Chicago, Illinois, May 29, 2001 - A jury in the Circuit Court of Cook County Illinois found William Chevrolet/Geo guilty of fraud in a recent trial. The dealership failed to obtain financing for a used car, under mutually agreed upon terms between buyer and seller and refused to refund the customer's down payment, or accept return of the car. Myoshi Bates arrived at William Chevrolet/Geo with hopes of buying a new car. Ms. Bates drove and agreed to purchase, a used, 1994 Nissan Pathfinder. The Finance and Insurance Manager claimed he would work on obtaining "special financing" to meet the customer's monthly payment requirements. Ms. Bates was told that, although the dealership could not get her financed at that time, they would continue to, "shop around and find the best deal" and notify her when a lender was found. Ms. Bates put a deposit down and looked over the lending agreement. When she expressed concern over the 26% finance rate on the agreement, she was once again reassured that this was not the final deal, something on paper was needed so she could take the car home. After a period of time, the customer returned to William Chevrolet/Geo to discover there was still no lender on her contract. According to Ms. Bates, "I asked to see the contract and they would not let me see it. I wanted to know what was going on, and if they couldn't get me financed at a lower rate, to return the car and get my down payment back, as they had promised." A certified letter, prepared and sent by Larry Smith, consumer fraud attorney at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® a Chicago law firm that handles consumer fraud and lemon law cases, did get some action. The requested refund check came, but too late. "It wasn't until Ms. Bates contacted Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® and was ready to file a formal complaint, that she saw any response to her repeated attempts to get her money back. A consumer has undeniable rights, which are protected by the law, and her rights were clearly violated," adds Mr. Smith. For more information on this release, or regarding our services, contact Larry Smith or Adam Krohn at Krohn & Moss, Ltd. Consumer Law Center® 1-888-695-3666, toll free.