Frequently Asked Questions about Truck Cartel Damage Claims

What will it cost to hire TruckRefunds.com to provide funding for my damages proceedings?

If no financial success is achieved, you will not have to bear any costs or risks. In the case of success, we will receive a certain portion of the money as previously agreed upon in a written litigation funding agreement.

What are the advantages of hiring TruckRefunds.com to get my claims enforced?

You will bear no risk and will not have to pay any upfront costs. The whole process is coordinated by us.

How do I get started?

By contacting us using the form at the bottom of this page or e-mailing us at info@truckrefunds.com.

What entitles me to damage claims against the truck cartel?

If you bought or leased a new or used truck over 6 ton (total weight) between 1997 and 2016 from Daimler, Iveco, DAF, MAN, Volvo / Renault or Scania, you are entitled to claim a refund.

For more details about the exact time period and other conditions, please download your Compensation Guide.

I have sold my vehicle. Can I still claim damages?

If you have sold your vehicle, you are still eligible for claim damages. However, the amount of your claim compensation may be discounted because you are assumed to have achieved a higher resale price caused by the same effect.

What if I do not have the invoice for the respective vehicle anymore?

As flexible as we are, we unfortunately cannot proceed with your claim without an invoice, a sales contract or a lease contract. These are among the first documents to be submitted to the court.

How long will the proceedings take?

At the present time, this is difficult to estimate. In case of litigation, it may take several years.

Is an out-of-court settlement to be expected?

We will first try to achieve an acceptable out-of-court settlement. Past experience shows that there will be litigation though. A common strategy of large corporations in similar cases is often to make life as difficult as possible for claimants to achieve a deterrent effect.

How much time is left until my claims get time-barred?

This is not 100% clear at the moment. Our experts all agree that purchases made between 2004 - 2016 are now a good basis for compensation, so these are the ones that we go for now. However, later there may be ways to include 1997 - 2003 too, so these are not completely lost either.

What compensation will I get?

It’s fair enough to say that nobody knows. A series of extensive reports and cross-border comparative analysis will be necessary to quantify the damage suffered by buyers as a result of the illegal cartel. We assume it will be in the region of 5 - 20% of the purchase price or leasing rates.

How much time will I have to spend to help with the preparation of the proceedings in case I hire TruckRefunds.com for litigation funding?

Once you have submitted the required documents, almost no more effort is required from you. It is our responsibility to handle everything. You will not have to personally participate in any proceedings.

Why couldn’t I simply turn to the respective truck manufacturer and demand damages myself?

Of course, you can do so. The results will probably not satisfy you. The past has often shown that corporations vigorously deny compensation claims out of hand, no matter how valid they may be. Companies are taking advantage of the deterrent effect of a complex lawsuit. They expect the strict refusal to pay will work in their favour if only a fraction of the claimants eventually go to court. And regrettably, they are probably right.

Who are we suing?

We only litigate with the big truck manufacturers in the German court; if you are a Truck Cartel victim, your relationship with your dealer remains safe. We operate on the basis of Joint and several liability; which means that any of the Cartel members can be sued by a customer regardless of the brand of truck.

For example, if a customer bought IVECO trucks during the cartel period, but they don’t want to sue IVECO because they have a good relationship with their IVECO dealer - no problem. We can sue any of the other cartel members (except for MAN).