Lemon Law Articles

Documenting Your Case

A qualified lemon law attorney should properly advise you to "document" your case. Should your vehicle turn out to be a lemon, every bit of documentation will help you get the relief you deserve. Unfortunately, not everyone tells you exactly what "documentation" you should be focusing on. By gathering the following information, your lemon law attorney can maximize your recovery.

Take notes on whom you talked to at the dealership, what was said, and the dates and times of all visits to the dealership. Furthermore, put your complaint in writing and give copies of that written complaint to any person whom you dealt with at the dealership, as well as the store manager. Make sure to keep copies of any written complaints you give the dealership.
Demand, and make sure you receive copies of any warranty repair orders and service invoices. When you receive a copy of the order or invoice, make sure that the "complaint," "problem reported by consumer," or similar section of the document describes the problem exactly how you described it to the serviceperson. If it does not read exactly how you described the problem, make the serviceperson change it!
Ask the dealership whether any Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) deal with the problems you are experiencing with your vehicle. TSBs are instructions from the manufacturer that alert dealerships about defects in (and, accordingly, necessary repairs to) certain models. Instruct the dealership to write on the warranty repair order and/or service invoice that you requested any TSBs, even if the service representative tells you that no TSBs exist for your specific problems.
Every time you bring your vehicle to the dealership, describe the problem exactly the same way each time (if, obviously, you continue having the same problem) and make sure that the warranty repair orders and/or service invoices read the same each time.
Record the dates, times and odometer readings when your vehicle goes in and comes out of the repair shop.

While no one maintains perfect written records, the more documentation you have the easier it will be to prove your case. However, even if you do not have any written records, the attorneys at Lemon Helpers may still be able to help you. Get a free review of your potential Lemon Law case by contacting us via e-mail or toll free at 1 (866) LEMON-01.