| You hear them on the radio and TV everyday. | | | | accident) or new upholstery (due to a flood |
| Some have outrageous ads and sales gimmicks. | | | | and complete submersion). These repossession |
| "Push, pull or drag your trade in for $4000 | | | | sales, like Repo Joe, do a media Blitz and |
| minimum trade", "Best price in the world!" | | | | claim they have all repossessed vehicles for |
| "Best bumper to bumper warranty ever - we | | | | a great buy. When in fact they probably |
| cover everything." "Repo'd car sale today." | | | | don't even have one repossessed car that is |
| Bet you didn't know that these ads can be and | | | | for sale. Most car dealers get their cars |
| usually are very misleading and can be | | | | from either trades or local |
| illegal.According to Leslie Anderson, AAA, | | | | auctions.Regardless of what they claim they |
| Misleading advertisements and deceptive | | | | most likely do not know the vehicles history. |
| marketing from car dealers has been on the | | | | You can't even rely on Carfax 100% as many |
| rise in recent years. Car dealers, due to a | | | | vehicles are repaired without full salvage |
| struggling economy are resorting to grey | | | | disclosure or even any repair history. A |
| market sales tactics and ads. Many of these | | | | carfax report is only as good as the |
| ads are either borderline or even illegal in | | | | information that is actually entered into the |
| nature. With all the publicity in recent | | | | system. Before you rely on that Carfax or |
| years of scams and illegal business | | | | what the dealer says is the cars history |
| activities by businesses from every state you | | | | listen to this - Tennessee attorneys Frank |
| would think most states would have toughened | | | | Watson and David McLaughlin charge that |
| up their laws and started to crack down on | | | | Carfax's ads promise more than it can |
| bad car dealers. Only one state, New York, | | | | deliver. "Carfax fails to disclose the |
| has really done anything.There are laws | | | | limitations of their database," says Watson. |
| already on the books that make many of these | | | | "People think they have a little insurance |
| advertisements and such illegal, but few | | | | policy on their Carfax report, and it's just |
| states will even look into these activities. | | | | not accurate," says McLaughlin. Carfax is an |
| In New York, if you run a Push, Pull or Drag | | | | online company that searches databases for a |
| sale the odds are you will get fined. The | | | | vehicle's history, claiming to be "your best |
| thinking behind New Yorks laws is that if you | | | | protection against buying a used car with |
| promise someone a set figure for their | | | | costly, hidden problems." But, critics say |
| vehicle it should not be factored into the | | | | when it comes to many accidents, online |
| discount or markup of the newer, replacement | | | | reporting companies fall short. A |
| vehicle. This is deceptive advertising. Yet | | | | class-action lawsuit against Carfax claims |
| I hear these same ads, with even higher | | | | the company doesn't have access to police |
| amounts promised on the radio and TV in North | | | | accident data in 23 states.This article |
| Carolina and South Carolina all the time. | | | | should be a wake up call to car buyers to be |
| Then there's the matter of expressed and | | | | more on the alert to car dealer scams, lies |
| implied warranties.Expressed and implied | | | | and untruths. It should also be an alert to |
| warranties are actually covered under federal | | | | states from Oregon to Florida that more needs |
| laws. Every car dealer must have a federally | | | | to be done to curb bad car sales tactics. |
| approved warranty disclosure placed in the | | | | Most car dealers aren't small mom and pop |
| window. This is to show if a warranty exists | | | | organizations. They are large million or |
| and what is actually covered. This was done | | | | billion dollar companies that will do |
| as there was too much discrepency in the past | | | | anything to make a dollar. Even crossing the |
| with car salesman blurring the line of what | | | | line or blurring what is legal and what |
| is really covered and what isn't. On a | | | | isn't. And according to one big dealer in |
| recent drive from North Carolina to South | | | | Charlotte, North Carolina whom didn't want |
| Carolina I saw 11 used car dealerships that | | | | his name or dealership mentioned for obvious |
| did not have these in the windows - at one we | | | | reasons - "its all about that bottem line and |
| found they were in the glove compartment. | | | | if we get caught, thats what our lawyers are |
| When we asked the salesperson why it wasn't | | | | for. Per another car dealer, "it's a buyer |
| in the window he said it wasn't necessary. | | | | beware market: Buyers must beware and be |
| In New York, every car dealer you drive by or | | | | detectives too."David Maillie is an alumni of |
| visit will have these prominently | | | | Cornell University and specializes in |
| displayed.Then you have the usual lies - car | | | | biochemical synthesis for public, private, |
| dealers advertising a repossession sale, | | | | and governmental interests. He holds numerous |
| cream puffs, etc... They will lie about the | | | | patents including his recently awarded patent |
| origination of cars just like in a recent | | | | for headlight cleaner, repair and restorer. |
| Carfax ad. Oh that was just a little fender | | | | He can be reached at M.D. |
| scratch (complete repaint from a 50mph | | | | |