Many consumers are not aware of the protection that is available to them when they have purchased faulty vehicles and other products. More times than not when a frustrated consumer contacts an attorney about a purchase gone wrong and the attorney mentions lemon laws, the consumers first reaction is “what are lemon laws?”. It is the body of laws with the funny nickname that provide recourse to consumers.
In a Nutshell
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the formal name for “lemon laws” it was enacted in 1975 as a way to provide consumers with protection against getting stuck with faulty products, goods and automobile purchases. Over time the laws have evolved to be mostly associated with the purchase of faulty automobiles. While the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is the federal protection laws, every state has their own “lemon laws” as well.
The Problem
While the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act is a powerful tool that can help consumers to have a remedy against auto manufacturers, dealers and other product manufacturers it has evolved into something a bit more confusing than it was ever meant to be. Here are some problems consumers have with these laws:
* They are different in every state
* They can be hard to navigate on your own
* Some states are not as consumer friendly as others with their laws
The federal laws are clear, but the state laws (which is where you get started usually) are not as clear. Sometimes neighboring states have very different laws. There are typically very specific steps you as the consumer have to take BEFORE you can take advantage of the law.
Getting Help
If you are wondering what are lemon laws and if they can potentially help in your case, the best thing you can do is to contact Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center®.
