LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed a lawsuit against a company claiming they have violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
The Knoxville, Arkansas based company Coast to Coast Inc. and two defendants are named in the suit Griffin filed on Thursday in the Pulaski County Circuit Court. Metal Building Framework
“Arkansas consumers deserve to be dealt with honestly and fairly by companies doing business here, so I will continue to hold businesses accountable when they fail to uphold those standards," said Griffin.
The owners Gerardo Torres, of Texas, and Jorge Daniel Zavala, of Arkansas, are accused of “promising delivery windows despite knowing it will not uphold that promise” as it relates to consumers purchasing custom prefabricated metal buildings – including carports, barns, warehouses, and more.
The lawsuit states since November 2018, the AG’s office has received 62 complaints against Coast to Coast and 33 of them were filed by consumers who are over the age of 60 or disabled.
Most complaints stem from the company’s non-delivery of buildings purchased by consumers.
Consumer complaints also showed a consistent pattern of consumers ordering a prefabricated building, making a “substantial down payment, often thousands of dollars” and not being able to get a hold of the company once the delivery window had passed according to the lawsuit.
“Coast to Coast puts the consumer off, claiming a mythical excuse or saying that Coast to Coast did not know when the building would be delivered and installed. If the consumer demands a refund, Coast to Coast refuses or tells the consumer that it will take ninety days to process. The consumer does not receive a refund,” the suit claims.
When the consumer reaches out again, Coast to Coast stopped responding to consumer communications the lawsuit states.
Griffin also stated that many consumers acquired permits or poured concrete in preparation for the delivery and installation of their purchased buildings.
One consumer ordered a garage in July 2018 and paid nearly $1,200 as a down payment, around $240 for a building permit from her county, and purchased a concrete pad for $15,000. Despite a delivery date scheduled for the next month, a building was never delivered the suit claims. Instead, her building permit expired in January 2019 – six months after she ordered the building. She reportedly requested a refund on her deposit but did not receive any further communication from Coast to Coast.
A second consumer, the lawsuit claims, ordered two steel buildings in May 2021 and paid $8,800 as a down payment – they were given a 12 to 14 weeks delivery date. This consumer spent $56,000 preparing the sites “per Coast to Coast’s installation requirements, including laying concrete footing. By August 2021, the company stopped responding to the consumer’s inquiry on a delivery date.
Metal Showroom The lawsuit seeks civil penalties for all 62 complaints brought in the past five years, each of which carry a maximum of $10,000. Enhanced penalties – an additional $10,000 per violation – can apply in cases involving victims who are 60 years old or older or who are disabled. Enhanced penalties are being sought for 33 of the 62 complaints, so total penalties assessed in the case could well exceed $500,000.