BY ANDREAS YILMA
CITIZENS NEWS
NAUGATUCK — Attorney General William Tong on May 28 announced a lawsuit against A Better Way Wholesale Autos, 49 Raytkwich Road, accusing the used car dealership of deceptive sales of potentially unsafe vehicles.
The lawsuit claims the dealership offered used vehicles for sale that lacked necessary safety inspections and related documents.
The AG’s office initially opened an investigation into the dealership in 2021 after numerous consumers reported that the vehicles were not inspected and had defective engines, transmissions, suspensions and other major components soon after sale, a news release states.
Other complaints cited vehicles that could not be driven, as well as those with a history of accidents and flood damage.
“A Better Way Wholesale Autos failed to complete and document critical safety inspections that are required by law,” Tong stated. “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. 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 to hold them accountable.”
State statutes require a comprehensive safety inspection before any retail used car is sold. Any unrepaired defects must be noted. Any vehicle sold in “as is” condition must be prominently marked as such, and the purchase order, invoice, title and assignment documents must all be marked as “not in condition for legal operation on the highways,” the AG release states.
“While it is always wrong to mislead consumers about what they are purchasing, it is particularly egregious to do so when that misinformation puts those consumers and others on the road in physical danger,” state Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli said. “Comprehensive safety inspections are required for a reason and we are hopeful this action will prevent future unsafe vehicles from being sold to unwitting consumers.”
The lawsuit alleges the dealership made untrue or misleading statements to clients regarding the features, performance and characteristics of the vehicles the dealership offered and sold. The company also led consumers to falsely believe their vehicles were safe, inspected, roadworthy as advertised and would not require further safety inspections or repairs.
Officials at the car dealership said the company would work with the state and claimed all of its vehicles are carefully inspected.
“We look forward to cooperating with the Attorney General’s office to address their concerns. Each of our vehicles are thoroughly inspected and pass multiple safety checks, emissions inspections performed by the state of Connecticut, as well as independent third-party inspections before being sold to a retail customer,” A Better Way Vice President Joe Gorbecki said in a statement. “For over 24 years, and after selling over 62,000 vehicles, A Better Way is proud to address a critical consumer need that most (state) dealers neglect to address by offering quality used vehicles at prices people can actually afford.”
Assessor Shelby Jackson said that according to property records the dealership has been in the borough since at least 2007, when it was located on Rubber Avenue, then moved down the street in 2011, before relocating to Raytkwich Road in 2015.
Tong’s office is seeking restitution for harmed consumers, civil penalties up to $5,000 per individual violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and injunctive relief to force the dealership to fully comply with state laws.
“There are safeguards in place to ensure consumer protection,” Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Tony Guerrera said. “We handle all complaints, including those concerning used-car warranties, with the highest level of seriousness.”
