Located in Northern Montgomery County, Clarksburg is the last town up the I-270 Corridor before you reach Frederick, right after Boyds and Gaithersburg.
Clarksburg and neighboring Rockville are home to numerous new and used car dealerships like Honda, BMW and Toyota. Some car dealers cross a line with certain business practices that can include misrepresentation and overcharging.
Some even more egregious examples of dealer misconduct include:
- odometer fraud,
- hiding salvage titles,
- forgery,
- spot delivery violations,
- selling trade-ins before financing is approved,
- false online price advertising,
- stealing down payments,
- failing to disclose a used car’s rental history, and
- running credit checks without permission.
The consumer attorneys at Whitney LLP can often unwind bad deals and recover compensation for unfair practices. We can fight on your side to make sure that the dealer pays. Maryland and federal laws protect you, and we can help you get your day in court.
Here are reviews from what some of our past clients have said about us, and here are some of our past settlement results in claims and lawsuits against car dealerships. We offer legal consultations. Call us at (410) 583-8000 or use our online form to request your free initial consultation today.
Car Dealer Forgery in Clarksburg, MD
Car forgery is more common than you think in the dealership world. Clarksburg, Boyds and Gaithersburg dealers might doctor a document after you have signed it or create one of their own to change the terms of your deal. We can see this after we obtain a copy of the sales contract and other documents.
Red flags for forgery on finance contracts include the monthly payment, loan amount, or interest rate being higher or lower than you agreed to.
Our clients often tell us, “the dealer was forging my signature.” They do this because they want to charge you more money, for an illegal profit, despite the deal they made with you.
Whitney, LLP has represented many customers in forgery cases in Maryland.
Other Car Dealer Frauds and Schemes
Dishonest Clarksburg, Rockville and Frederick dealers have a number of different tools of misrepresentation to either pave the way for a sale or take more money from you. Any one of these forms of auto fraud can be reasons for suing a car dealership.
These schemes can include tampering with the odometer to make the car seem less used so that they can sell it to you for a higher price. Odometer fraud is criminal, and it can be grounds for a civil recovery too when you hire a lawyer to sue a car dealership.
False online advertising is also grounds for a civil lawsuit when the dealer makes an untrue representation about the car. Dealers must sell you the car for the price advertised and in the condition that they represent in the ad, or they may have to answer for it in court. Dealers often increase the online price once the customer arrives at the dealership. They also charge false “inspection” fees designed solely to increase the price.
Another scam is a spot delivery violation, which is also called yo-yo financing. If the financing falls through, after you drive off the lot with the car, the dealer may try to force you to accept worse terms that raise your price. The dealer may also refuse to give you back the down payment if the deal falls through because of financing. They are required under Maryland law to return your trade and down payment, immediately, when financing is not approved.
Keeping LoJack, GAP and extended warranty money, instead of paying for the service, is something that dishonest dealerships often do. When the customer needs the coverage, only then they find out that the dealership kept the money and did not purchase the coverage.
Finally, dealers who run hard credit checks on you without your permission may be liable. You should ccan hire a lawyer to sue a car dealership when the dealer harms your credit by doing a hard credit pull without authorization.
Dealers have the obligation to disclose material facts about the car to you before you buy. Even an omission or the failure to tell you something about the car can be the basis for suing a car dealership.
Whitney, LLP successfully represents car buyers in a variety of dealer schemes.
Car Dealership Fraud Attorney Near Me in Clarksburg, MD
Many people expect overcharging and lying when they visit the dealer near me. However, you do not have to accept these egregious bad behaviors. The law gives you rights, and one of them is to file a lawsuit when the dealer has committed auto fraud.
The lawyers at Whitney LLP can often unwind bad deals and recover compensation for car buyers who are cheated. Call us today at (410) 583-8000 for a legal consultation to learn more about how an attorney near me can help you sue the car dealer who took you for a ride.