Driving on the Capital Beltway between Largo and Oxon Hill, you will see a large water tower on the grounds of Joint Base Andrews. When you see this, you are in Camp Springs, Maryland and close to Suitland and Fort Washington, which are home to numerous car dealerships.
Some dealerships are dishonest and cheat customers by:
- Misrepresentation;
- overcharging after a dealer arrives at the dealership;
- signing a customer’s name on finance contracts without permission;
- odometer fraud,
- false online price advertising,
- keeping down payments and selling trade-ins when financing is not approved; and
- running credit checks without permission.
Whitney, LLP’s auto fraud lawyers sue dealerships and help car buyers unwind bad deals and recover compensation in all types of dealer schemes.
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 in Camp Springs, MD
Some car dealers play games and find different ways to take more of your money to pad their own pockets at your expense. One of the worst forms of overcharging is when a dealer resorts to forging a customer’s signature without permission to change the terms of the deal.
Red flags for forgery include the monthly payment being different, the interest rate being higher or lower, and the loan amount being higher or lower than you agreed to.
Whitney, LLP helps many car buyers with forgery claims against car dealerships across Maryland.
Other Auto Fraud Schemes in Camp Springs, MD
Auto fraud can take on any one of a number of different forms. Dealers in Camp Springs, Fort Washington and Largo have been using these tricks for years, so you may not be wise to them until you find yourself with a large bill or a car that was not what you expected when you signed the contract.
Many of these scams are even worse than the garden variety lying that dishonest dealers may do every day.
One form of fraudulent misrepresentation is odometer fraud, where the dealer tampers with the odometer as a way of getting more money for an older car. The Camp Springs, Suitland or Oxon Hill dealer may also lie in their online ads for the vehicle, making false statements about price or options to get you in the door so they can close the deal. If the lie is material to your purchase or results in you getting less of a car than you expected, or paying more than expected, call Whitney, LLP’s attorneys to discuss suing the car dealership.
Selling a Trade-In or Keeping Down Payment When Financing is Not Approved
Another egregious trick is something called a spot delivery violation. Here, the dealers allow the customer to drive away in the new car before financing is approved.
When financing is not approved, the dishonest dealer will:
- sell your trade-in, and not return it to you, although they are required to return it;
- keep your down payment, although they are required to return it; or
- force you to pay more to get financing.
Whitney, LLP helps many car buyers across Maryland when their trade-in is sold or the dealer keeps the down payment money when financing is not approved.
Finally, the dealer may also be liable in a lawsuit if it runs a credit check on you without your permission. There are laws against this because every time that your credit is checked, your score takes a hit. Federal law allows for suing a car dealership when they do this without asking or telling you.
Daniel W. Whitney, Sr. and Daniel W. Whitney, Jr. of Whitney, LLP
Car Dealership Fraud Attorneys Near Me in Camp Springs, MD
Outrage should not be your only recourse when a dealer has ripped you off and taken your hard-earned money. They should be made to appear in court when you take legal action against them for what they have done.
The lawyers at Whitney LLP have experience holding dealerships accountable, unwinding unfair deals and recovering compensation for car buyers who have been cheated. Contact us online or call us today at (410) 583-8000 to request a legal consultation.