Attorney General William Tong recently announced the state is suing a Naugatuck car dealership over allegations they sold used vehicles without necessary safety inspections and documentation.
Tong’s office has been investigating A Better Way Wholesale Autos, Inc. since 2021 on the back of multiple consumer complaints. According to a press release from Tong’s office announcing the suit, consumers reported that vehicles sold by the dealership were not inspected. They also complained about “defective engines, transmissions, suspensions and other major components discovered shortly after sale, including undrivable cars.” Consumers also found undisclosed damage and accident histories for vehicles.
The suit contains four charges, including one charge of unfairness in violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUPTA) and one charge of deception.
State statute requires that used car dealers complete a comprehensive safety inspection on vehicles before offering them for sale. Used car dealers must also get a purchaser to acknowledge a vehicle’s condition by collecting their signature on the retail purchase order, invoice, and safety inspection forms. Tong’s suit alleges that A Better Way Wholesale Autos violated state statutes by failing to document comprehensive safety inspection on its vehicles and by failing to inspect or repair vehicles.
As a result, the lawsuit alleges A Better Way Wholesale Autos made “untrue or misleading statements to consumers regarding the feature, performance, and characteristics of the vehicles it offered or sold.” The suit also alleges the auto dealership should have known its business practices were unfair. The dealership could face up to $5,000 in civil penalties for each violation of CUPTA.
In addition to those penalties, the lawsuit is seeking to have the Naugatuck dealership pay restitution for its unfair practices. It is also seeking an order directing A Better Way Wholesale Autos to “disgorge all revenues, profits and gains achieved in whole or in part through the unfair and/or deceptive acts or practices.”
“A Better Way Wholesale Autos failed to complete and document critical safety inspections that are required by law. They appear to have sold damaged used cars and hidden relevant information from consumers. Their egregious actions are a clear violation of state statutes that imperiled the safety of their customers and others on the road.” Tong said. “We gave A Better Way every chance to work with us to clean up their act and do right by their customers. They failed. We are filing this action today to hold them accountable for these deceptive practices.”
A Better Way Wholesale Auto’s did not respond to request for comment.
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