Located between Silver Spring and Kensington, Wheaton is a fast-growing Maryland community in Montgomery County with much construction in its downtown. Historically, Wheaton stood at the crossroads of several main thoroughfares that would take travelers to Rockville and Potomac. In fact, the first television license in the U.S. was granted to a station broadcasting out of Wheaton. There are also numerous car dealerships in this area selling everything from Fords to Porsches.
If you have been victimized by auto dealer fraud, forgery, hidden damage and accidents, not disclosing a salvage or flood damaged vehicle, the dealer stealing the down payment, or other illegal acts in Wheaton or the surrounding areas of Silver Spring or Rockville, the attorneys at Whitney, LLP, can help you recover the losses that you have sustained.
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.
Lawyer for Suing a Car Dealership Near Me in Wheaton, MD
Car dealers resort to a number of unsavory practices to get ahead. Unfortunately, many of these are considered auto fraud. When a car dealer makes a misrepresentation with the sole purpose of trying to get you to sign a contract with them, it can be fraud. This goes well beyond a mistake. Under these circumstances, you need a lawyer to sue a car dealership. Overcharging is even illegal when the car dealer advertises a certain price for a vehicle in Silver Spring or anywhere else. You can call it bait-and-switch or false advertising. We call it fraud, and it is grounds for suing a car dealership.
If you are wondering where to find an auto dealership fraud lawyer near Silver Spring or Kensington, look to the attorneys at Whitney, LLP. Beyond overcharging, there are other types of auto fraud. Perhaps you did not even sign the agreement. Consumers often do not realize this until they get a bill from a dealer-forged contract that has higher monthly payments or a different interest rate or amount financed. These are common ways the dealerships steal money from customers.
As outrageous as it sounds, car dealerships do things like keep and steal GAP insurance and extended warranty money, and do not pay the insurance company. They just keep the money, and the customer often does not find out until it is too late. Whitney, LLP’s attorneys can help when the dealer steals the GAP or warranty money.
If you are asking yourself, can a dealer get away with forging my signature or putting forged initials on the contract, the answer is a resounding no. When looking for a lawyer when a car dealer near me has committed forgery, the penalties can be severe. Damages that Whitney, LLP’s car dealer fraud lawyers have recovered for our clients from dishonest car dealerships include the down payment money back, compensation for emotional distress, and a return of all stolen money.
Maryland law is very strict about what a dealer cannot do while selling you a car. It prohibits making material misrepresentations in vehicle sales contracts. It also does not allow any type of fraud in the execution of or an alteration to a vehicle sales contract. This means that forging a signature is prohibited. Forged initials is considered to be fraud as well. When a dealership engages in lying, it is bad enough. However, forgery is another type of fraud that goes even beyond that. Usually, when a car dealership forges a document relating to one customer, there is usually a pattern of such conduct. In fact, in a previous case that we handled, we were able to uncover a pattern of forgeries just from one finance manager at a dealership. Whether you have been defrauded by a dealer in Potomac, Wheaton or Bethesda, we can help you take legal action.
Another usual scheme is when a car dealership tells a buyer that financing has been approved, but it actually is not approved. A spot delivery is when a dealership lets a customer drive away in the car, but financing has not been approved. There are strict laws that Maryland car dealerships have to follow, including returning a down payment when financing is not approved.
Wheaton, MD, Car Dealership Fraud and Forgery Lawyers
If your thought process is to find a lawyer near me to take action against a fraudulent car dealer, contact the attorneys at Whitney, LLP. Often times, a customer can only recover money and fix their problems caused by a new or used car dealership if you get a lawyer file a lawsuit, and that is where Whitney, LLP can help you.
Dealers can be made to pay for fraud, including material misrepresentations during the sales process and forging your name or altering a sales contract. Contact us online today or call Whitney, LLP, at (410) 583-8000 to request your free initial consultation.
Watch our YouTube Channel and read our Auto Fraud blog for more information on dealer fraud cases.