Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: My friend, who doesn't understand English, bought a car. They made her initial the area saying she doesn't have three-day return rights even though she bought a demo model. Also, because her credit is not so good, she got a 14-percent interest rate, so I volunteered to co-sign for her. However, they said I must put my name on the registration title. Is there a law that says I must be the co-owner when I co-sign the financial document and can the dealer waive the three-day return rights law? Return law specifies
door-to-door salesAnswer: There apparently is a lot of confusion about the state's three-day right of return law.
"A lot of people think there is a (motor vehicle) three-day right of return," noted Jo Ann Uchida, complaints officer for the state Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO). But that right of return applies only under specific circumstances having to do with door-to-door sales, she said.
"That happens usually if the dealer offers some incentive for the person to come to his location," Uchida said. "For example, if a dealer says, 'Come to the dealership and we'll give you free anything,' that may trigger the door-to-door sales law, which means that any transaction that occurs in response to that ad would have the right of cancellation. So, it's the dealer's call."
As for having your friend acknowledge she did not have the right of return, Uchida said there is a law -- Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 437-28 (17)(F) -- that requires dealers to let consumers know whether they can back out of a deal.
That section says if a dealer has sold or leased a new or used motor vehicle, other than at auction, there must be written documentation that contains a provision of a certain size and typeface, indicating the type of sale, and "upon which both the customer and salesperson or dealer shall place their initials in the designated spaces, prior to the signing of the contract of sale or lease: 'This (IS) (IS NOT) a door-to-door sale. There (IS A) (IS NO) 3-DAY RIGHT TO CANCEL on this purchase.'"
As for requiring you to be a "co-owner," Uchida said she wasn't aware of any law addressing that subject.
It may depend on the type of financing offered, in which case she advised being careful of entering into any agreement you're not comfortable with.
Uchida advises shopping around for the best financing available.
"People should be aware that, on financing, they have the ability to tell the dealership 'I want to get my own financing.' They should talk to credit unions, etc., because it's very competitive nowadays."
If you have any questions or complaints about the motor vehicle licensing law, you can call RICO at 587-3222.
Household waste hot line
Kokua Line was given the wrong number for the city's household hazardous waste hot line that was printed in Thursday's column. Please note that the correct number is 523-4774.Suzanne Jones, the city's recycling coordinator, said that number is automated, although you can leave a message for someone to call back.
"But if anyone really needs to speak to a real person, they can call our recycling information line at 527-5335," she said. That's because her office now is handling a lot of the public information for anything that has to do with garbage.
"We'll be happy to make sure people are taken care of," Jones said.
"The more people understand about how to take care of garbage, the more they're likely to do things like recycle."
Mahalo
To the police officers who caught the purse snatcher who grabbed my purse on April 3. An especially big mahalo to the officer who happened to be cruising by and gave chase. Because of him, everything was returned to me intact. -- M.T.S.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com