Lawsuit accuses defunct dealership of consumer fraud

For the last year, 7 On Your Side has been busy getting refunds for customers who say a New Jersey car dealer closed up shop and left them high and dry on trade-ins and service contracts.

More and more unhappy clients came forward after our story aired. And now there's a class-action lawsuit. So far we've helped recover more than $40,000 from DCN Hyundai, a defunct dealer now accused in a lawsuit of defrauding customers.

"I kept calling them there was no answer, not until channel 7 stepped in," said Cherita Hall.

7 On Your Side helped her finally get more than $18,000 owed on her trade-in last November.

Another customer, Mark Eastmead, got back $14,000.

Both were customers of DCN Hyundai -- accused by dozens of customers of consumer fraud after they were informed by a warranty administrator it never got their money to activate contracts on hundreds of DCN's accounts when the dealership was owned by Joseph Natale.

We asked him why at a new dealership in Newton.

He walked away and never came back -- but we kept working for former customers from Somerset and Staten Island. Both Howard Kinsbrunner and Karen Ingram are repeat customers of DCN Hyundai and are paying for service contracts to cover potential problems.

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[dougiequick]

This was last year but is NOTHING to what is and will be happening in 2020 with dealers that took/take trade ins only to default on obligation so the customer now STILL has payments due on vehicles they assumed were paid off ...maybe even worse is when these vehicles have been resold BEFORE paying off the loans still due so that the vehicles are then repossessed by original lender leaving that buyer high and dry totally defrauded out of ALL the money they had paid ....they may even have paid cash but it really was not yet the dealer's car to actually even sell! Many of these people should no doubt go to prison for fraud since they KNEW they were in such a precarious position ....it was STEALING just so they could keep taking money for a few more weeks or months ..they should be HUNG publically!

[willthehitman]

True coat! Due diligence is the business

[CoolHandLuke]

Joseph Natale. Seems like this should be an episode of the Sopranos

[jseahmed]

Dealership don't like to fix their cars over 5 yrs old, some will take 5 days just to put a new serpentine belt .

[alyssag]

How can I get a class action lawsuit going against a dealership?!

[mariornyc]

I really need help. I just purchased a car from Victory Mitsubishi Bronx. Car has multiple issues after they drop it off at my location, I send it back, they refused to get the car back or give me another car. They took for service after 2 weeks, they called to come pick up the car because the car needs to go a certified BMW dealership and send it back to them August 15. I did so and they said it’s gonna take 2 days. Today is August 23rd and I been calling 100 times no one pick up, finally I got them on the phone and refused to give me the information to which BmW my car is send of. No answer no lawyer that I can get involved, I don’t understand why. Please someone to reach to me for help if you know anything. Please