We read recently a letter to the editor of a suburban Philadelphia newspaper. The letter-writer complained that corruption in Pennsylvania has reached epic proportions, from people in state government down to fraud perpetrated on everyday citizens.
The writer cites as an example of fraud the egg. He said the staples of breakfasts are too often peddled as brown eggs produced by cage-free chickens. In reality, he writes, the eggs are often dyed brown and mass-produced by birds locked in cages. The bottom line, he states, is that consumers in Pennsylvania desperately need protection from fraud; protection they simply are not getting from elected officials and regulators.
While we won’t comment in this space on the integrity of public officials, we do agree that consumers need protection. Not just in our grocery stores, but in other places and transactions as well.
Far too often, we see unscrupulous car dealers making false claims about the cars, pick-up trucks, SUVs and motorcycles they have for sale. Some used car dealers will hide prior damage to vehicles from prospective buyers. The damage is sometimes caused by collisions and other times, the damage is from water or other causes. Some of these same dealers will hide windshield replacement.
When the buyer later finds out about the damage, they might think it is too late to take action against the dealer. In many cases, this is simply not accurate. A skilled and experienced consumer protection attorney can fight for your rights and your interests, helping protect you from unfair trade practices and Lemon Law violations.
While we agree with the letter-writer that more needs to be done to protect buyers of cars and other products, we strongly disagree that “no one is looking out for Pennsylvania consumers.”