Automobile Dealer Fraud

GENERAL OVERVIEW

There are various laws, both state and federal, that protect consumers and purchasers of automobiles from unscrupulous automobile dealerships who prey on the unsophisticated and inexperienced car purchaser. Automobile dealership takes many forms. Among the more common violations are:

Unfair and deceptive business practices
False and misleading advertising
Odometer fraud
Truth In Lending violations
Breaches of various state and federal warranty laws and debt collection laws
Selling vehicles with flood damage, salvaged/rebuilt titles or prior accident damage that has not been properly disclosed
Submission of falsified credit applications
Deliberate misstatements of income by the car dealership
Misrepresentation of the interest rate
Forgery of documents by the dealership
Telling consumers that they have been approved for credit and then repossessing the vehicles and keeping the down payments when the consumers does not get approved

These are only a few of the many ways that some automobile dealerships take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. Based on the number of clients represented by the firm of Loren & Mercer, it is evident that no one is immune from automobile dealership misconduct. Moreover, the worst of these dealerships will often prey on the elderly and those that they believe will not have the financial means to stand up for themselves.

In certain instances, the courts have awarded consumers with punitive damages against the dealerships. These damages are geared to punishing and deterring unscrupulous businesses, including auto dealers, from deceiving consumers in the future. Often the awards of punitive damages, when permitted by the courts, have significantly exceeded the actual damages amount claimed by the consumer. In addition to recovery of actual losses and sometimes punitive damages, consumers are often entitled to recover statutory damages and penalties for violation of the consumers’ rights, and are quite often able to recover their attorneys’ fees and costs from the automobile dealership.

At Loren & Mercer, P.A., we do not charge our clients for attorneys’ fees and costs unless we make a recovery for the client. Consultation is always free, and if we accept your case, we do not get paid unless you do. If you believe that you have been deceived and/or cheated by an unscrupulous car dealership, call Loren & Mercer P.A. at the numbers referenced above or click here to submit a simple online case form.