No Title, No Refund, Until A News Crew Shamed The Attorney General Into Action

An Ohio man waited two years for a refund after a dealership failed to provide a title, until reporters got involved

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Buying a used car usually means dealing with a few minor hassles, but for one man in Columbus, Ohio, the process turned into a two-year ordeal. After purchasing a Honda Pilot, he was left without a title and had to wait nearly two years to finally receive a refund. The money didn’t come from the dealer that sold him the SUV, but from the state’s Title Defect Recision (TDR) Fund, which exists to handle cases exactly like this.

Andre Tyus purchased the 2006 Honda Pilot from All For U Auto Leasing in September 2023 for $4,800. He waited patiently until February of 2024 to receive the title, but it didn’t come, despite repeated communications with the dealer. Frustrated, Tyus returned the SUV later that month, yet he was still left out the money he had paid, prompting him to seek help from the Attorney General’s office.

A Long Road To Resolution

Not much seemed to move until local outlet 10 Investigates reported on Tyus’s situation that April. Shortly afterward, he learned his case had been reassigned to a new agent. It would still take another year and a half before anything changed, but in September 2025 the wait finally ended. Tyus received a check for the full $4,800 he spent on the Pilot, courtesy of Ohio’s Title Defect Recision Fund, which exists to reimburse consumers when dealers fail to provide proper titles.

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According to local Attorney General Dave Yost, cases like this are “not unheard of and we have had other situations just like this.” There’s no word on why it took so long for Tyus to receive his refund after the dealership’s shady practices were exposed.

Relief, With Frustration

While grateful for the refund, Tyus admitted the ordeal wore him down. “Thank you, first of all, but next time let’s be on it, just like the last agent [was],” he told 10TV. He added that patience, paired with persistence, eventually brought results: “Through this life I’ve seen, if you just stand, you don’t have to fight that much. Because there’s ways made that will fight for you, in this case, that was 10TV.”

Tyus may finally have his money back, but his story highlights how a simple paperwork failure can spiral into a drawn-out battle between buyers, dealers, and the state.