It is a consumer's right to return a defective product that he has purchased. The US legislative and justice system through the California Lemon Law recognizes this right in auto buyers, who may risk life and limb for one defect in their car.
The California Lemon Law allows new and used car buyers to demand for refund or replacement when the cars that they have purchased have been proven to be defective. Here are some tips that will help you get the most "juice" from your "lemon."
1.Never let the manufacturer or dealer discourage you
The California Lemon Law provides guidelines by which you can determine if your car qualifies. A car is considered a "lemon" under the California Lemon Law if it has been repaired four times and the defect has not been fixed within the period of 18 months or 18,000 miles whichever comes first. Two repair attempts are given to defects that may cause injury or death.
2.Know your rights
Research the guidelines provided by the California Lemon Law and decide for yourself if what you have is a "lemon. Don't let some scrupulous salespersons fool you into not filing a complaint or selling your car to them at a loss. There are a lot of websites in the Internet that could provide you with relevant information on California Lemon Law.
3.Read your manual
Don't let that manual gather dust in one of your drawers. Know everything about your car especially the things that you cannot do with or to it. Take care of your car and follow the manual to the letter. Otherwise the manufacturer could blame the problem on your poor use. Remember that though the California Lemon Law protects your right, you have to prove that the defect has not been caused by you.
4.Don't waste time
Remember that the California Lemon Law provides a deadline for complaints. Don't wait for the last minute to file yours.
5.Take it to authorized service center
In having your car repaired, make sure that you go only to authorized service centers to ensure that the car is repaired properly. Under the California Lemon Law, buyers should have the defect repaired by the manufacturer through its service centers and at least inform the manufacturer of the need for repair.
6.Keep records
Never fail to ask for proper documentations, even if the center has not seen anything wrong with your car. Those are needed when you file a complaint under the California Lemon Law. So, it is important that your complaints be documented from the onset. Make sure also that when they do give you a receipt or record, the information is complete and accurate.
7.Put it in black and white
Send a letter of complaint. This is one way to legally give notice to your problem under the California Lemon Law. Inform them of the problem and outline the number of repairs that you have done. If possible, send it over through certified mail to make sure that they did receive it.
8.Know your options and seek advice
Most car companies have arbitration program that take care of Lemon Law complaints in California. If arbitration does not work, you can always seek legal counsel. Remember that arbitration decisions are not final and some companies even give a quick refund when a lawyer gets involve.
About The Author:
Terry Dunn is webmaster of http://www.Lemon-Law-Explained.com - an informational resource that explains what Lemon Laws are and how they can help you.
Copyright Terry Dunn - http://www.Lemon-Law-Explained.com
Tougher Bankruptcy Laws Take Effect October 2005James Dimmitt In just a few short weeks, President Bush's Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act will take effect. In a nutshell, the new law, which goes into effect on October 17, 2005, makes it more difficult to cancel your debts under Chapter 7 Bankruptcy protection. Instead, consumers will find themselves having to file for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy protection and paying back their creditors over a five year period.
Here's a look into some of the major changes that will affect consumers choosing to file for bankruptcy after the new law goes into effect -
Qualifying - Chapter 7 or Chapter 13?
To be able to qualify for protection under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, consumers will have to face a means test. The means test determines if your household falls above or below the median income in the state where you reside. Those whose total is greater than the state median income will not qualify to cancel debts under Chapter 7 protection and will alternately have to file under Chapter 13 and pay back your creditors.
The major intent of bankruptcy reform is to require people, who can afford to make some payments towards their debt, to make these payments, while still affording them the right to have the rest of their debt erased.
The amount you have to pay back under Chapter 13 protection will be greater because instead of a 3-year pay back period, that time frame is now extended to five years - to ensure your creditors get paid.
Credit Counseling
Anyone filing for bankruptcy under the new law will be required to go through mandatory credit counseling. Be careful before choosing a credit counselor as this field is filled with people looking to line their pockets while emptying yours.
To find a trustworthy counselor, check to see if there are any complaints against them or their organization filed with your local Better Business Bureau. Secondly, find out if they are certified by the National Foundation of Credit Counselors or the Association of Independent Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies. Finally, find out if they have not-for-profit status. Personally I recommend Consumer Credit Counseling Services as they meet all three of the above criteria. They can be reached at 1-800-888-2227 and can connect you with a local office.
The Cost Factor
Filing for Chapter 7 protection under the old laws normally cost under $1,000. You should expect to pay more under the new laws as filing fees have been increased by $60. Additionally, your attorney will be required to double check all your financial information which will take more of his or her time. Also there is greater liability imposed on the lawyer which may cause their liability insurance to increase, which gets passed on to their clients in the form of higher fees. Under the new law, many are expecting fees to increase between 25-50%.
Why Were the Laws Changed?
The bottom line is that major commercial creditors lobbied hard for reform. Companies like CitiBank, MBNA, and other credit card issuers actively contributed proposed amendments along with generous financial support to reforming the bankruptcy laws - and in their favor, according to many consumer protection groups.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Universal Law Series - The Law Of Cause
This is the third of seven articles in our continuing series on Universal Law. The focus of this article is the Law of Cause & Effect. Based on the Socratic law of causality, this Law is so profound and powerful that it has been referred to as the "Iron Law of Human Destiny".
Law of Cause & Effect:
The Law of Cause & Effect states that absolutely everything happens for a reason. All actions have consequences and produce specific results, as do all inactions. The choices we make are causes, whether they are conscious or unconscious, and will produce corresponding outcomes or effects. The Law works the same for everyone at all times.
Distilled down to the simplest possible terms, this Law states that for every outcome or effect in one's life, there is a specific cause; poor diet and exercise habits result in poor health, constant and uncontrolled spending results in debt and money worries, not putting effort into your key relationships results in poor relationships and all of the associated issues.
The law can also be applied in the physical sense through examination of Sir Isaac Newton's third Law of Motion, which states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." If, for example, you were to hold your hand over a candle's flame (the cause) the effect would be that your hand would burn and it would hurt! While this is an extreme example, it serves to illustrate the point very well.
Consider another situation which is specific to business. Imagine that your business is so successful you cannot keep up with the demand a nice problem to have! Eventually, the levels of customer service deteriorate as your staff attempts to cope with the problem. You receive complaints and employee morale begins to suffer.
At this point, you have a choice to make try to muddle through with the existing situation or hire more people. This is a difficult decision as there are many unknowns when hiring will you get the right person, will he / she be part of the solution or part of the problem, what will happen to your cash flow etc.
Whichever decision you make becomes the cause either you hire or don't. The effect is the result of the decision. If you hired someone, there should be some relief for your existing staff, and customers should become happier with your service (providing of course, you hired the right person and then invested to train them properly). If the decision was to not hire, the effect would likely be dissatisfied, and eventually, lost customers and potentially lost employees as well unless you can find another solution (cause) to implement (process re-engineering etc.). This is a recipe for disaster which could easily see the business fail altogether the ultimate effect.
The same holds true with your personal relationships. If you treat the important people in your life with respect, love, compassion, dignity and honesty (cause), you will experience loving, solid relationships which lead to happiness, fulfillment and peace of mind (effect).
Making It Work For You:
The truly wonderful thing about this law is that by definition then, we should be able to manifest that which we truly want (the effect) simply by exerting the same causes that others before us have exerted and been successful. Let me explain:
If you have a desire to be a successful and highly paid businessperson in your chosen field, then you should be able to look back and study what made others, before you, successful. What books did they read, courses did they study, beliefs did they hold, actions did they take?
If you were to emulate the things they did to be successful, you would achieve the same results over a period of time. If, over time, this does not occur, it is likely because there is something different in what you were doing some vital piece of information that is missing.
What You Can Do:
There are three action exercises, which you can put in place immediately, to help you get more of what you want:
1. Determine the Cause & Effect relationships in the areas in which you want improvement or success. Identify the specific things you will need to do in order to get the results that you desire.
2. Take action! Make the decision to focus on, and do, the things that other successful people have done in those areas. Half the battle is taking action. It is your ability to actually begin that will set you apart from the majority of the population.
3. Persevere. If you take action and do the things that others have done, you will eventually get the desired results. Rome was not built in a day and it has taken you a lifetime to get into the position in which you now find yourself. Success takes time, so if it doesn't seem to be working immediately, don't give up! Stay focused, analyze your causes to ensure you are doing the right things; tweak your approach if necessary you will get the desired results!
There is no mystery to achieving success - it is available to all of us. One need only be aware of, understand and live in accordance with Universal Law!
Law of Cause & Effect:
The Law of Cause & Effect states that absolutely everything happens for a reason. All actions have consequences and produce specific results, as do all inactions. The choices we make are causes, whether they are conscious or unconscious, and will produce corresponding outcomes or effects. The Law works the same for everyone at all times.
Distilled down to the simplest possible terms, this Law states that for every outcome or effect in one's life, there is a specific cause; poor diet and exercise habits result in poor health, constant and uncontrolled spending results in debt and money worries, not putting effort into your key relationships results in poor relationships and all of the associated issues.
The law can also be applied in the physical sense through examination of Sir Isaac Newton's third Law of Motion, which states that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." If, for example, you were to hold your hand over a candle's flame (the cause) the effect would be that your hand would burn and it would hurt! While this is an extreme example, it serves to illustrate the point very well.
Consider another situation which is specific to business. Imagine that your business is so successful you cannot keep up with the demand a nice problem to have! Eventually, the levels of customer service deteriorate as your staff attempts to cope with the problem. You receive complaints and employee morale begins to suffer.
At this point, you have a choice to make try to muddle through with the existing situation or hire more people. This is a difficult decision as there are many unknowns when hiring will you get the right person, will he / she be part of the solution or part of the problem, what will happen to your cash flow etc.
Whichever decision you make becomes the cause either you hire or don't. The effect is the result of the decision. If you hired someone, there should be some relief for your existing staff, and customers should become happier with your service (providing of course, you hired the right person and then invested to train them properly). If the decision was to not hire, the effect would likely be dissatisfied, and eventually, lost customers and potentially lost employees as well unless you can find another solution (cause) to implement (process re-engineering etc.). This is a recipe for disaster which could easily see the business fail altogether the ultimate effect.
The same holds true with your personal relationships. If you treat the important people in your life with respect, love, compassion, dignity and honesty (cause), you will experience loving, solid relationships which lead to happiness, fulfillment and peace of mind (effect).
Making It Work For You:
The truly wonderful thing about this law is that by definition then, we should be able to manifest that which we truly want (the effect) simply by exerting the same causes that others before us have exerted and been successful. Let me explain:
If you have a desire to be a successful and highly paid businessperson in your chosen field, then you should be able to look back and study what made others, before you, successful. What books did they read, courses did they study, beliefs did they hold, actions did they take?
If you were to emulate the things they did to be successful, you would achieve the same results over a period of time. If, over time, this does not occur, it is likely because there is something different in what you were doing some vital piece of information that is missing.
What You Can Do:
There are three action exercises, which you can put in place immediately, to help you get more of what you want:
1. Determine the Cause & Effect relationships in the areas in which you want improvement or success. Identify the specific things you will need to do in order to get the results that you desire.
2. Take action! Make the decision to focus on, and do, the things that other successful people have done in those areas. Half the battle is taking action. It is your ability to actually begin that will set you apart from the majority of the population.
3. Persevere. If you take action and do the things that others have done, you will eventually get the desired results. Rome was not built in a day and it has taken you a lifetime to get into the position in which you now find yourself. Success takes time, so if it doesn't seem to be working immediately, don't give up! Stay focused, analyze your causes to ensure you are doing the right things; tweak your approach if necessary you will get the desired results!
There is no mystery to achieving success - it is available to all of us. One need only be aware of, understand and live in accordance with Universal Law!
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