Westminster, Maryland, is the seat of Carroll County. For many years, it was the home of the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp. Today, Westminster is known as a growing outer-ring suburb of Baltimore. The city is located on MD-140, near Eldersburg and Reisterstown.
Westminster and surrounding Randallstown and Mount Airy are home to many car dealerships. In fact, the entire MD-140 corridor has many automobile purveyors, including Chevy, Toyota and Chrysler sellers.
Dishonest dealers cheat car buyers with a variety of schemes:
- Forgery,
- Failing to disclose that a used car used to be a rental car or was used for a commercial purpose;
- Price increases from fake fees and false online low prices,
- Keeping down payments and selling trade-ins when financing is not approved,
- Running credit without permission,
- Selling broken and damaged cars, and
- Selling used cars without having the title.The auto fraud attorneys at Whitney, LLP represent car buyers and help unwind bad deals and recover compensation for unfair practices.
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.
Auto Forgery in Westminster, MD
Dealers sometimes resort to crimes when committing auto fraud.
For example, forgery is surprisingly common at both new and used car dealerships. If your monthly payments, interest rate or loan balance is higher ow lower than you think you agreed to, call us. Our signature and initials were likely signed without your permission so the finance manager could make a few extra dollars.
Our car dealership fraud lawyers have sued many dealerships for forgery in Maryland. Read about a $50,000 settlement with Sheehy Hyundai in Waldorf in a case involving forgery and fraud allegations.
Other Auto Schemes Near Me in Westminster, MD
Dealers can get very creative and devious when their aim is overcharging or making misrepresentations in the sales process.
Some of these schemes are even violations of federal law. One such way to break the law is when the dealer rolls back or tampers with the odometer. This is usually done as a way of overcharging you for an older car. Over 450,000 vehicles each year are sold using some sort of odometer fraud.
Another reason for suing a car dealership is if the seller has engaged in false advertising. This is forbidden in Maryland, and suing a car dealership is one remedy when a dealer has broken the law. False price advertising is often committed with low online prices that are inflated with false fees when the buyer arrives at the dealership.
Spot Delivery Violations – Keeping the Down Payment and Selling the Trade
Another common form of lying is the spot delivery violation. A Westminster, Mount Airy or Randallstown dealer could get you to drive home with the car because it wants you to take it off the lot as soon as possible. However, financing has not yet been approved.
In Maryland, the dealer must notify you within 4 days, in writing, if financing has not been approved. When financing has not been approved, the dealer must return your down payment and trade-in immediately if you ask them to. If they have already sold your trade, you have legal rights, and can hold them accountable. Whitney, LLP’s lawyers have sued many car dealerships in Maryland in spot delivery violation cases.
Finally, the dealer could break federal law in another way by running credit checks without your permission. This is a violation of the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, and this law has a provision that allows you to sue the dealer.
Car Dealership Fraud Attorney Near Me in Westminster, MD
As you can see, Maryland consumer protection laws and federal statutes are meant to shield you from the misrepresentation, outright lying, and other conduct described above. To hold the dealer accountable, you usually need a lawyer on your side who knows how to file a lawsuit against the car dealer to recover compensation.
At Whitney, LLP, we have significant experience going after corrupt car dealers. Call us today at (410) 583-8000, or use our online contact form to request a legal consultation.