South Shore car dealer knowingly sold lemons, AG's office says

(MyFoxBoston.com) -- The state's top prosecutor has accused a local used car dealer of intentionally selling people lemons and then not honoring their warranties.

The owner told FOX 25's Kerry Kavanaugh he flat out denies the allegations laid out in the complaint the Massachusetts Attorney General's office has filed.

Attorney General Maura Healey says her office has heard from 40 different customers of the used car dealer. She says customers were misguided about the quality of the vehicles, in some cases the cost,  and, when they called to complain, they were ignored.
 
"We answer every call , we address every customer, we stand by all our cars," said car dealer operator Mark Hanna.

But at least 40 customers of Auto Number One used car dealership claimed otherwise, according to Healey.

The state says Hanna operated  used car lots in Quincy and Weymouth. His current operation is on Brockton Avenue in Abington.

When Kavanaugh told him the AG's office says he's knowingly selling bad cars to people and then not helping them out, Hanna said "that's not the case at all."

Attorney General Healey says the state began receiving complaints in 2011.

"People were stuck with cars that broke down, didn't work, couldn't be fixed, and then the company refused to give them any refund or make them whole," she said.

Now they're taking action. Only FOX25 News obtained a copy of the lawsuit the state filed against auto number one.

"They were told any problems with the cars would be taken care of by the dealership," Healey alleges.

But, Healey says, the used car dealer kept cars for repairs for long periods, preventing customers from seeking protections under the lemon aid law, or were ignored or turned away in other cases.

Hanna says he is not selling lemons.

"We don't target anybody. We help everybody here. We rebuild people with bad credit, no credit, low credit. We give everybody second chance here," he said.

Hanna says there are two sides to every story.

Healey says this is a good reminder for consumers to always get an independent inspection done before purchasing a used car, understand what the financing is before you sign and understand what your rights are under the lemon law.

This week is National Consumer Protection Week. If you have a consumer complaint to report, you can call the Attorney General's Consumer Hotline at 617-727-8400, or click here to file a complaint online.

Cox Media Group