DISTRICT ATTORNEY PUTS BRAKES ON ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE DEALER'S BOGUS CUSTOMER CHARGES
District Attorney Sam Shady today sued all-terrain vehicle and motorcycle dealer Lazy K for routinely slipping bogus "freight" and "dealer" charges - sometimes totaling more than $600 - into sales contracts with its customers, violating state law.
Shady filed the lawsuit in Nirvana County Superior Court against the dealer, which also does business under the name Crusty, Inc., accusing it of numerous violations of the state's Consumer Sales Practices Act and the state Advertisement and Sale of Motor Vehicles Rule for routinely adding phony charges to the advertised Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices for ATVs and motorcycles it sold.
"Most consumers don't realize when retailers are adding an unauthorized charge to the legitimate cost of a purchase, and they end up paying much more than they should," Shady said. "Our lawsuit alleges this company routinely pulled a fast one on its customers and violated state laws and rules that clearly protect consumers from such deception."
The District Attorney asked the court for an injunction against the defendant, consumer restitution for the overcharges, and a civil penalty of $200,000, plus costs.
The District Attorney said the company violated state consumer protection laws and rules by failing to include in its advertised prices for motor vehicles all costs except for taxes, title and registration fees, and documentary service charges; failing to make vehicles available at advertised prices; failing to clearly disclose all material terms and conditions of its vehicle sales; charging for "freight" and for prepping vehicles for sale despite agreeing with manufacturers not to assess such charges; and charging for unspecified and unnecessary services that were never performed.