Planet Honda

Reason for Visit: Service

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
I purchased my Civic at Planet Honda in 2004. I just found out recently through another Honda dealership where I get servicing, that Planet Honda entered the wrong purchase date in the computer. This affects my warranty which trickles down to many other aspects and discounts. I called Planet and got jerked around for about 30 minutes. Then I spoke with the Sales manager who informed me that this shouldn't be an issue. He wouldn't change the date of purchase. He said I should get over it. I called Honda Customer Service and filed a report. This should be easily taken care of and they were jerks about it. NEVER GO TO THEM. Go to Autosport Honda if anything.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
I visited Planet Honda hoping to trade in a Subaru for a minivan. The Subaru ran like a swiss watch...not a single thing ever wrong with it. It idled smooth as can be.

They gave me a low ball offer for it on a trade, which obviously I understand. I said no and as I left they then asked to inspect it more closely to perhaps make a higher offer to me. I said OK. They claim they would take the car for a test drive, look at it on a lift, etc.

After getting the car back I started it to drive away, and it became immediately obvious they tampered with the car. It idled very rough and shook noticeably during acceleration. Furious, I confronted the manager and he said "things break all the time" and it's just a coincidence it happened when his shop guys were checking it out.

So now I can't even get an trade in offer as high as before...They really stuck it to me.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
I visited Planet Honda hoping to trade in a Subaru for a minivan. The Subaru ran like a swiss watch...not a single thing ever wrong with it. It idled smooth as can be.

They gave me a low ball offer for it on a trade, which obviously I understand. I said no and as I left they then asked to inspect it more closely to perhaps make a higher offer to me. I said OK. They claim they would take the car for a test drive, look at it on a lift, etc.

After getting the car back I started it to drive away, and it became immediately obvious they tampered with the car. It idled very rough and shook noticeably during acceleration. Furious, I confronted the manager and he said "things break all the time" and it's just a coincidence it happened when his shop guys were checking it out.

So now I can't even get an trade in offer as high as before...They really stuck it to me.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
I would never reommend this dealers, they are number one cheaters...and I will never go to them...

They have promised me that I will get approved and then at the time of delivery of the car they are saying that I have to pay the higher intrest rate and it was way higher than they promised...

They are really cheaters and I would never recommend anyone...

They will give some low price buyt they will start adding some more materilas and they really cheat...

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
I was buying new civic and finance it with their Honda finance institution. They said it will be no problem, I took the car and in few day I got letter that credit is not approved. I decided to return the car because I told them in first place I take only car with that advertised rate. They didn’t want to accept car, which I left anyway on their lot. They called me on the phone and threatened me with police etc. Till now they didn’t returned 1k down payment to me. AVOID THIS DEALER!

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
Trouble runs in the family?


New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety
Division of Consumer Affairs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 11, 2001

New Jersey Sues Bob Ciasulli Dealerships
Over Alleged Auto Fraud alleges dealerships
cheated hundreds of consumers

NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey is suing 16 Bob Ciasulli auto dealerships in the largest auto fraud case in State history for allegedly failing to honor negotiated deals, misrepresenting the true odometer readings on certain cars; using deceptive bait-and-switch tactics and engaging in a combined total of at least 35 other fraudulent activities to cheat consumers in connection with their lease and sales agreements, Attorney General John J. Farmer and Consumer Affairs Director Mark S. Herr announced today.

The State's 23-count complaint, filed in Passaic County Superior Court on Tuesday, names:

Bob Ciasulli Automall, Inc., Route 46 East, Little Falls;

B.C.T. Imports, Inc., and Bob Ciasulli Toyota, Inc., Route 46 East, Little Falls;

Bob Ciasulli Jeep/Eagle, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Chrysler/Jeep, Bob Ciasulli Jeep and Bob Ciasulli Chrysler), Route 46 East, Little Falls;

Bob Ciasulli Hyundai, Inc., and Arrow Hyundai, Inc., Route 46 East, Little Falls;

Arrow Auto Imports, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Mitsubishi), Route 46 East, Little Falls;

Mack Auto Imports, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Honda and Mack Honda), 346 Route 37 East, Toms River;

Mack Dodge, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Dodge), 314 Route 37 East, Toms River;

Mack Pontiac Cadillac, Inc., Route 37 East, Toms River;

Monmouth American, Inc., and Route 88 Vehicle Corp., (also known as Monmouth Honda, Monmouth Jeep, Monmouth Jeep/Eagle and Monmouth Automall),1085 Route 88, Lakewood;

Monmouth Chrysler Plymouth, Inc., 700 Route 36, Eatontown;

M.T. Imports, Inc., (also known as Monmouth Toyota), 750 Route 36, Eatontown;

Universal Global, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Honda), Route 440 North, Jersey City; and

United Galaxy, Inc., (also known as Bob Ciasulli Lexus), Route 46 East, Little Falls;

The defendant companies are owned, operated and managed by Robert G. Ciasulli, a Kinnelon resident. Arrow Auto Imports, Inc.; Mack Pontiac Cadillac, Inc.; and Monmouth Chrysler Plymouth, Inc., are no longer in business.

----continued----

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
"Owning a car is often a necessity in New Jersey, where there is almost a one-to-one ratio between the more than 6 million registered vehicles and the driving population," Attorney General Farmer said. "It is, therefore, important that dealerships operate in a responsible, honest and forthcoming way so that consumers are not taken for a ride. When they fail to obey our laws, it's our responsibility to protect consumers and to ensure that they pay for and correct their wrongdoings."

"This is the largest auto-related case in State history naming car dealerships," Herr said. "The prosecution involves more citizen complaints, more defendants and more allegations of fraud than any other auto fraud case ever prosecuted in New Jersey. The numbers are pretty bad, here, but the nature of the frauds involve some of the most abusive and egregious conduct Consumer Affairs has ever seen or prosecuted."

"The case also could yield more than $2 million in penalties and $350,000 in restitution," Herr added.

In the last five years, Consumer Affairs has prosecuted and/or negotiated agreements with 11 dealerships, including: Ramsey Nissan, Dodge City, Stateline Toyota, Route 22 Auto Sales, Route 22 Automobiles, Inc., Route 22 Nissan, Inc., Autoland, Crystal Auto Mall, Toms River Lincoln/Mercury/Mazda, Doms Second Chance and Ocean Motors. The defendants in these cases have paid more than $1.2 million in penalties, costs and consumer restitution.

"Auto-related complaints make up the No. 1 area of complaints at Consumer Affairs," Herr said. "We take these complaints seriously and will do what we must to protect consumers."

The State's suit alleges 42 different types of fraudulent activities by the 16 dealerships and accuses them of violating the States Consumer Fraud Act, Used Car Lemon Law, and federal odometer disclosure laws while selling and leasing a variety of vehicles, including Lexuses, Hondas, Hyundais, and Toyotas, to New Jersey consumers.

To date, 286 consumers have complained to Consumer Affairs since 1995 about the defendants' alleged unlawful activities. The bulk of the complaints were received between 1997 and 1999 and assert nearly 500 instances involving the fraudulent activities alleged in the State's suit.

The State's suit alleges that the dealerships engaged in a variety of fraudulent acts, including, among other things:

representing to consumers that certain dealer-installed or dealer-provided options, known as "after-sell" items, are mandatory, when, in fact, they are not;

charging consumers for after-sell items that have not been installed;

installing and charging consumers for after-sell items they did not agree to purchase;

failing to disclose prior damage to vehicles;

misrepresenting to consumers the true and actual odometer reading - or mileage - on vehicles;

failing to honor advertised or negotiated lease or sales prices and terms;

altering documents after they had already been signed by consumers;

requiring consumers to sign blank documents and to use dealer-arranged financing;

misrepresenting a lease agreement as a sales agreement; and

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
representing that a used car had one owner when, in fact, it had been used as a rental car.
For example, a Toms River man bought a 1991 Chevy Beretta from Monmouth Honda, Lakewood, for $8,318. At the time of purchase, the car had 9,043 miles on it and an "Odometer Disclosure Statement" given to him by the dealer also showed that car's mileage as being 9,043. But, while driving the car home from the dealership, he noticed the odometer was not working. When he got home, he called the dealer.

"I was told the car was sold to me as is," the consumer said in a complaint to Consumer Affairs. "When I purchased the car from the dealer I was never informed of a problem with the odometer."

In fact, the consumer said, the odometer statement he received from the dealership indicated that the mileage was correct and the section on the statement where it warns consumers of an odometer discrepancy was left blank.

"When we investigated this complaint, we contacted the person who owned the car before and traded the 1991 Beretta for another car at the Monmouth Honda dealership," Herr said. "She told us that the dealership knew that there was a problem with the odometer."

The consumer wrote to Consumer Affairs that: "When I traded my Beretta in, I advised the Bob Ciasulli sales representative and manager ... that I was not aware of the actual mileage of the car because the odometer had not been recording mileage since the vehicle was in an accident and had been repaired. I told them that I estimated the mileage to be between 57,000 and 67,000 miles."

Based on the discrepancy, the car would have been worth at least $1,600 less than its $8,300 purchase price, according to the National Automobile Dealer's Association's "Official Used Car Guide."

"But that's not the worst of it," Herr said. "When we investigated this consumer's complaint, the dealer tried to cover up the alleged fraud by providing us with a falsified odometer statement reflecting that the box warning the consumer of the problem was checked off. The consumer's copy of the odometer statement, however, showed that the box was not checked off."

In another case, a Newark man complained that he went to Bob Ciasulli Lexus in Little Falls in March 1999 to buy a new Lexus and have it shipped to the Dominican Republic. As part of the arrangement, the man paid a $5,000 down payment. The dealership was to ship the car abroad.

A couple days later, he said a Ciasulli sales representative told him they could not ship the car overseas. He later learned that lending institutions generally do not allow the vehicles they finance to be taken out of the country. When he requested his $5,000 deposit back, the salesman allegedly told him it was non-refundable - even though there was no indication on the retail buyer's order that "no refunds" were made, the consumer complained.

"I asked them to show me where 'no refunds' was written because I was sure it was not written on my receipt but I didn't have it on me. So (the salesman) wrote on his receipt 'no refund' and gave me a copy of it," the consumer said, adding that he was verbally mistreated by the salesman and manager who eventually threw him out of the dealership.

"To take his money, renege on the deal and then refuse to refund his money, are blatant violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, not to mention human decency," Herr said. "These alleged acts cannot and will not go unpunished."

Another man complained to Consumer Affairs that he had been defrauded after he purchased a used Mitsubishi Galant from Bob Ciasulli Mitsubishi of Little Falls. He made an $8,500 down payment for the vehicle, the Parsippany man said, based on representations by the "sales and management team" that the vehicle had only one previous owner.

----continued----

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
"The management further stressed that the vehicle was never involved in any kind of accident and that their service department checks for proper mechanical, electrical and safe engine functionality," the consumer wrote.

Six days after be began driving the car, it died. The consumer then learned from a service log at Mitsubishi Motors that the car had had frequent alternator problems and that it had been owned by a car rental company.

The consumer also complained that he learned that the car had been involved in an accident and "as pointed out by another dealer, the assembly was so bad that they did not even put the dash board and steering assembly to safety standards"

The State's complaint seeks an order barring the defendants from breaking state and federal consumer protection laws; requiring them to pay civil monetary penalties of up to $7,500 for the first violation of the Consumer Fraud Act and up to $15,000 for each and every subsequent violation; assessing costs and attorneys fees and requiring them to pay restitution to affected consumers.

Deputy Attorney General David M. Puteska of the Division of Law is handling this case for the State.

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Reason for Visit: Sales

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of Planet Honda:
New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety

New Jersey Office of the Attorney General

Stuart Rabner, Attorney General
Division of Consumer Affairs
Stephen B. Nolan, Acting Director

For Immediate Release:
November 3, 2006

For Further Information Contact:
Tamisha Hallman 973-504-6327
Consumer Information:
973-504-6200


ATTORNEY GENERAL AND DIVISON OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS
SUE TWO CAR DEALERSHIPS

NEWARK, NJ - The Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Consumer Affairs have filed suit against Timco, Inc., owner of Planet Honda, and Chevrolet 73, Inc., owner of two vehicle dealerships, for multiple violations of the state’s Consumer Fraud Act, Attorney General Stuart Rabner and Acting Director Stephen B. Nolan announced today.

The two lawsuits, filed in State Superior Court in Union and Camden counties, allege that Planet Honda, a Union Township-based car dealership, and the Berlin-based Chevrolet 73 and Chevrolet 73 Bargain Corral dealerships, committed unconscionable commercial practices and violations of the state’s Motor Vehicle Advertising Regulations.

The dealerships violated the Motor Vehicle Advertising Regulations in newspaper and internet ads by failing to make required disclosures, including limitations on rebates to consumers, and failing to disclose previous damage to and/or prior use of used motor vehicles.

“A deal that is impossible to obtain is no deal at all. Consumers were lured into these two dealerships by deceptive ads,” Attorney General Rabner said. “We expect businesses to make all legally required disclosures so consumers are protected in the marketplace.”

The suits allege multiple violations of the Consumer Fraud Act, including unconscionable commercial practices, providing misleading information to consumers, and withholding information from consumers such as prior vehicle damage, among other things. The specific allegations include:

Failure to honor the advertised and/or negotiated terms of a sale or lease transaction;
Failure to disclose to consumers prior accident history and damage of purchased or leased cars;
Misrepresentation of vehicle mileage;
Misrepresentation that certain dealer-provided options were mandatory;
Charging for title and registration in excess of the MVC fees;
Use of the state seal in advertisements to imply a state certification that did not exist;
Failure to provide consumers with title and registration in a timely manner;
Engaging in “bait and switch” by advertising a vehicle with a low sales or lease price and then refusing to sell or lease that vehicle at the advertised price;
Failure to cancel a contract or pay off a loan on trade-in vehicles; and
Violations of the Used Car Lemon Law, including misrepresentation of the mechanical condition of a used motor vehicle.

“The purchase or lease of a car often is one of a consumer’s largest purchases and they should have confidence that the dealer is treating them fairly,” said Acting Director Nolan. “In these cases, consumers were the victims of conniving schemes intended to boost sales. We intend to stop these dealers in their tracks and reimburse those consumers who were taken for a ride.”

The state is seeking restitution for consumers who have filed complaints and maximum civil penalties which currently provide for up to $10,000 for the initial violation of the Consumer Fraud Act and up to $20,000 for each subsequent violation. The state also is seeking a change in business practices at Planet Honda and Chevrolet 73 to prevent future violations. Deputy Attorneys General Gina M. Betts and Jeffrey Koziar are representing the state in these matters.

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