Tuesday, April 01, 2025
Rockland car wash targeted Jewish customers with Passover markup
A Rockland County car wash company targeted Jewish customers with a Passover promotion that cost three times the standard price for the same service, according to an investigation by the state attorney general's office.
Attorney General Letitia James said her office began investigating Super 4 Seasons in Spring Valley last April after receiving complaints that the car wash company was charging Jewish customers $169 for a service that was otherwise available for $47. The service was advertised as a "Passover Special" promotion, targeting Jewish customers cleaning their cars to remove "chametz," or leavened products, in preparation for the Jewish holiday, which commemorates the Israelites' hurried exodus from Egypt, when they didn't have time for bread to rise.
The attorney general's investigation found that Super 4 Seasons had promoted similar Passover-specific services dating to at least 2018 and that in the weeks leading up to Passover, Jewish customers had been routinely denied access to standard pricing and were falsely told that only the high-priced "Passover Packages" were available, according to a news release from the office's Civil Rights Bureau.
At one point during the probe, an investigator dressed in traditional Orthodox Jewish clothing inquired about standard pricing at Super 4 Season. He was told the company was "not doing anything except shampoos and Passover cleanings right now." The employee even told the investigator, "We are doing this just for you guys."
However, when another investigator who was not wearing Orthodox Jewish clothing asked for standard services, he was offered them. When the investigator asked about the Passover promotion, an employee said that it was "for Jews," who needed to pay more "because their cars are so dirty."
The attorney general's office recovered sales records for the same period confirming that regular services had been provided throughout the holiday.
Over the last three years alone, Super 4 Seasons sold at least 251 "Passover Specials" totaling more than $35,000 in sales, according to documents filed by the attorney general's office. That targeting of the Jewish community violated sections of New York's Civil Rights Law, General Business Law and Executive Law, making Super 4 Seasons subject to fines up to $161,000.
The attorney general's office and Super 4 Seasons reached a settlement in which the company acknowledged that it had discriminated against Jewish customers and agreed to stop charging them more than other customers for the same car wash services. Super 4 Seasons is also barred from changing its pricing or limiting available services in the two months leading up to and during Passover, according to the agreement. If the car wash company fails to adhere to these terms, it will be required to pay a penalty of up to $75,000.
Last week, James issued a consumer alert urging New Yorkers to be careful of discriminatory pricing practices at car washes in the days leading up to Passover and warning businesses that this practice is illegal.
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