A violation of this article, or any failure of any person, including a manufacturer or its agents, to honor any express warranty, automotive or otherwise, issued by that person, regardless of whether or not such warranty was purchased as a separate item by the consumer and regardless of whether or not any dispute under the warranty is deemed eligible for arbitration under this article, shall constitute an unfair and deceptive act or practice and a consumer transaction under Part 2 of Article 15 of this chapter. In determining whether there is an unfair and deceptive act or practice under this Code section, the principles in this article regarding a reasonable number of attempts may serve as guidelines. All public and private remedies provided under Part 2 of Article 15 of this chapter shall be available to enforce this article, subject to the affirmative defenses provided in Code Section 10-1-787, and except as provided in Code Section 10-1-784.