A Stamford woman who bought a SUV from New Rochelle Toyota claims that the dealer illegally drove up the costs.
Olivia Frimpong accused the car dealer of violating the federal Truth in Lending Act, in a complaint filed Feb. 2 in Westchester Supreme Court.
“Olivia Frimpong, a woman with a simple dream of reliable transportation, walked into New Rochelle Toyota, lured by promises of a fair deal,” the complaint states. “Little did she know she was about to be taken for a ride … on a rollercoaster of exploitation and greed.”
Frimpong bought a gray 2021 Toyota Highlander, with 24,992 miles, a year ago. When it came time to sign the deal, according to the complaint, she was steered blindly to costly services.
The dealer allegedly prepared two invoices, one totaling $55,427, and another $69,665.
She was not given copies of completed documents to review before signing, the complaint states, and when prompted to sign electronically a manager did not allow her to see the computer monitor to view what she was endorsing.
The first invoice included a base price of $39,277, plus more than $3,000 in taxes and various fees and more than $13,000 in financing charges.
The second invoice added more than $11,000 for items listed as Service Contract ($6,995), Tire and Wheel ($1,800), Autocare ($1,400), Aftersale ($695), and TMIA ($190), plus $4,000 more for the deposit.
Attorney Russell W. Dombrow, of Syracuse, asserts in the complaint that New Rochelle Toyota did not disclose during signing that his client was buying extra maintenance services, and that she did not know what she got until after she left the dealership.
She became “especially disturbed,” the complaint states, about the $6,995 service contract that the dealer “never told her … she was purchasing.”
She claims she tried to cancel the service contract several times but encountered “a runaround of delays, obfuscation and empty promises.”
At one point, she was allegedly told to pay another $665 for the Connecticut registration tax, after the state had issued the registration certificate.
Frimpong accused New Rochelle Toyota of violating the federal Truth in Lending Act, fraudulent concealment, and unjust enrichment.
She is demanding unspecified actual, compensatory, consequential, incidental and punitive damages.
General sales manager David Hsu offered to discuss the case, in a voicemail message, but attempts to reconnect with him failed.
Coincidentally, a publicist for New Rochelle Toyota issued a press release on Feb. 13 about the dealership achieving an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Senior vice president Rich Prager said the dealership is committed to its customers and strives to ensure that even the smallest issue is addressed immediately.
“There is absolutely no reason to be rated less than an A+,” he stated, “unless you don’t do your job.”
The lawsuit also accuses Toyota Motor Credit Corp., the financing company, of violating federal and state consumer credit laws. Spokesman Vincent T. Bray stated in an email, “We are unable to comment on any pending litigation.”
