Who We Are – Los Angeles Lemon Law and Auto Dealer Fraud Lawyers
Alexander B. Trueblood is a Los Angeles lemon and car dealer fraud lawyer, who exclusively represents ordinary people against auto dealerships, car manufacturers, banks, finance companies, and repossession agencies. He is a long-standing member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, and has been interviewed by the media on many occasions, including by Fox News, CBS News, NBC News, and the Los Angeles Times. Mr. Trueblood is a highly experienced California consumer attorney, and has been bringing auto dealer fraud and lemon law cases since 1996. He is nationally known in the consumer bar, and also to the car industry and its lawyers. The firm does not charge for a consultation and we take cases on a contingent fee.
What We Do – Auto Dealer Fraud and Lemon Law in California
The following are some of the typical auto dealer fraud and lemon law cases our lawyer handles.
Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Fraud
In this case, the consumer learns that a certified pre-owned (or CPO) vehicle was not as thoroughly checked as the dealer led them to believe. Certified used cars almost always come at a premium price. The nasty surprise is that the dealer spent only a minimal amount of time conducting an inspection of its CPO vehicles, and did not even check whether there were signs of accident damage. Sometimes the dealer even hands the client a Carfax report showing no accidents, when there actually has been one. Vehicles like this may be unsafe to drive. If you purchased a CPO vehicle and suspect dealer fraud, give our law firm in Los Angeles a call. The firm does not charge for a consultation and we take cases on a contingent fee.
False advertising by online dealerships
Sales by online sellers like Carvana, Vroom, and Shift are now common. An online sale can lead to problems like the dealer failing to provide the actual car you purchased. Sometimes Carvana, Vroom, and Shift do not even have the particular vehicle when they make the sale. If you believe you have purchased a vehicle that an online seller does not have in its inventory, give our lemon law attorneys a call for a free consultation.
Dealership Wants The Car Back Before The First Payment
In this situation, a car dealership sells the car to the client, and then fails to find financing on the original terms. The dealership starts harassing the client to come in and sign a new contract, or even wants a return of the vehicle the consumer just bought. Under the standard California car dealer contract, the dealership has only ten days to inform you in writing that the deal is cancelled because they couldn’t find a lender. If that written notice wasn’t mailed within the ten days, that car is yours and you do not have to return it or sign a new deal. Don’t agree to any new terms they dictate to you, and don’t even go to the dealership until you talk to a lemon law lawyer. You are going to need a lemon lawyer in this situation and we have handled many such cases successfully.
Wrong Car Model Sold
In this situation, the car dealership puts one model down on the contract, but the actual car it delivers is a different model.
Motorcycle Sales and Finance
When a dealership sells a motorcycle on a credit card plan, they are violating the Rees-Levering Automobile Sales Finance Act, which requires many written disclosures that are often not in the credit card financing plan. Our lawyers represent consumers to get out of these unfair deals. We also handle motorcycle repossessions and mechanical defects under the lemon law. Mr. Trueblood is a biker himself, by the way (Honda Shadow 750 Spirit).
California Lemon Law
The car or motorcycle is still under manufacturer’s warranty and has a substantial defect which the dealership has been unable to repair.
If you would like to schedule a free consultation with our lemon law attorney in Los Angeles, contact us today!
FAQ
How does a car qualify for lemon law?
The California Lemon Law grants consumers a right to have the manufacturer buy back a car which is under manufacturer’s warranty, if there is a substantial mechanical defect. You need to meet the following:
1. The California lemon law covers cars, trucks, motorcycles, RV’s, small business vehicles, and even boats.
2. The vehicle is still under the original manufacturer’s warranty. Extended warranties offered by the dealership don’t count. If the original manufacturer’s warranty has expired, but you took the car into the dealer to fix the problem before it expired, you may still have a case.
3. There is a defect which substantially impairs the use, value or safety of the vehicle. It cannot be a minor defect like a squeak or trim defects. There are a lot of systems that affect safety, like brakes, transmission, rear view cameras, collision detection systems, and automated braking or acceleration.
4. A reasonable number of repair attempts to an authorized dealership. Generally, 3-4 attempts is sufficient, and “no problem found” counts. Only an authorized dealer can perform warranty work – and only warranty work is considered a repair attempt under the lemon law. So don’t bring the car to independent mechanics and make sure you get a fully detailed repair invoice for every repair attempt. Do not use your car’s glove box as your filing system, because we need all those repair orders to help you.