Dirty dealers operate from the belief that most, almost all, disgruntled customers will eventually just give up and go away. They think if they string things out long enough, leave you on hold for long enough, let enough phone calls go unreturned, break enough promises… you will eventually give up and go away. Dealers get away with Dealer Fraud, because too many people let them get away with Dealer Fraud.
Don’t be that person. Don’t let them get away with it.
I was reminded about all this again today, when I met with a new client. He had purchased what had appeared to be a beautiful used vehicle for his family several years ago. When he tried to trade the vehicle about a year ago he learned for the first time that it had a Branded Title.
A Branded Title means that the Title is marked with an indicator, usually for a critical adverse condition of past use or history. In this instance, the Title was Branded that the odometer reading – mileage reading – was unreliable.
The dealer was the one that actually submitted the paperwork to the state following the purchase to have the Title branded. But, of course, they never told my client about it.
An unreliable odometer and/or mileage readings renders a vehicle worth nothing more than salvage. It has not value on the retail market.
Here’s the kicker. This new client had learned all this about a year ago. He confronted the dealer and was given the run-a-round for about six months. Then he gave up. He gave up!
It was not six months after he had given up that he decided that he just was not going to be the person that lets the dealer get away with it.
He finally did what he probably should have done from the beginning. He called an attorney. Now, we are going to make the dealer pay for its fraudulent practices.
If you have been the victim of Dealer Fraud, or any kind of fraud, contact a qualified attorney right away.