Lilywolf

Hi Sarah, apologies if I'm stating the obvious or something previously suggested , but have you tried to contact the police who have jurisdiction in that area? Maybe this guy has been reported already by someone else who has been scammed. If others have already reported it, it can only strengthen your case. At the least, one of the officers would need to investigate this which would save you the time and hassle of finding transportation to drive back over to this place. This must be so upsetting for you I hope it gets sorted soon .

TRPardoe

Thanks for the referral - yes, I missed the post having actually been busy today.

TRPardoe

Did you pay cash for it or were you financed ? If you were financed you are not the owner, the Finance Company is. If you paid cash then you should have been given the title at time of purchase. Sometimes this is delayed but it shouldn't be by much.

Carfax is a good idea for the car's history but it doesn't tell you the contact details for the previous owner.

Telling the police is a good idea because if it was stolen they will find out eventually anyway. Get the Carfax first.

Here in FL the paper tag is only good for 30 days. What does it say in the temporary registartion paper that you should have been given along with the tag ? There should be an expiry date.

All paper tags are recorded at the Tax Office as to who they were purchased by. They should know the dealer info although they might not divulge it to you.

All dealers have to have a Dealer Licence. The DMV should know who the dealer is.

I would take the drive to the location you bought it at and harangue whoever is there for contact info for the seller and threaten to call in the Police.

Good luck.

jjw152

Hi TR

Thanks for your reply, unfortuntely I think we're going to have to resort to getting a lawyer (that we really can't afford)

Here in PA a temporary registraions last for 90 days and we've had 2 of them from him, the 2nd one expired last saturday.
We paid for the car by credit card, unusual I know but for us it was the best financial choice.

Thanks to some help we have found out that the car isn't stolen so why this guy is doing this I'm not sure.
The dealership where we bought the car is a father-son place and it was the father who sold us the car and he seemed a normal, regular guy, since then he has retired and his son took over and its the sons name that is on the ownership paper as the person who sold it to us.

The dealer mainly runs a business hiring out cars for school runs and sell cars as the smaller part of his business. We call about 5+ times a day trying to get a hold of him and always ther is no reply or a fax machine answers.
Since December I have managed to get him on the phone twice and both times he reassured me that everything was fine, that he would do whatever it took to get the title and registration to me and told me I was over-reacting.

However upon calling Pennsylvania Dept. Of Transport (PennDOT) I was told no paperwork has been filed by the dealer since October - so he's basically lying his ass off. Also we have made numerous appointments with the man in question to see him about this and we've still been sat in the parking lot an hour after we were supposed to meet and he's never shown. The only other guy that works there, as I said in the OP is elderly and hard of hearing and isn't in a capacity to help or inform.

I really really don't want to get a lawyer. I'm broke but my car is now illegal to drive and it doesn't look like I have much option. PennDOT say that unless the guy has gone out of business they cannot help me without his co-operation. Today I got his home phone number out of the yellow pages (he has a pretty unusual last name and was easy to find) and am contemplating calling the guy at home to ask him what the hell is going on, but I'm not sure thats a good idea if lawyers inevitably have to be called in.

We have filed a complaint with the better business bureau and the Bureau of Consumer Protection (Which is the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General)
I don't think there is any other avenue left to go down except a legal one.
Any ideas as to why someone just wouldn't send the paperwork in if the car is legit?
Any advice at all would be really, very much appreciated.
Thanks
Jay

Lion in Winter

I suppose you might try a registered/certified letter first (the one where the recipient has to sign for it), informing them that you intend to hire a lawyer if the paperwork is not done by such and such a date - just on the offchance that they are just idiots, and not trying to do something illegal.

Sarah

Thanks LIW thats a really good idea, I think thats what we are going to do next, maybe it will get him to do something and avoid us having to pay $110 an hour for a lawyer.

TRPardoe

Call your credit card company immediately. They are really good at consumer protection.

Franklin

And failing that, a local lawyer can send a letter and if that does not work a lawyer can file a complaint and seek a court order to force the car seller to do the paperwork and failing that the lawyer can draft a subpoena (there are different kinds of subpoena) and once a court approves it the car seller would be forced to appear before a judge, if the seller doesn't appear before the judge then the judge can send out a sheriff to arrest the car seller and thereby force him to attend court and explain his side of things before the judge. Failure to comply with a court order is contempt and can lead to pretty harsh sanctions.

But I place emphasis on obtaining the services of a local state (PA) lawyer. The local Bar Association (some large cities have "city bars") that offer a referral service; likewise with respect to the state bar.

CaliforniaBride

I don't know if you missed my post, but hubby, who is an attorney said:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...35#post2037135

rogerpenycate

Not sure if you mentioned this but was it an actual car lot ?


"I don't think there is any other avenue left to go down except a legal one"



I guess that's the difference in being in a different country.
Back in the UK a phone call to 'the boys' would get the problem sorted out.
Had to do it once or twice myself.
OOOPS

TRPardoe

One, whoever he is, could easily get the problem sorted here too in the same fashion. What is it they call it ? Natural Law ? Rednecks have their uses after all.