Lemon Law Blog

1-800 LEMON LAW was so delighted to help sponsor the telethon for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation on CBS3 this past week.  Several employees from our firm answered phones, including Founding Partner Craig Thor Kimmel.  Thanks to the tremendous generosity from people and businesses throughout the Delaware Valley, the event generated almost $700,000 towards The Scott Family’s continuing quest to end childhood cancer.  Kudos to ALSF and CBS3 for making this event happen and thank you to all who donated.

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The June 2008 Philadelphia Magazine is out and for the fifth year running, Kimmel and Silverman Founding Partners Craig Thor Kimmel and Robert Silverman have been named Pennsylvania Super Lawyers in a survey conducted by Law & Politics Magazine, representing the top 5% of all attorneys statewide. Also included in this years list is Jacqueline Herritt, a 10-year Lemon Law veteran. All three attorneys have been named among the best in the Consumer Law category.

We are especially proud of this honor because we are selected by our peers. Since our inception in 1991, lemon law firms have popped up all over the map. The frustrating thing is that several of these “firms” are run by attorneys who may be talented, but completely inexperienced in our type of law. In most cases, they may be looking for additional revenue streams. Likewise, they do not have the knowledge or contacts an established lemon law firm like ours has, despite what they may say on their website. Our firm has a strong history. Kimmel & Silverman started out of a small office in Blue Bell, PA in 1991 and has grown to include six full-service offices across Eastern and Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts and Delaware. Our legal team has expanded to include 19 attorneys and four certified ASE automotive experts. Since 1991, we have successfully handled more than 45,000 claims, more than any other lemon law firm in the Northeast.

When selecting a lemon law firm, ask questions about their knowledge and experience. Choose a Firm that has been fighting lemon law and breach of warranty claims like yours for decades. If you have any questions, feel free to call us anytime at 800-LEMON-LAW (800-536-6652) or visit our website and send us an e-mail.

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Attention TV viewers in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware–

Think you know everything about the lemon law? Test your knowledge and you could win a $50 WAWA gas card. Watch the 10! show the next five Thursdays at 2pm on NBC10 for your chance to win.

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Philadelphia, PA - 1-800 LEMON LAW, the Nationally-recognized Lemon Law and Consumer Advocacy Firm of Kimmel & Silverman, will sponsor a live telethon benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. The live, call-in special will air from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on KYW TV, the Philadelphia CBS affiliate.

The Foundation is named in honor of Alexandra Scott, a brave little girl who ultimately lost her life to cancer at the age of eight. Four years prior to her passing, Alex developed her own way to raise funds so that other children would not have to endure what she had suffered. She opened a lemonade stand on her lawn and all the monies would go toward cancer research. Her parents, Liz and Jay Scott, have carried on Alex’s legacy, devoting their lives to raising awareness and funds for cancer research.

The telethon kicks off the 5th annual ALSF Lemonade Days, a 3-day national event where volunteers host lemonade stands throughout the Country, all raising monies to fight pediatric cancer and to fund new research studies. Last year, during Lemonade Days, more than 1500 lemonade stands raised over $1 million toward Alex’s efforts.

“It is difficult to think of a more worthy cause than Alex’s Lemonade Stand,” says 1-800 LEMON LAW Founding Partner Craig Thor Kimmel. “Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a grass roots effort by every day people who care, helping those who need it most. Our firm was founded on the same ideal of helping those in need and doing so without asking anything in return. We salute Alex’s Lemonade Stand for their continued efforts in curing this horrible disease.”

To donate to this very worthy cause, please visit www.alexslemonade.org.

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About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation:

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). At the age of 4, Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of volunteers across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $19 million towards fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 80 research projects nationally including those examining leukemia, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilm’s tumor, lymphoma, and osteosarcoma among others. For more information, visit www.AlexsLemonade.org.

About Kimmel & Silverman, P.C.

Kimmel & Silverman is the oldest and largest lemon law firm in the Northeast, and the only lemon law firm in the Nation to be honored by the American Bar Association (Meritorious Recognition, Louis M. Brown Legal Access Award). Since its inception in 1991, the Firm has provided free lemon law and breach of warranty help to more than 40,000 consumers, recovering over $145 million for their clients. The Firm has six full-service offices in Eastern and Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Massachusetts. For more information regarding our services, please call 1-800-LEMON-LAW (1-800-536-6652) or visit www.lemonlaw.com.

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We are very proud of our website. Since it’s inception over ten years ago as the first site dealing specifically with lemon law and breach of warranty rights, we have provided information to more than 20 million visitors.  We have been recognized by many organizations for providing comprehensive and useful information to both distressed drivers who already have a lemon car and potential car-buyers who are looking to buy a car without being taken for a ride.

That being said, it often surprises us when folks reach out to us for assistance and information, and then proceed to tell us that they think they will be able to handle it on their own through the dealership.  That would be okay–if the dealer was the defendant, but they are not.  In most cases, dealerships have NO authority to offer a consumer a buy back or an MSRP to MSRP swap (not a trade, but a swap). In addition, most consumers have

**NO access to the manufacturer’s legal counsel.  Sure, you can call the customer service hotline and receive a case number, but what does that mean?  And, who are you talking to on the other line? In most cases, this is a pacifier.

**NO true knowledge of the last chance letter we frequently see on websites. Consumers should not send a last chance letter on their own.  Why are you only giving the consumer one last chance to fix the problem, when there is no guarantee that you will get a new car or buyback.  This is a law; it is not a guarantee.  Plus, you are creating a hostile environment between you and the dealership.  You need to speak to a lawyer first before issuing such a letter. 

**NO access to technical service bulletins, recalls, or case study to determine if the problems you are experiencing are common among the masses.  Plus, law firms offer ASE-certified experts who will write expert reports on cars and their conditions–at NO COST TO THE CONSUMER.

**NO ability to enforce the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act.  Yes, dealers are required to discuss the Lemon Law with you when you purchase a car.  But, if your problems fall outside the lemon law provisions, ask them about the Mag Moss and they will stare at you like you are speaking another language?  Do you think the dealer is going to offer you thousands of dollars to reflect the diminished value of the car? No and they are not required to.  If you have a car with 50,000 miles on it, what can a dealer do for you?  An oil change, a monthly payment, at the most an extended warranty, but you are entitled to SO MUCH MORE.

Our goal is to educate you about your rights so that you will enforce them if you need to.  However, the beauty of these laws is that they offer provisions which put you on EQUAL FOOTING with the billion-dollar manufacturers?  These provisions provide completely free legal help, either through us or another Firm.  Take advantage of them.  Let those who are more knowledgeable help you.  I can’t tell you the number of folks who tried to do this on their own, failed, and then virtually voided their rights.  If you are going to fight, make sure you have someone in your corner who knows how to battle. OK, I’m stepping off my soapbox now.

A quick programming note for viewers in the Delaware Valley–Craig Kimmel will be discussing the 2008 Car Complaint Index and the Center for Auto Safety’s Best Bets tonight on the Fox 29 News at 5.

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Christina Gill Roseman, Managing Attorney of Kimmel & Silverman’s Pittsburgh office will be participating in a free seminar on women attorneys who want to reenter the job force after taking time off to raise a family.  “Just A Detour: Tips on How to Off-and On-Ramp Successfully” is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession and includes a reception in honor of State Supreme Court Justice Debra Todd.  The event will take place Tuesday, April 8 at the Federal Courthouse on the corner of 7th Avenue and Grant Street.

For more information, click here.

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