Wichita used car dealer refunds customer after prohibited layaway sale, DA says

A north Wichita used car dealership has agreed to repay customers and pay a $15,000 civil penalty after the district attorney’s office investigated consumer complaints.

Joe’s Used Auto Sales, formerly Joe’s Salvage, at 221 E. 13th St., entered the consent agreement with the district attorney’s office last week in Sedgwick County District Court.

District Attorney Marc Bennett said in a news release that Joe’s Used Auto Sales was investigated by the DA’s consumer protection division after receiving two complaints. The prosecutor’s office alleged the dealership had sold one of its customers a car on layaway, which is prohibited, and misrepresented the dealership’s requirements to provide a lien release to the other customer. The investigation also found that cars were being sold without disclosing safety recalls.

The business and its owner agreed to fully refund the customer who bought the car on layaway and to pay the other customer $500. They also agreed to pay $15,000 in civil penalties, as well as court costs and investigative fees. The agreement “calls for an injunction from engaging in deceptive or unconscionable acts and cooperation with any future complaints,” Bennett said.