Dec 27, 2024
Bayside Mitsubishi in La Porte, Texas, officially closed its doors on Dec. 7, leaving customers stuck with two car payments and no paperwork. Lucia Sufentes and Autyana Hodges, two customers at the now defunct dealership, claim they both traded in a car, but the dealership never paid off their car loans, leaving them stuck paying a second car loan on a vehicle they don't even have anymore.
“I’m trying to get a house with my husband and this is going to mess with my credit in the long term,” Hodges told KPRC 2 reporter Gage Goulding. “It’s going to tank everything. It’s going to turn into a repo that’s going to destroy my credit and it’s going to mess up everything it is that me and my husband are trying to build.”
Money mismanagement and Hurricane Beryl
KPRC 2 visited the dealership on Dec. 12 to visit with the general manager, Kenny O'Kane. He states the dealership is closed and he thinks customers have every right to be angry.
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“I understand totally why they would be angry. Absolutely. I would be,” O’Kane told reporters “I would be pissed off too. Definitely would.”
According to O'Kane, he hasn't been paid since September. Bayside Mitsubishi is owned by the company A&F Holdings, LLC, whose principal owner is Alex Sinno. Sinno, who reporters could not reach for comment, used to be a partial owner of Veteran Chevrolet near Corpus Christi and also owns Texas Auto Save in San Antonio, Texas.
O'Kane blames the dealership's closure on poor money management, claiming that the previous general manager spent money frivolously and ignored the business bank account's balance, which now sits at under $1,000.
But Hurricane Beryl dealt the dealership its final blow. “That was really the icing on the cake to throw it in at the turmoil that it was in,” O’Kane told reporters. “Then the other guy that was here totally mismanaged the funds. It’s just too far gone.”
According to court records accessed by KPRC 2, Sinno’s company filed a lawsuit against their insurance brokerage, claiming they “failed to secure sufficient or adequate coverage for this property.”
Kane says the insurance people are currently visiting the property, and the dealership may also qualify for "hurricane money." Property equity may also allow the owner to raise funds to pay off customer's loans.
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Where does this leave customers?
Some customers are asking the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which is responsible for regulating car dealerships, to step in.
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Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) told KPRC 2 their franchise agreement with Bayside was terminated in October of 2024. MMNA also stated they have no involvement with any loans from the dealership.
According to O'Kane, however, the owner plans to make things right for customers like Sufentes and Hodges.
“He’s in the process of trying to sell the property and he will take care of that. He’s got to take care of that. I think it will happen otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be here. And I believe in the owner that he…wants to do the right thing,”O’Kane told reporters.
Customers, however, aren't confident Sinno will come through. “Somebody other than the owner should definitely step in and make him accountable for everything going on," Sufentes said.
Customers affected by Bayside Mitsubishi's closure or in similar situations can contact the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Enforcement Section to file a formal complaint.
Additionally, they can explore potential relief for certain registration fees or unresolved trade-ins through resources provided by the TxDMV on their website. Consulting a consumer protection attorney may also help them recover their losses.
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Danielle is a personal finance writer based in Ohio. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Motley Fool and Business Insider. She believes financial literacy key to helping people build a life they love.
