Buying a new car is an exciting time. You’ve saved up your money, taken your dream car for a test drive, negotiated an offer, made that down-payment, signed on the dotted line and now you’re driving away from the dealer — only to find that there is a sudden clanking sound. A few days later, you have the car in the shop and the mechanic tells you there are big repairs that need to be done. It sounds like you may have purchased a defective car! While it’s not absolutely necessary, many people find the easiest way to navigate through the federal and state lemon law is to hire paralegal services.
Sometimes consumers can avoid the services of a paralegal by hitting up the Better Business Bureau to learn about state laws concerning defective motor vehicles. The BBB Auto Line program has helped more than two million consumers since 1978. First, you can click lemon law on your state page to learn more about qualifying for a refund or trade-in. Then, you can simply file an informal complaint at www.bbb.org/us/auto-line/state-lemon-laws. Once your complaint has been filed, a Better Business Bureau representative will contact you by phone regarding your case. Often times, a reasonable agreement can be reached with the manufacturer or dealer. If not, your proceedings may take you to an informal arbitration, where both sides will then present their views.
Other times, consumers prefer paralegal services because they like the face-to-face contact and the feeling that their matter is of utmost importance. A legal assistant will help you file a formal complaint to take you directly to arbitration. Often going with lawyer help can expedite the process and put a little fire beneath the manufacturer or dealer because, let’s face it, no one likes to be sued! Paralegals are experts on the car lemon law and have many years of experience dealing with such cases. Probably by the time you reach this point, you’ve already been to the mechanic way too many times and you don’t want some false promises about how the dealer “will fix the situation” because you’ve already been down that road. What you need is a functional vehicle right away.
Each state varies greatly with their lemon laws. Some places allow you to immediately get a refund or new vehicle if a dangerous defect is discovered. Other locales require you to return to the manufacturer up to four times for the same problem to qualify for legal advice and legal help. Paralegal services can be a great help in discerning whether you are eligible for a refund. Even if you have lost some of your paperwork documenting your repairs, a legal assistant may be able to dig up those records for you so you can win the case!
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