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Lawsuit claims Midas used bait, R,vitch I Recordnet.com Page 1 of 1 <br /> News <br /> LAWSUIT CLAIMS MIDAS USED BAIT, SWITCH <br /> By Reed Fidii <br /> July 01,2009 <br /> Record Staff Writer <br /> State prosecutors are suing a chain of Midas repair shops, including one in Manteca, and their owner, Maurice <br /> "Mike" Glad, for$222 million over alleged bait-and-switch scam tactics. <br /> According to Attorney General Jerry Brown,joined by Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff and Fresno <br /> County District Attorney Elizabeth A. Egan, the"shops regularly advertised $79 to$99 brake specials to draw <br /> customers in and then charged another$110 to$130 for unnecessary brake rotor resurfacing services and <br /> hundreds of dollars more for repairs that were not needed or never performed." <br /> Not so, said Bill Gagen, a Danville attorney representing Glad and the repair shops. <br /> Rather, the Midas franchisee and his employees"are victims of an inconsistent and destructive enforcement <br /> process undertaken by the (California Bureau of Automotive Repair)to take advantage of hard-working <br /> mechanics," Gagen said in a news release. <br /> The civil lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, said the shop at 1412 W. Yosemite Ave., <br /> Manteca, is among those where the scams are alleged to have occurred. <br /> Prosecutors said state bureau agents posing as customers conducted approximately 30 sting operations from 2005 <br /> though 2008 at Glad's Midas shops that, in all, found more than 35 incidents in which shop managers, mechanics <br /> and employees made false or misleading statements to pressure customers to purchase unnecessary parts and <br /> services. <br /> "On average, the shops charged undercover agents almost$300 in unnecessary brake rotor resurfacings, brake <br /> drum repairs, brake adjustments, brake cleaning services and other services," a state news release said. <br /> Promising to defend the case vigorously, Gagen claimed the state bureau employed deceptive undercover cars in <br /> 24 of the cases. <br /> "BAR agents tricked employees, artificially modifying decoy cars that were expertly engineered to fool the most <br /> experienced mechanic. Simply stated, this was a setup," he said. <br /> And Gagen questioned why state agents waited until 2008 to begin administrative action against Glad followed by <br /> the civil suit on Tuesday. <br /> "If this was a serious problem of bait-and-switch and whatever they allege, why wasn't the public protected as early <br /> as 2005 with the owner being noticed?" he asked. <br /> Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or rfujii@recordnet.com. <br /> VISIT_HIS BLOC <br /> http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090701/A NEWS/907010333&te... 7/1/2009 <br />