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These accusations were part of a complaint filed in US District Court against Hartford County auto dealer Manchester City Nissan by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and the Federal Trade Commission, Tong's office announced on Thursday, Jan. 4.
The complaint alleges that the dealership, located in Manchester at 30 Tolland Turnpike (Route 83), would often lie to customers about the prices of certified used cars, add-ons, and government fees. Additionally, the business would also charge junk fees for certification, add-on products, and government charges without the consent of customers, costing them thousands of dollars in unwanted charges in some instances, officials said.
Many of these excessive charges would be tacked on to “certified pre-owned" vehicles sold by the dealership, which are used cars that have been inspected and repaired to the manufacturer's specifications and come with an extended warranty from Nissan, according to the complaint.
Nissan's rules prohibit dealers from charging a fee for the certification process beyond the price of the car. However, the dealership and its employees would allegedly regularly add a certification charge. In one such example, a certified pre-owned car was advertised as costing $15,700, but the dealer then added a $5,295.65 junk “inspection fee” even though it had already been inspected, officials alleged.
The dealership would also allegedly charge extra fees for an inspection or repair that had already happened and then fail to report to Nissan that the car had been sold, leaving customers without the extended warranty promised in the business's advertisements.
Tong said these actions violate Connecticut law.
"Manchester City Nissan’s egregious business practices appear to have violated multiple laws, and we’re going to hold them accountable on behalf of all the consumers they deceived," Tong said, also saying, "Today’s action sends a strong warning to any dealership engaging in these types of deceptive practices that misconduct will not be tolerated."
The complaint officially charges Chase Nissan, which does business as Manchester City Nissan; its principals, Patrick Dibre and Refaat (Brian) Soboh; its general manager, Michael Hamadi; its finance manager, Aiham Alkhatib; and its sales managers, Matthew Chmielinksi and Fred (Freddy) Mojica, with violating the FTC Act and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.
The case will now be decided in court, officials said.
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