BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Hundreds of customers who purchased vehicles from Ganas Used Auto Sales at the Auto Mall are facing uncertainty after the dealership's parent company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy earlier this month.
Tricolor Holdings, the Texas-based parent company of Ganas Auto, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on September 10. The filing has left customers unsure about their car payments and contracts.
"The problem right now is that I don't know who to give my payment to or if my contract is going to be the same or if the interests are going to go up," said Juan, a customer who asked not to show his face on camera.
Juan purchased his truck last year and typically makes payments at the end of each month. He learned about the bankruptcy through social media rather than from the company directly.
"I found out through Tik-Tok I didn't know anything, I saw it on Tik-Tok and I started to investigate and by then everything had already happened," Juan said.
The customer says he has been unable to reach anyone at the company for answers about his payments.
"All day yesterday and all day today we've been making calls. They're calls of 20-30 minutes, and we can't be waiting that long," Juan said.
The Department of Motor Vehicles confirmed it is investigating Ganas Used Auto Sales but declined to provide details about the nature of the investigation.
"This is part of an active investigation. DMV does not comment on active investigations," the department said in an email response.
Tricolor Holdings is based in Irving, Texas, and operates dealerships nationwide. Chapter 7 bankruptcy typically results in the liquidation of a business and permanent cessation of operations.
"The chapter seven bankruptcy is simply saying, I just can't do this anymore. I want to walk away. I'm willing to just give it up, give it a lot," Juan said.
Juan believes the company should have been more transparent with customers about its financial difficulties.
"I also feel that the company was irresponsible because if they already knew about the debt they had or knew about their problem they should've told their clients about the issues," Juan said.
23ABC reached out to Tricolor Holdings for comment but have not received a response.
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