Car dealership group is under fire for overcharging customers in search of Ford, GM, and Stellantis cars
Most people looking for the best cars, trucks, and SUVs to buy typically go to dealerships. Of course, they often also look for car showrooms that are owned by successful automotive groups in order to get the best deals. Sadly, this seems to have backfired for some, as there is now a class action suit of sorts against the Lindsay Automotive Group for overcharging buyers for Stellantis, Ford, and GM cars.
These car showrooms are facing what is essentially a class-action suit
What’s being filed against the Lindsay Automotive Group isn’t really a class action suit. However, it has many of the same characteristics, so many people refer to them as the same. According to CBT News, the Federal Trade Commission and the Maryland Attorney General have filed charges against the Lindsay Automotive Group, which owns several car showrooms, including Stellantis, General Motors, and Ford.
This class action suit of sorts includes multiple allegations. The most significant accusation is that these car showrooms falsely advertised prices to customers between 2020 and 2023. About 88 percent of customers paid an average of $2,000 more than the advertised price for their vehicles. Sadly, some customers drove out of state for the low advertised prices. One dealership manager said, “We never deliver the vehicle anywhere near the stated price.”
They are also charging the Lindsay Automotive Group with requiring in-house financing in order to get kickbacks. These car showrooms went as far as to reject cash payments and preapproved loans from outside institutions. These in-house financing deals were terrible for drivers because they had super high interest rates, generating the previously mentioned kickbacks for the automotive group.
Of course, this class action suit of sorts also says that these car showrooms added unauthorized add-ons but passed them off as being mandatory. This includes things like GAP coverage. Notably, the FTC approved the complaint with a 5 to 0 vote. The charges include Lindsay Chevrolet of Woodbridge, Lindsay Ford of Wheaton, Lindsay Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, and Lindsay Management Company, LLC.
