Protecting people from scams is a high priority at CARCHEX. Complaints about car dealers and warranty providers are all over the place, and all too often, people are simply uneducated about what they can do and where they can turn for protection. Here are a few resources that you can use to protect yourself and have any complaints addressed when it comes to buying cars and car warranties.
Vehicle History Reports—An Ounce of Prevention
The best way to prevent yourself from getting ripped off at the car lot or Craigslist is to get vehicle history reports on the vehicles you are planning to buy. The problem with used cars is that by and large, you don’t know where they’ve been. Luckily, there are two major resources to perform a background check on the car you’re thinking about buying.
Concerned that your car may have been used in a crime? What if someone is selling you a stolen car? The National Insurance Crime Bureau can provide you with this information through their VINChecks. If you are concerned that you are buying “someone else’s problem,” you can scarcely do better than CARFAX. Between these two resources, you can get a full profile on a vehicle before you buy it. You can also look up the dealership on the Better Business Bureau to see if they are safe to do business with.
Educate Yourself on Lemon Laws
Let’s say that you have already bought the last owner’s problem. You are thinking about taking things to court. One of the first things you will want to look at is the Lemon Laws in your state. Different states have different statutes, and having resources for this at your fingertips will save you a ton of research.
The two major players for learning Lemon Laws are the Better Business Bureau and Car Lemon. The major benefit of Car Lemon is that it also lists lemon law lawyers by state including hyperlinks. The Better Business Bureau is a bit less aggressive this way, but it’s useful in other ways, chiefly…
Warranty Dispute Resolutions—Where to Go for A Referee
The most important resource here is the Better Business Bureau. The BBB has a lot of clout, and can effectively compel the other party to abide by their decisions. If a business collects bad marks from the BBB, fewer customers are going to want to do business with them. The Center for Auto Safety is another resource at this juncture. You can file complaints here, educate yourself on common defects for your car, have your problem mediated and find a lawyer if things have to come to that.
At every stage of your car and warranty ownership, you have resources to protect you. To us at CARCHEX, complaints are easy to prevent if you know your rights and resources.
