'Predatory' Penn Hills Dealership Banned From Selling Cars In Pennsylvania
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A "predatory" used car dealership in Penn Hills has been banned from doing business in Pennsylvania, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Monday.
Shapiro said Martino Motors and owner Donald Martino Jr. were found to be in violation of the assurance of voluntary compliance they entered into in 2014.
According to the attorney general's office, Martino Motors sold vehicles that are not "roadworthy." He claimed one customer's brakes failed with her children in the car two weeks after she bought it. Another customer found parts of the car rusted out, covered in duct tape and painted to appear normal.
"Martino Motors agreed to play by the rules," said Shapiro in a statment. "The ones that every dealership in Pennsylvania have to abide by. But when demand went up, Martino Motors hit reverse and returned to their predatory ways in order to make a quick buck at the expense of hard working Pennsylvanians."
Both Martino Motors and Martino have been permanently barred from the business, Shapiro said.
The dealership denied any wrongdoing when KDKA visited in February.
Consumers who want to file a complaint about a dealership with the Office of Attorney General can click here or call the Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555.