When you purchase a new car, you would expect nothing less than for it to behave according with its specification. You would expect the engine to purr like a cat and all other systems to be fully operational and operate within specified parameters. Sadly, in many cases the reality contradicts the expectancy. Due to numerous reasons, from manufacturing to shipping problem, the car you have just bought may turn out to be just a burdening lemon. The next logical question is what to do if the new car you bought is a lemon. Should you attempt to solve your case on your own or hire a lawyer?
The first reaction which comes natural for most of the drivers in this situate is to take matters in their own hands and talk with the dealer. Unfortunately, this method is rarely successful. When hearing about lemon cars, lemon laws, refunds or changing cars, most of the dealers will try to prolong the process or totally avoid it, by asking for numerous call backs. Even worse, you can expect your pleas to reach deaf ears and end up with unread messages.
Even when the dealer seems to cooperate, things can reach a stalemate. Dealers may claim to investigate the case and put you on hold, sometimes even for months. In fact, they expect you to mentally crack and renounce the claims.
Things may totally change when hiring an experienced lemon law attorney. Working with a specialist will help settle the case faster and with more chances for a desired resolution. Of course, the first step when contacting a lemon law attorney is to provide as much info you have. Discuss about the encountered problems and present all documents to support your claims, including repair bills and repair shops’ notes. You will need to provide:
– Purchase contract or lease agreement
– Vehicle’s warranty documentation
– Bills, invoices and receipts, including repair receipts
– Communication info with the car’s dealer
If repairs were made and the problem still persists, you must disclose the number of repair attempts. In many states, a car is considered a lemon only after a certain number of unsuccessful repair attempts. Your lawyer will review all the documents you have before submission.
The next step is to submit your claim to the manufacturer. It usually takes around a month until the manufacture provides a reply. The manufacturer can either approve the claim and offer to refund or repurchase the car or it can deny the claim, invoking various reasons.
If you can a claim denial, you may proceed to arbitration or litigation. The lemon law attorney will represent your case before court. An experienced attorney will help the customer get his money back if the vehicle qualifies under state’s lemon laws.