Understanding The California Lemon Laws
The California Lemon laws state that every consumer that has a malfunctioning product, which is still in the warranty period, can ask for refunding or replacement of the product. As a consequence, a new or used car, truck, van, R.V, motorcycle or boat that isn't functioning well and couldn't be repaired by the manufacturer after several attempts during the warranty period is called a 'lemon'.
According to the California Lemon laws any car or consumer product that has the same problem that appears more than 3 times and it isn't fixed by the manufacturer within the warranty period is a 'lemon'. So, the owner of the product has the right to receive another product in exchange of the faulty one or to get his money back. The law applies both in the case of purchased or leased products, and inclusively cars. The California Lemon laws offer to the consumer more than one option for receiving compensation for the bad product without being necessarily to sue the manufacturer. For example, there is a provision for vehicles bought after 1986, called the arbitration procedure, according to which a company called "better business bureau" auto line department delegate a third party to listen to both sides. And after that he will decide the solution of the problem. The California Lemon laws allow to the vehicle's owner to refuse the decision of the arbitrator and to sue the manufacturer. In 99% of the cases judged in court having as object a 'lemon' car the verdict was given in favor of the vehicle's owner. The California Lemon laws assure that the consumer will receive a compensation which can be either the value of the car in money or a new vehicle, similar with the faulty one.
Back to Articles
|