On March 24th 2015, a used auto dealer out of Morris County was charged by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs with selling cars that were used or damaged without providing this information to the customer. The NJ Division of Consumer Affairs will file a lawsuit against RLMB Inc. saying that the NJ dealership violated the state’s Consumer Fraud Act as well as Used Car Lemon Law. Along with not disclosing this information related to the car, the company forced some customers to sign blank sales documents and did not provide title and registration until after the expiration of the temporary ones.
While this news certainly can be a little scary, there are some things you can do to protect yourself against fraudulent activities by dealerships in NJ and other places in the country. It will take a little bit of research, but luckily the web has made finding out this information pretty easy. Here are several ways to find an honest dealer.
Look up the dealer in its local BBB: Your local BBB should have information about any complaints the business has received, how long it has been in business, and basic contact information. It will also provide a rating on an A+-F scale based off complaints listed and time in business.
Consult Yelp: Another easy way to get information about dealerships in NJ quickly is through using Yelp. Yelp also provides a rating system based off an aggregate review score, and you can learn information about how the company does business, which salesmen to trust, and any sales tactics the dealer salesmen might try to use to get you to sign the dotted line.
Do your research on the car: If the car is priced extraordinarily high or low, you might be dealing with a dishonest dealership. To learn more about the value of the car in questions, consult the Kelly Blue Book website. In addition to that, it’s always important to ask for a CarFax report on any car you’re interested in as you’ll be able to access service records, last odometer reading, previous owners, and any accidents on record. Based on this information CarFax will even include a number it believes the car is worth above or below the Kelley Blue Book Value.
Go with your gut: If you think that a salesman isn’t doing something dishonest to just get you behind the wheel, you may be right. For example, if he or she won’t provide you with a quote online or on the phone, look elsewhere. The same goes with any pushy tactics or guilt trips.
