Virginia Lemon Law Attorney John Gayle

When a car buyer considers hiring an attorney to assist them in resolving an issue with a "lemon" vehicle, they often hesitate. Many consumers believe that involving a lawyer in their dispute with an auto manufacturer may just make matters worse. For the typical person, adding attorney fees to the sink hole of a lemon fiasco seems like adding insult to injury. After all, it's only a car. It might be better, they often assume, to just cut their losses and take their chances with the lemon, or even worse, do unto another as they have been done, and try to sell the car at a loss (a "bargain") to somebody else.

Lemon Law Reform Gives Consumers Legal Protections & Rights

Thanks to Lemon Law reform enacted during the last fifteen years, Virginia consumers need no longer hesitate about contacting an attorney when faced with stiff resistance from a car dealership or auto manufacturer over a vehicle that just can't be fixed. Virginia auto buyers are entitled to certain guarantees in cosmetics, performance, and safety when they purchase or lease a new or recently used vehicle. If there is any significant cosmetic, performance, or safety condition which cannot be repaired within a reasonable period, you can obtain top legal guidance to enforce your legal rights under the lemon law and either get a full refund or get a vehicle equal to the value of your original purchase.

During a preliminary telephone consultation, The Consumer Law Group, P.C. will determine whether your case appears to qualify for lemon law remedies and warrants further investigation. If so, we will setup an initial consultation with one of our lawyers to make a determination whether you qualify for a full refund. Another important feature of the Virginia Lemon Law is that all reasonable attorneys fees and expert witness fees are recoverable from the manufacturer.

Stuck With a Lemon? You Could Be Entitled to a Full Refund.

Another key advantage Virginia auto buyers have when confronted with a possible Lemon is the number of times a car manufacturer or dealership has to rectify the situation before the buyer is entitled to a refund. In Virginia—within the first 18 months of delivery—the manufacturer has three attempts to fix a significant problem with the vehicle, and one attempt to correct a life-threatening condition of the defective vehicle. If the problem isn't fixed after these attempts, the consumer, with a seasoned attorney's guidance, can invoke his or her rights under Virginia Lemon Laws to quickly obtain either a full refund or another vehicle of equal value.

In many other states, the seller has between four to six times to correct a defect in a lemon car. Who has time for that? When The Consumer Law Group, P.C. founder John Gayle authored amendments to Virginia Lemon Laws, he put the consumer first, and promoted ways to make the purchase of an automobile a simple, honest and guaranteed transaction. Having represented thousands of clients involved in lemon purchases, John Gayle saw the need for a system that reflected the dire financial straits of the typical consumer in the aftermath of a lemon purchase. The new Virginia Lemon Laws addressed that and much more, shifting the balance of power in purchasing to the auto buyer.

Most Auto Manufacturers Are Willing to Help, But There Are Always Exceptions

With the legal ball in the court of Virginia car shoppers and buyers, one might think that cases of lemon fraud are rare, with few manufacturers willing to risk the punitive measures they might face by failing to honor the conditions of a vehicle warranty. Some vehicle manufacturers today will in fact work with a consumer to comply with Lemon Law guidelines and avoid a legal confrontation. Beyond the legal consequences, successful manufacturers understand the power of word of mouth about the quality and performance of the vehicles they sell, and recognize that by satisfying one customer, they are gaining many more. Some manufacturers don't understand this concept, however, and are more concerned with clearing their inventory of that one vehicle they can't seem to get rid of than keeping the higher notions of consumer satisfaction in mind. They may have sold it once, twice, three times before, but it always comes back. It's a lemon. The manufacturer knows this and will do just about anything to pass it on to somebody else. "Just about anything" includes deceit, intimidation, fraud and breaking the law.

Under Virginia's Lemon Law, a vehicle is considered a lemon if there is a defect in the vehicle that does not meet the safety and performance standards set forth in the conditions of the warranty. There are measures the vehicle manufacturer can take to correct any defect or problem, but failing these measures, the consumer is entitled to compensation.

Why a Lemon Law Attorney Is Essential: Time & Money

You might figure with a little time, research, and persistence, you can solve your lemon problem without the advice and assistance of an experienced Lemon Law attorney. Perhaps, but in most cases it will require more than just a little time, research, and persistence to persuade a determined manufacturer or car dealership to give you your money back. From a seller's point of view, it still makes more economic sense to put the screws to an un-represented consumer than reimburse them, hoping you will simply give up and chalk the whole experience up to bad luck, taking little or nothing.

If they win and you lose, you will have lost valuable weeks and months over an issue that an attorney might have resolved for you in a matter of days. At The Consumer Law Group, P.C., we know how to act quickly and decisively with the manufacturer of a lemon vehicle, and invariably save our clients time and money. You've already been fleeced; we're here to get your money back.

Once you've decided to contact an attorney, which attorney to contact first is not hard to decide. John Gayle, Jr. is a premier authority on Lemon Law, a primary author of the statutes that define Lemon Law in Virginia today, and a respected attorney who has helped thousands extract themselves from Lemon situations and restore their faith in consumer protection. If you're fed up with your lemon and want to take effective action today, your first step is to contact John Gayle and the Consumer Law Group. Fill out our Lemon Law Intake Form to tell us more about your situation. An attorney will contact you soon to discuss your options.

 

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John Cole Gayle, Jr.
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Consumer Law Pioneer and Co-Author of Virginia's Lemon Law