Many people who work in Annapolis, Fort Meade or Glen Burnie call Pasadena home due to the convenient commute. They often buy their cars at the nearby dealerships, including Mazda or Chevrolet new dealerships, and many other used car dealerships.
Unfortunately, some local car dealers have been known to deceive customers. Maryland laws are here to protect you from sellers who engage in lying, overcharging and misrepresentation. Common forms of auto fraud can include a dealer failing to disclose that a used car used to be a rental car, spot delivery violations including keeping down payments if the bank denies a loan, forging signatures on finance and lease contracts, and running credit checks without permission. These are all against the law, and with strong legal representation, a bad dealer can be taken to task and made to pay.
The lawyers at Whitney, LLP, help car buyers who are victims of fraud recover compensation, including returning defective cars, and recovering money for deceptive and fraudulent practices. We have experience filing lawsuits against car dealerships and helping our clients fight back.
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.
Watch our YouTube Channel and read our Auto Fraud blog for more information on dealer fraud cases.
Auto Dealer Forgery in Pasadena, MD
Have you ever asked “is the dealer forging my signature?” Unfortunately, some sellers will doctor the sales or lease contract or draft an entirely new document and transpose your signature from the agreement that you signed. They could also use forged initials.
If your monthly payments, interest rate or loan amount is higher or lower than what you agreed to, or the terms on your bank statements are different, your signature was likely forged.
Whitney, LLP’s auto fraud attorneys have experience representing buyers in forgery claims and lawsuits against dishonest car dealers.
Car Dealer Misrepresentation in Pasadena, MD
To get more of your money and make an illegal profit, a dealer in Pasadena, Severna Park or Crofton could use some complicated methods of fraud and lying. One scheme that they may use is to find some way to corrupt the odometer so it does not show the true mileage of the car. They can do this by disconnecting, resetting or manipulating the odometer to show lower mileage. A very old car suddenly may seem like a good deal, until it is purchased and begins to fall apart.
Furthermore, a dealer’s advertising online could be false. Dealers cannot advertise a price that they will not honor or state non-existent features in a car.
In a Spot Delivery, a Pasadena-area car dealer could persuade you to drive the car off the lot without financing being approved. The dealer may tell the buyer that financing has not been approved, and that a larger down payment is necessary, or a higher interest rate must be paid. Dealers must return a down payment, in full, if financing is not approved. They must also provide written notice within 4 days if financing has not been approved.
Your dealer also is forbidden from deciding to do a “hard pull” of your credit without permission. An unauthorized check that pulls down your credit is grounds for suing a car dealership.
Gap Insurance and extended warranties are also grounds where dishonest dealerships make money. They will sell the policies to their customer, but keep the money, and not provide the protection. Then, when the customer needs coverage, they discovery the fraud.
Whitney, LLP’s auto fraud attorneys help victims of dishonest car dealerships, including removing unauthorized credit inquiries and recovering compensation for fraud.
Car Dealership Fraud Lawyer Near Me
When suing a car dealership in and around Pasadena, Fort Meade and Glen Burnie, you likely need an attorney on your side. The car dealer often will ignore customer complaints if you ask nicely for your money back. By hiring an experienced attorney, you force the dealer to take you seriously. You do not have to let them get away with lying and misrepresentation.
Call the attorneys at Whitney, LLP, at (410) 583-8000, or contact us online to learn more about how you can take strong legal action and to request a Free Consultation today.