July 29, 2014:
The Law Offices of Joshua N. Garick, P.C. agreed to terms in a class action lawsuit against the Balise Toyota dealership for overcharging service customers. The lawsuit claimed that Balise Toyota violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act by charging customers more than the advertised and posted prices for a variety of services including oil changes, tire rotations, and brake work at the Balise Toyota dealership located at 1399 Riverdale Street, West Springfield, Massachusetts. In response, Balise Toyota denied liability, but contended that any overcharges were inadvertent and the result of a sign made in-house by employees that omitted the cents to make it more aesthetically pleasing, and a coding error in its billing software.
Court documents can be viewed by clicking on the following links:
The parties agreed to settle the class action lawsuit by providing $15.00 coupons (good at Balise Toyota), to members of the Class who were overcharged. Class members will receive multiple coupons if they engaged in more than one overcharge transaction. In total, there were 6,720 known overcharges that will all be rectified through this Settlement. The agreement also contemplates a payment to charity and the payment of settlement expenses, attorneys’ fees, and a class representative incentive award.
Attorney Joshua N. Garick teamed up with consumer advocate Preston Leonard in filing this lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed in the Business Litigation Session of the Suffolk County Superior Court in Boston. A final fairness hearing was held on Thursday, October 2, 2014, when the Court approved the settlement.
Balise Toyota is a member of the Balise Motor Sales Group with its headquarters in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Balise Motor Sales Group owns and operates more than 20 new and used car dealerships in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This lawsuit and settlement only addresses the mispricing at the Balise Toyota dealership in its West Springfield, Massachusetts location. It does not address any claims of mispricing or other unfair and deceptive business practices that may have occurred at any other member of the Balise dealership family, including:
- Balise Chevy Buick GMC, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Chevrolet, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Ford, Hyannis, Massachusetts
- Balise Ford, Wilbraham, Massachusetts
- Balise Honda, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Hyundai, Hyannis, Massachusetts
- Balise Hyundai, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Lexus, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Mazda, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Nissan, Hyannis, Massachusetts
- Balise Nissan, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Subaru, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Toyota Scion, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Volkswagen, West Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Collision Repair, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Collision Repair, Warwick, Rhode Island
- Balise Collission Repair, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Balise Hyannis Car Wash, Hyannis, Massachusetts
- Jerry Rome Nissan, West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Ready Credit Used Cars, Hyannis, Massachusetts
- Ready Credit Used Cars, Springfield, Massachusetts
If you were a customer of these dealerships and believe you were overcharged, please CONTACT US to discuss your experiences.
