The second part of our article about auto protection starts by talking about what are your responsibilities after you have signed the contract. Under the contract, you might have to follow the recommendations made by the manufacturer regarding routine maintenance, like oil and spark plug changes. If you fail to meet these recommendations, the contract can become void. It is advisable that you keep detailed records (including receipts) in order to prove that you have taken care of the car properly.
You should figure out if the contract prohibits you from taking the vehicle for routine maintenance at an independent station or if you are allowed to perform the work yourself. In the contract it might be written that the selling dealer is the only facility which is authorized for servicing your car.
If you are told that you have to buy an auto service contract in order to qualify for financing, you should contact the lender to find out if this is true or not. There are lots of situations in which consumers have a difficult time at cancelling the service contract after finding out that the lender wasn’t asking for one.
If you make up your mind and decide to acquire such a service through a car dealership, and this contract is baked by the administrator and/or by a third party, you will have to make sure that the car dealer will forward your payment and give you a written confirmation. There have been a considerable number of situations in which the consumers have found out late that the car dealer did not forward their payment, thus leaving the customers with no coverage. If you have enough reasons to believe that something is not right and your contract has not been put in effect as agreed, it is highly recommended that you contact your local/state consumer protection office.
If you need assistance regarding resolving a dispute, you will have to contact the Better Business Bureau, the consumer protection office or the state attorney general. In addition, you could also get in touch with local law schools and ask if they have dispute resolution programs. Another way to go would be by contacting the FTC which works for the consumer in order to prevent deceptive, fraudulent, and unfair business practices.
Post tags: Tags: auto protection, auto protection plan, auto service contract, ftc
