Did you realize you had a lemon as soon as you left your dealership? Was it later, but still within the requirements of your state for it to be a lemon? For example, in Georgia, it has to be a new car, and it was bought on or after January 1, 2009. If that’s the case, you can go online and look up “lemon law Georgia.” You want to avoid making mistakes, though. Here are some things that can seriously hinder your chances of getting a favorable ruling.
Trying to Do It By Yourself
You may consider yourself a smart person who is capable of just filing the claim yourself. The law can be a very complex thing with a lot of pitfalls. You don’t want to fall into one of those and lose your chance to get any kind of reimbursement. Instead, you should hire an experienced lemon law attorney who has handled a lot of claims. It’s especially helpful if they have seen other claims involving your vehicle’s make and model.
This trying to do it yourself issue also extends to trying to fix the problem yourself. If you do that, you could void any chance of having it declared a lemon — the dealer could very well say that you broke it yourself and the court would likely agree. Instead, have a professional do the repair job.
Not Clearly Explaining the Issue
When you bring your vehicle in for the first, second, or however many times you need to have to in order to prove that you tried to have it fixed, you need to be crystal clear about what the issue is. That way, the repair technician can be sure to note that correctly on any reports.
Not Saving Documents
These are the things that can make or break a claim. You need to have everything put together in order before you even think about filing. These documents are like medical records for your vehicle. Would you file for worker compensation without a lot of medical records? Things like repair reports and bills are like those medical documents for your vehicle. There has to be a clear record showing that you attempted to have your vehicle repaired a certain number of times before you filed the claim.
Not Carefully Looking Over Those Documents
When you submit a claim for a lemon, the dealership, manufacturer, or seller will scrutinize it very carefully. They want to save money, after all. That’s why you want to go over the report and make sure that the actual complaint is written on it. You also want to make sure that all the information there is correct. The last thing you need to hear is that the mechanic put the wrong odometer reading, for example. So double check everything and have your lawyer look at the paperwork, too.
While doing these things may not guarantee a favorable ruling on the claim, you will give yourself the best chance by doing them. You won’t feel a sense of regret, since you will know that you did everything and followed your lawyer’s advice. But if you do get a favorable ruling, then you will feel even better. Then you can go enjoy your new vehicle or use the money you got in the refund for something else.
