Defend your rights: go and act with the lemon law in your hand.

Many times when we buy an item we encounter problems or difficulties for its handling: you may get a computer at a store and see it fail two or three months after, you might buy a microwave oven and have it broken two days after, even a TV or any electronic device. In these cases, there is usually a warranty given by the company, that makes itself responsible for accomplishing those needs. But what about cars? What happens when you buy a car and then encounter problems and see that what they told and what you signed for is not as you were told? Well, in these cases, lemon law may be applicable. The Lemon Law is a legislation that happens in the US, and that covers the needs of drivers meeting these difficulties. As stated in Wikipedia, “lemon laws are American state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance”. The name lemon comes from the designation chosen to name these cars, which are called lemons for this constant breaking. As the United States of America is constituted by several states, and as many other laws, every state has its own regulations, which may vary sensitively from one case to another. It’s to note that each state has its own penalties and legislations towards this topic, as every state has its own autonomy to act and come up with laws. In general, lemon law is applied to cars, trucks, vans and any other vehicles of the sort. But is it easy to make a complaint? Are we as customers covered by these type of laws? Well, in fact, there is a tough system that usually tends to give the customer the best options, so you can be sure that in general law will be on you for your favor. Even though there is a process for which complaints should be made –obviously, they depend on the state in which you are applying to them, but in general when the complaint is received there is a case adviser or lawyer that looks at the case and decides whether it is applicable or not for the specific jurisdiction in which you are complaining for. Once approved, the adviser may decide to have you car inspected so as to check that you are not lying, and to see what the real damages are. These cases won’t generally end up in court, as mediation is often recommended, in a period that may go from one month to three.

As a general consideration, Lemon Law can be applied to both brand new cars, cars in loan or used cars, where customers are not happy with what they received, compared to what they were told and what they have agreed in the contract. In some cases, as evaluated by the adviser, Lemon Laws are applied to cars that, even bought new, needed many times to be repaired. As for some examples on what policies are applied, in Pennsylvania vehicles with thirty days of repairing per year are covered by the Lemon Law; in New Jersey, vehicles with twenty days a year are covered.

What it’s important for you as a consumer Is to know that if you have any problem experienced regarding your brand new car or your used car bought “as new”, you should appeal to your legal instance in your state, having the Lemon Law in front of you and at your disposal. The matter here is that you keep informed of regulations, changes in laws, and any other articles that may be added or taken away in the specific laws of the state where you live in. Lemon Laws are an important weapon to fight the abuse from sellers who are only keen on making more and more money.