Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan resolves defective automobile disputes

Buyers of motor vehicles in the U.S. can rely on so-called “lemon laws” to help resolve disputes with dealers concerning problems with their cars. Few Canadians know about the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan, established, and funded 14 years ago by major Canadian auto manufacturers.

Don Miller, a Kingston, Ontario resident, bought a new Ford Mustang in 2006. The car soon began to experience uncontrolled power surges which ultimately caused a minor accident. The dealer took the car in for tests which failed to detect the problem. Receiving no further support from the dealer, Miller contacted Canadian Motor Vehicle Plan officials. CAMVAP set up an arbitration tribunal hearing in Kingston for Miller and a representative from Ford. The tribunal immediately ordered Ford to buy back the Mustang, less depreciation for mileage registered on the car since the time of purchase. This process requires no lawyers and no fees. The arbitrator may, if appropriate, order a dealer to repair a vehicle, or dismiss the claim if it is unwarranted as determined by an independent mechanical inspection.

http://camvap.ca/

Consumers bite back at arrogant retailers

Do you have a consumer complaint about a product or service? Post it to the Consumerist website and watch their agents go into action. They investigate complaints, put pressure on the offending merchants by writing a story about their misdeeds, and often gain satisfaction for consumers.

One of today’s top stories on the site is about problems customers of Verizon Wireless is having with some clients’ accounts. Rather than suffer in silence, customers are using the power of the Internet to battle this giant.

The Consumerist site also contains articles designed to educate shoppers. Here are a few titles of articles on the site today:

“50 ways to save at the grocery store”

“12 ways to save on utilities”

“Investing basics: the savings account”

“Easy, cheap DIY cleaning formulas”


Keep this site handy: http://consumerist.com/