Let’s not kid ourselves. Finding a company email address is rarely easy. Sure, if you’re lucky enough, you can get to their customer service department. But what if you want to write to the top decision makers?
How can you reach the vice president you charmed at the coffee shop? Yes, the one who’s desperate for your resume, even though she doesn’t know it yet.
Or what about the home improvement contractor who never repaired your leaky basement? You paid their outrageous bill for $3,200, dutifully screamed at their voicemail, and then followed up with frantic texts for them to finish the job . But for reasons most mysterious, they can never find the time to return your calls. Or for that matter, to return your money.
Don’t let a mean ole website keep you from the big shots. And don’t waste your time yelling at a company voicemail. Here are the tricks to find company emails. Now you can send the VP at Starbucks your stellar resume.
Or if you like, you can email your home repair guy about the terrible dream you just had. Yes, the one where you take him to court, ruin his reputation, and then revoke his contractor’s license.
Live Search in Action! Contacting the Top Decision Makers in AquaGuard
AquaGuard is a midsized to large roofing and waterproofing company in Georgia, also known as AquaGuard Foundation Solutions. According to Zoominfo.com, it has about 243 employees.
Now suppose you wanted to email the owners of AquaGuard but couldn’t find their contact info on the AquaGuard website. For the moment, I will assume you knew that the owner of AquaGuard is Thomas DiGregorio(Tom DiGregorio). And that unlike me, you found him simply by scrolling down their homepage or looking at their “contact us” page.
Or perhaps you couldn’t find his name there so you got it through the free corporate filings at the GA Secretary of State. Indeed, it was here I learned thatThomas DiGregorio also owns AquaGuard Properties, LLC,AquaGuard Water Proofing Contractors, Inc. and probably even AquaGuard Roofing Solutions, LLC.
Note that while the AquaGuard website also lists Joe Rusk as a co-owner, I was unable to confirm such through official government records.
The Low Hanging Fruit (Free Email Extractors) There are two types of free email extractors. First there’s the typical free people searches that pull up emails along with other data. I recommend Cyberbackgroundchecks.com or using Fastpeoplesearch.com as a backup.
Just enter the person’s name and state and scroll down for emails. Some sites, even allow you to search by a person’s cell phone number or old email address for similar results.
Second, there’s the websites where you type in a web address to see a collection of company emails.
For smaller companies like AquaGuard, it could mean you find the email address of the owner, vice president, or talent recruiter. But for big companies like Microsoft or Amazon, there’s much less a chance of that.
But don’t fret on this. If you know the name of your contact, you can guess their email address simply by looking at the format of all the other email addresses on the list.
Note, each site may require you type in the address in a different format. So with AquaGuard as an example, you may need to enter it as: aquaguard.net. or www.aquaguard.net or https://www.aquaguard.net
Using CyberbackgroundChecks.com To Hunt for Business Emails With CyberbackgroundChecks, you simply search for the owner’s name along with their state. When I did this for “Tom Digregorio” and Georgia, I found the emails of two of his active businesses below.
Using Email-format.com To Get Emails from the AquaGuard Website My next step was to use Email-Format.com to search for other emails associated with AquaGuard.
When I typed in aquaguard.net I found these additional emails below. People come and go in large companies, so look for the newest confirmed email addresses. (See those I highlighted in yellow.)
Be sure to Google these to see if you can get their full names as well. To see if they’re still any good, you can also plug these into an email verifier. But always Google them as well. Email verifiers aren’t perfect.
Another way to find the names of key players is to do a Google search within signalhire.com. See below. Note: You must replace Aquaguard and Georgia with the specifics for your company, but leave all else the same. As noted below, be sure to ignore all the Google ads.
The great thing about the Signal Hire website is that it lists the names of employees along with their job titles! It won’t reveal their email addresses, but you can always find these through Google and the other sites already mentioned.
Sending the Email When You Don’t Know Which Address Is Valid Sometimes, such as when lodging a serious complaint, you don’t want them to know you’re just guessing at their contact information. To hide this fact, simply email yourself and put all the numerous other email addresses in the “bcc” box. So, if the recipient gets your email, they’ll only see your address and assume you knew theirs all along. And once they respond, you certainly will!
Still Can’t Find Their Email? Then Get Them To Contact You! Many businesses enjoy top ratings with the Better Business Bureau. And even those that don’t will often hate to see bad reviews posted online.
So if you can’t reach them directly, simply look up the company by name or phone number in the Better Business Bureau Complaint Database. After you lodge a complaint, the BBB will contact the business and encourage the business to get in touch with you. Often this works far better than simply suing them in court.
Note that if you can’t find a business using the BBB Complaint Database, try Googling the business with “BBB.” Sometimes Google works better at finding BBB complaints than even the Better Business Bureau! And once you see the write up, look for how you can file your own complaint.
Free Resources
For free links to find corporate and personal emails check out Find Email Addresses (Consumer-SOS)
Moving Into Senior Housing or Living With A Family Member
What The Doctor’s Note Must Say
Other Required Documentation
Notifying Your Landlord: How & When To Send Notice
Sample Notice Email(Should also Mail to be safe)
Hand Deliveries: Sample Form For Agent To Sign (Showing Notice Was Received)
The Actual Statute: New York Real Property Law 227-a (With Highlights)
Getting Help Through an Advocate
I am New Yorker who moved to Atlanta long ago. I would never have written this, until my mom needed to move to Georgia because of serious medical issues. Sadly, the law on breaking a lease is extremely confusing, even for consumer rights lawyers like myself. So here’s a stab at making it simple for you and your loved ones.
What The Law Allows The law is called “Termination of residential lease by senior citizens or individuals with a disability moving to a residence of a family member or entering certain health care facilities, adult care facilities or housing projects”(New York Property Law 227-a).
It allows a person 62 or over to break their New York lease if they have a medical issue that affects their ability to live independently. However, the senior must be moving into senior housing, or other qualified housing, or the home of a family member. AND the senior must provide timely notice and all the documentation required by this statute.
In short, the senior must follow every jot and tittle of the law or they could lose another month’s rent and possibly forfeit their security deposit.
Once the senior meets all the requirements under New York law, the landlord must legally end the lease, refund their security deposit, and cannot charge any more rent or fees in lieu of rent.
Note that New York law trumps a New York lease. This means the senior can walk away Scot-free even if the lease has penalties for early termination or other more stringent requirements for giving notice. But to be safe, I recommend you follow both the law and lease when giving notice of termination.
Who The Law Applies To The law applies to people of any age who are disabled as defined by NY EXC Article 15 § 292(21).
The law also applies to seniors who are at least 62 years old or will be age 62 during the lease term. It extends to the senior’s spouse and their dependents (even if younger than 62). So everyone gets out of the lease, not just the senior. This makes sense as families should be allowed to stick together.
The Senior Must Move In With A Family Member or Into Qualified Senior Housing The senior can’t break the lease simply to move elsewhere. Rather, the senior must move in with a family member or into qualified senior housing. Qualified senior housing does not just include nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The statute actually allows the senior to move into “any complex erected for the specific purpose of housing senior citizens.” In other words, even an independent living facility will qualify.
A Doctor’s Note Must Show A Medical Issue Exists To Justify The Move Under RPL 227-a, the senior must have a doctor certify that the senior is “no longer able, for medical reasons, to live independently in such premises” and the senior either:
Requires “assistance with instrumental activities of daily living;“ or Requires “assistance with personal activities of daily living.”
The law does not require that the senior be so impaired that they must move into assisted living or a nursing home. As stated earlier, the senior can move into independent living as well.
Key is that:
There are medical reasons why the senior cannot live independently in their current premises;
The senior requires some assistance (even if very small) with either personal or instrumental activities in their day to day living.
The doctor’s note makes clear these three points above, (preferably by using the exact language found in the law, e.g. the terms marked in red.)
Example of Not Being Able To Live Independently in Their Current Premises My mom is a senior over the age of 62 who lives in Midtown Manhattan. She is visually impaired and keeps falling down the step between her living room and dining room.
When she has to go buy groceries, she must risk her life to cross the street in heavy midtown traffic. Thus, her poor vision is a medical reason why she cannot live independently in her current premises. For all I know, she may magically be able to live independently in an apartment without steps, or move somewhere safer in a quiet, low traffic part of Queens. But the statute only requires that she cannot live independently in her current apartment.
Example of Personal or Instrumental Activities Likewise, my mom has trouble putting on her makeup or reading the labels on her medicines. Either of these could be deemed personal or instrumental, and that should be enough. It is not a tough standard to meet. But a doctor’s note is mandatory.
Required Documents under New York Real Property Law 227-a.
If the senior is moving in with a relative, send the landlord:
The doctor’s note (does not need to be notarized);
A notarized statement by a family member that the senior will be living with them for at least 6 months;
A notice of termination letter as required by your lease (Optional but highly recommended though the law should trump any lease notice requirements.)
If the senior is moving directly into senior housing, send the landlord:
The doctor’s note (does not need to be notarized);
A copy of the signed or executed contract or lease with the senior housing facility;
A notice of termination letter as required by your lease (Optional but highly recommended though the law should trump any lease notice requirements.)
When and How To Send A Termination Notice under RPL 227-a Your termination date (the date you can get out of your lease) all depends on the date your landlord receives your written notice. It is not determined by when you sent the notice. The exception is if you mail it. (see Mailing Your Notice for details).
For when to send notice, scroll down to “HOW LATE CAN MY LANDLORD RECEIVE MY TERMINATION NOTICE WITHOUT PENALTY?“
Notice Can Be Sent by Mail, Email, or Hand Delivery There is nothing in the statute that restricts how you can send a termination notice. It can be sent by mail, email, certified mail, hand delivery or passenger pigeon. Key is being able to prove the landlord received it prior to the deadline. So keep a paper trail of all you do.
Mailing Your Notice RPL 227-a contemplates that a mailed letter may not be responded to or signed for. So if you decide to mail your landlord the notice letter, “notice shall be deemed delivered five days after mailing.”
This five day mailing rule means you best send it at least FIVE DAYS EARLIER THAN if it was hand delivered or emailed. The better approach is to send it certified mail, return receipt requested. Then you’ll have proof that it was received on time. However, IF NO ONE SIGNS FOR YOUR LETTER, follow up with an email or hand delivery so the landlord has it before the notice deadline.
Emailing Your Notice For emailed notices, ask the landlord in your email to send a reply email once notice is received. (See sample email below)
You may want to copy two or three people just in case the leasing manager is on vacation or on maternity leave. Sometimes names and email addresses can be found on your lease or on the Landlord’s website. If not, there’s always Google. Or you can call the leasing office and ask for a contact name and email address.
Don’t forget to attach all the required documentation. To be safe, be sure to blind copy yourself on the email and double check that you received all the required attachments.
IF NO ONE RESPONDS TO YOUR EMAIL, don’t wait until after the notice deadline. If the deadline is today or tomorrow, BE SURE TO ALSO HAND DELIVER OR MESSENGER THE NOTICE SO THAT IT WON’T ARRIVE LATE. Then follow up with another email stating you just delivered notice.
Hand Delivering Your Notice If the notice is hand delivered, make sure the landlord or agent signs a dated confirmation sheet so you can prove it was received at least 30 days before your desired termination date. See a sample below.
IF NO ONE WILL SIGN, use your smart phone to take a dated time stamped photo of the person and your document, so it’s clear notice was delivered. Also immediately send a follow up email with all the documents attached stating you delivered notice to X but no one would sign for it. In your email ask for them to confirm notice. Be sure to blind copy yourself on the email and double check that you sent them all the attached documents.
HOW LATE CAN MY LANDLORD RECEIVE MY TERMINATION NOTICE WITHOUT PENALTY?
Making Sense of the Strange Termination Language Found in RPL 227-a(1) The earliest termination date that you can have (without penalty) is one that is at least 30 days after your next rent payment (the rent payment that follows the date the landlord received your notice letter.) So don’t plan on giving notice in October so that you can leave in November. If you do this, the law will not protect you.
That said, if your rent is payable on the first of every month, be safe, and always give written notice at least 36 days before the date you will be stuck paying rent for an unwanted month. (For mailing you want to include the 5 extra days notice plus 1 day of padding, in case you miscalculated.)
If you hand deliver the letter or email it, you may be able to get away with just 31 days notice. (30 days plus 1 day of padding in case you miscalculated.)
Notice Received Anywhere In October Means Lease Can Terminate Before December 1st So, say you wish to move out before December 1st and your rent is due on the first of every month. In that case, the landlord could get your notice on October 1st or October 31st. And either way, your termination letter is effective by November 30th at the earliest.
In other words, you still must pay one full rent payment after the notice was received. From there you must wait an additional 30 days before the termination is deemed legal. This doesn’t mean of course, that you have to stay in your apartment until November 30th. You can certainly move out earlier-as long as you still pay November’s rent.
Notice Received Anywhere In November Means Lease Can Terminate Before January 1st Now instead, suppose the landlord received your notice on November 1st rather than in October. This would mean your earliest penalty free termination date would be December 30th. By law, you would still have to pay the rent for the month afterwards (December’s rent) and also add another 30 days before the termination was effective.
NOTE: THERE’S NOTHING THAT STOPS YOU FROM GIVING MORE THAN THE LEGALLY REQUIRED NOTICE. BUT NEVER GIVE LESS THAN SUCH or you may forfeit another month’s rent and some or all or your security deposit.
Sample Notice Letter For The Landlord (Email)
Kimberly Quest (Person listed in Lease for Sending Notice) cc: Amy Pullman (Back up person in case Ms. Quest doesn’t respond) Subject: Carla Freedman Tenant Termination Notice per New York Real Property Law §227-a
If Sending By Mail: Northmoor Leasing (Name of NY Landlord) (use landlord address listed in Lease For Sending Notice of Termination or other required notice)
Dear Ms. Quest
My name is Graham Firestone and I am the son of Carla Freedman. This letter is to provide the required 30 day’s notice that on or before November 30th, 2019, Carla Freedman will be moving into The Renaissance on Peachtree, located at 3755 Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, GA 30319, which is deemed long term senior housing per New York Real Property Law §227-a.
My mother is slowly going blind and has extreme difficulty with even ordinary life activities. She is also prone to falls, which makes it unwise for her to live alone in an apartment with stairs between the entry way and her living room.
Attached is a doctor’s note which certifies that Carla Freedman is 71 years old, nearly blind and for medical reasons is no longer able to live independently in her apartment. Also attached is a copy of the lease at Renaissance on Peachtree. Please email me within 24 hours to confirm receipt of this notice and contact me immediately if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
Graham Firestone
515 Wyncourtney Drive NE Atlanta, Georgia 30328
C 867-5309 H 678-587-9228
Sample Proof of Receipt For Hand Delivery
Make sure the landlord’s agent prints their name, signs and dates the form below. (You can have them sign two copies if you like, one for their records and one for your own.)
I confirm that I work for Northmoor Apartments and have received from Carla Freedman, tenant of apartment 4B, the following documents:
A doctor’s letter;
A lease from Happy Hills Senior Housing; and
A notice letter dated October 31, 2019.
_______________ Printed Name
_______________ Signature
_______________ Date
Getting Help Through An Advocate OK. So you did everything right but the landlord still won’t return your security deposit. Now is the time to call an advocate. Or perhaps many advocates. But first, why not give the landlord just one more chance to do the right thing. After all, if it works, you won’t have to risk using the heavy guns.
Keep in mind that big landlords are usually more sensitive to publicity while the smaller landlords are more sensitive to lawsuits. So if you’ve been treated unfairly, you’ve got to speak their love language. You must demonstrate that the cheapest, easiest and best course of action, is for them to follow the law , let you out of the lease, and return your security deposit.
Talking To Small Time Landlords Some landlords are individuals who rent out their homes, or slumlords who may depend on word of mouth rather than advertising. These are usually more prone to responding to legal pressure rather than bad publicity. Therefore consider going straight to the Government, Non-Profit and and Legal help agencies listed below.
Talking To Big Landlords (Apartment Buildings) Apartment buildings have leasing managers, leasing directors, lawyers and public relations directors. If you know their motivation, you’ll know how to persuade them.
Your leasing manager and leasing director want to keep their jobs and get yearly bonuses. Often these things depend directly on the apartment building having a high occupancy rate. If lots of apartments suddenly become empty. that’s going to look bad for them.
Similarly, the public relations director also thinks about low and high occupancy rates. Their job is to promote the landlord’s good public image OR to protect the landlord from a bad public image. So the last thing they need is for a media explosion to occur because they didn’t jump quick enough to stop it.
Lawyers The lawyers for your landlord are another matter. Lawyers think mostly about losing or winning lawsuits. And chances are they are quite good at such things.
What their lawyers are not good at (what they’re absolutely terrified of) is controlling and containing the absolute chaos that will erupt when your story gets out to the media, the government regulatory agencies and the non profits. Lawyers know the courts. But most are helpless before the court of public opinion. So don’t fool with their lawyers. And don’t waste your breath yelling about how much you can sue them for.
Explaining Their Exposure In Terms of Viewers & CirculationInstead, simply email your leasing manager and leasing director that you need your deposit back immediately. Otherwise, your next step is to spread the word to other would be renters through (Channel X, Channel Y and newspaper Z).
Inform them that your goal is to guarantee that everyone in New York knows how badly they mistreat seniors. (Including the disability rights groups) And that this publicity will cause their vacancy rates to skyrocket for years to come so they lose 1000 times more than your meager security deposit.
Be sure to copy the Public Relations Director and leave your phone number. She may be calling you shortly.
Don’t forget to provide a list of the TV stations, newspapers and government agencies you will be contacting. If you list the # of viewers each TV station has, and the circulation (# of readers) for each magazine or newspaper, it may drive home just how bad this thing is going to get.
To avoid looking like you’re just ranting and raving, keep it to about 3 TV stations, 3 newspapers and 3 magazines. Then add in a few of the non profits and government agencies for good measure. DO NOT FORGET TO LIST THE # OF VIEWERS and # OF READERS NEXT TO EACH MEDIA SOURCE.
In your email, feel free to explain the key buzz words that are sure to make media headlines. “80 year old grandmother,” “disabled senior,” “nearly deaf,” “nearly blind,” “can barely walk,” “must use a walker/cane,” “stumbles and falls,” can’t safely cross the street,” “suffers from dementia,” “just needs to be with family,” …”x million seniors live in NYC,” “y million Seniors in NY State.”
Also explain that you will file a complaint with the NY Attorney General and Department of Aging so they can continue to monitor how seniors are treated in the future.
If none of this works, your next step is to reach out to the Senior Advocates below.
Section 227-A Termination of residential lease by senior citizens or individuals with a disability moving to a residence of a family member or entering certain health care facilities, adult care facilities or housing projects.
(Age, DR’s Certification, Qualified Senior Housing, Release of Lease Liability)
(Advance Notice, Documents Needed, Long Term Stay With A Family Member)
So you really dig the Honda Civic you saw advertised for $7100 online. But at the dealership you suddenly learn its take home price is now $8100. This really happened to me and I was furious. Turns out, the sales guy wanted to charge me an additional $599 “dealer fee” along with the taxes and title fees.
So what are dealer fees? Can car dealers legally tack them on to the price they advertised? The answer to the last question is NO. This practice is totally illegal in Georgia (See dealer fee restrictions in GA and other states).
A dealer’s fee is nothing more than a clever way for a car salesman to grab your money. Dealer fees may show up as “administrative fees,” “document fees,” “processing fees,” or “customer service fees,. They could also be called reconditioning or “recon fees”, or “protection fees” etc. It’s all left to the car dealer’s imagination. Bottom Line: A dealer fee is any non-governmental fee a car dealer tacks on.
Dealer fees are not per se illegal. Georgia law allows car dealers to charge whatever they like for these fees. But here’s the catch! It’s TOTALLY ILLEGAL to advertise a price and then tack these fees on later. THAT’S RIGHT! The price they show you must include any and all dealer fees or they’re ripping you off! This pricing requirement extends to any advertised price in any medium. So if they advertised the car for $7100, the law says this price must include all dealer fees. The car dealer can’t slip them in later. Even if their website disclaimer says “price does not include dealer fees.”
So if Stone Mountain Toyota decides to show you a computer screen showing the car’s price, they’ve published it! The only fees they can add to this price are the fees they must pay the government.
Other types of charges that MUST be included in the vehicle’s advertised price include “freight charges”, “transportation charges”, “destination charges”, “dealer preparation charges”, “overhead charges”, and any other terms of similar import.
Fees New and Used Car Dealers Don’t Have To Include In The Price The only fees dealers DON’T have to list in the advertised price are government fees, which include tax, tag, title, Georgia Lemon Law, and Warranty Rights Act (“WRA”) fees. The GA Lemon Law fee is just $3 and applies only to new vehicles.
So be sure to ask the car salesman “What’s the full price when I walk out the door.” And don’t let them get away with tacking on dealer fees not already included in the advertised price.
How To Verify You’re Not Being Overcharged For Government Fees If government fees are being added to the price of the car, be sure to ask what each fee is for and how it was calculated. You can ask them “Is this the exact amount you pay the government or is it more than that?” If the dealer inflates the title fee or tax amount, it’s nothing but an illegal dealer fee in disguise.
Don’t confuse the government’s title fee of $18 with the more expensive “Titling Fee” often charged by new and used car dealers. The latter is often five times the amount charged by the state. So the dealer’s titling fee also needs to part of the published price of the car. It can’t be extra.
Government Fees The Dealer Can Add To The Price Of The Car
Ad Valorem (Sales Tax): To know the exact taxes the dealer must pay, simply enter the car’s vehicle identification number into the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Ad Valorem Calculator.
Examples of Legal And Illegal Dealer Fees
ILLEGAL The car is advertised for $7,100 with a $600 dealer fee not included. But a big disclaimer says THIS PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE DEALER FEES”. Illegal (all dealer fees must be included in price).
LEGAL An old beat up car is advertised for $7,100. Price includes dealer service charge of $599 and “title service” fee of $198. Legal (both fees are steep but allowed because they are part of the car’s published price and not added as an extra fee).
ILLEGAL The car is advertised for $7,100. Price includes dealer service charge of $599 but not title service fee of $98. Illegal as the actual title fee charged by the government is less than $98 (dealer fee in disguise).
The Advertised Price Must Include Options Already Installed or Those Things “You’re Required To Have” to Buy The Vehicle
ILLEGAL “A dealer policy where all new vehicles must receive a paint protection package and vehicle floor mats for an additional $1,000. (illegally forces you to pay an extra fee beyond the published price or you can’t buy the vehicle).
ILLEGAL A car dealership website invites you to click a button on the website, and communicate with your dealership in order to receive a special “E-Price.” This “E-Price” does not include your mandatory dealership fee which is tacked on later. The “E-Price” must include all required non-government charges, including your dealer fee, according to The Georgia Department of Law-Consumer Protection Unit (CPU).
ILLEGAL “This car has a GPS built in so you need to pay an additional $200 beyond what was advertised.” Not by a long shot! Like any other dealer fee, if this option is already installed, this “dealer addendum charge” must be included in theadvertised vehicle price.
So when the dealer gives you a line on how “the rules require” a particular option to be installed, or “it has already been installed”, you get to tell them, “Great! The rules also say it’s you who will eat the cost! Now remove the charge!”
Negotiating The Best Deal With Your Car Dealership (and convincing them not to back out once you expose them)
If you tell the sales person upfront about the illegal dealer fees, two things may happen:
The dealer may not sell you the car;
The dealer may remove the illegal dealer fees but then jack the price up with other fees/offer you second rate discounts. For example: To recoup their losses, the dealer could decide to lower the price of your trade in, give you a terrible deal on auto financing and warranties, or jack up their insurance or other service products.
To be safe, DO NOT OBJECT TO THEIR ILLEGAL FEES UNTIL THE END WHEN THE DEALER HAS PRESENTED YOU WITH THE PAPERWORK LISTING ALL THEIR DISCOUNTS AND CHARGES. Yes, ask to see their final paperwork so that you know your absolute takeaway costs.
This is the time to make sure the dealer won’t back out when you expose them. They may try to do so simply because the deal is no longer a moneymaker. To ensure the deal goes through:
Circle the illegal dealer fees, illegal add ons, and anything else illegal;
Quickly take a photo of the finance page with your circles: Make sure to get their logo or anything else that proves this is from theircar dealership;
Object to the fees, and give the dealer the 3 pre printed, highlighted copies of the GA Department of Law pamphlets found in this blog under the Georgia Law section (listed under YOUR TOOLBOX: Helpful Resources) Better yet: Use their business card to email or text them. Be sure to attach the snapshot of the illegal fees along with the links to the GA law brochures. (might get the sales person personally on the hook by proving they knew of the illegality.)
If the dealer still won’t sell you the car, no need to raise your voice or make empty threats. Simply explain that they are all on legal notice. They have wasted your valuable time, padded the bill with almost a thousand dollars in illegal fees, and you need to warn the whole state of GA so they won’t become victims. IF YOU WON’T SELL ME THE CAR SANS THE ILLEGAL FEES, I’LL SIMPLY SPREAD THE WORD BY SENDING THIS TEXT/EMAIL TO THE GA DEPARTMENT OF LAW, THE BBB COMPLAINT DATABASE, FOX 5, and WSB NEWS. I’LL ALSO SEND IT TO THE VARIOUS AUTO FRAUD CLASS ACTION ATTORNEYS WHO WILL ADVERTISE THIS ONLINE SO THEY CAN ROUND UP ALL THE OTHER VICTIMS AND SUE YOU FOR MILLIONS.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS BUT PLEASE DECIDE IN THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES. I’VE WASTED ENOUGH TIME HERE.
Help For Victims Who Were Cheated with Illegal Dealer Fees
You’ve heard that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Well, mamma was right! Big companies including car dealerships are extremely sensitive to bad publicity.
But it’s best to use a flyswatter before you use dynamite. Your first step should be to contact the general manager and get them to fix the problem. After all, if you were in charge, wouldn’t you want people to come to you first, rather than go over your head?
For example: Say you were cheated by a dealership like Nalley Infiniti or Stone Mountain Toyota, and the general manager doesn’t return your calls. These dealerships have to worry not only about their own reputation, but also about the reputation of Infiniti or Toyota (which allows them to sell their brand name cars).
So in the above example: if the franchise finds out the dealership is besmirching their good name, guess what happens? It means that the dealership could lose their right to sell Toyotas or Infinitis! That would cost them a lot more than a thousand dealer fees.
Keep that in mind if you think the dealership is not playing fair with you. Your next step may be to call Toyota’s or Infiniti’s pubic relations department. You can bet they’ll be keenly interested in what the dealer is doing with their good name. (In case you’re wondering, Infiniti is owned by Nissan; Toyota Stone Mountain is owned by Sonic Automotive.)
If this doesn’t work, try your local TV station for even more exposure. Be sure to Google if the car dealer has had prior complaints. Reporters eat this up. You can also lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. A little bad press can give your dealer a seven figure lesson on freakenomics.
And don’t forget our government friends. You can also contact the GA Department of Law (404-651-8600) regarding any Fair Business Practices Act violation of the above. The GA Department of Law is part of the GA Attorney General’s office. They have the power to fine a crooked dealer and shut them down.
Finally, if you’re really really mad, find a class action lawyer who will gather other angry plaintiffs who have also been cheated.
I’d do this last, because if it were me, I’d first sue in the court of public opinion so the dealership would immediately lose millions and millions. But if you simply want your money back, it may be worth your while to deal with them pesky lawyers.
Getting Proof They’re Cheating Others It’s always good to have proof this is not an isolated incident. After all, repeat offenses could peak the interest of the media or your U.S. or local representative. First try Googling the name of the dealership with any of the following words: Complaint BBB Fraud Deceptive
Also, be sure to monitor your dealer for further wrongdoing through Google Alerts. Yes, you can create a Google Alert with the same terms as above so future complaints appear in your email in box!
Next, fax an open records request to the Georgia Department of Law so they can email you a printout of any allegations of fraud against the dealership. You can fax (not email or text) these requests to 404-651-9018. If the request is simple, they’ll email you the results in just 3 business days. (free of charge). I just verified this with a lawyer who works there!
Sample Open Records Requests To Fax The GA Dept. of Law “In regards to Gravity Auto throughout the state of GA, please send me a list of all complaints against them in the last three years (formal or informal, substantiated or merely alleged) that involved deceptive pricing.”
“In Regards To Nalley Infiniti, please list any fines or settlements in the last three years that relate to deceptive practices.”
Making The Story More Newsworthy
Aside from how you were cheated, your story will gain more traction if you can show reporters that virtually every driver has or will become a victim.
The facts and figures below show the number of people who buy new and used cars from dealerships, and how much $ the dealerships make from selling these cars. Dishonest dealerships are a problem for everyone. This issue affects the rich, the poor, the elderly, the disabled, immigrants, democrats, republicans, the black, the white, Latinos and anyone who buys a new or used car from a GA dealer.
Your Toolbox: Helpful Resources Below To Stop False or Misleading Car Dealers and Crooked Auto Dealerships
Georgia Law
Georgia Consumer Protection Division (Formerly The GA Dept. of Law) 404-651-8600 Complaints filed with this office alleging fraud may form the basis for an investigation into a company’s business practices. A significant quantity of complaints about a business may give rise to legal action—not on behalf of the individual complainants, but to enforce state law.
Georgia Auto Informer Government Pamphlets Below The Georgia Department of Law-Consumer Protection Unit enforces the Georgia’s Fair Business Practices Act (FBPA) which prohibits unfair and deceptive acts or practices within the context of consumer transactions. These news letters are part of their efforts to raise awareness among auto dealers and advertisers regarding the FBPA, as well as the GA Government’s Auto Advertising and Sales Practices Enforcement Policies (AAEP). Although the policies found in the AAEP are not actual law, they highlight those industry practices that the GA government considered to be unfair and deceptive, and thus violations of the FBPA.
What’s The Deal With Dealer Fees (Government Pamphlet Issue #12) Governor’s office of Consumer Protection newsletter: a dealer’s claim of ignorance or confusion regarding this matter will not mitigate OCP’s actions for noncompliance. In 2013, Fox 5 Atlanta conducted numerous undercover visits to Atlanta area dealers in order to investigate dealer compliance with this policy. All of the dealers visited during these undercover shops were adding fees to advertised prices.
Pricing Representations: Dealer Fees, Options & Discounts (Government Pamphlet issue #13) 1/22/16 Georgia Department of Law’s new bulletin: Advertised vehicle prices must include all non-government charges that a consumer is required to pay in order to purchase a vehicle, including but not limited to, dealerfees, previously installed dealer options, and electronic titling fees. Only taxes, tag, title, and Lemon Law fees may be added to this price. This pricing requirement extends to any advertised price in any medium, but most commonly becomes an issue on your dealer website or a third party site such as Autotrader.
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF LAW: AUTO ADVERTISING AND SALES PRACTICES ENFORCEMENT POLICIES (2007) Learn how the GA Dept of law determines what is deceptive and illegal in regard to automobile advertising and auto sales. This agency enforces the Fair Business Practice Act (FBPA) which protects consumers against tacking on to the sales price, things like illegal dealer fees, and dealer add ons, like “mandatory safety treatments”, etc.
GA Law On Mandatory Arbitration Clauses (Forum Selection Clauses) In 2022 it’s still touch and go. The courts still have some leeway to decide that a clause forcing you to arbitrate (forbidding court or a class action law suit) are void. And some dealerships do not have these clauses in their contract anyway. Every case can turn on the facts, the judge or the jurisdiction. So consult an experienced GA class action attorney.
Select Dealerships: (Their Public Relations and Franchise Owners)
FOX 5 Call For Action 404-879-4500 Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m Volunteers at Fox 5 Call for Action center try to resolve your problem by calling the bad auto dealer to work it out. Bad car dealers may want to respond to them, because if, not, their story could soon be on FOX news. Be sure to explain to the volunteer how many millions this affects so the story will interest a reporter, This will help the volunteer feel more confident to forward your story to a reporter if the car dealership remains uncooperative.
AutoDealer (Publishes Deceptive Car Dealership Practices) Use them to give the dealer negative publicity, or to explain to the dealer what you will do if they don’t play fair.
GA Class Action Lawyers (Lawyers For Auto Fraud) Even if you’ve been cheated only a little bit, the dollars add up when thousands like you have also been defrauded. Class action lawyers can file a mega lawsuit that punches the crooked dealer in the pocket book. Car dealers must learn that charging illegal doc fees, security fees and other illegal markups ain’t worth the trouble.
