L.A. Dealer Group Pays $3.6 Million to Settle FTC Charges
Sage Automotive Group in Los Angeles has agree to pay customers more than $3.6 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that it used deceptive advertising, sales and financing practices.
#legal
Sage Automotive Group in Los Angeles has agree to pay customers more than $3.6 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that it used deceptive advertising, sales and financing practices.
The agreement covers nine businesses that sold new and used Chevrolet, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Scion, Toyota brand vehicles. The deal must be approved by the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
The FTC says Sage preyed on financially distressed and non-English-speaking consumers by misrepresenting lease offers, falsely claiming the dealership would pay off balances due on trade-in vehicles, padding sales with unauthorized add-ons such as extended warranties and refusing to return a down payment or trade-in vehicle if a sale was canceled.
Sage Automotive says it fully cooperated with the FTC investigation but considers the commission’s allegations to be overreaching and without merit. The company insists it has “always met its regulatory responsibilities.”
RELATED CONTENT
-
Uber Settles with Family of Woman Killed in Self-Driving Car Crash
Uber Technologies Inc. has quickly settled on damages to the survivors of a woman killed in Tempe, Ariz., last week by an Uber test vehicle operating in autonomous mode.
-
Tesla’s Autopilot Feature Deemed Partly to Blame in Fatal Crash
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that Tesla Inc.’s semi-autonomous Autopilot feature was partly to blame for a crash 15 months ago that killed one of the carmaker’s customers.
-
Tesla Sued Over Fatal Crash of Car in Autopilot Mode
Tesla Inc. has been sued by the family of a California man whose Tesla Model X crossover vehicle crashed into a highway barrier last year while the car was operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode.