Companies that don’t want their customers to sue have a special weapon: they slip mandatory arbitration agreements into new contracts and service agreements, requiring customers to opt out if they would prefer to retain their right to sue. Yet Fiat Chrysler is trying an interesting tactic: they’ll give you a $200 discount if you sign a piece of paper agreeing to arbitration.

The problem with this agreement, as Michigan lemon law attorney Steve Lehto has discovered, is that dealers do not actually point out to their customers that they are signing away their right to sue the manufacturer. At least, that’s what the customers told Lehto when they had problems with their cars and wanted to sue.

The relevant form says at the top that it’s for a “Friends and Family” program when the buyers didn’t know that they were taking part in any such program.

Arbitration isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, the arbitrator and process will be chosen by Fiat Chrysler. If you’re considering buying a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Fiat any time soon, keep this in mind and don’t sign it unless you have some kind of weird lawsuit aversion.

Don’t Get Screwed By Chrysler For $200 [Jalopnik] (via Public Citizen)

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