State issues record fine

Georgia has issued its highest fine ever against a company for violating the state’s Fair Business Practices Act. The Governor’s Office of Consumers Affairs slapped Louisiana-based Smart Automotive and its two owners with a total of $5 million-dollars in penalties. The OCA says the company sent deceptive mailers to Georgia consumers. Examples include announcing sales that never took place, telling people they had won prizes when they hadn’t, misrepresenting monthly car payment amounts, and falsely claiming that people with bad credit were pre-approved.