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• Hyundai Ranks Highest in Customer Retention among 33 Automotive Brands
• Car Buyer Rights in Virginia Extended Warranties
• Selling Cars on Consignment
• Is Your Car a Lemon? Top 10 Car Maintenance Mistakes
• 115 Cars Made 2012 Top Saftey Picks' List
• Debt Settlement Definitions
• Leased Cars Instead of Clunkers are Popular for High Schoolers
• Avoid Credit Card Fraud
• Guide To Summer Road Travel
• Best Ways to Save Gas

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Library

• Debt Settlement
• Virginia Lemon Law Articles
• Virginia Lemon Law Case Results
• Auto Fraud
• Auto Fraud Articles
• Auto Fraud Case Results
• Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
• FDCPA Articles
• FDCPA Case Results
• Credit Fraud & Identity Theft
• Credit Fraud & Identity Theft Articles
• General
• General

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Case Results

• Virginia Lemon Law
• Virginia Lemon Law - Motor Vehicle Warranty Enforcement Act
• Virginia Lemon Law Cases
• Lemon Law Case Results With Chrysler Vehicles
• Lemon Law Case Results With General Motors Corporation
• Lemon Law Case Results With Ford Motor Company
• Chrysler Violates Lemon Law, Has To Repurchase the Vehicle And Pays Over $70,000 in Legal Fees
• Lemon Law case settled in Virginia over Bluetooth System in Cadillace
• Auto Fraud
• Richmond Dealer Guilty of Fraud, Punitive Damages Awarded

Awarded: $34,000 in punitive damages

• Dealership Found Guilty of Fraud in Sale of BMW
• CAR DEALER ORDERED TO PAY $140,000 + FOR FRAUD, CLAIMS POVERTY
• Charlie Falk Auto Wholesale, Inc. Pays Judgments
• Settled Case - Auto Fraud
• Settled Case - Prior Wreck Auto Fraud
• Automobile Fraud
• Auto Fraud - Settled Case
• Car Dealership Pays Over $114,500 For Fraud In Selling Wrecked Vehicle

Awarded: Over $114,500

• Misrepresentation costly for Norfolk dealership

Awarded: $114,400

• Auto Fraud Case Results
• Yo-Yo Sale Results in Allegations of Fraud, Violation of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, Violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and Equal Credit Opportunity Act
• GM Dealer Settles Fraud Case After Two Mistrials

Awarded: Confidential

• Dealership Settles Case on Automobile Fraud, Violation of VA Consumer Protection Act, and The Federal Odometer Act.

Awarded: $57,000

• Debt Collectors - FDCPA
• FDCPA- Case Results and Settlements
• NCO Financial Systems, Inc. Violates FDCPA Laws
• Debt Collector
• Debt Settlement
• Debt Settlement case saves the client $35,000

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Lemon Law

Are you the not-so-proud owner of a Lemon? You don’t have to be. In Virginia, there are many legal rights in place to guarantee consumers either get the cars they paid for or their money back. Learn more about becoming Lemon-free and actions you can take to get there.

» You think you have a Lemon? Click Here!

Auto Fraud

Odometer rollbacks, salvage or flood vehicles, yo-yo sales, credit consolidation sales, resale of damaged vehicles without full disclosure. These are just a few of the ways car dealerships and sellers practice auto fraud on consumers. Learn more about how to protect yourself from auto fraud.

GET SIX QUICK STEPS TO AVOID AUTO FRAUD!!

Credit Fraud

In today’s world of electronic banking and lending, consumers invest an extraordinary level of trust in our financial institutions. When that trust is violated by bank employees, it can cost consumers thousands in damages and years in repairing their credit standings. Learn more about credit fraud and how the Consumer Law Group can help you.

Credit Reporting Companies:

• Experian
  (800) 583-4080
  www.experian.com
• Trans Union Corporation
  (800) 888-4213
  www.transunion.com
• Equifax Credit Information Services
  (800) 685-1111
  www.equifax.com
• CSC Credit Services
  (800) 759-5979
  www.csc.com

Get More Information >

The Consumer Law Group:
ACCEPTING REFERRALS STATEWIDE

Need Lemon Law advice? John Cole Gayle, Jr. is the co-author of Virginia's Lemon Law, and helped to get it passed.

Lemon law, credit fraud, auto fraud, debt settlement and victims of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in Virginia now have a safe place to turn when seeking legal recourse to protect and defend their consumer rights against auto manufacturers, car dealerships, debt collectors and financial institutions. Founded by attorney John Cole Gayle, Jr., The Consumer Law Group offers a strong and affordable legal response for Virginia consumers.

The Consumer Law Group was founded on our strong belief in and support of the tenets of the free enterprise system. We believe that manufacturers, businesses, contractors, entrepreneurs and sellers have the right to pursue a profit for the goods and services they offer. We also believe buyers and consumers should have many options available to them when making a purchase for goods and services. When competition among sellers thrives, an educated consumer wins. In our view, ensuring consumer satisfaction is the ultimate purpose of a strong free enterprise system.

When the integrity of free enterprise is compromised, however, the consumer invariably loses. Without an honest and evenhanded respect for free enterprise, the seller or supplier of goods and services is compelled to misrepresent the products they are selling in order to gain an unfair advantage over its competition. When consumer satisfaction becomes secondary to profit, fraud is an inevitable result, and legal action must be taken to correct this and restore balance to the marketplace.

The Consumer Law Group extends its legal services to victims of Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Auto Fraud, Debt Harrassment and Credit Fraud. The Consumer Law Group also specializes in Lemon Law, leading consumers out of the entrapment of lemon vehicles, such as cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, RVs, chassis of motor homes, and motorcycles.  Finally, we help with settling your debts.

Virginia Lemon Law

Lemon car, SUV, truck, RV problems in Virginia? Contact John Gayle, the Richmond consumer law attorney who co-wrote Virginia's Lemon Law, or his staff for a free and accurate initial consultation regarding your lemon law claim.

Auto Fraud

Do you believe you've been a victim of auto fraud? Contact John Gayle, the Richmond consumer law attorney who wrote Virginia's Lemon Laws, for a free and accurate consultation regarding your lemon law claim.

Debt Collectors - FDCPA

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits debt collectors (not creditors) from engaging in abusive, deceptive, and unfair practices. The FDCPA does not apply to your original creditor.

Debt Settlement

Debt Settlement
Through the process of debt settlement, your attorney at The Consumer Law Group will negotiate with your creditors and bill collectors to lower and settle your debt for less than you owe.  You can gain peace of mind knowing you have an attorney representing you and dealing with the creditors or debt collectors rather than having to deal with them yourself.
We do not charge a fee for settling any of your debts until you have agreed to the compromise.  Although, in cases where there are a large number of creditors, where we set up a trust account for your debt payments to be deposited, there is a small monthly maintenance fee and a one time set up fee.

Debt Settlement could help you:
*Avoid bankruptcy
*Settle unsecured debt for less
*Lower your monthly payments
*STOP the never ending collection calls and letters

Types of debt you can settle:
*Major Credit Cards
*Collection Accounts
*Medical Bills
*Credit Union Credit Cards
*Unsecured Personal Lines of Credit
*Unsecured Personal Loans
*Auto Loans
*Judgments (may settle at higher percentage than other debts)

DID YOU KNOW:  If your fair debt rights have been violated by debt collectors,  you can make a debt collector pay you up to $1000.00 or more under federal fair debt laws.  We do not charge legal fees to go after violators of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  Call or email us to learn more!

Credit Report Problems

Based in Richmond, Virginia, The Consumer Law Group represents victims of credit card fraud and other forms of credit fraud. Contact John Gayle and The Consumer Law Group today for help with your credit fraud or identity theft case.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Virginia Lemon Law
• How do I know if my car is a lemon?

• Does my vehicle qualify under the Virginia Lemon Law?

• What is the Virginia Lemon Law and how does it work?

• What types of vehicles are covered by Virginia's Lemon Law?
• Does Virginia's Lemon Law cover used vehicles?
• What is a "lemon" vehicle?
• Are business vehicles covered by Virginia's Lemon Law?
• Is there a time deadline to file a Lemon Law claim?
• The manufacturer wants to give me an extended warranty instead of replacing my car. What happens if I accept it?
• I have a lemon and the manufacturer has agreed to replace it but it wants me to pay for the mileage. Do I have to do that?
• How many times do I have to give the dealer the chance to fix my car before it qualifies as a lemon?
• If I have a lemon, what remedy am I entitled to?
• Do I have to pay any attorney fees?
• What are some Lemon Law tips?
• How do I notify the Manufacturer of any problems?
• Does the consumer have 3 days to change his mind and return a car to the dealership?
• What can the consumer do if the vehicle appears to be a lemon, and the vehicle is older than 18 months?
• Auto Fraud

• If I am unhappy with the way my vehicle is performing, should I stop making payments on it and let it be voluntarily repossessed?

• How does a voluntary repossession of a vehicle hurt me?

• How can a consumer find out the history of a used vehicle prior to purchase?

• What should a consumer do about claims against a dealership that has gone out of business?

• What can I do if the dealership contacts me after the sale, and wants me to re-sign the paperwork, or bring the vehicle back because the financing could not be worked out, all after being told that it was a “done deal”?
• How can a consumer determine if his vehicle was wrecked prior to being sold to him?
• What can a consumer do if she pays a mechanic to fix her car, and they replace the wrong part, while charging her for a different part?
• What can a consumer do if a mechanic is negligent in repairing the vehicle, and this negligence leads to a future problem or an accident?
• What should a consumer do when a warranty company rejects honoring the warranty because they claim the consumer did not maintain the vehicle, or that the consumer abused the vehicle?
• What should a consumer do once he knows that the vehicle was wrecked prior to being sold to him?
• Debt Collectors - FDCPA
• How do Debt Collectors get my cell phone number?
  
• 
  Debt Collectors are calling my cell phone, what can I do?
  
• Who is a debtor?
• Who is a debt collector?
• What laws protect me from abusive debt collectors or harassment from a debt collector?

• What should I do if a debt collector contacts me?

• What Are My Rights if a debt collector contacts me?

• What should I do if I think a debt collector has violated the law?

• Where do I report a debt collector for an alleged violation?

• What should I do if a debt collector sues me?

• Do I have any recourse if I think a debt collector has violated the law?

• Can federal benefits be garnished?

• Can I control which debts my payments apply to?

• Can a debt collector garnish my bank account or my wages?

• What practices are off limits for debt collectors?

• Can a debt collector keep contacting me if I don’t think I owe any money?

• What does the debt collector have to tell me about the debt?

• Can a debt collector contact anyone else about my debt?

• How can I stop a debt collector from contacting me?

• Can a debt collector contact me any time or any place?

• What types of debts are covered?

• How do I stop collection calls?

• Can the funds in my bank account be seized or frozen by collectors?

• What are the Statutes of Limitation on a debt?

• Are charged off debts still collectable?

• How does FDCPA help me?

• Debt Settlement
• How do creditors get paid with this program?
   
• Do I really need a debt settlement attorney?
• What types of debts can be settled with debt settlement?
  
  
  
  
  
  
• How long does debt settlement take?
• Credit Report Problems

• If I am unhappy with the way my vehicle is performing, should I stop making payments on it and let it be voluntarily repossessed?

• How does a voluntary repossession of a vehicle hurt me?

• Your Credit Report: What should you know?
• Was I denied credit because of a bad credit report?
• How do I locate the Consumer Reporting Agency that has my file?
• Do I have the right to know what the credit report says?
• Is this information free?
• What can I do if the information on my credit report is inaccurate or incomplete?
• What can I do if the Consumer Reporting Agency won't modify the credit report?
• How long can Consumer Reporting Agencies report unfavorable information on my credit report?
• What if I think a Consumer Reporting Agency has violated my rights under the law?
• How do I order a copy of my credit report?
• What can a consumer do if there is an error on his credit report?
• What should a consumer do if his identity has been stolen and used to obtain credit?
• What are some ways to avoid Credit Fraud & Identity Theft?
• How do I get my annual free credit report?
• General
• 
  What is the Virginia Consumer Protection Act?
  

• Why retain The Consumer Law Group, P.C. rather than a national "mill" firm?

• What legal action can I take against a debt collector?
• Is it worth it for me to look into debt settlement for just one card?

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