Some things should be obvious. But, apparently, a columnist in car dealer publication Automotive News felt that car dealerships need to be told that: "Signing a customer's name is forgery. Period." Check out the article, which suggests that the reasons for forgery...
Month: April 2013
Our Auto Dealer Fraud Practice and Representative Cases
In our experience, consumers have more problems involving motor vehicles than with any other type of purchase. State and federal laws provide consumers who lease or purchase motor vehicles with many protections, and an alarming percentage of motor vehicle sales or...
Buying a decent car with poor credit
Buying a decent car without good credit can be tough. In Connecticut, car dealers can charge up to 19% interest. All too often, dealers charge prices are well above book values, and that is before the cost of conveyance fees and other "extras" are added to the...
Trans Union Now Considering Metropolitan Area When Evaluating Credit Risk
Trans Union is now using "metro ratings" to evaluate credit risks for collective groups based on where they live. Attorney Chris Kittell of the Kittell Law Firm writes Trans Union contends that a low metro rating does not just reflect a geographically localized group...
Dealing With New Car Warranties: Part 2
Good Morning! If you've been following our blog, you might know from yesterday's post that Attorney Dan Blinn bought a brand new car over the weekend and that, less than 24 hours later, the car wouldn't start. Yesterday's post detailed some of the things that we...
It Can Happen To Anyone: Dealing with New Car Warranty Issues
It can happen to anyone - CLG attorney Dan Blinn bought a new car this weekend and, less than 24 hours later, it wouldn't start. So, he follows the advice that he gives to clients facing similar situations involving new car warranty problems:.... 1. Promptly...
Cell Phone Calls, Debt Collectors and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Many consumers have told us that they get several calls a day on their cell phones from a debt collector or creditor who is trying to collect a debt. Collection calls to cell phones can be particularly frustrating because most consumers always keep their cell phones...
Connecticut pre-owned vehicle warranty protections
Consumers who buy a preowned car should not purchase someone else’s problems. They should know about Connecticut’s law that helps protect them from vehicle warranty problems. Coverage Under state law, warranties are required for a used car purchased from a dealer...
Spotting odometer tampering in a used car
Until the advent of digital odometers, tampering with the analog odometers was perhaps the most common type of fraud involved in used car sales in Connecticut and elsewhere. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration once estimated that more than 450,000 used...
Beware of hurricane damaged vehicles
Connecticut managed to avoid any extensive damage from the historic 2020 hurricane season. However, used car buyers should still be on the lookout for vehicles that may have suffered from flood damage. Often, flood-damaged cars are transported far beyond their...
What is odometer fraud?
When people in Connecticut purchase a used car, one feature they may pay particular attention to is the milage on the vehicle. In general, vehicles with lower mileages will have less wear-and-tear and thus may be more reliable vehicles. However, not all dealers are...
State law protects buyers of used cars before and after the sale
Connecticut has laws which authorized used car dealerships have to follow. These laws are there to protect customers from paying way too much for a car that has significant mechanical problems. Before the sale of a vehicle, a prospective buyer has the right to have...
An overview of Connecticut’s Lemon Law
Most residents may not know this, but our state was the first state to enact a “Lemon Law” to help car owners of defective vehicles. In fact, the program has refunded or replaced vehicles to the tune of over $60 million. Where is the Lemon Law? “Lemon Law” is not...
Financing scams run by auto dealerships
People in New Jersey use their vehicles every day to get to various places that they need to go to. However, cars do not last forever and people need to buy new vehicles from time to time. People have different options on where to purchase their vehicle, but many...
What are lemon laws?
Lemon laws provide many important protections for car shoppers, car purchasers and consumers. For that reason, anyone considering a car purchase or who has recently purchased a car should be familiar with lemon laws. What is a considered a lemon? What qualifies as a...
What makes a problematic vehicle a “lemon” under the law?
When we purchase a new car from a dealer, we have the right to expect the vehicle to conform and perform to the expectations advertised by the manufacturer, as well as the dealership. However, many cars do roll off the assembly line with problems that were not caught...
What if I buy a car that’s been in an undisclosed accident?
Buying a used car always is a little bit of a gamble. You may choose to buy a car from an auto dealer because you feel better about that than buying one from a private party. However, auto dealers sometimes are sneaky and may try to sell you a car without disclosing...