Tucson, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that his office has secured over $90,000 in restitution for consumers who were the victims of Dependable Auto, Inc., a Tucson-based used car dealer.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) obtained the restitution as part of a consent judgment to resolve the State’s allegations that the dealership engaged in unfair and deceptive practices in the course of its sales.
“Auto dealerships cannot charge consumers for services and fail to provide those services or lie to customers about the terms of their contracts,” said Attorney General Brnovich. “Buying a car is a major investment for families and this office will step in and fight for buyers if a dealer defrauds the public.”
The AGO alleged that Dependable Auto engaged in multiple deceptive practices, including:
- Charging consumers for third-party service contracts, but failing to actually purchase the service contracts;
- Overcharging consumers for government and document prep fees;
- Requiring consumers to sign a disclaimer stating that their vehicles were sold “AS-IS” and had no warranty, even though Arizona law says otherwise;
- Failing to make repairs to vehicles it sold in accordance with the warranty required by Arizona law;
- Representing that consumers were receiving “free labor maintenance” when the sales contract required consumers to pay over $1,200 for a service contract;
- Misrepresenting the late fees it could charge consumers; and
- Failing to disclose salvage titles to consumers.
Under the terms of the consent judgment, Dependable Auto’s owners are banned from engaging in these deceptive behaviors in the future. The owners of Dependable Auto have made the full restitution payment to the AGO and the funds will be returned directly to consumers.
The AGO will begin contacting consumers who are owed money shortly. Consumers can also reach out to the AGO using the below contact information.
Assistant Attorneys General Kaitlin Hollywood and Alyse Meislik handled this case.
If you believe you have been the victim of consumer fraud, you can file a consumer complaint by visiting the Attorney General’s website. If you need a complaint for sent to you, you can contact the Attorney General's Office in Phoenix at (602) 542-5763, in Tucson at (520) 628-6648, or outside the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas at (800) 352-8431.