Beware of False Advertising--in the Public as well as Private Sector

It has become a common-place practice to give a piece of legislation a title that is the opposite of its actual affect. One such piece of legislation was the National Salvage Motor Vehicle Consumer Protection Act and we received this story from a auto consumer group:

I cut up my AAA card in protest when the AAA came out in favor of Senator (Trent) Lott's S852--which would have opened loopholes for selling rebuilt wrecks and denying auto buyers their rights. The AAA puts its profits as an insurance company ahead of its members' economic well-being and safety.

According to experts among leading state attorneys general, the illegal sales of shoddily repaired wrecks poses the worst problem that used car buyers face. Not only is salvage fraud a multi-billion dollar drain on consumers pocketbooks, it also puts lives at risk and has led to tragic incidents where teenagers, college students,
and other motorists have been maimed, suffered permanent irreversible brain damage, or died.

For further details, see the January 2002 issue of Consumer Reports, which outlines how insurers such as AAA profit from a auto salvage fraud, making billions by duping unsuspecting used car buyers. Companies like AAA send damaged vehicles to salvage auctions, where they share in the profits, and therefore wish to conceal the vehicles' checkered histories.

Rosemary Shahan Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety (CARS): Fortunately, with help from consumer groups like CARS, consumers were able to defeat Lott's legislation. You'll also find quite a bit of advice on How to Avoid Purchasing a Lemon as well as SUV safety on the CARS site.

Check out CARS' site at www.carconsumers.com