A car salesman holding keys showing where to sign on a contract - shisu_ka/ShutterstockMany of us have had bad dealership experiences, with classic sales tricks like changing the price, giving a higher interest rate, and undisclosed terms of the contract. A man from North Chicago is suing a dealer for allegedly pulling all these tricks at the same time, reports the Lake & McHenry County Scanner. The worst part is that the man is blind, unable to read the paperwork himself before signing it.Jerry Bosley walked into City Chevrolet of Grayslake in July, 2023. He was interested in a Chevy Traverse (not to drive himself, but for family members to drive him around) that was advertised online for $32,915. The lawsuit claims the dealer agreed to a fair price, and also promised to beat his credit union's 6% interest rate on the loan. So far, so good.However, when it came time to sign the paperwork, the dealer allegedly only gave him a "summary and basic description and representations" of the paperwork he was signing. It would not provide accommodation for independent review as required by federal law, namely the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit accuses the dealer of changing the terms of the sale without Bosley's knowledge, resulting in a purchase price of $43,588, over $10,000 more than advertised, at an interest rate of 11% rather than 6%. While we know and grudgingly accept that dealers typically make everything worse, taking advantage of a blind man is a pretty low blow.AdvertisementAdvertisementRead more: Ford Once Made A Mile-Long Factory To Build Bombers Faster Than Anyone Thought PossibleBlind man's bluffDriver front 3/4 view of 2023 Chevrolet Traverse driving on bridge - ChevroletBosley complained to the dealer when he discovered the higher price and interest rate. He was told it was too late to change anything because he'd already signed the paperwork. In addition, any dispute was required to go through arbitration rather than a court of law because he'd signed away his right to sue, again without his knowledge. He's suing anyway. The dealer has already filed a motion to dismiss the case because Bosley had signed a private arbitration agreement at the time of sale, which Bosley insists he was not aware of signing.Yes, there are some things Bosley could have done differently. Since his family members were already helping him find a car, he could have brought one of them along to read the paperwork for him. He also could have refused to buy the car if the dealer wouldn't provide the accommodations he needed to review the paperwork in detail. The point is that he shouldn't have to. From the Americans with Disabilities Act:It shall be discriminatory to afford an individual or class of individuals, on the basis of a disability or disabilities of such individual or class, directly, or through contractual, licensing, or other arrangements with the opportunity to participate in or benefit from a good, service, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation that is not equal to that afforded to other individuals.The court will have to decide for certain, but to me, it seems rather discriminatory to give a blind man a significantly higher price and interest rate because he can't read the paperwork, then enforce an arbitration agreement they didn't tell him he signed. As if we needed any further evidence that dealerships are mostly a scam. The lawsuit seeks the maximum $50,000 allowed by the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, plus unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.AdvertisementAdvertisementWant more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox, and add us as a preferred search source on Google.Read the original article on Jalopnik.
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