PLAINS TOWNSHIP -- Since a Newswatch 16 investigative report last week, more customers of a used car dealership have come forward with complaints.
The businessman who runs Elite Motors has dealerships in both Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane says 45 people now claim Elite Motors ripped them off at the dealerships in Plains Township and Scranton. 15 of those people came forward after our investigation last week.
The Jeep that Kelly Kern bought for her daughter last fall sits idle behind a locked gate in Dickson City. Police impounded the vehicle last week because it had no inspection sticker.
Kern bought the Jeep last fall from Elite Motors. It started having problems just days later. When Kern asked a mechanic to fix it, she received an estimate of $2,200.
"Some mechanic put it on a lift and was like, 'Your car is really, really not drivable,''' said Kern.
"We're looking for restitution for all of the victims, and we're also looking for fines and costs to pay the commonwealth back," said Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
Kane says after our Newswatch 16 investigation on Elite Motors aired last week, 15 more customers contacted her office claiming the dealer violated consumer protection laws.
"This is definitely one of our larger investigations, and it's been going on for a number of years at this point," said Kane.
The Better Business Bureau has also looked at Elite Motors and has given it an "F" rating.
Kelly Kern recently asked for help and got a text from an Elite Motors employee.
We tried to contact Elite Motors and owner Robert Ferri for comment. We could only leave a message on the answering machine.
The lot at Elite's main dealership on Route 315 near Wilkes-Barre had no activity.
As for Kelly Kern, her daughter's Jeep now sits in an impound lot four miles from her home. The storage fees are now $50 dollars per day and the meter's running. Kern says she can't afford the impound fees or the repairs, but she's still stuck with monthly payments on this Jeep that she and her daughter can't drive.
"We just wanted a safe, practical car for her.''
According to the attorney general, Elite Motors and owner Robert Ferri have not responded to the lawsuit against the business. That suit accuses Elite Motors of false advertising and selling cars that cannot pass safety inspections.
