When people realize they have purchased a defective vehicle, whether new, used, or leased, such a vehicle can be regarded as a lemon car.
If you have a lemon car on your hands, chances are high that you want the problem fixed as soon as possible. However, in the rush of events, there are certain mistakes you should avoid making as this could significantly affect the outcome of your case.
First and foremost, your mindset is important. The lemon lawyers at the Law Offices of Sotera L. Anderson noted that all Google searches in the world cannot fully prepare a consumer for what is about to happen in their lemon law claims. This is because of the complexity of a lemon law case.
To help you to better prepare for the legal proceedings of a lemon law case, the attorneys at the Law Offices of Sotera L. Anderson have identified some of the biggest mistakes consumers make that can significantly affect their chances of getting the desired outcome from the case.
- Failing to Include Customer Complaints On the Service Report
One of the most fatal mistakes any consumer can make as part of the lemon law proceeding is that of oversight. Oversight can occur in many areas including on the service report. In certain cases, the service department of the dealership or manufacturer may mistakenly omit the actual complaints of the customer on the service report and this, in turn, waters down the claims which have been made by the consumer.
On the service report, consumers are advised to make sure that information like dates the vehicle was being serviced, mileage of the vehicle, the repair attempt made, and the customer complaint are adequately entered.
Please be advised that the customer complaint is the most important part of the service report and consumers should pay attention to ensure the complaint is updated before leaving the manufacturer or dealership’s service department.
- Too Many or Unclear Details Describing The Problem
When planning on initiating a lemon law claim, consumers are advised to tread with caution as the service department of the dealership or manufacturer may choose to describe the problems that are being fixed in different ways.
For people who have a fair knowledge of vehicles and how they work, it is recommended that you get the service department to be as specific as possible with regards to the problem diagnosed and fixes which have been performed.
To protect your rights and interests, it is recommended that you should be general in your complaint. Clear and honest complaints should help move the lemon law case smoothly.That is, if the problem is on the front-left side of the vehicle, it is best to note that the problem affects the front part of the vehicle so as not to create a disparity between the customer complaint and repair attempt.
- Omitting Critical Information On the Notice of Non-Conforming Conditions Form
Another mistake you can make that will have a devastating ripple effect is the error or omission. A Nonconforming condition refers to any development that violates the warranty which you have been presented with upon purchase of the vehicle. It is recommended that when filing this form, take proper caution to ensure that all the possible problems encountered are adequately listed.
Also, be advised that all the nonconforming conditions have to have occurred as a result of the normal use of the vehicle, that is, you had not breached any condition that could affect the normal functioning of the car.
The Repair order or notice of nonconforming conditions can be obtained from the service report and does not necessarily have to be in the form of written correspondence.
As part of the document, be sure that the following information is present and correctly supplied:
- The name of the technician or firm that carried out repairs
- The non-conforming condition or fault needing repairs
- The dates on which repairs were carried out
- The make, year, model of your vehicle
- The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
- Proceeding with Repairs After Two Previously Failed Attempts
As a consumer, you are required, under the California Lemon Law to enjoy at least two repair attempts during the warranty period. However, if the dealership or manufacturer is unable to repair the fault in those two repair attempts, then it’s time to initiate a lemon law claims case.
It is important that you realize that if the dealership or manufacturer is unable to repair the defect in that many attempts, then, they are unable to repair it. So, it is recommended that after two repair attempts for the specific problem, seek the expertise of experienced lemon law attorneys at Law Offices of Sotera L. Anderson
