Under Pennsylvania law, dealers must clearly itemize all charges and fees on the finance agreement. Dirty dealers often do not follow this law, because it enables them to inflate the charges and fees or to sneak in prohibited charges or fees. This is another telling...
I see this scenario fairly frequently. Whatever the reason that the repossession was unlawful, the repossession company will not release the vehicle to the consumer, unless the consumer pays its fees and/or signs a Release. This happens even where the bank has...
There is no question that carrying a debt you are unable to pay is stressful. It often weighs heavily on those who find themselves in this situation and can make each day difficult to navigate. When, in an effort to collect what is owed, debt collectors engage in...
I have been hearing reports from consumers and consumer protection attorney colleagues that some dealers and finance companies are moving to computer based contracts. The consumer is shown the contract on a computer screen and signs on the computer screen. This...
Believe it or not, dealers, and manufacturers, want to obtain an exception to common sense - and fraud and unfairness. Dealers and manufacturers want to be able to represent (misrepresent) vehicles as carefully inspected and certified, even though they know that...
In previous posts we have discussed how consumers who are harassed by debt collectors may be able to recoup damages from that business. To be successful, it must be shown that the debt collector violated the fair debt collection practices. The Fair Credit Reporting...
Readers of this blog will remember that I have often stated that buying any "after-market" product at the place of sale is usually a mistake. The products are not worth it, and they can almost certainly be obtained cheaper from another source or over the Internet....
The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities recently issued a new press release warning consumers about illegal auto loans. The release was prompted by a recent Commonwealth Court decision.The Department advised Pennsylvania consumers seeking relief from...
If you are facing calls from creditors it is possible you may be confused as to why you are receiving them. You may believe that you paid in full the debt the collectors are trying to collect, or even never accrued the debt in the first place. Confusion regarding...
Every once in a while you see a report of Debt Collector that gets prosecuted criminally and for their misconduct. I've always suspected that attracting the interest of law enforcement has more to do with abusing the wrong person, rather than the abuse itself. But no...