Dealership compliance & F&I document review in Florida
Most consumer claims against dealers start with a document that said the wrong thing or a process nobody wrote down. We audit the deal jacket, fix the buyer’s order and RISC package, review advertising and dealer fees under § 501.976, and train the staff — so the next demand letter has nothing to stand on.
What we review and draft
- Buyer’s orders and retail installment sales contract (RISC) packages
- Arbitration addenda, class-action waivers, and pre-suit dispute provisions
- Spot-delivery / conditional-delivery agreements and deposit policies
- We-owe forms, as-is disclosures, FTC Used Car Rule Buyers Guides, and prior-damage disclosures
- Privacy notices and Safeguards Rule compliance
- Advertising and online listings under § 501.976: advertised price, dealer fee and doc fee disclosure, pre-delivery service fee disclosure
- F&I menu practices and add-on product presentation
- Title, trade-in payoff, and temporary-tag procedures under chapters 319 and 320
- Employee handbooks, pay plans, and non-solicitation provisions for sales and F&I staff
- Reemployment-assistance claim responses and wage claims by dealership staff
Deal-jacket audits
We pull a sample of closed deals, check every document against the statutes that generate demand letters, and deliver written findings your managers can act on the same week.
Staff training
Short, practical sessions for sales, F&I, and titling staff on the fact patterns that produce claims — advertised price, fees, add-ons, disclosures, and titling deadlines — built from the actual demand letters Florida dealers receive.
Employment-adjacent matters
Reemployment-assistance (unemployment) claim responses, wage claims by sales and F&I staff, pay-plan disputes, and non-solicitation enforcement when a manager leaves for a competitor. We handle the first call and bring in employment counsel when the matter warrants it.
Frequently asked questions
What disclosures must a Florida used car dealer give?
At a minimum: the FTC Used Car Rule Buyers Guide, the § 501.976 disclosures on dealer fees and any pre-delivery service fee, the odometer disclosure, any known prior damage or rental use the dealer represents, and the TILA disclosures in the retail installment contract. Advertising must match the price actually charged.
Is a dealer fee legal in Florida?
Yes, if it is disclosed as required by § 501.976(18) — including the required statement that the fee represents costs and profit to the dealer — and if the advertised price includes it or the ad discloses it. The fee itself is lawful; the undisclosed or inconsistent fee is what gets dealers sued.
Can you review my dealership’s paperwork before we have a problem?
Yes. A deal-jacket audit and document review is the most cost-effective work we do. One FDUTPA fee award costs more than the review.
Do you help with unemployment claims and wage disputes for dealership employees?
Yes — reemployment-assistance claim responses, pay-plan disputes, and non-solicitation enforcement are part of the practice, and we bring in employment counsel for matters that warrant it.
Want the next demand letter to have nothing to stand on?
Request a deal-jacket audit and document review.