer protection against lemon vehicles. This law was introduced after the Attorney General’s Office detected an alarming trend of used car dealers burying lemon cars at auctions for relatively low prices and reselling them at higher prices throughout Washington State. Before the new law, Washington State’s lemon law only covered new cars. Now, used car dealers in Washington State will be required to disclose when a used car was repurchased under the lemon law of a different state.
With this additional protection, used car buyers will also have access to a vehicle’s title information to determine if the car has ever formally been returned to the manufacturer for a problem. Obviously, a title that reflects a used vehicle history of being totaled, reconditioned, salvaged, junked, damaged, rebuilt, or a lemon law return, may affect the vehicle’s resale value.
Even though lemon laws vary from state to state, consumer rights are a major concern across the board. If you believe that your used car may have a different history than what the used car buyer revealed to you, you may be entitled to your money back plus other expenses.
Making the decision to file a lemon law claim is no easy task. While some car owners may think that filing a lemon law claim takes up too much of their time, this is not the case; especially with help from a lemon law attorney. And what’s worse – spending time researching your rights as a consumer, or missing out on the opportunity of getting a replacement vehicle or a full refund for your defective car? The answer is clear. Procrastination is not the solution when you are faced with owning a vehicle with irreparable flaws.
According to a West Virginia Record story, a Kanawha County man has filed suit against General Motors for breach of warranty based on West Virginia’s lemon law. The man is pursuing a refund of the purchase price ($18,590) for his 2009 Chevrolet HHR LS plus expenses relating to the car.
At the heart of the matter is the claim that the vehicle failed to conform to the warranty after a reasonable number of attempts.
A consumer should not have to pay a large sum of money for a new car only to fear for their safety when operating the vehicle. Lemon laws throughout the United States exist to hold manufacturers accountable when their vehicles do not conform to their warranty.
If you own a vehicle in California that cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, you may be entitled to your money back or a new vehicle. For more information regarding your rights as a consumer, contact CA lemon law attorney Howard D. Silver for a free consultation. Call 866-49-LEMON today.
Welcome to the lemon law blog of the Law Offices of Howard D. Silver. In this blog, we will be discussing some of the areas of law that the firm practices in California as well as national lemon law news, consumer protection rights and other pertinent legal issues on a country-wide level to provide readers with valuable automotive information and resources.
Lemon laws vary from state to state, but the emphasis on consumer protection is widespread. Americans have valued the privilege of buying cars for decades not only as vital modes of transportation, but as reflections of our persona. Whether we would like to admit it or not, cars throughout the United States may not always maintain their performance, usefulness, or safety for the amount of time we expect for a variety of reasons. This lemon law blog will address automotive matters relating to what a consumer can do if a vehicle fails to function properly or does not conform to its warranty. We will also write about different consumer guides to buying new and used vehicles as well as covering a range of steps to protect consumers from auto repair fraud and used car fraud.
Car owners in the U.S. are also greatly affected by unfair business practices in which a consumer may be deceived or mislead when trying to obtain money that is owed to them for expenses associated with a vehicle. Automotive fraud has become a bigger problem than ever before due to the struggling economy, the high costs of auto repair and heightened consumer desire to purchase used cars to save money. Consumers who have requested a refund for a defective vehicle and received nothing in return may qualify under the lemon law for the state in which they live to take certain legal action.
The Law Offices of Howard D. Silver’s blog will serve as a forum for Howard D. Silver to share his experience in California automotive lemon law, used car lemon law and auto repair fraud, as well as unfair and deceptive business practices in relation to his knowledge of these issues on a national scope. In assisting his clients in receiving money back or a replacement vehicle for when a car does not conform to the warranty after a reasonable number of repair attempts, Howard D. Silver recognizes the importance of consumers understanding the lemon law on a national level. Please visit the lemon law blog again for more lemon law and consumer protection information!
