Greenway Auto Group has agreed to a proposed federal order requiring its vehicle advertisements to display the price a buyer must actually pay, apart from government-mandated charges.
The Federal Trade Commission filed the complaint and stipulated order Thursday in federal court in Orlando. The agency alleges that Greenway routinely added mandatory fees, packages and financing penalties after advertising a lower figure. Its review found that consumers paid more than $3,350 above the advertised price on average in more than 92 percent of transactions, according to the complaint.
The FTC also accuses the dealership group of sending promotional mailers that falsely told recipients they had won cash prizes. Greenway had received an agency warning in March about price advertising, but the complaint says its websites later added assurances of transparency without curing the underlying practice.
The proposed order would bar misrepresentations about charges, products, financing requirements and prizes, and would require prominent disclosure of the real purchase price. It is a negotiated settlement, not an admission or a final judicial finding. The restrictions take legal effect only if the district judge approves and signs the order.
