In February 2007, Mossy Toyota sold me a 2002 Ford Escort that had a noticeable vibration during the test drive. The salesman assured me that it was a simple idler adjustment and to bring it back later to be fixed free of charge. After several attempts they advised me that the vibration was inherent to the car. When asked for the car to be returned they refused.

An auto expert was hired to determine the cause of the vibration and learned the vehicle had once been rear ended in an automobile accident, and at one time, submerged in water. The vehicle showed electrical shorting and rust damage.

I then retained an attorney to represent me. Due to an arbitration clause on the back of the last page, the courts referred the case to arbitration, where it remains unresolved, now into its fourth year. The current arbitrators record is 40-0 against consumers.

Without a forced arbitration clause in the contract this case would have been resolved years ago.

I told members of Congress my story last year in support of the Arbitration Fairness Act HR: 1020 and was featured in the September 2009 issue of Consumer Reports. CARS (Consumers for Automobile Reliability and Safety) produced a video covering the nightmare Perz is going through.