Most consumers finance their car at the dealer. In fact, dealers now make more profit from selling financing and similar products than they do from selling cars. Working families trying to buy and finance a car are vulnerable to a host of predatory sales and financing practices including high-pressure sales tactics, exorbitant interest rates, dealer mark-ups and add-ons. The purchase is often made under a great sense of urgency because a car is a necessity for most households. Dealers systematically take advantage of consumers’ need by cajoling, manipulating, and often outright deceiving them into buying and financing at unfair terms.
Consumers who have been taken advantage of generally have a difficult time trying to get matters resolved fairly. A lack of adequate protections and remedies, widespread use of forced arbitration agreements hidden in contracts, and a limited number of competent attorneys to handle consumers’ claims all contribute to this difficulty.
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