How not to get ripped off (legally)
09-25-2001, 10:32 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: All over Virginia
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
How not to get ripped off (legally)
After getting screwed nicely on almost every large purchase I have made in my life I thought it was time to read up and see what I can do to protect myself, here is what I found so hopefully one of you guys do not get screwed over on your big purchases (i.e. my first and second thirdgens).
The law is not very forgiving to us consumers, it follows the Latin saying Caveat Emptor which means buyer beware, or to put it another way if you get screwed its is your own fault for not knowing any better.
So what can you do to protect yourself? Here is the deal in most states. If I know my car/house(lots of exceptions)/boat has something very wrong with it, in fact I know it will break in 5 days and do not mention it to you it is perfectly legal. Only if you asked me whether that specific part was going to break would it be fraud for me to lie (be very careful if someone changes the subject at this point). Even if they say everything is fine it is hard as hell to prove if you are going on word alone. So the best solution lawyers say is to make a list of all the main system in the purchase and say at the top something like, I (seller name) acknowledge that these systems are fully operational and have no known faults (car would be engine, transmission, rear end, coolant and A/C for starters) and have the seller initial each component thereby signifying that the seller is sure nothing is wrong with any of the parts. You will be amazed how quickly stuff not previously mentioned comes out. I had a friend buying a house find out he was getting himself a much older house with problems the seller initially never mentioned. At the end of the list date it and have the seller write and sign his name. Not only will the seller probably tell you everything wrong, if they still lied you are almost guaranteed to get the money to fix the problem without going to court because if the seller was to call a lawyer the lawyer would tell him he does not stand a chance in court. In the unlikely event that something still comes up after all of this make sure you do something within 2 years otherwise there is nothing you can do.
I got cheated by two people I thought I could have trusted, so I am willing to take the extra 5 minutes to assure this will not happen again.
Also a really easy way to tell if someone is lying is watch their eyes. Chances are their eyes will drift down and to the left when thinking of a lie.
Disclaimer: in no way am I trying to give legal council to anyone. I am not a lawyer, I just obtained all this info by talking to various established lawyers and from knowledge I gained from pre-law classes. I hope this helps you.
The law is not very forgiving to us consumers, it follows the Latin saying Caveat Emptor which means buyer beware, or to put it another way if you get screwed its is your own fault for not knowing any better.
So what can you do to protect yourself? Here is the deal in most states. If I know my car/house(lots of exceptions)/boat has something very wrong with it, in fact I know it will break in 5 days and do not mention it to you it is perfectly legal. Only if you asked me whether that specific part was going to break would it be fraud for me to lie (be very careful if someone changes the subject at this point). Even if they say everything is fine it is hard as hell to prove if you are going on word alone. So the best solution lawyers say is to make a list of all the main system in the purchase and say at the top something like, I (seller name) acknowledge that these systems are fully operational and have no known faults (car would be engine, transmission, rear end, coolant and A/C for starters) and have the seller initial each component thereby signifying that the seller is sure nothing is wrong with any of the parts. You will be amazed how quickly stuff not previously mentioned comes out. I had a friend buying a house find out he was getting himself a much older house with problems the seller initially never mentioned. At the end of the list date it and have the seller write and sign his name. Not only will the seller probably tell you everything wrong, if they still lied you are almost guaranteed to get the money to fix the problem without going to court because if the seller was to call a lawyer the lawyer would tell him he does not stand a chance in court. In the unlikely event that something still comes up after all of this make sure you do something within 2 years otherwise there is nothing you can do.
I got cheated by two people I thought I could have trusted, so I am willing to take the extra 5 minutes to assure this will not happen again.
Also a really easy way to tell if someone is lying is watch their eyes. Chances are their eyes will drift down and to the left when thinking of a lie.
Disclaimer: in no way am I trying to give legal council to anyone. I am not a lawyer, I just obtained all this info by talking to various established lawyers and from knowledge I gained from pre-law classes. I hope this helps you.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
IROCZDAVE (88-L98)
Interior Parts for Sale
0
09-17-2015 05:46 PM
gta892000
Cooling
6
09-16-2015 12:37 AM
