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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Attorney General Todd Rokita’s office has obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution for consumers through settlements reached with auto dealers who were accused of engaging in deceptive conduct.
Settlements were reached recently with Flexible Auto Sales in LaGrange County, Zoom Auto Sales in Boone County, US Auto Finance in Indianapolis and Nissan of Warsaw, Rokita’s office announced last week.
“Buying a car is one of the two biggest purchases most people make,” Rokita said in a new release. “As part of our mission protecting consumers, we want to ensure Hoosiers can make informed choices based on true and accurate information. We have no tolerance for dealers who engage in deceptive sales practices that hurt both consumers and the reputations of dealers who operate with honesty and integrity—who comprise the vast majority.”
Flexible Auto Sales entered into a consent judgment after being accused in a lawsuit of tampering with and lowering the mileage on vehicle odometers and representing false low mileages to consumers.
Under the terms of the settlement in LaGrange Superior Court, Flexible Auto Sales is ordered to pay consumer restitution in the amount of $101,077. The owner of Flexible Auto Sales, John Allen, is also barred from owning, operating or managing a car dealership in the future. Flexible Auto Sales ceased operations after Rokita filed the lawsuit.
Zoom Auto Sales of Thorntown agreed to a settlement after being accused of failing to inform purchasing consumers that the vehicles they were purchasing had “rebuilt” title brands.
Under the terms of an assurance of voluntary compliance, Zoom Auto Sales agreed to pay consumer restitution in the amount of $13,575.
US Auto Finance, 3245 S. Keystone Ave., agreed to a settlement after being accused of advertising vehicles for specific prices and then significantly raising those prices for consumers who chose to finance their vehicles.
Prior to entering the settlement in Marion Superior Court, US Auto Finance credited the accounts of 110 consumers who were overcharged with a total of $240,759.
Nissan of Warsaw entered into a settlement after it was accused of sending out a prize mailing to 34,500 people that attempted to falsely create the impression that each had won a significant prize.
Under the settlement in the Kosciusko Superior Court, Nissan of Warsaw paid a civil penalty in the amount of $17,250.
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