While it is near the water, Middle River was built up as an aircraft boomtown to accommodate the growth of the Martin Aerospace company. For years, it was where people from Overlea and Essex came to go to the Bengie’s Drive-In Theatre. Now, there are over 25,000 people who call Middle River home. This community is right near the booming areas of Towson and White Marsh.
In Middle River and the surrounding areas including White March, Towson, and Essex, you will find Acura, Infinity, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan dealers. Many sellers provide admirable service and competitive prices. However, some car dealerships are truly bad apples. They will rip off consumers by engaging in practices such as misrepresentation, odometer fraud, false online price advertising, spot delivery violations, keeping down payments when financing is not approved, forgery and running credit checks without permission.
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.
The Car Dealership Forged My Signature
Over the years, we have litigated numerous cases where the customer who informed us that they want to sue the dealership for “forging my signature.” Dealers sometimes submit a fake finance or lease contract where they use forged signatures and initials to engage in an overcharging scheme.
Red Flags for Car Dealer Forgery:
- Your monthly payment, loan amount or interest rate is higher or lower than agreed to;
- You do not get a statement from the bank for over 30 days from delivery of the car;
- GAP or an extended warranty claim is denied because there is no coverage, although you paid for the coverage. Some dealerships steal the GAP and extended warranty money by removing those products from the contract and keeping the money.
Forgery is a serious problem for dealers from a legal standpoint. This can open a White March, Towson, Middle River or Essex car dealer up to serious liability for what they took stole from you. Our auto fraud attorneys can help you figure out if the dealer committed auto fraud with forged initials or signatures.
Other Car Dealer Schemes in Middle River, MD
You will likely need a lawyer to sue a car dealership if you have been the victim of any type of auto fraud. Consumer complaints are often ignored by dealers.
Examples of fraud include misrepresentation, lying and overcharging.
One illegal dealer trick is odometer fraud; this is where they tamper with the odometer to lower the car’s mileage and inflate its price. Not only can the dealer go to jail for this, but they would also be liable for damages in a lawsuit. A Middle River, White Marsh or Overlea car dealer must also advertise the car’s price and features online honestly. They have to tell the truth about the car and its features because they will be accountable for what they advertise.
Another common scan is failing to disclose a rental history of a used car. Maryland requires dealers to conspicuously disclose prior commercial use, including but not limited to rental history, demo use and other uses.
Spot delivery violations happen when you drive the car off the lot and the dealer contacts you to tell you that financing fell through. This may result in the dealer telling you that you must pay a higher interest rate for the car even though you have a signed contract. Dealers could also try to keep your down payment if financing is not approved. They have an obligation to return the down payment immediately. To get it back, suing a car dealership could be necessary.
Finally, the dealer could run a credit check on you without your assent. You must agree to a hard credit pull because it seeks your personal information and can harm your score. If you did not grant this type of check, you can start the process of hiring a lawyer to sue a car dealership by calling Whitney, LLP.
Car Dealership Fraud Attorneys Near Me in Middle River, MD
Whitney, LLP’s auto fraud lawyers apply Maryland laws and federal laws to protect car buyers and fight back against the many corrupt dealerships across Maryland.
If your legal rights have been violated and a dealer has lied, schemed, stolen, forged or otherwise ripped cheated you, you likely need to find a lawyer who can help you fight back. Call us today at (410) 583-8000 or use our Online Contact Form to begin your no-cost initial consultation.