{"id":35565,"date":"2021-04-27T16:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/framinghamsource.com\/?p=35565"},"modified":"2021-04-27T16:41:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T20:41:55","slug":"mass-attorney-general-reminds-consumers-of-lemon-law-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/framinghamsource.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/27\/mass-attorney-general-reminds-consumers-of-lemon-law-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass Attorney General Reminds Consumers of Lemon Law Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With Reopening of Vehicle Inspection Stations after Outage, Attorney General Urges Consumers to Get Inspections as Soon as Possible<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[broadstreet zone=”53820″]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BOSTON – Now that the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle’s vehicle inspection stations are back online after an outage caused by a malware attack, Attorney General Maura Healey\u00a0is encouraging\u00a0affected consumers to obtain their inspections as soon as possible and reminding them they have additional time to exercise their vehicle return and refund rights under the state\u2019s Lemon Aid Law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0AG\u2019s advisory\u00a0reminds consumers that the extension applies to consumers who purchased cars between March 23, 2021, and April 16, 2021, and impacted consumers have until April 30, 2021, to get their inspection stickers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[broadstreet zone=”59945″]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn light of this unexpected complication at the RMV, we want to make sure that consumers have the information they need to fully exercise their rights when buying a car, and to put auto dealerships on notice about their legal obligations in this unprecedented situation,\u201d said Healey. \u201cWe don\u2019t want consumers to be stuck with a defective vehicle through no fault of their own, and we encourage them to contact our office if they have questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Massachusetts Lemon Aid Law<\/a>\u00a0allows consumers to return a purchased vehicle and obtain a refund if it fails inspection within seven days from the date of sale, and the cost of repairs is more than 10 percent of the purchase price. Consumers then have 14 days from the date of sale to return the vehicle and provide the seller with a statement detailing why the vehicle failed inspection, as well as include an estimate of the cost of repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[broadstreet zone=”70106″]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, because of the inspection station outage, some consumers were left unable to meet the seven-day inspection deadline articulated in the Lemon Aid Law, which then impacts their ability to return a vehicle that fails inspection within 14 days of purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Around March 30, 2021, the RMV\u2019s vehicle inspection stations went offline following a malware attack on their vendor\u2019s system. As a result, consumers who purchased a vehicle between March 23, 2021, and April 16, 2021, had inspection stickers expiring in March or April 2021, or were in a 60-day retest period following a failed inspection, were unable to obtain inspections or reinspection in accordance to Massachusetts law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[broadstreet zone=”59948″]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most public vehicle inspection stations went back online beginning on April 17, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor’s Note: In full transparency, above is a press release from the AG’s office submitted to SOURCE media.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To accommodate consumers impacted by the vehicle inspection stations going offline, the RMV has allowed for the following grace periods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n