Last Updated: January 2021
The Two main reasons why you should NOT file a lemon law case on your own:
- You are not going to be satisfied with the settlement; it may not be what you COULD/SHOULD have received.
- You are wasting time and effort on something you could have had done for FREE — and with a better settlement.
We get a lot of calls from consumers who have filed a lemon law case on their own and they are not happy with their settlement because of the usage fee, service contract deductions, maintenance contract deductions, alarm system deductions, negative equity deductions, etc. More often than not, when a consumer handles their own lemon law case, the manufacturer will offer them a bare bones refund that takes all of the deductions allowable under the law.
The law says very specifically that once the manufacturer complies with the law and gives the consumer a buyback, we cannot file a lawsuit just to get a better deal for the consumer. We can file a lawsuit and negotiate the best deal for the consumer on things like usage fees and other deductions, but we cannot do this if the manufacturer has already agreed to a buyback and the manufacturer is deducting things they are allowed to deduct.
The only way a buyback works out in your favor is if it is done as a California Lemon Law Buyback. The California Lemon Law buyback entitles you to:
- the return of your down payment,
- ALL of the monthly payments that you have made, and
- Your current registration fee
- ALL out of pocket towing and rental car fees that you have paid for to get your vehicle to the dealership for repairs.
How to Start a California Lemon Law Case
The most important evidence in a lemon law case is the repair orders and invoices. If you have lost your copy of a repair order, request another copy from the dealership. If your vehicle was serviced by a franchised dealership, records are maintained in their computer system.
Once you submit your information to our firm, we provide a free case evaluation within 24 hours in most cases. If we agree to represent you, we will settle the claim as quickly and efficiently as possible, while obtaining the BEST possible result for you.
Each case is different and each automobile manufacturer handles these types of cases differently. With that said, we have worked with the same attorneys representing the automobile manufacturers over the years and we have an excellent working relationship with all of them. These cases rarely go to trial and it is extremely unlikely that you will have to go to court for any reason while pursuing a lemon law claim.
THE TAKEAWAY
- The California Lemon Law is the only way to get rid of your lemon AND recover most/all of your money.
- Our fees and costs are paid for by the manufacturer, so our services are ALWAYS FREE to the consumer.
