A recent lawsuit filed by employees of a New Jersey auto dealer shows the toxic atmosphere that exists in some car dealerships. While there are many car dealers that respect their employees and customers, we have heard many stories from employees and consumers about...
The Connecticut Appellate Court has dismissed an appeal filed by an auto dealer, A Better Way Wholesale Autos. In its appeal, the dealership was attempting to throw out an arbitrator's decision that the 2004 Mercedes E 500 that it had sold to a Connecticut consumer...
A Wisconsin couple has sued an auto dealership for promising them that a used Mazda 5 station wagon could tow a trailer. The couple wanted to tow a trailer in order to transport an electric wheelchair. The lawsuit alleges that the dealership repeatedly assured them...
Many of our clients tell us about conduct by auto dealers that is quite clearly criminal. Many dealerships regularly engage in forgery, fraud, and outright theft of money.State laws provide for serious criminal sanctions for this type of conduct, including jail time....
We are approaching the busiest time of the year for car sales. If you are considering buying a car in the next couple of months, here is a checklist of things to do BEFORE your first visit a car dealership. 1. Check your credit report for errors: About half of...
Industry insiders know that some auto dealerships regularly engage in criminal activity. For example, one employee of a large Connecticut dealership recently confirmed to me that dealership employees routinely forge signatures; he said that forging a signature was...
Games Dealers Play: The Waiting Game Buying a new or used car can be an exhausting process. Unfortunately, some dealers may drag the process out far longer than necessary. When consumers are tired or hungry, or when they have small children who getting cranky, they...
Incidents of fraud by auto dealers are higher for lower priced cars, according to a recent study. The study, which was conducted by iSeeCars.com, evaluated millions of advertised vehicles and determined that the lower the price, the greater the likelihood that there...
Car rental companies owned nearly 2 million in 2013, and most of those rentals will be resold on the consumer market. Some rental companies have retail divisions that sell former rentals directly to consumers. Many of those cars can be a good deal, and many rental...
One of the biggest tricks in the car business is the "dealer conveyance fee," which is supposed to compensate the dealership for its costs in processing the paperwork, taking care of the registration, and closing the deal. About 20 years ago, dealer conveyance fees...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
