Lying in the scenic valleys of the Patapsco and Tiber valleys, Ellicott City, Maryland, has evolved from a 19th-century railroad and milling community into a bustling commuter hub. The city is often listed as one of America’s best places to live because its 68,000 residents enjoy pleasant surroundings, excellent road and rail links and some of Maryland’s best schools. Ellicott City, and surrounding areas like Columbia, West Friendship, Catonsville and Woodstock, are popular among families looking for rural communities that are only minutes from major metropolitan areas.
If you recently bought a new or used car from one of Ellicott City’s auto dealers selling Honda, Nissan, Chevrolet and other new and used vehicles, you may want to take a close look at your bill of sale and finance paperwork. The retail car business has a well-earned reputation for overcharging, cheating and forgery, and dealers in small cities and towns are just as likely to resort to misrepresentation and fraud as big-city operations. The attorneys at Whitney, LLP, have years of experience dealing with auto fraud, and they will work hard to ensure that you are adequately compensated if you have been cheated.
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.
Forgery and Fraud at Ellicott City, MD, Car Dealers
One common trick that might be used by car dealers in Howard County is manipulating interest rates to conceal price increases. They forge the customer’s signature on a second contract, and lower the APR interest to reduce the monthly payment, and then they bring the payment back up by selling the car for more money. The litigators at Whitney, LLP, have handled many of these cases, and they can make determine if the documents a car dealer handed you match the paperwork that was sent to the lending institution. They could also check your contract for evidence of tampering like altered figures and forged initials.
Not everyone can afford the car they really want, but that is not always a problem for auto dealers. It is not uncommon for finance managers to alter credit applications by increasing the stated income or reducing expenses like rent. This can lead to consumers facing repossession because their car loans are unaffordable. If this has happened to you, you should look for a lawyer to sue a car dealership.
Dealers are also known to illegally keep a down payment on a spot delivery vehicle, even if financing is not approved. Making a customer return a car because financing fell through, but giving the customer their money back, is a deceptive practice that Whitney, LLP can help with.
Auto Title Washing in Howard County, MD
You may have noticed that used car lots in West Friendship, Columbia, Woodstock and Catonsville sometimes have deals that seem too good to be true. However, these inexpensive preowned cars sometimes hide dark secrets. Dealers have been known to buy batches of vehicles at auctions that have been damaged in accidents or declared total losses after a flood or hurricane, and then they conceal title defects by running the paperwork in a state with lax disclosure laws. If the used car or truck you recently bought has a washed title, you may be able to sue the car dealership.
The attorneys at Whitney, LLP, know how to track the history of a used car, and they can find out if you were sold a vehicle with a damaged frame or flood-related electrical problems. We make finding a lawyer to sue a car dealership as easy as picking up a phone and saying, “A dealer near me lied, and I saw the finance manager forging my signature.” With us, there are never any out-of-pocket fees or costs.
Ellicott City, MD, Lawyer for Auto Fraud Claims
The underhanded tricks auto dealers use to increase prices and maximize profit are often illegal, but lying and misrepresentation remain common on at auto dealerships across the country because few consumers take legal action.
If you may have been the victim of overcharging, lying, forgery or fraud, you should put the skilled attorneys at Whitney, LLP on your side. Our lawyers know what is involved in suing a car dealership, and they will pursue civil remedies on your behalf if they find evidence of title tampering or forged initials or signatures on your paperwork. You can set up a legal consultation by using our website form or calling us at (410) 583-8000.