Evergy Kansas Central, the utility’s subsidiary serving the KVOE listening area and most of eastern Kansas, has to pay the state $500,000 for alleged violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office says Evergy Kansas Central, then known as Westar, sponsored and approved warranties that “failed to provide a material benefit to consumers” and also had unspecified misrepresentations violating the Consumer Protection Act.
Evergy Kansas Central agreed to a consent judgment concerning home warranties, both interior and exterior, through Evergy’s relationship with HomeServe USA between September 2014 and December 2019. The consent judgment, which includes a $480,000 direct payment to the state and $20,000 to reimburse investigation fees, does not include any admission by Evergy Kansas Central to the state’s allegations.
Other stipulations in the consent judgment say Evergy Kansas Central cannot share customer information with third parties unless legally allowed. The subsidiary also has to inform customers whenever it’s compensated for the use of its logo. It can’t let third parties use the Evergy logo as a way to gain business in ways a “reasonable person” would think the information came directly from Evergy. Any solicitations from third-party companies connected to Evergy Kansas Central cannot be “reasonably interpreted” as bills or invoices of accounts due.
