Auto dealer response very slow

Robert Charles Pittman

You may want to contact the Attorney General’s office for assistance. You will find them at http://www.atg.wa.gov/ or you can call them at 800.551.4636 to request a complaint form. They are pretty good at helping and the price is right – free (actually we all pay for it in our taxes). You could consider a small claims court action for the cost of obtaining a second key on your own. This may be overkill, but our version of “People’s Court” may be just what the dealer needs to cause him to do what is right. If you decide on Small Claims Court, be sure to download the great booklet on Small Claims Court at www.kcba.org (the King County Bar Association website). If you are age 60 or older, you can obtain free help through the Northwest Justice Project: www.nwjustice.org (1-888-387-7111).

Scott Kenneth Petersen

Generally, businesses respond better to demands such as this when made in writing. It is easier to dismiss phone messages or fail to return phone calls. Send a letter to the business asking them to provide the promised second key. If the dealer fails to respond within a reasonable time, send another letter. Keep copies of the letters you send for your records. It's probably not worth filing a smalls claims matter in a case like this, but if you have to have a second key provided by the manufacturer, you could sue in small claims to recover the cost from your original dealer. Also, look at your state's consumer protection services on the web and see if you can make a complaint that way.

Okorie Okorocha

You may want to look into taking the dealer to small claims court and sue for the value of the key.