North Potomac is known as a wealthy suburb with large houses and motorists who sport high-end cars. In fact, CNN once rated this as the most affluent suburb in the entire United States. Real estate values in North Potomac are among the highest in all of Maryland.
Car dealers in North Potomac and neighboring towns like Bethesda and Rockville know that their customers have money. To a dishonest dealership, that is like blood in the water when a shark is around.
In the area, you will find many new and used dealerships that serve residents of North Potomac and nearby areas such as Germantown and Gaithersburg. The attorneys at Whitney, LLP, are here to help you if you have fallen victim to any car dealer schemes such as:
- Forgery
- odometer fraud
- false online advertising
- keeping down payments when financing is not approved in spot delivery violations
- running unauthorized credit checks
- failing to disclose past rental history on used cars.
Whitney, LLP helps car buyers who have been deceived, including unwinding bad deals and recovering compensation for fraud and deception.
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.
Forgery and Fraud at the Car Dealership
Many customers cannot spot the telltale signs of auto forgery on their own. Whitney, LLP provides free car contract reviews, and our lawyers find forgery in about 1 of 5 finance and lease contracts we review.
Red flags for forgery include:
- higher or lower monthly payments than what you agreed to;
- different interest rate than what you expect;
- higher or lower loan balance; and
- GAP or extended warranty claims are rejected due to no coverage.
Call us if you suspect forgery or fraud. In a recent case, Whitney, LLP’s consumer lawyers recovered $50,000 in an alleged forgery and fraud case involving a new Hyundai purchased at Sheehy Hyundai in Waldorf. Of course, prior results are not a guarantee of future results, and all cases are different.
Car Dealership Fraud Schemes
There are many reasons for suing a car dealership in North Potomac, Rockville and Germantown. Any type of misrepresentation that is material to the purchase can open the seller up to legal liability. This can include felonies such as odometer fraud, which involves rolling back or tampering with the vehicle mileage. This leads to overcharging for what you think is a newer car.
The North Potomac, Bethesda or Gaithersburg car dealer can also be held responsible when they are lying to their customers with false online price advertising. They cannot sell above the advertised purchase price, and the car must be exactly as it is advertised online. It is common for dishonest dealerships to raise the price one the customer has been lured to the dealership.
Dealers often try to use fancy contract language to keep your down payment if a deal does not happen. This language will generally not hold up in court when you hire a lawyer to sue a car dealership. Dealers must return down payments when financing is not approved.
Dealers will also engage in spot delivery where they get you to drive home with the car before financing is approved. When it is not, they try to change the terms and charge you more. That is illegal, yet happens very often.
Finally, another reason for suing a car dealership is when they perform a hard credit pull on you without your consent. The dealer needs to ask first. If not, they can be subject to monetary liability under federal law.
Auto fraud can take on any one of many different forms. Basically, any form of misrepresentation or lying that a dealer uses to sell you a car could be enough to begin legal action. Whitney, LLP’s auto fraud lawyers help car buyers fight back and hold dealers responsible for their actions.
Car Dealership Fraud Attorney Near Me in North Potomac, MD
Being the victim of auto fraud or other dealer misconduct is not an acceptable cost of doing business for innocent, unsuspecting consumers.
You have the legal right to file a lawsuit against an unscrupulous car dealer who lied to you and took your money and to hold them accountable. The lawyers at Whitney, LLP, have successfully sued many car dealerships for forgery and fraud. Call us today at (410) 583-8000 or use our online Contact Form to set up your free initial consultation.
Watch our YouTube Channel and read our Auto Fraud blog for more information on dealer fraud cases.